Column: Now isn’t the time to let up

After a certain period of time without the basic routine of attending school, our brains seem to shut out anything academic related. It is hard to get back into focus after a break, but it is also a vital step we have to take; especially this time of year.

Spring break is over. We are making our way back into the schedule of studying until late at night, waking up early and putting our brains to work all day. Our first instinct on that first day back is probably to slack off a bit and perhaps try to get a nap or two when the teacher isn’t looking. This is understandable because our sleeping schedules are destroyed and, frankly, nobody is excited to get back to school after a break. However, with the STAAR testing, AP exams and such stuff coming up, students have to really put in extra effort rather than slack off.

Spring time brings rain, flowers, sunshine and not to mention, standardized testing. Ironically, this seems to be the time of year when students begin to set work aside and not care as much as they did in the winter and fall. Summer is slowly but surely approaching us, and everyone is excited to get out of school and enjoy the two and a half month long break. While it is a habit of ours to lessen our effort this time of year (especially after a break), this is actually the time we need to be working and studying the hardest.

The district tests determine whether or not you have to go to summer school or even repeat the grade. While this isn’t extremely common, it still happens. So, during these last few months of school we as students should put as much effort as we can into our studies and work. Try to remember study habits that helped you in the first semester and bring them back. Also, your teachers didn’t have you keep all of those notes from units past for no reason. These tests are going to be over everything you’ve learned throughout the entire year, so look over them.

We have made it this far into the year, so why stop now? We need to finish strong and fight through what we have been practicing for since August. After all, the last leg of the race is the most important.