Foreign Concepts 101: Compassion by Adre'ana

Foreign Concepts 101: Compassion by Adre'ana - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

As it is, when most people ponder lessons learned from a teacher, they first consider all the education they have received over the years. I have acquired many important educational concepts from professors; however, the most important lesson I have learned from a teacher is one that does not come from the classroom. Rather, it comes from a true, genuine place in one’s heart: the most important lesson I have learned from a teacher is compassion.

My school is very small, so we have teachers for multiple years. It happened that I had one particular English teacher for two years concurrently. From the very beginning we got along with each other exceptionally well. Within the first school year, we became very close, often talking personally at the end of class or outside class. She saw past my social awkwardness and basically took me under her wing. On my part, I am generally a very private individual, very unwilling to trust, who prefers keeping things to myself rather than talking about them. That has changed a little though, for I trust her, which is a big deal for me. Therefore, the day I went to school after waking up early that morning and finding out that my father figure had passed away suddenly, this teacher was the first person I told. She returned my personal confession with nothing but kindness: she offered me a shoulder to cry on; a room for sanctuary, should I wish it; and someone to talk to about my sudden loss. She gave me compassion.

Throughout the second school year we grew even closer, and I have to say that she became like a friend and mother to me, along with being my teacher. She was still as kind and compassionate to me as she was the previous year. She often gave me snacks or lunch when I did not bring my own. As that year went by, I returned some of her compassion when her father was struggling with a cancer diagnosis. In general, we were there for each other. Then, in April, the anniversary of my father figure’s death arrived, finding me extremely emotional and unable to contain my tears. She was the only one that day to remember what it was to me, the only one to understand my tears. Though by the time I reached her class I was not crying anymore, perhaps she noticed something in my demeanor suggesting that I was not alright. She took me outside her room and let me cry on her shoulder. It was such a simple act of compassion, but even to this day I cannot fully explain with words how much it meant to me at that time, and still means to me.

In short, some principle things I have learned from teachers have been of the intellectual variety. However, the single most important thing I have acquired was compassion. This was taught to me by a very kind, understanding teacher who opened her arms to me and showed me how to open my heart. This was a lesson that I shall never soon forget, nor shall I ever look down upon. She broadened my horizons, and I still cannot find a proper way to explain how much exactly that means to me.