Passion, Passion, Passion. by Abigail

Passion, Passion, Passion. by Abigail - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

What I've learned by being a student and being a student teacher is that the most important soft skill to have is passion.

I love school! I love learning, engaging with my peers, building relationships with my teachers, and accomplishing more than I thought I was capable of. I love school so much that I plan on becoming a teacher! As an elementary education major, I have been given much support in high school to delve into my passions as a future educator. In my sophomore year, I was able to take a principles class on education and in my junior year, I had the privilege of going into an elementary school every other day and interning in a classroom for the whole year! During this time, I learned so much about what is engaging to elementary school students in class. I think this translates to every level of schooling.

To me, interesting equals engaging. Even in my high school courses, for my learning to be interesting to me, it must be engaging, meaning I am able to participate in several ways. Whether that is through note-taking, hands-on activities, or a teacher that’s passion is radiating to their students, with the latter being most important.

In my first-semester junior year, I was placed in a fourth grade classroom and in my second semester I was placed in a first grade classroom. Each semester I had one lesson that was observed by both of my teachers and I utilized passionate lessons to not only advance the knowledge of my students but also keep their attention. In each of my lessons, I started with class discussion to create an environment where students felt comfortable asking questions and speaking up. Then we did a group activity. Whether that was doing math problems on the board in 4th grade, or measuring with blocks in 1st grade, group activities allow students to gain confidence in various areas. Finally, we did a hands-on activity where the students were able to demonstrate their knowledge, talk with their peers, and ask clarifying questions. In 4th grade, my students cut out different pies to represent fractions and they combined them to demonstrate adding fractions. They were able to use their creativity to color the pies and did the math that was challenging and engaging. I made challenging problems for students who math came easy to them and made simpler problems for students still grasping the ideas. In 1st grade, my students measured different objects around the room with blocks and with paperclips to learn about units. The students who finished their set list of items were able to then measure anything they wanted to in the classroom. In each of these lessons, when we wrapped up the hands-on portion, my students begged for more time to keep experimenting.

While leading my students through all of these activities, one thing remained constant, my passion! My students saw that I was excited to be learning so they were excited to be learning. In my high school classes, if my teacher is excited to be teaching, I am excited to be learning. This is a powerful tool.