Senior year is supposed to be a time of fun and enjoyment. We have made it this far. We have conquered junior year. We are supposed to be able to enjoy the last football and basketball games, winter break and Key Club Follies. Instead, we are stuck being robbed of all pleasant emotions by having to take midterms. But that is not even the most horrendous part but rather it is the audacity of the school system to make them after break!

Basically, we work really hard almost non-stop and even harder as exams approach (especially AP) and we deserve a substantial break for that. One might even ask ‘what break?’ as our winter break continues to be diminished. Senior year is especially hard because, in addition to the workload, a lot of students are applying to colleges or jobs for the next year. In fact senior year is even harder than junior year because seniors are expected to balance 1000 times as much work and activities. Part of this “work” is midterms.

What is the purpose of midterms? They are a benchmark that helps show how well students are learning the material for the course. For most underclassmen they are more important because a lot of underclassmen take block courses with midterms and a state mandated finals. However, most seniors are in year long courses or courses that do not have a state mandated midterm or end of year exam. As such, teacher made midterms are of limited value to seniors and should not be a requirement.

“Seniors should not have to take midterms,” senior Brad Knight said. “This is among the most stressful time for seniors, especially with college decisions looming in the weeks to come. The last thing that we should have to worry about is whether a non-mandatory midterm will affect their grade and potentially their GPA.”

Seniors also should not be forced to take midterms because it inhibits us from being able to enjoy winter break. Seniors have to study for exams, unit tests, and quizzes that are given the week before exams as well as complete homework. Seniors deserve a break after years and years of midterms.

Midterms also do not encourage seniors to work harder. When students are expected to work hard all of the time with no break it is harder to stay motivated. Midterms are just the nail in the coffin of making seniors feel ready to graduate.

There is no real break for seniors until graduation because of exams and tests on either ends of breaks. That problem is perpetuated by mandatory midterms.

Seniors want to be able to enjoy their senior year. Although we are all excited about being somewhere or doing something new next year, we want this year to be so good that we are actually sad about leaving. We are prevented from having this opportunity with being forced to take midterms.

Senior year should be the best, we have accomplished so much and worked so hard. However, we never work hard enough to earn a full, worry-free break. We deserve to have that and in order for that to happen midterms for seniors have to stop.

Photo provided by Creative Commons