An Academic Perspective or Future Calling by Baylee

An Academic Perspective or Future Calling by Baylee - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Beep-beep beep-beep. The sound I'm use to hearing as my eyes feel like they're falling when the sun is just underneath the horizon. It's Monday morning, the day most students my age are dreading because it signifies day one out of waking up early and sitting in a class for 7 hours; however, it's one of my favorite days. At Eastlake High School, we have split schedules, Mondays and Wednesdays consists of class periods 1, 3, and 5, Tuesdays and Thursdays consists of periods 2, 4, and 6, while Fridays are periods 1 through 6. Getting the opportunity to become a teachers' assistant for periods 1 and 5 are what makes Mondays much more enjoyable.

Getting the opportunity to be a teachers' assistant for two of my favorite teachers at my school has secured me different perspectives of what it would be like to be a teacher. Picture this: I'm in my first period personal finance class, taking attendance, writing emails, submitting grades, and checking off paperwork, while the teacher is instructing the class, and I couldn't feel more enlightened. I'm someone who always has to be doing something, even if it's putting too much on my plate because than my organization skills are tested. Now I'm in my fifth period Spanish class, where I organize her classroom and help level one Spanish students capture the knowledge being taught as a former level three Spanish student. Being put into the workforce with new perspectives, allowed me to combine my skills of organizing, public speaking, writing, and passion for helping others into the idea of becoming a teacher. The possibility of studying to obtain my teaching degree also engaged me to wonder about what subject I would teach if the roles were reversed.

One of my most memorable years at Eastlake, had been my junior year of high school when I was in my English/History class. Having that class with the same teacher for two periods allowed us to have longer thoughtful discussions and more engaging class lessons. His way of teaching that specific class left an impact on me as my passion for writing and US history grew into wanting to teach what I learned to future generations of students. Whether it's analyzing director ideas of why motion pictures capture what they capture, understanding the different political parties and how their ideas impact our economy today, or how reading in between the lines can be transposed into our writing is why I would like to teach English/History to high school students.