As the end of the year is nearing closer and closer, many students are struck with a sudden feeling of anxiety, stress, and worry. Their apprehension is due to their final grades as well as their academic performance throughout the year. These strong feelings also cause a firm halt in celebration and relief, which should be what the end of the school year is about.
The dread of final grades is not the only aspect that contributes to the fear of success among students. One other thing that students may base their self-worth on is their final exams, which usually take place during the last week of school. Waiting this long builds up anticipation, which can become overwhelming and hard to deal with at times. Not only that but waiting until the last minute to complete such a significant exam and a portion of your grade can also cause detrimental harm to your percentage and points in your final grade. This completely dismantles all of the hard work that students put in throughout the year and is also one of the leading causes of anxiety when it comes to the end of the year.
Quartz Hill High School student Panashe Mafukeni was interviewed and asked if he experiences end-of-the-year anxiety and if he were to blame that on final exams, and he said, “ I would say that I don’t necessarily have end-of-the-year anxiety, but more of a pressure. I honestly like it because I believe that I work better under those conditions.” Given that perspective on the situation now, I feel that the circumstances are different for each and every student. In contrast, some students think that anxiety isn’t the leading factor of their success; others feel that it runs their life.
Martina Brajanonvska, a senior at Quart Hill High School, is on the opposite side of the spectrum from Panashe. She claims, “ I approach the end of the year with a fear of failure; even though I know that I put in hard work and effort into my work and grades, I still somehow end up convincing myself it isn’t enough.”
It is not fair for students to be basing their worth on their grades. Usually, grades are not a true reflection of who you are as a person or even your performance abilities. The underlying issue lies within the individual. The only way you can get past the anxiety is to grasp the concept that percentages on a piece of paper do not define you.
