Teachers and students at Air Academy High School have realized there are many differences between the first and second semester grades, overall effort, and mental stability. Throughout all four years of high school, students have different views and results from their first semester to second semester accomplishments.

Semester grades are different for each student. Some students seem to achieve the grades they wanted while others have struggled in that aspect. 

“Typically my semester 1 grades are better than my semester 2 grades because after the 1st semester teachers begin to speed up classes and give more work now that we are used to the class,” junior Ember Loerzel explained. 

For most people, their first semester grades turn out to be stronger than their second semester grades. As explained by Lorezel, teachers and students become overwhelmed and start stressing about getting things done. This creates a sense of rushing lessons or getting assignments completed and turned in during semester two. 

Starting off the year seems to be easier to a lot of students because people are getting into the swing of things and don’t have as much assigned to them, which creates a greater chance for success. 

“My grades usually stay about the same for each class because I keep doing my homework, asking questions, and paying attention. That sets me up to be able to do good on tests and quizzes and keep my grades up throughout the year,” junior Eli Winder argued. 

While some struggle keeping their grades the same through both semesters, others have the work ethic and time management skills to allow their grades to be great all year long.

The overall effort that students put in can also change from semester to semester and year to year. 

“Student effort is difficult to measure because each student is unique. Some students put extreme effort into every assignment no matter what part of the year it is, and other students do not put much effort into anything regardless of the time of year. Levels of effort also vary according to grade level (senioritis is very real). I think summer being in very close reach can sometimes cause students to put a little less effort into their work, but effort is ultimately a reflection of the person and the goals they have set for themselves,” teacher Rachel Cullen described. 

From a teacher’s perspective, there are many observations to make about students. Even though each student is unique in the amount of effort they put into academics, there will always be people struggling.

Mental health is also an extremely tough subject and can change dramatically from the semesters. Pressure is put on, peoples relationships sometimes struggle, and adapting to the new year can be rough. 

“It’s definitely tough because we are so close to being done and it’s hard to find the motivation to continue to work as hard as we have. Especially with many of us already being accepted to the colleges that we have applied to, the drive to complete assignments and study has decreased a lot,” senior Garrett Hayden showed. 

Senioritis is a real thing and trying to find that last little bit of motivation is extremely difficult to come by.  Students in all grades have the mentality at the end of the year that seniors have at the end of their high school carrier. 

Semester 1 and semester 2 have great similarities and differences that all students and teachers experience. From grades, to effort, to mental stability, people have their own goals and ambitions that keep them going throughout the entirety of the year.