Finals....REALLY?!?!?

Let me be the probably last to say that I HATE FINALS. Let me clarify by telling you a little story :)
There's this guy named John. John has had great grades all through the school year. He's flying high and is COMPLETELY ready to have the school year be over, and already has plans for the first 3 weeks of summer. Then... he hears...that word

FINALS

But, being so pumped for summer to finally, FINALLY start, the idea of working REALLY hard to get a good grade for the year in all of his classes isn't that appealing. After all, he's been working hard all year to get straight 'A's, why should a test at the very end have complete say in his grades? So, John decides to wing it, and barely studies at all. 

The day of the first final comes and goes, and he isn't feeling too good about the first three tests that he's taken. He decides to stay up all night studying, even if he risks being tired the next day.

John, of course, falls asleep at 12:30 on the night before the last three finals. He wakes up feeling exhausted, and annoyed because he tried to cram. He ends up feeling worse about the exams then he did the previous day. 

But never the less, summer comes. John goes on with his plans, and forgets about the tests for the few weeks. But then....

But then his mom gets the mail. And in the mail, are the results of his tests. He got 1 'B', 2 'C's, and a 'D'. All of his grades are now 'B's and 'C's. His mom grounds him for the next 2 weeks.

This brings up the question - 

WHY FINALS?

Haven't we worked hard enough ALL YEAR trying to keep our grades up? Why do we have to waste our last weekend in school cramming and doing 100 question review packets? Why should an hour and a half in each class determine our grade for all of the work we've done for THE ENTIRE YEAR? Shouldn't teachers know that with summer being just around the corner, that no one's going to take the time to study? Well...just kidding I hope that everyone takes the time to study, but this system doesn't seem fair to me. 

But I guess that the system seems fair to someone if so many schools follow it....

Ok :) Rant over :) You can go back to whatever it is that you're doing now :)