With three days left in the quarter, students begin to scramble and check SIS nonstop as they try to bring their currents grades up last minute.
The end of the quarter can be a very difficult period for students, especially those who have been slacking off, essentially digging a deep hole for themselves by not putting in 100 percent effort towards their academics.
For the many who wait until the last week of the quarter to start to put in work in order to raise their grades, it can be a very stressful time.
“Everyone always rushes to get last minute assignments in and try to raise their grades towards the end of the quarter,” junior Hangyul Chang said.
One reason why students leave all of their work for the end of the quarter is procrastination. For students, school may not always be the number one priority, while extracurriculars, friends, and other distractions may seem more important.
“Unfortunately procrastination is a common trend, nowadays we have more distractions than ever before with games, apps, Netflix, you name it,” English teacher Soo Jin Lee said.
Most high schoolers have the “I can do it later” mind set and usually put things off until the last possible second.
“Students get lazy throughout the quarter, they put off assignments thinking that they will have time later and then bam! It’s the end of the quarter before they know it and they find themselves rushing to pull up those grades,” Chang said.
What students do not understand is that school would be way easier if they would just get their assignments done on time. Turning in work late will most likely result in a deduction of points from the overall grade.
Additionally, when students wait to complete a project, or annotate a book late the night before the day its due the overall quality of the final assignment ends up being a lot worse than if they had worked on it over the course of several days.
Teachers do not assign work days before it is due for no reason, the several days given to students to complete it is only for their benefit.
Other students just forget about the assignments that are given to them, rather than deliberately ignore them. Either way, the assignment never gets done which is why many students end up killing themselves the last week of the quarter.
Time management is an important skill to have when it comes to balancing school along with social life, extracurriculars, and sleep. These factors can help prevent the rush of school work many students find themselves dealing with as the quarter comes to an end.
Others just don’t seem to have the motivation to do any work until the deadline is actually presented to them.
“I wait until the end of the quarter because I get behind sometimes and the final deadline to get assignments in pushes me to actually do them and get them done,” freshmen Laila Lopez said.
For most students, trying to raise their grades last minute also depends on the teacher they have.
Some teachers are more lenient than others and offer extra credit to help students bump up their grades or allow late assignments to be turned in for at least partial credit.
“I do not make exceptions for summatives without a medical excuse,” Lee said. “I tell students to email me ahead of time if they need an extension or can’t make the deadline, then I try to work with them.”
Late in the quarter it is very common to see most students glued to SIS, their online grade book, with the hope that their grades will change for the better.
Other students, who have teachers who do not update the gradebook regularly, aren’t even aware of what their grades are until towards the end of the quarter anyway. This could add to the stress as well.

“I like to check SIS three weeks before the end of the quarter so that I have plenty of time to raise and improve my grades that aren’t good,” freshmen Abby Estrada said.
The end of the quarter can not only be a stressful time for students, but for teachers as well.
Teachers are given a deadline and are expected make sure that final grades are submitted correctly and on time.
Each department has a different policy in terms of late work. For example, the English department deducts 5% off your assignment every day it is late.
So, how is this preventable?
It is simple, just stay on top of your work throughout the quarter and don’t allow assignments to pile up and become to much for you to handle.
Although this may seem easier said than done considering all of the distractions that come along with everyday life, it is important that you at least try to stay on top of your work.
“I think that is important that students do their assignments the day they are assigned to them so that way they wont have worry about them later,” Estrada said.
Learn to manage your time well, keep a schedule or agenda so that you can easily plan out when assignments are due.
Also make sure to spend time with friends, family, and enjoy hobbies.
Although school is important, it is fine to take a break from it every once in a while, it isn’t supposed to take over your entire life.
Your teachers are there to work with you, not against you, so be sure to talk to them if you have any problems or need help.
“Check with your teachers regularly, most will work with their students. We want everyone to succeed,” Lee said.
In the long run working hard and maintaining good grades throughout the entire quarter will eventually pay off.
While your classmates are stressing out the last week of the quarter, you will get to sit back and relax.