It’s the end of the school year, which means prom, Kennywood, summer, and those wretched finals.

Why are finals even a thing? To show everyone we’re good students and we pay attention in class? To apply what we’ve learned on a piece of paper? I wish it was that easy, I really do. Truth is, they’re not. Finals are stressful, nerve-racking, and pretty much unnecessary.

Why should we, as students, have to prove ourselves to the school, and state, when we’re already passing the class?

Sure, some of us don’t try as hard as we can; however, some of us, if not most of us, are horrible test takers, like me. I hate tests for that reason. How do you expect me to remember a year’s worth of material and apply it in 90 minutes?

And then people say, “Oh honey, you’re too young too young to be stressed, you should be having fun!” Excuse me Linda, but how do you expect me to NOT be stressed out when I have to write a six-page essay on Gatsby, write four articles on what’s happening around school, rehearse my audition material for my audition in six days, study for finals, Keystones, the SAT and ACT, AND go to work at the same time?

See what people don’t realize is that teenagers actually have a lot to live up to. Our parents want us to be better than they were, play sports, participate in social activities, get all A’s, and get 8+ hours of sleep each night.

My mother likes to complain about how I’m always asleep when she gets home, claims I’m too “lazy” and such. She and other people believe that us teenagers are huge balls of energy who should never get tired and if we are tired, we’re “lazy.” How is that fair? Oh, yeah, it’s not.

Personally, I feel that if we’re passing the class, we shouldn’t have to take exams.