Night Shift Essay, Research Paper

Envision a dead-silent murky room with nothing to eye at aside from papers. Plentiful papers scattered about the room. With every tick of the clock, your eyelids descend further down; your palm is fiery like lava oozing down a recently erupted volcano, yet your fingertips are as frigid as the glacial lands of Antarctica. Even under these harsh conditions, you must still focus on the task at hand, studying for finals. These are the obstacles confronting Sean Wallace in his quest for academic excellence. Just when one has nothing left and prepared to give up, the words of Jimmy Valvano come into mind, "don?t give up, don?t ever give up."

It is Friday afternoon and a mentally exhausted Sean Wallace arrives home from school following a very long day of schoolwork with nothing on his mind besides finals, which will commence Monday.

"How was school Sean?" inquires Sean?s mother.

"Fine," replies Sean nonchalantly.

Suitably named Angel, she is Sean?s inspiration and comforter. She has devoted her entire life to her two kids, Sean and Sean?s older brother, Frank. Aside from inspiring and comforting Sean, Angel also motivates him by preaching to him that education is the means to a successful life.

Sean positions his burdensome backpack next to his bed and lies down for a moment to clear his head before starting homework.

"How am I going to get through next week," thinks Sean, "school alone puts enough stress upon every student?s shoulder, why do they have to test us at the end of each semester? Too much pressure, I can?t handle it, but I will not allow one ultimate obstacle to eclipse my hard work throughout the year.

"There are sandwiches on the table if you?re hungry," suggests Angel.

"No thanks mom, I do not have much of an appetite," answers Sean.

Sensing that something is disturbing Sean, Angel decides to talk to Sean to offer to ease his pain.

"Since we have gotten home today, you have not been acting normal, is something bothering you," questions Angel.

"Finals are starting Monday and I do not know how I am going to get through them without going crazy," explains Sean with a worried expression.

"Oh so that?s what?s tormenting you, well I recall when I was your age and I had to study for finals. I understand what you are going through, but you need not to worry about how you will get through the week because I know deep down inside you will do excellent."

"Easy for you to say since you?re not going to be studying into early morning."

"Look, you need to stop worrying and start being confident in yourself, believe in yourself. Don’t declare goals unattainable because anything and everything is attainable, including an A on every one of those troublesome tests. You will persevere!"

"You know, you are right, I have had previous challenges where I thinks I could not possibly go on, but how did I? Henceforth, I will be confident and I will trust myself because I know my hard work will pay off someday. Thanks mom, you are always my Angel."

"Of course, that is what moms are for. Get something to eat and start studying."

The talk with Angel boosts Sean?s confidence level and he is ready to start studying. Angel gives Sean a motherly hug and leaves, so he can begin studying.

Nearing "judgement day," as Sean referred to the day of the finals, Sean proceeds to study profoundly without intermissions in order to acquire the best out of his study time. The telephone bursts into ringing and Sean?s father Richard goes to pick it up.

"Hello?" speaks Richard.

"Hi, is Sean there, this is Antawn."

"Yes hold on," Richard goes to get Sean, "hello?" repeats Sean.

"Hey Sean, me and the guys are going to go out to some party, you wanna role with us?"

"Nah, I can?t, these dumb finals are consuming all my time?alright?alright man, later."

After hanging up Sean resumes his studying and does not feel bitter about not going to the party with the guys. Fact after fact, paper after paper, Sean?s knowledge about the things that he has learned throughout the year grows. Sean studies hours up until his mother comes into the room and asks him to go eat dinner, however feeling the time constraint; Sean rejects his mother?s invitation to go eat dinner.

"You need a break, you have been studying non stop for too long," remarks Angel.

"No mom, I can?t, there isn?t enough time for my breaks," replies Sean.

"You can?t sacrifice your health for school. Understand one thing, you need energy to study long hours and without food you will not have enough energy to continue. Leave your books and notes for just half an hour and come to dinner."

"You are right mom, why should I change my daily routine because of school?I will be there in a couple of minutes."

Sean discovers that staying healthy should be his first priority, not school or anything else. He consumes some food in order to have the energy obligatory to resume studying for finals. After refueling, Sean returns to studying. Paper after paper and subject after subject, Sean?s desire to study declines and finally he decides to give up, however he still has one more subject to study for, Spanish 5-6. The clock says twelve twenty and Richard walks into the room to discover Sean sleeping amidst all the books and papers. He decides to wake Sean since Sean might have more to analyze. When Sean wakes up, Richard sees his son?s face. His eyes are baggy and red, his lips are dry, and his body is slouching over as he sits up.

"Sean?Sean?do you have anything else to study," questions Richard.

"Um?yes, I have one more subject left, thanks for waking me up dad, or else I would have slept through the night without knowing it," replies Sean at a semicomatose state.

Sean checks the clock and it is about twelve thirty. He takes out his Spanish notes and begins to study. Spanish is the only subject that requires the majority of Sean?s time due to all the new vocabulary words introduced to him as a third year student. Sean has maintained a B throughout the year, so he just needs to refresh his memory. Sean studies into the early hours of Monday and completes his studying at about two o?clock in the morning. About a half-hour after Sean falls asleep, Richard wakes up to go to work. When Richard sees his son asleep amidst the papers again, he rests a blanket upon Sean.

"I am proud of you son. You have matured into a hard working person, just the way I hoped you would turn out. I know you have been studying for hours and I just wanted to wish you good luck on tomorrows tests and I love you son, you are my life."

After sleeping for only four hours, Sean comes out of sleep and prepares for testing by eating a healthy meal and listening to some music in order to keep him calm. It is Monday morning and as Sean arrives at Chapel Hill High School his friends yell hi and hello but Sean is so focussed on the finals that these words are deaf to his ears. Sean enters through the front gates of the school as he usually does but instead of walking with friends and talking, he makes a taciturn entrance feeling that he has to be infallible today. Sean dreads the first final since it will be his strenuous Advanced English class. However, he believes that he has the courage and volition to succeed in this class because his hard work throughout the semester has to pay off during this difficult time.

Vehemently, Sean enters Mr. Elder?s Advanced English class that has been a burden to him since the beginning of the year, yet with hard work and some luck Sean has maintained a B in the class. Mr. Elder is preparing the final at his desk as Sean sets foot into the room, but Sean finds only himself and another classmate in the class. The classroom is emotionless when one enters it because Mr. Elder made sure that the students were treated like their age since the first day of the school year. Sean has learned how to form extraordinary essays and he recognizes this class to be the first and only class where the teacher gives meaningful assignments and actually appreciates the time and effort each student has put into the assignment.

The English final will consist of twenty vocabulary words that Sean has mastered due to his remarkable talent to remember things well. Sean takes out his pen and paper while he waits for the rest of the class to take their seats in order for Mr. Elder to dictate the vocabulary test. After everyone is in place Mr. Elder begins dictating the words: archetype, androgynous, brouhaha? Twenty words later Mr. Elder gives everyone some time to finish the test and he collects the papers.

"That was easy," thinks Sean to himself, "What?s next?geometry?it will be easy."

Mr. Elder mixes the papers and distributes one to every student for corrections and before long Sean would find out his grade. Sean is confident that he has received anything from an A- to an A+. After the class finishes correcting and sums up each grade, a classmate of Sean hands him the paper?19/20?A.

Following the English final, Sean takes one final after another with ease until he encounters the Spanish 5-6 final.

"Here I go," thinks Sean as he opens the test to confront his challenge.

The test embodies two hundred and fifty questions, but Sean takes it one question at a time without panicking. Question number 179 and still going strong. Sean takes a couple of deep breaths and resumes flowing through the questions comfortably.

"Wow," thinks Sean, "this test is not as difficult as I imagined it to be."

"Five minutes," announces Sean?s Spanish teacher.

Sean concludes the test and hands it in with confidence that he has subjugated the challenge. At which moment Sean hands in the Spanish final, a sense of accomplishment and relief vibrates through him.

"Finally?it?s over," said Sean.

About five minutes later the school bell rings and the students are home free.

"How was school Sean?" asks Sean?s mother.

"Fine," replies Sean with joy in his eyes, "you know mom, you were right, when you believe in yourself and have the volition to succeed, nothing is impossible."

"That?s right son nothing is impossible and when you?re going to give up, remember the words of Jimmy V., don?t give up, don?t ever give up."