Why finals should not be moved back to January
Staff Writer
One of the best aspects of the AHS calendar is how December concludes with three short finals days, leaving the worries of the second semester for January. This is a gift we should be grateful for.
Having the stressful finals season ahead of a break can make the days off less enjoyable. Recall Thanksgiving break. As Isha Sumesh (10) said, “During Thanksgiving break and spring break, I’m studying because the finals are coming up in a few weeks. I don’t really get to enjoy it that much.”
Winter break is also a gap separating the semesters, preventing teachers from assigning work over it. Ms. Wheaton, an engineering and APES teacher, said, “In terms of mental health, it’s vitally important that we cut that work right there,” she said. “After finals, the kids are forced to rest their brains.”
It can be argued that moving finals to January takes stress off Thanksgiving break, but winter break has one crucial difference—it is a week longer. Regarding the hypothetical of finals being after winter break, Sumesh said, “The same thing would happen with winter break as Thanksgiving break, and winter is two weeks—our biggest break other than summer vacation.” When a break is longer, students can take lengthier travels and invest more time in activities they could not do during school. To allow winter break to be a period of relaxation, there cannot be six finals for six classes waiting to greet students upon their return.
Although some may argue that having finals and holiday preparations occur simultaneously is too much, this is more reason why an empty winter break should be preserved—so students can focus on enjoying winter celebrations, not academics. Moreover, the new year is a time for resolution, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the past year and envision how next can be better. If the semester ends in December, students can reflect on their academic performance alongside other accomplishments of the past year, and they can integrate areas of improvement into resolutions they make for a new year.
Having finals in December is simply intuitive. Having the most stressful time of the year followed up by a relaxing, two-week break filled with holiday festivities provides students with a light at the end of the tunnel to reach toward during those stressful nights of studying or completing end-of-semester projects. There’s freedom around the corner, we can tell ourselves—only a few more days, a few more tests, a few more classes to worry about, and then we have officially made it.
A planner is filled with topics to study for or work to do. This situation is the biggest downside to having finals in January—students will spend time focusing on academics instead of enjoying a well-deserved rest (Photo Credit: Aruna Harpalani (10)).
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a “dueling” piece, placed on the print issue beside another article arguing the opposition of the stance taken in this article. That opposing article can be found here: https://eagleera.org/2025/01/12/rethinking-the-calendar/
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