The Classroom Catalyst: A Teacher's Influence on My Academic Path by Jennifer

The Classroom Catalyst: A Teacher's Influence on My Academic Path by Jennifer - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

My sweaty fingers were fiddling with the loose string in my jean pocket. The first day of school was never easy for me, but coming back after being cyber-schooled for a year was even worse. I had all new teachers and all of my friends had found new friends. However, there was one teacher I recognized from last year. Mrs. Winsor was already yelling from her classroom, her rules written on the board, but I walked in with a smile from ear to ear.
She had her hair in a messy bun and looked like she had already gone halfway through the school year. I took my seat closest to her desk and waited for the first assignment, eager to dull my freshly sharpened pencil. Before I had Mrs. Winsor’s class, school seemed like a chore and a waste of my time. I never paid attention to my teachers or what they were teaching. Even when I first stepped into that brightly lit classroom, I wanted to turn right back around. However, it didn’t even take a whole semester of being around such an encouraging and animated teacher to completely turn that around.
I was never the brightest or quickest student in my classes. I didn’t think putting my energy into school was worth it. However, Mrs. Winsor knew I had it in me to be better and more motivated. She would sit with me, her once loud voice turning into quiet and calming, supporting me and telling me that if I just looked deeper into the question, I would find the answer. Even if I would sit there and draw on my papers instead of doing them, she would come over to me and uplift me into doing my work. It was those moments that made me realize somebody actually cared about my education and future, which made me start to care.
I owe all my gratitude for my smarts and motivation to her. Now, as a senior in high school, I am eager to learn and participate in school every day. My brain was thirsty for knowledge and my hand was eager to write. My grades have improved greatly since middle school and I put a great deal of effort into my work. She inspired me to start doing community service by helping me stomp out my anxiety and show me what it means to help anybody who will accept it. Even now, I continue to watch her be such an amazing teacher and person to all her students. I don’t even want to imagine where I would be in my high school career without her guidance and support. She’s influenced me in more ways than just education.