It is that time of year again at Jacksonville High School. No, not Christmas vacation where students get to take a break from all things school related and eat so much food they are about to burst. It’s time for students to buckle down and get serious about finals. The semester is not over yet, and it is not time to mentally check out of any of your classes.
The finals schedule is the same old same old this year with finals for 2nd, 4th/5th, and 6th hours falling on Wednesday, December 17; 1st, 3rd, and 7th hours are on Thursday, December 18; and finally 8th hour and early bird finals along with any makeup exams will occur on Friday, December 19.
Exemptions are a big deal here at Jacksonville High School because it allows students to exempt any especially stressful classes and help them better prepare for tests that they truly need to take. Some students chose to exempt classes that they find to be too easy, or they may exempt a class that they struggled to get an A in because they feel the exam will hurt, not help their already struggling grade.
If students were on red for three of the four terms, then they have all three exemptions that are allowed. If students have two blues, that will equal one exemption. It is important to stay on red to get these exemptions because they help make finals a little less stressful.
Many kids tend to forget that finals are worth twenty percent of the semester grade, and this is a bad habit because it can take a straight A student to a straight B student in a hurry, which will really hurt a student’s GPA.
Good tactics students can use to prepare include beginning to study a week or so in advance, thinking through what to exempt and what to take before the day you have to make a decision, do not go on autopilot in any of your classes – the year is not yet over, and finally, do your very best on whatever exams you may end up taking.
Remember, work hard and work diligently and you can succeed.