WOODBURY – As these few weeks come up, students find themselves in a mix of anticipation for the coming holidays as well as anxiety over upcoming exams.
Senior Olivia Gwiazdoski feels that it’s a struggle for some to stay focused, but others try to grind all the work out before.
“Like me, it’s hard to stay focused when a long break is coming up,” Gwiazdoski said. “A bunch of my college friends start coming home, while we are all still in school and it makes it harder to stay focused.”
For seniors like Gwiazoski, this stretch of the calendar can be especially difficult for students.
“Some other kids take it very seriously because they just want to buckle down and get their work done before break, which is also reasonable,” Gwiazoski.
Joshua Kornblut of the science department has a different viewpoint of preparing students for the break.
“I wouldn’t say I try to squeeze in as much as possible, but I do try to be very efficient with getting things done,” Kornblut. “I like to try to get to a certain point- I don’t want to be getting back from break and having a test right after so there is a certain amount of work I want to get through.”
Sophomore Brooke Stokes is one of the students who is already tired of school work dragging on during an especially challenging December stretch.
“I feel like the time in between thanksgiving break and Christmas break just drags on forever and I just feel like the work gets hard because they’re trying to cram it in before the break,” Stokes said. “It just feels discouraging because we are all looking forward to Christmas and we still have a few weeks to go.”
Henry Strzelecki agrees with Stokes with how waiting for a break can just bring the desire to work down.
“I’d say I’m tired of it because my stamina to work goes down over the thanksgiving break and then when I come back to school with Christmas break in sight, I just don’t want to do anything,” Strzelecki.
Junior Jadyn Heron agrees with how Stokes thinks the work can weigh heavily on students before break.
“It’s kind of stressful because I feel like teachers try to cram in a bunch of quizzes and tests when we just don’t have the motivation to do anything,” Heron said. “I kind of start lacking in my work a bit because I know a break is coming up.”
Korblut also acknowledges students are ready for break as it is just days away.
“It’s also important to recognize that students are getting excited for the holidays, they’re getting a little worn out and can’t focus as much,” Kornblut said. “I think just making things as fun as possible while still getting things done.”
