By: Rosalba Sgambelluri
As the restrictions from the covid-19 pandemic begin to decrease, the school board has decided on bringing back some normalcy to schools across HCDSB and enforce semesters once again. This brings lots of excitement from senior students who may recall the less stressful and more social way school was run. That being said, grades 9 and 10 would not have experienced this quite yet and may be a little anxious about this change.
The basics of a semester are as follows; students are taking four classes at a time, with a milestone at midterms and traditionally finishing those classes with an exam/culminating. Because it would not be equitable, exams would impose on this school year, the school board has yet to officially decide on exams at the end of this upcoming semester. Unlike quadmesters, students will have more time to learn the material taught in classes and therefore allow themselves more time to absorb it, study and ask for assistance when needed. Because of this, I personally have found semesters significantly less stressful than quadmesters, most especially in more intensive classes like maths or sciences.
Moreover, semesters will provide students with a more comparable schedule to that of post-secondary institutions. Many post-secondary full-time students will find themselves taking five courses per semester with an exam at the end of their semesters. Providing some familiarity to students, by giving a similar schedule can help reduce the stress and may help with their success post-graduation.
The main aspect of quadmesters I personally struggled with was the lengthy classes. After the first hour and forty-five minutes, I found my focus slipped completely off my work and it seemed near impossible to bring it back. Semesters are much more forgiving to those who find concentrating in class difficult. The changing subjects also help with concentration, as it allows for breaks and changes in topics which may resultantly allow for more concentration at the end of the day to complete homework.
Semesters are concludingly not a system to be concerned about, but rather another exciting new way to learn! With the increase in social interactions, shorter classes, less intense homework and practice for post-secondary, I can confidently say that semesters will be a huge improvement. Your teachers are happy to be as helpful as possible as you begin to adjust to this different way of learning, and the older students will be great to look out for if you want some tips about organizing yourself in a semester.
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