Self-reflection and personal growth are the main ideas of the final exam project for freshman English classes this year. It is an opportunity to look back at the past year and examine change.

  “Self-reflection is such a key part of growing and evolving as a human being,” said freshman English teacher Reilly Finnegan. “This project gives students an opportunity to do that and hopefully see how much they have grown over the course of freshman year.”

  Many people can often have insightful evaluations of their past work that teachers love to see. Accomplishments are celebrated while mistakes are learned from.

  “I always look forward to reading through the projects because students are usually really proud of the work they produce,” said Finnegan. “I think it’s easy to forget how far you have come and what you have accomplished, and this project is a great opportunity to pause and acknowledge everything you have done over the course of the year.”

  While reflection can be good for the soul, stress is not. Some students may find the workload daunting.

  “I personally am not a fan of the project just because of the workload,” said freshman Anders Raines. “I’m not looking forward to some of the longer essays in the project.”

  While the project itself may be intimidating, the ideas shine through as a great way to look back on one’s first year of high school and look at how much has changed already. Students have a chance to track their progress as well as look back on the importance of books they read this year like To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and The Hate You Give. 

“I think it’s good to reflect on freshman year,” said freshman Ada Paglierani. “It went by really fast and a lot of people improved in many ways.”

  At the end of the day, this project will give people a chance to see the best of what they’ve done, and the opportunity to move past and improve upon any mistakes or oversights from the year. While the project may seem like a lot, the English teachers make sure to do their very best to make it manageable and meaningful.