Get through exams with minimal boredom

A.P. classes bring not only tests, but also extended blocks for students to endure

 

 

By Stephanie Nguyen
April 25, 2008

 

Number two pencils? Check.

 

Eraser?  Check.

 

Cure for three agonizing hours of boredom? Maybe not.

 

With SOL and A.P. testing weeks looming ahead, most students know how to prepare for the test: Get plenty of rest, eat a balanced breakfast, arrive early. The test is the easy part. Surviving the long blocks of class is what students should worry about.

 

Chaotic testing schedules mean that no one knows which class a student is missing, classes are half-empty and teachers don’t want to start new lessons. When teachers introduce “free time,” it should be a welcome break from the stresses of testing, except for the fact that there is no one else in the class, and the period is unusually long.

 

But never fear, The Purple Tide’s Unofficial Guide to Surviving Testing Week (TPTUGSTW, for short) is here!

 

This guide offers entertaining ideas to keep you busy until the atrociously long class period is over. All of these activities have been field-tested by actual students to ensure survival with as little pain, suffering and boredom as possible.

 

Organize
“I color-code all my crayons when I’m bored in class. I always put it them in rainbow order. When I’m done I mess them up and do it again.”
Colleen McCarthy, Sophomore

 

Play cards
“We play card games like B.S. and 52 pick-up.”
David Cooper, freshman

 

Dance
“When I’m really bored in class, I dance a traditional Indian dance.  I also do Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’”
Jon Deng, senior

 

Build a tower
“I built a giant pyramid consisting of everything I had in my pocket, which is about a wallet, a cell phone, a couple pencils, and every color pencil I had in my bag.”
Mike Desroisiers, junior

 

Play with action figures
“One time in class, I was given for my birthday an Ash Ketchum action figure and I started playing with it in the middle of class.  I had a lot of energy.”
Eric Hogarth, sophomore

 

Play paper basketball
“I play basketball with paper, like throwing it in the trash can. Me and my friends have a contest to see who can make more. Sometimes we do tiny balls, like spit balls.”
Joe Janice, sophomore