The end of the school year is approaching, and freedom is around the corner. Despite the fact that students will soon be at their own leisure, obstacles still remain in the way: end-of-year tests and final exams! When thinking about all the studying in the near future, it makes students start to panic. However, with proper preparation, it is easier to handle the workload.

Some students are unmotivated, though, and just want to get the school year over with. “I’m excited to finally sleep in and relax, which demotivates me to study and stay focused on schoolwork and studying.” said eighth grader Ella Hayes.

People can actually use “relaxing” or some small reward as a goal with which they can motivate themselves to do get things done.

“I do a lot of studying, normally 30 minutes for each class by reviewing notes,” said seventh grader Lexi Lower. “If I get to a certain point in my studies, I reward myself with food.”

Some students are merely motivated by the fear of not doing well. “You have to study really hard because if you don’t study, you don’t get a feel for the exam, [and] you will do really bad[ly],” said eighth grader Caroline Yancey.

An article titled “22 Science-Backed Study Tips to Ace a Test,” written by Shana Lebowitz on www.greatiest.com,  also mentions that, “Knowing there’s a little reward waiting for us at the end of just a few pages makes it easier to beat procrastination.” What Lebowitz is basically saying is that you can get through the pain of taking a test by knowing that there is a reward at the end of the process.

Some teachers also dread the end-of-year exams. Creating the finals and having to grade so many of them can be tiresome.

“I create the finals, then I tweak them, then I look at them again about four to five times for each course,” said Middle School Math Department Chair Mrs. Cathryn Hansen. “To correct the final, it takes me about two days. It’s a lot of work to grade. I have a system though: I go one page at a time, page-by-page.”

Other teachers enjoy the the process because it allows them to see what their students have learned. “I’ve noticed actually that to me, it’s a joy to read [final exam responses] because I’m always impressed with the insights that students produce in their writing,” said middle school English teacher Mr. Nathan Ginnetty.

With the proper preparation, testing does not have to be as scary as it seems, and the end of the year doesn’t have to be a nightmare for both students and teachers. And the reward for finishing strongly: the freedom of summer! That’s a gift students and teachers alike are looking forward to enjoying.