Not Just Another Math Teacher by Ava

Not Just Another Math Teacher by Ava - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

Some teachers are looked at negatively and may even take things "too seriously." I have never understood very harsh teachers, I know they are trying to introduce us to the real world but they are working with developing children and sometimes this creates a negative impact on their students. I have been fortunate enough to have some great teachers, however, not every person gets to develop a bond with one of their teachers throughout their years of schooling, but I believe this can spark a love for the subject.

I have always loved math and I have been particularly good at it. My middle school years I was placed in higher math classes than the rest of my peers and started learning with older kids. I loved this because I could learn much faster and I wasn't as bored in my math classes. I had average teachers that wanted the best for me and they thought I was a smart student. My freshman year of high school I had Algebra 2 with mostly juniors and some seniors. My math teacher loved me that year and I ended up testing into trigonometry where I could be met with Mr. Whitfield. Mr. Whitfield was known around the school as the "best math teacher," so this was exciting for me.

My first day of sophomore year, I walked into his classroom and sat at the table in front of his room with three of my friends I had known since middle school. We were the only sophomores in that class, which was slightly intimidating but Mr. Whitfield came over to us and asked how we felt and if we were nervous at all. He told us we would be okay and that he would always help us if we needed it. As time went on, we grew a very strong bond and he was always positive, even on his bad days. There was never a time he would slack if we asked for help.

My junior year I took Calculus and I had a brilliant teacher who struggled with teaching us. She was very nice but everyone knew she was worn out and she did not help us be successful. Almost every day, my friends and I would go to Mr. Whitfield's classroom to receive extra help with calculus. He always told us to keep our heads up and keep coming to him for tutoring because it was the only way we understood the material. One day this year he told us he would be teaching us the next year and we were so grateful to hear this news.

At the beginning of my senior year, Mr. Whitfield missed six weeks of school due to a bad reaction he had from a surgery. He has showed me anything is possible even when it feels like it is not. He has proved how much he has cared for his students and this motivates me to be a better student for him. He has showed me struggles teachers could be going through in their private life and he shows his love for teaching every single day no matter what his struggles are. Mr. Whitfield has showed me what being a teacher should look like and he has significantly impacted my educational journey. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor throughout my high school years. Mr. Whitfield is the only human being I know that would teach Pre-Calculus, College Algebra, Calculus AB and Calculus BC, taking away his planning period and still be the best teacher I could imagine. He has changed my outlook on so many key points in life and he has showed me to always be kind and open to everyone I come across. Mr. Whitfield is not just another math teacher, he is a role model, someone to lean on, he is a helping hand, a kind soul, he is loving to all of his students and he has brought so much light into hundreds of lives.