After a year of uncertainty and change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kingswood Oxford has begun its transition back to a “normal” 2021-2022 school year. The return to normalcy in school is also accompanied by the return of midterms.
This year, midterms will be held from Dec. 13-17, the week before winter break. Students will be taking midterms in their science, history, math, and language classes. During exam week, students will only have one midterm a day, unless they are enrolled in two classes in one subject area.
Monday will be math exams, Tuesday will be science exams, Wednesday will be language exams, and Thursday will be history exams. There are no exams scheduled for Friday, Dec. 17, as that day will serve as a make-up day if a snow day occurs earlier in the week. If no snow day occurs, then that Friday will be a day off. “I think spreading it out, at least, helps alleviate the stress,” Director of Academic Planning Carolyn McKee said.
After not having midterms last year, it was up to the department chairs to decide whether or not their department would have an exam this December. “Midterms provide a chance to review everything that has been learned and allow for connections that students might not automatically make,” science Department Chair Fritz Goodman said regarding the science department’s decision to hold exams.
However, despite the intellectual benefits of midterms, these exams also burden students with a large amount of stress and pressure. “I think stress is a big part of [midterms],” sophomore Diya Mistri said, “along with time management, and busy work you have for school, activities and clubs, while also studying and then having that pressure of getting a good grade.”
From Mr. Goodman’s perspective, the stress associated with exams is actually beneficial for students. “The stress associated with exams is a part of life,” he said. Mr. Goodman essentially said that midterms help students learn to cope with stress that they will see again and again later in their lives.
On the other hand, Ms. McKee acknowledged the potentially overwhelming stress brought by midterms and she recommends that students learn to manage their time while studying for their exams. “Exams are really not that powerful, and as a lot of teachers will say, they cannot hurt you, they can help you, but they can’t really hurt you,” Ms. McKee said, reassuring students in this stressful time.
Moreover, though students may not necessarily be too excited about the upcoming exams and the added stress that they cause, they are good practice for future tests and provide an extra incentive to work hard before winter break.
