By Samson Le
Monday
The first day of finals week begins. Since there aren’t any actual finals taking place on this day, online class is mellow, with the teachers simply reiterating what the contents of the exams will be like. Class time also consists of review and I am let out early so that I can prioritize studying for my exams.
Tuesday consists of three classes for me: Baron Banner, Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish and Literature in Modern Media. Before I study, I take a little break in order to refresh myself from the four hours of online school that I just had. I eat and drink a little bit for lunch and relax by lying down on my bed for a couple of minutes. After completing the relaxation process, I begin studying for AP Spanish, as it is the only test I have for Tuesday, since there is no cumulative final for my other two classes.
For AP Spanish, I only have my unit three test to take. The test is split up into two days. The first day is the listening, reading and speaking portion with multiple choice questions, while the second is the essay writing portion. To study for the first portion of the test, I start by looking at the sources for my essential questions and taking notes about the content of my sources. Then, I synthesize the information into a coherently spoken cultural comparison.
I attend my daily cross country practice and once that is complete, I go home to eat dinner. After eating dinner, I prepare to sleep before the long week of finals ahead of me.
Tuesday
I wake up at 6:30 a.m. and I prepare for school as usual. My first class goes as normal and I am let out early to study for my other classes. I use this time to review my notes for Spanish so that I can be prepared for the first portion of my unit three test. AP Spanish begins at 8:30 a.m., and the test goes as normally as it has been since the start of the first semester.
I breeze through the listening and writing portions of the test and I struggle a little bit with the speaking portion, but that is a normality to me since I have always had a little bit of difficulty with forming a well-spoken cultural comparison. After the class ends, I log in to English class, where we perform peer evaluations for our projects. When English ends, I head off for the day to study for my main final exam: AP Calculus AB.
AP Calculus AB is divided into two days. The first day is a no-calculator portion, while the next day is a calculator portion. To prepare for the first day, I read through all my old notes from the semester and write down the most important concepts of the notes. Next, I enter a voice call with one of my classmates and we do some practice problems together. Once that is finished, I review the government notes from the first semester to be ready for my government class’s final assessment.
After studying for my two final exams, I eat dinner and go to bed.
Wednesday
It is 7:30 a.m. when I wake up to eat breakfast and get ready for the exams. I turn on my computer and copy down the academic integrity statement as I have done for all other tests before this. The exam goes like any other test that I have taken this year for math. After I finish my exam, I take a picture of my work and turn it in.
American Government is my next class and the assessment is hefty, containing 20 free response questions. However, I manage to work through the long exam, and leave class early to study for the second portion of my Spanish exam. To study for my Spanish exam, I take notes on the sources for each of the unit three essential questions. For AP Computer Science Principles, I finish up the coding project that I have worked on for the past week and turn it in.
I eat my dinner and prepare for sleep.
Thursday
My alarm wakes me up for the next day and the second portion of my AP Spanish goes as normally as my past AP Spanish exams have been. Once I finish my exam, I wait until the period ends to attend my next class, where we continue our project evaluations from Tuesday. When English class is over, I prepare my lunch and repeat my relaxation process from Tuesday.
The last portion of my AP Calculus AB exam is the calculator portion. Once again, I reread my notes and mark the most important definitions and concepts. Then, I prepare for bed once again for my last day of finals.
Friday
The final day of finals commences. I eat my breakfast and turn on my computer, reviewing the concepts and definitions that I had previously marked up the previous night. I take my math exam, and the exam goes as smoothly as the first day. Nothing is as different with this exam as compared to the first, besides the fact I can use my calculator. Once I finish my exam, I turn in my work and head off to American Government.
Since I had already finished my final assessment for American Government, class time was spent with the teacher giving a preview for my next semester class, Economics. After the period ended, I was free to go, feeling relieved that finals week during a pandemic was over. This concludes finals week during a pandemic.
Conclusion
Overall, the process of finals during a pandemic is no different to having a normal test day in virtual distance learning, besides the fact that there is more time to study. The main difference is solely not having the physical presence of the teacher or classmates during a period of a final exam. The final exams operate the same way that normal tests have had during the pandemic where you do your own work at your table and then submit it, or your test is entirely online. While it may be better to provide final exams in person, it is far safer to conduct final exam testing in virtual distance learning.
