The International Insider » class

Eurotrip: Swiss Style

Adam Levine and Carolina Jiminez and Sean Fisher — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:04:49 +0000

With part one of the exchange finished, 17 eager students, along with English teacher Ms. Heather Prevosti, Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Suroweic, and Math teacher, Ms. Ho-Ling Lo, embarked on their journey to Winterthur, Switzerland.

Similar to the school’s past two exchanges, students on this exchange lived with a host Swiss student and his/her family while touring the country, shadowing them while in school, and getting to know their host families.

“I wanted to see life from another perspective,” said junior Vanessa Kreytak.

The flight took off at 6:50 PM from Newark International Airport. After seven tiring hours on the plane, students couldn’t wait to land in Switzerland. The Americans arrived at 6:00 in the morning, where they were greeted by three Swiss students and one teacher from our host school, Kantonsshule Im Lee.

Students and teachers were taken to school where they were greeted by the Swiss principal and offered lunch.

“Their school food is so much better than our food; they actually have chefs working,” said junior Glenn Kugelman.

After the “official” welcome, the school day was over and the American students were free to go home and spend the weekend with their host students.

Some students had the pleasure to travel during the weekend, going as far as Bern, the capital of Switzerland and Rome, Italy.

On Monday, students arrived at school bright and early to start sightseeing. At first, the students went on a walking tour of the town where the Swiss hosts lived, followed by free time to shop and eat.

During the afternoon, the students were given the opportunity to tour the historic Kyburg Castle.

Tuesday was the day the students were able to see the Rhein falls. Students walked along the sight seeing paths taking many pictures with the falls as the background.

“One of my favorite students was traveling with the students, we had a lot of fun touring the cities and meeting the other [Swiss] students in their school and how they interact. I feel our students truly experienced the culture,” said Ms. Suroweic.

The Americans were set to attend school all day Wednesday. The Swiss hosts were all in the same classes, so the Americans weren’t separated. Our students attended classes such as Biology, Literature, and Calculus. This was also the day where the Principal of Kantonsshule Im Lee gave the students a fond farewell as well as a small gift. Each student received a Swiss army knife that was in the form of a credit card.

On Thursday, the American students, accompanied by their Swiss friends, traveled to Zurich where they went sightseeing around the town and finished up their last minute souvenir shopping.

That Friday marked the day of departure back to the United States. Our travelers had a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany before reaching there much wanted homes here in the United States. With each student’s family waiting and the crowd giving our students a round of applause as they exited the customs area. Each student couldn’t help but agree that this trip was anything but unforgettable.

Brightening Futures

Angela Salmos — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:19:29 +0000

Was it your teacher who asked you, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Was it your Aunt? Was it your mom or dad? Is it possible that you still don’t know what you want to do? What if a friendly dragon came by and asked you now? On March 16th our school held a Career Day conference for the first time. Many successful people came out to talk about the importance of hard work, success, and dedication.

Professionally dressed students came – wide-eyed – into their transformed classrooms and school offices to hear from an impressive variety of adults, working in an equally varied number of fields.

“Career Day really opened my mind to what I want to be when I get older,” said junior Samantha DiMarco, who wasn’t alone in heralding the event’s successes. “I didn’t expect to see enthusiasm from our junior and senior students. From hats to heels and dresses to jackets, they really went all out and it made us all very proud,” said Parent Coordinator Annette Lentini.

Students were able to sample life and professional lessons from a dizzying array of presenters from entertainment executives to world renown chefs. Some student favorites included freelance multi-lingual translator, Jisu Kim, CFO Matt Signore from Warner Music Group, and Financial Planner John Ross.

Everyone wants to be successful when they get older, and good grades are a big part of achieving that goal. Many jobs today need more than a college diploma. Many seek out students who are doing significant post graduate work.

“At this age students usually don’t care or don’t know what they want to be at the moment, but when you get older you have to keep in mind to love your job,” said John Ross an Agency Sales Director, Financial Planner.

Overall, the day was a real outside-the-box learning experience for everyone, and a real boon for our school.

Sophomores Get to Know Health

Celeste Chow and Jamie Miller — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:23:00 +0000

Here at our school bake sales and junk food are forbidden for health reasons but yet students are not taught healthy eating habits. Health class is not taught here or at many New York City schools.

Since health class is not offered, the SPARK, Ms. Hattie Slaughter, at our school decided to incorporates health into advisory. SPARK is a program that offers individual and group assistance on positive alternatives. Even though Ms. Slaughter teaches the sophomore advisories with regular health lessons, it is not the same as having an actual health class.

According the Department of Education, health class is not mandated for students to take as a specific class, which is why we learn health class through advisory.

Health class should be mandated to take because having health class through other classes is not always beneficial. By not having a specific class dedicated to health it is not guaranteed that you will have a health lesson everyday and it is important for students to learn about health.

“Health class is to inform students on their mental and physical health and to teach good eating and exercise habits. It is also to teach the importance of health. By teaching health poor nutrition, and drug and alcohol awareness are prevented,” said Ms. Slaughter.

According to Ms Pastena only one health credit is required to graduate, so the lessons that would be taught in a traditional health class are taught throughout the four years of advisory.

“Learning about health class in advisory is important because we get to learn about how to live a longer healthy life and the bad effects of drugs,” said sophomore Ashley Heyne.

Ms. Slaughter is not always available to teach health lessons, which is why health should be part of our curriculum. Without a health class students don’t learn proper things they need to know for their everyday teen life.

The few Advisors who are teaching about health are helping their students to become more aware of their bodies. Ms. Orlando’s advisory is currently focusing on alcoholism and drug abuse.

“I think it’s important for students to learn about health because it helps them become aware of their bodies, as well as the poor influences in society,” said English teacher Melissa Orlando.

According to Ms. Pepe, health is an important subject that covers everything from nutrition to issues that teens face in today. It may help students to talk about topics that they may not be able to discuss with their parents or friends. It also can help in knowing the facts on certain subjects instead of guessing.

A Whole New Community

Steven Birch and Tirath Singh — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:22:27 +0000

January was a busy month for our school’s music department. The music department under the direction of music teacher Melissa Packowski and the ambition of the students were tested when the school held its second annual Winter Concert on January 14 and followed it quickly with a community Drum Circle on January 15. Based on the responses from participants, both events were clear successes.

Guitars, drums, and a few more international instruments combined to open the second Holiday Concert with a bang. With proceeds going to Haiti, students and faculty filled the auditorium with joy. The performers breezed though the concert with seeming ease while the audience bobbed their heads in tune to the beautifully arranged music.

The highlight of the night was the Winter Wonder Rap. Screaming students were ecstatic when freshman Leo Krkuti rapped in tune with the instrumental music played by the remainder of music students.

“In guitar, we practiced real hard on the Winter Rap and I was happy with how it went,” said freshman Calissa Mc Cue.

Closing the second annual Winter Concert was an inspirational story, Christmas Eve Sarajevo. Narrator freshman Victoria Manzo led the audience through the story with a passionate voice as music accompanied her.

The audience left not only with an earful of good music and a great performance but also with the pride of knowing that they had a chance to help out Haitians who were devastated by the earthquake by dropping money into the upside-down drum just outside the auditorium doors. Overall, $250 was collected for Haiti.

“I felt great donating because knowing a dollar or two can help someone in need was the best part of attending the Concert. I think the performers were great and have wonderful talents,” said sophomore Gilana Levin.

Preparations for both events began in the beginning of the first semester. For the freshmen students in the music classes, a five month deadline for an anticipated perfect concert was difficult despite the amazing result.

” It turned out being an awesome concert even though we had such little time to prepare. It was very good, and the crowd loved it,” said freshman Samantha Escobedo.

Of course, Mrs. Packowski had her hands full juggling two events.Only one day after the Winter Concert, H Block music students participated in a community Drum Circle with special needs students from PS 37R.

A Drum Circle is just a simple gathering of two communities who intend to share music and play together. Our school hoped to share its unique international music and instruments with students from another school community.

The Drum Circle began with students from the visiting school listening to an introduction about drums by doing a drum roll. Junior Caileen Gonzalez broke the silence by playing a classic game of Simon Says with the kids. Who doesn’t love Simon? Afterwards, the kids had a chance to play a beat on the conga, a Cuban drum, according to the number of syllables in their name.

“I loved the Drum Circle,” said visiting student Christopher V.

The drum circle wasn’t only for students but for the participating adults as well. The teachers from PS 37R appeared to have a blast playing the drums with everyone.

“I think it was a wonderful introduction. My students loved it. I can’t wait to do it again,” said teacher Darlene Bowman Archer.

Along with the teachers and students, the H block students also enjoyed working with everyone and teaching them how to play drums.

“It was a great experience. I enjoyed it very much because I love little kids,” said senior Brittany Llorca.

The entire Drum Circle was a success, though of course it had to conclude with a even greater bang. H Block students began to play a familiar song, The Lion Sleep Tonight, on their instruments as the visitors clapped in tune. Aisha Musa sang while everyone else clapped and played their instruments.

“I liked the song at the end, The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” said visiting students Joshua M.

Later, the H Block students shared cupcakes with their guests as they said their good-byes.

The community drum circle that took place on January 15, 2010 was a complete success and went as planned. Now, Mrs. Packowski is awaiting the next one to yet arrive.

“I think it went very well. It was a first time experience for the facilitators to work with students close to their age outside of this school. I think it’s wonderful that we can reach out to our community and bring them this rare and rewarding experience,” said Mrs. Packowski. “The Staten Island community at large will have an opportunity to participate in a community drum circle offered in late February.”

As the music department grows and established itself within our small yet mighty community, we can expect many more opportunities and events at school. For now, we give you all a big thumbs- up!

CSI Experiences Dakamela

Helen Bekhit — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:21:38 +0000

It was a chilly afternoon, when a very earnest and exceptional visitor came to our school to speak to the sophomore advisories. Students sat waiting, not knowing what he would talk about.

Playing a slideshow, Mr. Grashow, guest speaker and founder, with his wife Sheri Saltzberg, of the U.S. Africa Children’s Fellowship, spoke about the hardships children, teenagers, and even parents go through in the small town of Nkayi Zimbabwe in Africa where the Dakamela School, our sister school, is located.

“With no money to support themselves, it’s our chance to make a difference,” Mr. Grahow.

The Dakemela School fundraising program started five years ago when the Kaplan Advisory, under the leadership of graduate Liana Inzerillo, decided to help the less fortunate while earning the required 120 hours of community service credit necessary to graduate.

“ I have spent many years trying to make this program continue to be a success because of merely seeing these children’s faces every time we visit and bring them goods. The smiles, excitement and purity in their hearts makes what I do continue to happen. When thinking about what little they have and how they act upon it, still being happy, it makes them deserve the work we put into everything. They deserve just as much as we do,” said Mr. Grashow.

Raising money to certify teachers as well as provide children with shoes and notebooks tad easier, students in the Kaplan Advisory and others in the school who have helped have continued and will continue to make a difference.

Currently, the entire sophomore class, under Physical Education teacher Ms. Carmella Pepe, will be involved in supporting the Dakamela School.

“The importance of students to realize the value of helping others is in dire need these days. Students in this generation have only looked at what they want to have and what others have when they should be aware that people everywhere suffer each and everyday. The sophomore advisories have agreed to lend a helping hand to those in need to prove that help can come from anyone who wants to be able to make a difference,” said Mrs. Pepe.

Not only was collecting materials the main strategy of the Kaplan Advisory, but students also collected money last year to certify a teacher at the Dakamela School.

“No matter what education brings to a person, the importance of helping others is a true heart warming experience. Being able to give students like myself the chance to learn and have a better life truly moved me as well as other classmates of mine. I hope that the new sophomore advisories continue to feel the way I did when I helped out as much as I could,” said graduate Liana Inzerillo.

Mr. Grashow, his wife and son Alexander Grashow travel to Africa each year to meet the cargo container and visit the schools they support. Four years ago, the Kaplan Advisory decided to help the Grashow family and began by collecting shoes, clothes, and helped to load the cargo container bound for Zimbabwe.

The partnership will, hopefully, continue and expand, helping students in Zimbabwe and in our school, become involved in community service.

“Its really important not just for the school to receive credit with the amount of whatever is donated, but it’s mostly about the lives of the children. We are lucky to be able to have everything we need, why shouldn’t they be given the same opportunity?” said sophomore Emily Funes.

Knowing pens, pencils, money, clothing, food, and other supplies can be donated to the school and their students has made the word ‘hope’ truly known and meaningful to the sophomores.

“Without the proper necessities these students and adults have very little. With no money there is no schooling or certified teachers, with no shoes students can’t get to school on time, with no school supplies they aren’t allowed in, and without uniforms students aren’t admitted to school. The biggest problem now is the inflation in Zimbabwe because of political instability, which makes the economy weak. People are going through rough times, and it’s our job to help make things easier,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

The current sophomore advisories have agreed to make a plan and with the help of their friends and families, the students of Zimbabwe will continue to be successful.

Kaplan’s Gone?

Laurel Haim and Rosa Carucci — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:21:00 +0000

“It’s very difficult for me to leave, but it can be difficult to get a sabbatical, and this is the first time I have been approved,” explained Journalism adviser Nancy Kaplan to her students as she told them about her sabbatical leave.

As of January 31st, one of our schools founding teachers, Mrs. Nancy Kaplan will be taking a study sabbatical leave for one semester and will return in September of 2010.

Teachers that have taught for seven consecutive years are eligible for a sabbatical leave. During study sabbatical, teachers chose to return to a college or university and take graduate level classes in their licensed subject. They must take eight credits, and the teachers have to pay for their own courses. The Department of Education must approve of these classes before they are taken, and while on the leave, teachers on receive 70 percent of their pay.

“I’m taking a sabbatical so I can recharge my batteries and teach for many more years before I retire,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

Mrs. Kaplan will be attending Brooklyn College where she will be take three classes: Comparative Ethnic Literature, The Short Story, and Faulkner.

“I wanted to take journalism classes, but my sabbatical might not have been approved since my teaching license is English and History. I hope to sit in on some journalism classes at Brooklyn College, though,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

If the course work a teacher applies for is not rigorous enough or if they teach in a shortage area, they can be denied sabbatical leave.

Normally, when the teacher contract is renegotiated, sabbatical leaves are always discussed.

The NYC DOE would like to omit sabbatical leaves from the teacher contract. However, the United Federation of Teachers is always supporting sabbaticals.

“The DOE wants to remove sabbatical leaves to save money, but it’s not going to happen in the future,” said UFT representative Jim Sherlock.

Although she will be busy with her schoolwork at Brooklyn College, Mrs. Kaplan still plans to help her students and the newspaper whenever she is available.

“I’m only over the bridge and an email or a phone call away if The Insider staff and my students need me,” continued Kaplan.

“I know that along with me, the entire staff and faculty wish Mrs. Kaplan a wonderful and productive sabbatical. We will all miss her, her creativity, her passion, and her dedication to our students and our school, and look forward to her return,” said Principal Ms. Aimee Horowitz.

Also making her leave easier is the recent grant Mrs. Kaplan won. Mrs. Kaplan is the 2010 Middle Atlantic States Region winner of the Bob Costas Award for the Teaching of Writing given by the College Board every year.

“It’s a relief knowing the journalism fund will have plenty of money this year and next,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

Temporarily replacing her will be Mr. Frank Duffy. Mr. Duffy will be teaching Ms. Kaplan’s English classes as well as running the school newspaper.

Students Take Part in Their Own Memoir

Matea Kulusic — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:19:44 +0000

Everyone has a story. It’s what makes a person different from everyone else; it’s their identity. In 2003, a program called “StoryCorps” was started, where people can go and record their stories and preserve them at the Library of Congress. Eight students from our school have volunteered as part of the memoir project in their English classes to record their stories.

“We decided as a department to read memoirs this year, but we wanted the students to choose which memoir to read. So we gave them a list, and they selected and formed book clubs, which met weekly to analyze the plot,” said English teacher Mrs. Nancy Kaplan.

The students also wrote their own stories detailing their own experiences and life stories. According to Kaplan, the purpose of starting this memoir project is to read and write about one’s life.

The students paired up, and recorded their stories in a booth in downtown Manhattan.

“By listening and connecting with each other, it makes the experience of sharing stories a lot more enjoyable than if people went one at a time to record. That is why we encourage people to go into the recording booth and record their stories together,” said Lucy Zhou from the communications department at StoryCorps.

After the recording, the people at StoryCorps choose which stories they will broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition and the rest are sent to the Library of Congress to be preserved.

This project allows every one who shares their story a part to be a part of our nation’s history. This project makes people more than just a silent nameless face in the crowd, it gives them a voice. This is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind.

“The mission of StoryCorps is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our time. As a public service, we try to offer the interview experience to as many people as possible in order to showcase the richness and diversity of the American people,” said Zhou.

In a way, this enhances our democracy by giving everyone a voice and a chance to be a part of our nation’s history. It is truly amazing to know that by doing something as simple as going into a recording booth can make our stories become a part of our nation’s history and something for future generations to remember us by.

The eight volunteers are: Elliot Santiago, Paul Casella, Amber Figerio, Christopher Frank, Brianna Recinos, Alex Lopes, Djenne Jean-Louis, and Radwa Achmed. The first four students are recording their stories on Jan. 16, 2010, and the rest are recording on Jan. 30, 2010 in Manhattan.

Students on Ice!

Aleksandra Makowska and Simit Christian — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:17:09 +0000

Sitting in a classroom always gets boring sooner or later. For two weeks, we had the chance to switch our typical classmates for penguins, seals, ice, and more penguins as we made our way to Antarctica, which is called the “Greatest classroom on Earth.”

Students on Ice (SOI), which has given Antarctica this title, is an organization that organizes educational expeditions for students each year to the Arctic and Antarctic.

“The expedition’s education program has three main goals. The first goal is to promote learning about polar fundamentals. The second goal is to engage people to consider environmental problems and solutions. The third goal is to encourage everyone to take responsibility, join generation G, and make change,” said Tim Straka, Education Director of SOI.

Our expedition to Antarctica included not only 65 students from around the world, but also a group of 25 SOI staff, veteran Antarctic researchers, journalists, and the ship crew. All of these people were happy to tell the students everything they knew and share their experiences, while the setting of their stories lay right outside the ship’s window.

The first days onboard weren’t too great. When the ship’s lounge was filled with people seasick, napping near trash-cans, moaning, and cursing the ocean, we knew we were crossing the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic continent. Geologist Fred Roots attempted to distract us by telling us all about the land around us, and the sea that covered it up. He explained that the currents circled Antarctica clockwise and were then squeezed between South America and Antarctica, forming the infamous Drake Passage. Later, the students and staff walked the decks with barf bags in their hands all while pointing to a distant, exclaiming ‘breaching whale, over there!’

“I got the pictures of the humpback whales jumping out of the water all three times, this must be pretty rare. I am lucky I had my camera with me at the right moment,” said Chicago SOI participant Alex Brewer.

The Antarctic ornithologist Santiago Imberti pointed to penguins, discussing their mating habits, life spans, biology, and even the color of their poop. All the while, we were surrounded by thousands of the penguins on a tiny Antarctic Island. Completely unafraid of humans, they wobbled along in a straight line until they reached a cliff to the shore. They stood around for a long while until one impatient penguin shoved another into the dangerous waters. Then, the rest followed.

The polar expert Olle Carlsson explained why the penguins were so hesitant in their dives into the water, the leopard seal. The leopard seal would, if successful in its hunt, play a game of cat- and- mouse with the penguin. We crossed our fingers that no such seal would appear in the water, yet we oooh-ed and aaah-ed when we saw an adorable elephant seal sleeping on shore and scratching its belly and back. This scratching, Carlsson explained, was called molting, the shedding of skin, and we sympathized with the seal. At another island, we even saw seven of them piled between two rocks, portraying their liking for body contact. The cold ice beneath them did not seem to bother them, despite their lack of fur or feathers.

“Isn’t that amazing,” Carlsson always said in his Swedish accent after mentioning a strange fact about Antarctic wildlife.

Explorer David Fletcher planned a hike at 5:30 in the morning to the top of a steep glacier. We took two steps forward and one step back as our rain boots slid on the slippery slope or were stuck in the ice, but we made it to the top feeling a sense of victory and accomplishment. Later, after a good breakfast, we did it over again on another glacier and took ice core samples that have existed for as long as half a century. Fletcher explained just how valuable such research was and how these samples were artifacts of the past, air, weather, and even wildlife.

We took some deep breaths, and then we slid down the glacier. A half hour hike concluded with a 20 second slide. Students didn’t hesitate to climb back up only to slide down one more time. Everyone got to his or her feet slowly after the slides ended, checking for any holes in pants from the slide, and there were plenty to find. This activity was obviously fun, but by sliding down we gathered an understanding of ice texture, glacier steepness, and much more.

“My pant pocket came right off, but I didn’t care. The slide was worth it,” said Palestinian SOI participant Zayne Abudagga.

This type of constructive learning is perhaps one of the most effective ways to relish an education mainly because it involves all of the human senses. Students can truly experience and absorb their learning this way, even if it means sentencing themselves to a distinct penguin smell for weeks. And that is exactly what many of the 65 students admitted happened during the expedition.

We were chosen as ambassadors from Staten Island to experience Antarctica and share our experiences when we returned. We learned many things about penguins, seals, geography, history, and the Poles. We also learned that nothing is as educational as experience itself.

Valentine’s Day Gone Global

Adetola Adeosun and Angela Salmos — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:14:13 +0000

In countries all over the world, Valentines Day is celebrated in many ways. Valentine’s Day is known as a day for love and friendship. We have adapted to the American way of celebrating this holiday, which is the typical purchasing of roses or chocolate for loved ones, spouses, or friends. Valentine’s Day is known to bring the out the good side in people, but is it the same internationally? Valentines Day, in Japan, is celebrated by having Japanese females, give Japanese males milk or dark chocolate. “They give chocolate to people they do like and don’t like,” said Japanese teacher Mrs. Higashide. In Japan Valentine’s day shows love to everyone. However, on March 14 also known as White Day, Japanese males give white chocolate to Japanese females, but have the luxury of actually choosing their own gift. Valentine’s Day in Japan honors both males and females.

According tohttp://www.novareinna.com, the custom on Valentines Day in Denmark isto be humorous and have fun. Danish men give females a valentine letter known as gaekkebrev (or “joking letter”) The sender of this gaekkebrev writes a poem but does not sign his/her name. Instead, he signs the message with dots, one dot for each letter in his name. If the lady who receives the card guesses the name of the sender, then she is rewarded with an Easter egg later on that year.

According to www.everythingvalentinesday.com, Scotland celebrates a Valentine’s Day festival. At the festival, an equal number of men and women’s write their made up names on paper and fold it half, and put them into two separate hats.The men choose from the women hat, and the women choose from the men’s hat. If the names that were drawn don’t match, then the male is matched with the woman who chose his name. The ladies pin the name of their partner over their heart or on their sleeves. Later, there’s a dance where everyone meets up and they celebrate with their partners.

In France , a custom known as “drawing for” once occurred because later on becomes banned. According to, http://www.novareinna.com unmarried individuals would go into houses facing each other and begin calling out across from one window to another, matching up with the chosen partner. If the young man failed to be interested with his valentine, he would leave her. Later, a bonfire will be lit where the ladies could burn images of the ungrateful partner and say bad things while the picture burns. This ritual was eventually banned by the French government because people would abuse one another. Today, the French exchange greeting cards known as cartes d’amities, which contain heartfelt messages.

In China, Valentine’s Day is celebrated somewhat like it is in the U.S. “Gentlemen purchase flowers for the ladies,” said Geometry teacher Ms. Anney Li. In Chinese high schools, flowers are sold and they are distributed to the classrooms, like we do at our school. Restaurants are definitely places that older couples go to, to eat on Valentine’s Day. Many different countries celebrate Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s going out to eat, celebrating a festival, or watching pictures of ungrateful men burn in fire, like in France. “I personally like Valentine’s day because I think it’s nice to feel special on that day, to know you are loved by someone else,” said junior Marisch Perera. Valentine’s Day should be celebrated with the ones you love, and in a unique way.

Junior Column: Pain-Free Finals

Nicole Margolies — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:12:02 +0000

The halls echo with well-earned sighs of relief, now that first semester finals have finished. Whether students did superbly well, are beleaguered by that one mistake, or utterly bombed, the start of a second semester means many feel entitled to forget about finals for a while.

After all, finals are stressful. Finals mean late nights studying or, unfortunately, ‘winging’ it. Finals are often also headaches students give themselves. Study smarter, not harder. The less joy the thought of finals fills your heart with, the more you need to think about them now.

The first step to pain-free finals is cliché, but it still counts: focus. You may need to endure the occasional pinch on the arm.

It takes about twenty nine repetitions for a fact to lodge in long-term memory. Finals are easier when you know the material. If you know you should study, but also know that you won’t, there’s still hope. That’s because paying attention in class is even more effective than solitary review. A little known bonus for your final is that what you learn in your classroom, you’re more likely to remember when in that classroom, thanks to a quirk of the mind called context-dependent learning. It’s another incentive to pay attention in class while you’re already there.

Second: use your resources. Strange as it may seem, teachers who take sadistic glee in watching their students flounder are fewer than the students would like to believe. If class material confuses you, clear the misunderstanding that day. Never let it linger past a week. If you do, bet that it will only haunt you when it’s too late. “If you wait until the end of the year to review, so much time has passed that you may not remember what you needed help with,” said Parent Teacher Coordinator Mrs. Lentini.

We all have our habits, and cramming is difficult to quit. To make it easier to ease out of, don’t lose your notes. Assuming you take notes in the first place, put them in a notebook, a binder, a folder, or anything that you will keep.

Bulky binders and book bags are annoying, so leave the old notes in a drawer, but once every few weeks flip through them. Jogging your memory over time like this is not only easier than attempting to swallow a textbook in four days, but it will get you better results. Jot down any questions and take them to your teacher.

According to UC of San Diego professors of psychology Hal Paxter and John Wixted in their study “Improving Long-Term Learning Through Spacing of Lessons,” if you want to remember something for a year, space the sessions out over about a month. If you become a more conscious student before the test, you may very well ace it without batting an eye. No cramming required.