Inquiry Step Up by Pilar

Inquiry Step Up by Pilar - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Math, math, math! The only subject I find to be the least difficult and straight forward from the rest. Throughout my life it has always been simple because the rules were set and there was no need to guess what to do next in a problem. However, when junior year came along, things changed. I wasn’t able to simply understand and listen to a lesson. All the times I believed Math was so easy and unstressful came down to be a real disappointment as soon as the year started.
I wasn’t a social individual when in class. I’d attend class, do my work, and leave. I never even thought of asking questions because of the fear of what my peers would think of me. I wouldn’t understand why I felt this way because my teacher would always encourage us to ask questions. He’d make it seem as if it were such a simple task. As the days passed everything just kept piling on me. I had such a hard time completing my work that I no longer kept in silence.
I attended tutoring after school and asked all my questions there. It would make me feel more comfortable knowing nobody else other than my teacher could listen to me. While there, he encouraged me to ask questions more often because I didn’t know if others in my class had the same issue. This was true. I began to ask questions during class time and felt like an idiot, but I kept telling myself that if I didn’t do it then no one else would. All those questions I kept asking would eventually assist anyone else in the room. Being able to understand what I was doing led me to become one of the top students in my class.
Asking questions empowered me and helped me develop my confidence as a student. I felt powerful enough to tell my peers what they needed to understand and confident enough to interact with them without thinking I was dumb. I wouldn’t always have the answer to everything, but it didn’t hurt to try. This is an accomplishment I wouldn't want to take back.