Teaching a Man to Fish by Michelle

Teaching a Man to Fish by Michelle - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

Admittedly, I did not encounter legitimately engaging subjects and teachers who taught me how to think for myself in solving a problem, rather than just teaching me their own personal solution, until I reached high school. As the famous proverb goes: “Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.” Well, I certainly got my fill of fishing lessons in my senior year, when I took AP English. Despite taking English every year in high school, it wasn’t until taking on this extra-challenging form of the subject that I was opened to its true potential.

The very first day, our teacher placed an apple in the middle of the room and told us to write about it. The only prompt he gave us was: “What is it?” Some described the apple as they saw it, in plain and straightforward language, while some created universes and mythologies based around it. Others, baffled by the assignment, were not as inclined to see it as a creative pathway and instead vented frustration and anger. This experience was necessary for all of us to collectively open our minds in preparation for the rest of the class. Throughout the year, we were presented with works of prose, poetry, and plays, instructed in analyzing the wide range of motifs and symbols that connected to form big-picture themes.

Teaching us to notice every detail and formulate understanding based solely on what we could discern for ourselves completely changed how I approached the world. It is not merely a coincidence that, during that year, I managed to accomplish more than I ever imagined I could, getting high grades in my classes, which were all advanced placement, due to the confidence I gained from these teachings. One achievement was particularly noteworthy to me: rising to the top of my AP Calculus class, a feat that seemed impossible to me when only a freshman. Fully prepared to take the next step in my life, attending college, I was empowered to take the path to becoming more and more independent. Everything was generated in my own mind. Every plan became wholly thought-out. The world truly became my oyster.

By realizing that analyzing every word in a work of literature is essential, I could thus discern that in poetry, so is punctuation and capitalization. In interpreting artworks, the entire universe is included. In my college studio art class, I surprised myself by creating complex installation pieces, asymmetrical but composed of perfect balance. They were stationed comfortably within the context of their physical spaces and historical timelines. A few years ago, I never would’ve been able to create these meaningful and authentic artworks without AP English’s life lessons.

The strength to appreciate every facet of life, the willingness to observe, the confidence to analyze new ideas - these are all essential to success in life, whether you define it as wealth, power, self-esteem, happiness, authority, freedom, or something else. Too often, mental stability is underestimated and negative traits such as aggression, autocracy, and militancy are valued more highly in our society.
But I promise: by formulating a deeply personal and profound worldview within which you can cultivate your being-hood, positioned wherever you may be in the context of this admittedly strange and bewildering universe, you will gain the ability to do whatever you dream. I am certain of that.