Students may think finals are only a difficult time for them, but Finals Week also can prove to be stressful for professors.

Much of the pressure felt by the professors comes from trying to help students prepare for tests.

“I think the stress students feel is mirrored by the professor,” said Alexandra Hall, assistant professor in educational leadership and policy studies. “When students try to meet the high standards of a class, it cannot be done without the professor to monitor them.”

J.R. Campbell, assistant professor of textiles and clothing who is finishing his first semester at Iowa State, said he knows the stress Finals Week can bring.

He said developing final exams takes extra time because the concepts that are tested in the final are the concepts students have learned throughout the year.

“The finals are a rate of how you are doing, as well as how the students are doing,” Campbell said.

Not all tension felt by professors during this time comes from finals preparation, however.

Yong Lee, professor of political science, said other factors are involved.

“Finals are very close to the holidays, so there is pressure at home to do additional things,” Lee said. “There is also pressure at school to bring things to a close. There is tremendous pressure to get things done and still do a good job.”

Preparing for the next semester also is something that professors need to think about during this time of year.

“Professors often do not have a break beyond a couple of days between semesters,” Hall said.

Hall said even though some students are not aware of the stress professors can feel during finals, some do understand what their teachers are going through.

“I think some [students] appreciate that the professor has set such high standards,” Hall said.

Lee said professors need to talk with their students so they can understand what pressures the professors are facing.

“As long as professors really talk with their students, I think everyone can understand that we are all in the same boat,” Lee said.

Along with professors, teaching assistants also feel the added pressure to get things done during finals.

“It is not hard work; it just takes time,” said Erik Hagberg, a TA for Chemistry 163. “We have all the grading to take care of.”

Hagberg said he spent five hours in one day catching up on grading.

Besides grading, TAs also try to find time to help prepare students for finals.

“Believe it or not, TAs actually care what [grades] students get,” Hagberg said.

Even though finals can bring added stress, Virginia Allen, associate professor in English, said the benefits of the finals workload is worth the effort.

“There is a little more stress and a little more work, but the payoff is bigger,” Allen said. “The pleasure is greater than the pain.”