At last we have reached the end of quarter 2, and we will now proceed into quarter 3. From January 23rd to January 26th, Wheatley students spent their time preparing for their midterm exams, and they have finally reached the end of testing! Here are some of the highlights from midterm week.
- Dr. Klapper’s Honesty Statement
Starting off before every exam, students sat in their chairs waiting in suspense as Dr. Klapper would come onto the announcements to say her iconic honesty statement. Wheatley students sat through the crazed rave so many times that “Honesty is the expectation and…” has essentially been ingrained into their heads.
- Bargaining with the Teachers
Among all of the anxiety before testing, there were some students who pleaded with their teachers, trying to compromise on a generous curve or easier questions. One of my favorite moments from testing week was when a student attempted to convince the teacher to allow everybody to ‘collaborate’ on the test, arguing that the real world requires individuals to work in groups. What do you think?
- Cramming Everything In
This was most certainly a week full of students cramming in missed homework assignments and last minute studying before exams. For teachers also, this was a time packed with giving their students last minute tests during class, and running back and forth between proctoring and grading exams. And you also cannot forget about the dozens of emails students received as their teachers returned grades from their Google Classroom assignments since the beginning of quarter 2.
- The Car Wars
Arguably one of the most controversial parts of midterm week was the battle at the glass doors. Parents picking up and dropping off students struggled to navigate their way through the maze of traffic that engulfed the glass doors and even stretched out onto Bacon Road. Meanwhile, you would think that the students taking the buses would have a simpler time leaving, but some faced the difficulty of finding out which bus number they were assigned.
- Stress and pressures during testing
During exams, the start and end time would be displayed on the white board in the front. But, some students faced the unfortunate events of taking a test in a room where the time was never updated, including myself. And so, some students attempted to read the analog clock, yet struggled and took their test under even more pressure. Testing may have also become stressful for the students who had to endure sitting in the small wooden desks, or for the right handed people with the left desks, and vice versa.
And most importantly, the number of times you could enter the packed commons and hear students saying their favorite phrase ‘lock in’, as they prepare themselves to walk into the classroom with full concentration and confidence.
- Honorable mention
Wheatley students’ impeccable taste in fashion was displayed this week, as they entered in their comfiest clothing, including their signature pajama pants style, paired with a cup of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks.
Despite all of the chaos during this week, Wheatley students worked very hard to get to this point in school, so you all deserve to rest and take it easy. Next stop may be AP’s, but not to worry there is plenty of time remaining. We still have our winter break in February, Showdown in March, and the long spring break in April!
And to all of the seniors… Congratulations on making it this far in your high school career! You are almost complete with high school, so cherish the moments that you have remaining, and don’t forget to pat yourself on the back and be proud of your accomplishments!