It’s no secret that the end of the school year is an exciting, but ultimately stressful time with various finals, as well as AP tests. At OHS, certain teachers are going above and beyond by implementing unique review sessions to further motivate and assist students.
With an excessive amount of content learned throughout the school year, it is important for students to have a refresher. Some teachers stress the importance of review sessions, and the various ways in which they aid students.
“I try to motivate all my kids to come in after school because APUSH is a monster,” said Uriah Cross, history teacher. “We go period by period, week by week, just to review and keep these objectives that the kids know somewhere up in their brains, and just refresh those things.”
For many AP students, the school year is jam packed and full of stress. Review sessions give students a chance to take a breath and turn their focus towards excelling on the AP test.
“Some of the benefits from the study sessions are that I can reabsorb content that was in the beginning of the year that I forgot about, and I think that’s really nice that teachers understand we might not remember everything from months and months ago,” said Caitlyn Tokuno, junior.
Certain teachers focus on creating a fun and engaging environment where students, in their own time, are compelled to show up. There is a lot that goes into these review sessions, and even more that can be taken away from them.
“I bribe the students with pizza and try to make it more fun. I get kids to compete and try to build a culture where a cool thing to do is be here, learning APUSH and giving effort because once again, that lesson can be taken away from OC with you wherever you are, because APUSH is tough, but life is tough also,” Cross said.
By building on what is taught in the classroom in a unique and entertaining way, study sessions can become a key component in captivating students further, and more effectively preparing them for big tests.
“Adding more of a fun factor does contribute to the effectiveness of the study sessions because when it’s fun you want to be there and you’re not dozing off,” Tokuno said.
Some teachers even organize events outside of school, their sole purpose being to create a fun and productive study environment. These reviews can even become staple events that students look forward to participating in.
“I just invited all of the students who wanted to show up to Elevate Coffee, and it was a very small group the first time,” said Richard Weyker, history teacher. “Each subsequent year I’ve taught AP, the numbers have grown and grown, and now I have anywhere from twenty to thirty kids.”
Various teachers, especially those in AP, recognize the stress that is put on their students, and feel that it is part of their job to provide review sessions that can impart further aid and success.
“I think leadership is important. I mean, I’m asking a lot from the kids, so I feel in turn I have to give my part because I think that’s what good leaders do; they model the hard work and effort that you’re asking of them, and when kids see that they’re more willing to put in that themselves,” Cross said.
Teachers taking the time out of their own schedules to provide these opportunities for students does not go unnoticed. Students appreciate the content and review, but they also respect the intentional devotion that teachers are showing towards them and their success.
“I do really appreciate the teachers taking their own time to do these things because it makes me feel like they actually care,” Tokuno said.
Even simple activities and games can give students the final push to finish out the year strong by creating a welcoming environment that can produce attentive and engaged students.
“I have a game that I do in my class called grudgeball, which is a very competitive and fun review game,” Weyker said. “It keeps the energy going on and it breaks up the monotony of education to occasionally do something like that, which is a little more engaging and interesting.”
It is important to recognize the needs and emotions of students, especially as they progress through their years of high school. In an education system that can feel very repetitive at times, a fun game or review session can make a tremendous difference.
“Long story short, as a teacher, you can’t take for granted that just because someone is an AP kid means it’s easy for them to focus or try. They deserve to have a chance to have some fun too, and it goes a long way,” Weyker said.
