You know, I know, we all know that at times school is, for lack of a better word, stressful. There have been nights where I’ve stayed up trying to get my work done, either because I’ve procrastinated or have received a boatload of work. I signed up for hard classes, I took on the SAT, the extracurriculars, and the challenging yet stimulating classes that you have provided me with, and I am going to take on the AP test for your class or the class that your coworker has prepared me for. AP tests are stressful, but with your help, the remaining AP testing week can become less of a burden. Therefore, you can help me succeed. So teacher, I ask that the boatload of work sail away for the remainder of AP testing.

I need my after school time for my personal study time. We all move at different paces when it comes to comprehension of curriculum and material, especially in AP classes. To be pleased with the scores that I will receive in mid-July, more than an in-class review is required. My time is precious. The College Board has scheduled AP testing to occur from May 4 to May 15, so this past month we have reviewed for the multiple hour-long tests during our times together at school. I thank you for that. But reviewing a year’s amount of work in a couple of class sessions can be extremely cursory. As someone who wants college credit, I need to be confident and prepared when I arrive at the Binks Gym at 7 a.m. this Wednesday, so a cursory review will not provide much aid.

So AP teachers and non-AP teachers, when you give homework during these two weeks, you are taking away my study time. When my study time is usurped, I wind up staying up late because finding a compromise between getting school work and study time completed is hard in practice. I get less sleep when I stay up late and less sleep provokes me to be unfocused. During your class I will end up trying to sneak in a nap instead of paying attention to the lectures and information that will show up on that night’s homework. Evidently, there is a vicious cycle that is comprised when you give us students homework during our after school study time.

If I pass my AP tests, those of you who have taught my AP classes will have succeeded. If I score a three or higher, I have successfully passed the AP test showing my competence in a subject and additionally, I will receive college credit. However my passing score can also help you, whether you have taught my AP class or not.

To my AP teachers, if we, your students, all pass the AP test for your class, we can reflect your capability to teach college level material and the hard work you have dedicated towards us will have paid off. Additionally, throughout the school year, you have told me and my peers that your past students generally have received a score of four or five on the AP test for your class. So if you give me and my classmates more time to study, we will hopefully allow you to uphold your reputation.

To my non-AP teachers, impressive AP scores will withhold the reputation of the institution you work at, benefiting you and the school. Therefore, my score and those of my peers can and will help you, so you should do what you can to ensure a good score.

I understand that finals are in the not-so-far distance and I know that homework and new subject material will have to be taught this week because you have a class to run. But worksheets, projects and tests can be reduced, because with that reduction, hopefully, my AP score will increase. A way to dodge homework that covers new material necessary for the spring final is to give worksheets in class that would have otherwise been homework. You can shrink your lecture or lesson, and instead, turn the homework into class work that can be due at the end of the period. If this is done, your lesson will become more hands-on and we, the students, won’t miss out on material necessary for the final exam in spring, and most importantly, we won’t have any homework.

So teachers, in this remaining week I am going to try my best to make myself, you and your co-workers proud. I know you can’t hold my hand in the testing room, but if you let the boatload of work sail away for a bit, I can get more sleep, have more time to study, and maybe obtain some college credit. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t want to waste a year’s amount of work, but I wouldn’t mind leaving this week blank in my planner.