A Teacher Who Can Save Education by Catherine

A Teacher Who Can Save Education by Catherine - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

There are a lot of different aspects to what people consider a "successful" education. Some base it upon the grades you receive, or the level of schooling you progress to, or even simply getting a diploma after 4 years. However, your level of success, no matter how you define it, is easily connected with the amount of effort you are willing to put forward. If an individual is not willing to put effort forward, then there is a high probability that their goals will not be achieved. However, what happens when outside circumstances affect the individuals perspective and willingness to work that day? Does that make them less successful? And if it doesn't, how does one get out of that feeling so they can put their best foot forward? Well, I have had an experience following this exact one, and there has only been one teacher that was able to properly help me.
Grades and school have always been a priority to me. I was always taught to throw out all emotions and distract myself with schoolwork and focus on keeping that in check so I don't fall behind. However, I was still a teenage girl. Along with that, I have a generalized anxiety disorder. Sometimes it was very hard for me to control my emotions enough to actually get any work done. I tried to talk about it with teachers prior, but none of them truly understood. They would offer an extension, or possibly allow me to sit in the hallway for a bit, but at the end of the day it was not their job to fix me. I would never expect that of them, but sometimes it felt like I was being overlooked by the people who said they wanted me to succeed. This was until my first semester of my senior year of high school, where I met my anatomy teacher, Ms. Reed.
Ms. Reed is a completely new teacher to my school, so she was getting to know her new students, as well as a new building. A lot of my classmates were weary of her at first because she was a little awkward and goofy at times, but I found myself connecting to her. After about a month or so in the class, I had come in one day crying and she could see that I was clearly not in the head-space to get anything done. I was already expecting her to come up to me and kick me out of the class, just as most teachers. However, she did something that shocked me. She had invited me outside with her, with a box of tissues, and sat with me in the hallway to talk. She truly wanted to know what was going on in my life. She was making sure I was safe, and comfortable, and genuinely asking if I was okay. I had never had this before. It was shocking and eye-opening. I actually felt so much better afterwards. I walked back inside and finished the assignment at hand after that conversation with ease. She saw me as more than just another name on her roster, or another paper she had to grade. She saw me as a genuine person with feelings. She understood what it was like to be struggling and need support. She knew that success isn't demolished by one bad day.
Children and teens are often more willing to put effort forward when they understand that they have proper support around them. This generation is not willing to give energy to people around them if they are not in their best interest. It's important for growing minds to fail, and realize that it is okay to do so. If educators and loved ones are more willing to show empathy when it gets hard, I believe that developing minds will show results and become successful to their standards.