It’s finally time for this year’s sophomores to finish what they started at the end of freshman year: their Sophomore STEM Research Projects. On the cusp of winter break, sophomores will present their projects in front of teachers and students this Friday, December 19th, before they start to relax.. And as Charter nears the break, almost every class seems to have scheduled tests for this last week. It has become a constant juggling act for some; should I focus more on the STEM research project or all the tests I have this week?
You would think that as an annually organized Charter program, the next sophomore class would, in all likelihood, catch on to the fact that they should prepare well ahead for it, but that is not the case. Honestly, for the majority of sophomores, including myself, it doesn’t seem like a big deal until the deadlines begin to emerge, and then you find yourself rushing to get things turned in at the last minute. Maybe the work turns out to be an eleventh-hour triumph. Maybe it turns out to be a jumble of sentences thrown together. It is either one or the other, and it depends on whether the person is a pro at last-minute submissions and the time they put into it in the few hours they have left.
This year, the presentation room assignments were sent out a little behind last year’s schedule. It adds to the fairly rushed vibe of these STEM presentations, but the quicker we get over them, the faster they will be out of our hairs. At least, that is how I see them. We won’t have to worry too much about it over winter break, which is a big bonus in my mind
Presenting in front of an audience is a daunting task, especially considering when you are judged for your presentation, and it culminates into a major portion of your gradebook report. While it seems a little nerve-wracking, if you know what you’re talking about, then you are more than ready for this presentation. As Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” In the same sense, even if you aren’t confident in your explanations, there is still some time left to build up that confidence before Friday. I strongly believe that practice is the greatest key to preparation, so that is what I’ll be seen doing before the big day approaches.
I cannot ignore the fact that we knowingly signed up for this arduous task when we chose to attend Charter, yet it is hard not to treat it as though it caught us completely off guard. It’s a coping mechanism, I guess, that deflects the blame off of yourself, similar to the way people commonly say “Se me olvidó”–it forgot–instead of “I forgot,” in Spanish.
For the sophomores who are presenting their STEM research projects this Friday (including myself!), I wish you all the best of luck!
Be First to Comment