May is one week away, which means it is time for the the chaotic sprint to the finish line of the school year so long as we can all get through FINAL EXAMS.
I am stressed as much as the kids because I know for May I go into “Finals Mode” where my schedule is no longer my own, sleep is something I dream about in between espresso shots, and my poor administrator Janice gets a barrage of barely legible text messages as we try to keep up with the last minute requests for cram sessions.
So as we go launch into May, here is what I am keeping in mind and what might help you to maintain your sanity.
My Goals for Surviving Spring Finals 2019
1. Start planning
We are four weeks from final exams for most schools, so start planning what days you (if you’re the student) are going to get all of your materials together, organize your notes, get all of your tests in one place, and figure out when you need to go see your teacher. I can empathize with all the procrastinators (as I sit here 3 hours before my own deadline writing this article), but I have also perfected the art of scheduling my time so that even if I procrastinate I have a cushion. At least if you took an hour to get all of your notes and tests in order, it won’t be as stressful when you decide to start studying two days before the test instead of two weeks.
Once spring break came, I was already thinking about what needed to be done in order to organize Final Exam Study Group for Beyond Education, how people are going to sign up, where to host them, etc, etc. Planning keeps my brain screwed on just a little tighter when it tries to go in 60 different directions at once.
2. Study Sessions
I got off the phone recently with a student who refused to organize a study group for her upcoming AP exam because she was convinced all of her other classmates knew all of the materials and she was the only one struggling to keep straight the timeline. I nearly had to yell at her to convince her to get a study group together.
Beyond Education will hosting select Final Exam Study Groups (shameless plug), but that does not mean you can’t organize your own before or after to really dig into the material. “If you can teach it, you know it.” So give yourself as many chances as possible to teach it.
3. Give yourself grace.
The past six months I have been learning how to give myself grace and not let my A-type personality beat myself up when Beyond Education is not an IPO already at 18 months. 2019 has been a year of trusting the small steps will get me to the final destination I seek, so long as I’m consistent. It’s no different for final exam season. Be consistent in studying. If you haven’t been getting the grades you want, then maybe switch up your study methods, try studying with someone else and see what they do, or give us a call and we can give you some different tactics. But at the end of the day, go to sleep knowing you did all that you could do for that 24 hours and that was enough.
Tomorrow is a new day and the final exams will come and go without so much anxiety if you are at peace with the effort you put in to prepare for them.
We are all in this final exam season together, so remember if you catch someone’s eye in the library give them an encouraging smile to let them know you’re both looking forward to the time when you can sleep in and sit by the pool on a Saturday.
