OPINION: AP students grumble through homework while wading through AP testing

By Kira Furie,
HUB Staff Writer–

You would think that teachers would have some sympathy for the students trudging to the Veterans Memorial Theater to take a four-hour AP exam, sometimes multiple days a week, but they don’t seem to. Many teachers are continuing to assign hours of homework.

While it’s understandable that teachers cannot just stop their classes for AP tests, they could at least lighten the homework load.

How are students supposed to study for their one or multiple AP tests when they have tons of homework to do? Either they can choose not to do the homework, or they can do the homework but then not get much sleep before their tests which will lower their performance on the exams.

In addition, after focusing for four hours or more on an exam, possibly for multiple days in a row, students’ brains are going to be exhausted so it will be hard for them to focus on homework.

Junior Kaitlyn Lagattuta was frustrated that she had to do school work after the AP Spanish Language Exam because she felt so mentally drained. “I had been focusing on a different language for so long that it was counterproductive to try to learn in a different context instead of getting the rest that I needed,” she said.

Plus, stress levels among the student population are already very high. Attempting to study for one or more AP tests while scrambling to get homework done cannot be having a positive effect on those stress levels.

Yes, each teacher has his or her own class to worry about, but teachers need to remember that students have up to six other classes, extracurricular activities, and are attempting to ace their AP exams. And don’t forget that AP exams are college level, so they aren’t exactly a piece of cake!

So teachers, maybe try and take it a little bit easier on your students for these two dreaded weeks of the year.