All Mamaroneck High School students who take AP courses or have finals know that the days leading up to these major exams are some of the most stressful times of the year. However, students are still assigned a heavy workload in most, if not all, of their classes. This excessive work causes students to focus more on completing a homework assignment than on studying for an AP exam or final, which are some of the most important assessments of the school year. MHS students have strong opinions about this issue.
Olivia Gray (’27) thinks that test scores for both AP classes and finals will be negatively affected as a result of excessive homework in other classes. She elaborates that because students are so busy trying to complete assignments, they often do not have nearly enough time to study thoroughly for APs or final exams. This brings up the question: would MHS students benefit from having a few days off before a final or AP exam in order to manage their workload?
Lizzie Cabrera-Russo (’27) offered a different perspective: students don’t need time off from school, but rather reduced workloads in classes that don’t have an upcoming exam/final. While many students agree that reducing workloads would help during exam season, others also believe keeping students in school remains important. Lulu Kenney (’27) mentioned that if students were to have time off before exams, they would lose valuable review days with teachers. She notes that these review sessions are an important tool for studying before an exam.
In the MHS community, it does not seem likely that students will be given a few days off before AP exams or finals anytime soon. In fact, many MHS students feel that these days off wouldn’t benefit them much either, as they would miss valuable in-class review time with a teacher to go over class content before a big exam. May and June are some of the most stressful and busy times of the year for any student because of final exams; students are not asking for time off from school, but rather less homework in classes (especially those with no upcoming exam) during this chaotic time of the year so that students can focus and prepare for AP exams or finals.
