#SilentlyStressed

#IWishMyTeacherKnew has been a trending topic over the past week after a third-grade teacher in Denver asked her students to write down something they thought she should know.

That got us thinking: What if our teachers (professors) knew what was going on in our minds? What if we had the chance to tell our professors something about ourselves?

As the spring semester is nearing its end, tensions are at an all-time high. We have papers due, tests to study for and a newspaper to create every week. We have been stressed out beyond belief and the gray hairs are growing in by the day (or so Pat thinks.)

At this rate, the three of us are watching the other go gray due to the simple fact that there are not enough hours in a day to properly complete all that needs to be done. The last couple weeks of classes are tiresome enough with teachers piling on last minute work and new material; cramming in everything from the snow days at the beginning of the semester only makes matters worse.

The trouble is also finding the appropriate amount of time for studying this new material and reviewing the old information. Two non-consecutive reading days sound nice, but they aren’t as helpful as one would think. That’s also not to mention the anxiety that ensures when they’re removed as they were Fall 2012.

Finals at Fairfield is such a sharp contrast to Ireland, where exams are spread over a two-and-a-half week period following a Study Week. During that week, there are no classes and professors are available during office hours. Since there are generally only one or two assignments for the entire semester, this week gives students time to really buckle down and do what must be done without them being bogged down by other classes. The week is intense, but not as stressful as it would be had there been continuous assessment and not enough time to begin research and work on papers. Whereas Pat and Angela have been on edge for all of April, the reduced stress that Meaghan has been feeling has to do with the fact that she only has to worry about one assignment for each class due at the end of the semester instead of the three or four she could have for one class alone back at Fairfield.

Though this system in Ireland seems luxurious, we love having the challenging academic environment at Fairfield in which we are forced to push ourselves to our limits. We just wish our teachers knew that cutting us a little slack would be great sometimes.