At the end of Semester 1, there were mixed feelings about the upcoming semester. Some people felt excited to leave their classes and start fresh. On the other hand, others felt they were leaving behind their friends and classes, disappointed to be moving. Not only are the students impacted, but our teachers are too.

Mrs. Rodgers, an AP Precalculus and Math 2 teacher now, thinks, there are mixed feelings, especially between our teachers and students. Last semester, Rodgers only had to teach AP Precalculus, but this semester she’s also teaching Math 2. 

“My brain is in 800 different directions,” she expresses. 

Juggling Speech and Debate, along with two other courses, makes her feel scattered and disorganized.

Mrs. Rodgers also mentioned the stress of trying to leave school on time.

 “I have also been getting better at leaving on time…and not staying super late because, you know, teachers sometimes stay later and work much longer than they should.” 

Last semester, she felt that she did better at avoiding that issue, but this semester she senses that her body knows it’s time to leave at a certain hour. However, looking at her to-do list overwhelms her. She’s working on “exercising prioritization” and managing her time to the best of her ability.

From the student perspective, Saanvi Yerammaddu, a freshman at Green Level, feels sad that she doesn’t have as many friends as she did in her other classes last semester. She is disappointed that “no one in my class talks.” However, she is entering the new semester with a positive attitude.

 “I think I need to adjust more to enjoy it more.”, Yerammaddu says.

Varshini Kannan, another freshman at Green Level, is optimistic about entering Semester 2. She found it a little overwhelming at first but exciting at the same time because it felt like a fresh start. 

“There’s more work to do, I feel more prepared after getting through the first semester.” 

The only thing she hopes for is that the semester doesn’t get too stressful so it’s easy to keep up with everything.

Everyone has a different perspective on Semester 2, whether that might be excitement to meet new people or disappointment that no friends are in the class. It’s important to head into this semester with a positive mindset, no matter what stressors are looming in the backs of our minds.