GPA: Get Perspective, Abby! by Abigail

GPA: Get Perspective, Abby! by Abigail - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

The first day of sophomore year I found myself staring into the cold-blooded eyes of a heartless serpent. This beast would ingest papers without swallowing, spit them up, and return them to her speechless victims with bloody marks all over them. Ms. Massare was the most blunt, rude, and downright mean teacher I had ever had. She would drill students with her unblinking stare when they failed to answer her questions, publicly humiliate those who did not complete homework, and assign fifteen-year-olds more work that they thought was humanly possible. I had become accustomed to the stereotypical hippie-easy-go-with-the-flow-Shakespeare-obsessed English teachers who were more than happy to give out 100’s left and right. When I received a 78 on my first paper in my English class sophomore year, I was dumbfounded. In the past, all I had to do was show up to English and I could expect to walk out with straight-A’s. It quickly became apparent that with Ms. Massare, this would not be the case.

After that 78, I had a very Clueless-esque meeting with Ms. Massare, where I batted my eyelashes and complimented her profusely in hopes of getting an A. Her response was unamused and annoyed, as she bluntly told me, “Your writing just isn’t that good.” As a very confident person, this insult cut right to the core. I realized that as harsh as her delivery was, Ms. Massare had a point; I had stopped trying in English class a long time ago, as it came easily to me and I had never worked for my grades before. As Ms. Massare’s student, I would need to develop a lot of modesty and open my mind to the idea that being a tenth grader in advanced English does not automatically equate me to Virginia Woolf.

I began putting in the work, allowing myself to feel vulnerable in class by addressing controversial viewpoints in our literature-heavy course and meeting with Ms. Massare on a regular basis. Although Ms. Massare was still brutally honest, I began to slowly but surely appreciate her feedback. The importance of my grades began slipping away as I began to understand the merit behind my writing. I became less concerned with my grades and more concerned with my actual writing ability. When I received a poor grade, I did not seek Ms. Massare for a grade-booster; rather, I came with an amenable spirit, willing to work on my writing skills rather than my GPA.

Throughout the year, I was consistently challenged to humble myself and allow myself to be criticized. I never got 100 on a single paper in her class, and I am glad that I didn’t, because that would have made me feel as if I was done improving. The cold hard truth that Ms. Massare effectively taught me is humans are not perfect and should not pretend to be; it’s a fruitless battle. Instead, we can only attempt to be better than we were before. That is exactly why I had Ms. Massare write my college letter of recommendation.

The academic accomplishment that I am most proud of is not allowing my GPA to define me. I discovered how to appreciate the material that I was learning and not allow a numerical grade to indicate who I am or what I am capable of. As Mark Twain said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”