With the most dreaded part of the year quickly approaching, many students start cramming and enter into “finals mode.” Granada’s finals schedule entails two-hour class periods for each final test or activity. Most teachers at this point don’t actually give a test on the day of finals. For example, ceramics and other art classes, explore the art walk for an hour and then return to class to sit and wait.

Even with classes giving out tests, is it really necessary to have a two-hour class period?

GHS freshman, Izzy de Ocampo says, “I’m really nervous for my first ever finals tests, I came from Mendenhall so we never had final exams…I don’t want to spend two whole hours taking a test, and I guess many of my classes are doing alternative activities but I am really worried about my math final.” 

Having a two-hour period seems absurd to most students and even some teachers, Mrs. Sira-Graham teaches ceramics and says, “Teachers have been lobbying for years for shorter finals, especially many electives that can’t exactly give tests.”

So why do we have such unnecessarily long classes?

Most students already think that our class period for a regular day is too long, sitting with the same teacher for 70 minutes each day seems way too long.

Sophie McGinnis a GHS senior says, “My IB physics test last year was somewhere around 200 questions, even then we didn’t use all two hours. Most of my other teachers gave our final on the Monday or Tuesday before official finals.”

Even more strange, some teachers make attendance required just to come in and watch a movie.

Sophia Simonds, another GHS senior, says, “I have a lacrosse tournament on the day of my big math and English final. Most of my other teachers are giving tests on Monday and Tuesday which is convenient for me, but it seems a little weird.”

The two-hour class period is given as a cushion in case serious subjects intend to give longer finals such as physics, where finals average about 100 questions, but it would be more reasonable for just thirty extra minutes. Especially considering that most students pack their schedules with electives, and if attendance isn’t worth points, most students don’t come. This, in turn, loses the school money for student attendance, and wastes the students’ time who do actually show up for a “final movie.”

All in all, it would be most convenient to shorten finals periods, but it is unlikely that, without both student and teacher commitment, the schedule will not be changed. Either way, make sure to start studying soon.