The storm wins ... or not
Dear Students,
The storm wins. We will not have our exam until after Agora Days ….
Elizabeth Jockusch
This e-mail was sent on Tuesday to the juniors and seniors who are taking calculus and were spending their unexpected two-day break preparing for an exam on Thursday. When I first received this e-mail I stopped stressing and began rejoicing loudly and obnoxiously.
I have realized and accepted that my life invariably revolves around calculus, devoting hours to making sure that my calc homework is done, and spending obscene amounts of time studying for calc tests no longer fazes me. This e-mail, though, gave me the opportunity to push aside my calc homework and exchange my pencil and my calculator for gloves and a sled.
I was finally able to relax and let my body became one with the sofa as I sat in front of the TV and as my throat graciously thanked me for the mint hot chocolate. I was at peace with the world, and it was all due to the fact that I unexpectedly have an extra week to prepare for a calc test.
It was only then that I realized that the week after Agora Days would be one of the worst weeks of the year. Teachers will be desperately trying to catch up on the material they weren’t able to teach during the two snow days. Students will be desperately trying to remember the material covered before Agora Days so they can take tests and quizzes that couldn’t be taken because of the snow days. Taking my calc test in a week now seems like an impossible task.
We’re a generation that believes in procrastination for instant gratification, and occasionally this does come around to bite us in the butt. I’ve got no problem putting off work that I need to do just so that I can watch a rerun of a favorite TV show. It feels great to forget about things that need to be done a week from now if I can relax and take a long nap today.
I now doubt the statement “The storm wins.” Or at least I now read it as “The storm wins (this battle).” I’m sure that it’s inevitable that Uni teachers will win the war and the avalanche of homework will soon be upon us.
— Shivani Khanna