Crier Inquires: how do you feel about the cancellation of finals?

The end of the school year is always a busy time for students and teachers, with various programs, athletic competitions, and tests. When the district started e-learning due to the coronavirus, students were not surprised to learn that after-school activities and athletics were canceled. However, when the district canceled the second-semester finals, students and teachers had mixed feelings. 

Crisza Patron, ’23

“Now that I’m not physically learning in a school environment, it’s difficult. I’m sure a lot of us aren’t exactly used to doing everything online without direct guidance from our teachers. Aside from that, I feel for the students who were looking forward to events all year only for it to be postponed. I hope there’ll be alternatives for these events in the summer. Above all, I miss my friends and being around people in general. It’s boring not being able to see them five days a week.”

Matthew Tsang, ‘22

“In adverse times now, it is imperative that schools continue to support student education. Canceling finals takes away a significant opportunity for students to improve their grades. I hope that teachers perceive this and make up for this lost opportunity through e-learning.”

 

Logan Franklin, ‘21

“I understand why people could be upset with the opportunity to bring up grades [through final exams] being lost, but the expectation that most students will be as prepared this semester as they were last semester is ignorant. I know personally I’m struggling a lot without being in a classroom setting, and I will not be as prepared as I would have for finals and AP tests, but at least I only have to focus on one now, even if that means being stuck with the grade I had.”

Apoorva Bommareddy, ‘20

“It doesn’t really affect me because of the rule they have with seniors and second-semester finals, so I wasn’t counting on taking finals this semester anyways. In a way, it feels like it’s another “perk” of senior year that’s been taken away, but it is what it is and it’s what works best for everyone. And it’s one less thing for students to worry about.”

 

Jason Franco, Math and Computer Science teacher

“I think the final exam is something that would help hold kids accountable to keep up with their e-learning work.  So telling the kids that there are no final exams and that their grades can’t get any worse takes away that accountability.  I also agree with the argument that you can’t give students a final exam on material that was learned remotely.  The home learning experience is not the same for every student, and I don’t think it would be fair to assess on things learned in that environment.  In other words, there is no easy solution.  I think the district made the decision early to take away some of the pressure placed on students in an already difficult time.”