“After taking a fast-paced college-level class where the curriculum is condensed to meet the national testing deadline set a month before school ends, all I want is to continue studying for an in-class final that accounts for twenty percent of my grade. After accumulating a year’s worth of content, being able to apply it in a classroom-sponsored celebration of knowledge is surely the greatest reward,” said no one ever.

Dear teachers, after the first half of May, we’re mentally checked out. For the sake of your students’ sanities, grades, and sleep schedules, please limit post-AP test activities to the range within card-game-movie-time and chill-grade-boosting-final-project.

I took an accelerated course to learn new content quickly and earn credit for college not to have that same accelerated content artificially dragged out so the teacher can fill the last month with more projects, midterms, and final tests. 

There are options to fill up class time that fall between nothing and nuclear, between doom-scrolling and the high school equivalent of the MCAT exam. These creative activities still contribute to a student’s education within the classroom while also serving as real-world examples of course content in action.

Take, for instance, the AP Chem activity where you dip your hands in bubbles of flammable methane gas, and then light them from afar with candles duct-taped to the ends of meter sticks. 

Labs like this genuinely make students more interested in the field of chemistry. And playing with fire in a controlled classroom setting is pretty fun too. 

And while the flag-design project in APHG may not fall under the traditional definition of a high school education, activities like this  provide my brain with a much-needed break from the typical, monotonous class content. At the end of the day, going to school is about getting an education, and part of that can only be achieved through the moments away from the desk. 

So, to any AP teachers reading, please hesitate before creating that 100-point final assessment to be taken on May 23rd. Recall your tapped-out seniors, your juniors beginning to feel impending doom over the college application process, and, most importantly, the implications of the last few weeks of school for a student—a time to finally unwind and celebrate your accomplishments with activities that remind you why you took the class in the first place.