Article April 19, 2010 Issue

FOR TEENS

TWO BIG TESTS = ONE BIG DAY

BY CATHERINE SMITH

Just like any teenager, I sometimes feel stressed about school. In my sophomore year of high school, I was placed in an astronomy class. I thought I would be learning mostly about the stars, but the class turned out to be about the planets, and focused heavily on long lists of numbers relating to their masses, distances from the sun, and other measurements. When I was given a sheet of these numbers, my teacher told us we would have a test on them—all 108 of them! At first I thought he was joking, but the test really was coming and I was really nervous. And not only was I worried about that astronomy test; I found out I had a chemistry test on the same day. Two science tests in one day!

Instead of focusing on studying, I panicked about the test. How was I supposed to memorize those numbers and study for chemistry as well? I tried to study as much as possible, but I still felt very worried the night before the tests. As I got ready for bed, this thought came to me: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5). I knew God had sent this angel message to me when I needed it the most. I prayed with this idea that God would take care of me, and that I didn't need to be nervous about taking my tests.

The next morning I was still agitated, and although I tried to focus on the quote, I felt quite overwhelmed as I started to take the astronomy test. I was through 50 or so questions out of 200 when a fire drill went off. It lasted so long that my teacher decided to give us another day to take the test. I felt relieved that I had another night to study, but I still had to take my chemistry test. Unfortunately, I was still feeling nervous two periods later as I took the test, and even though I felt I understood the concepts, I felt upset with myself after I finished.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
THE SHARK WE SAVED
April 19, 2010
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit