My Major: Subtly Changing the World by Ainsley

My Major: Subtly Changing the World by Ainsley - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

I have known I want to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, it’s just a fact of who I am. Education is my passion and I enjoy learning from the growth of others. Teaching is something I constantly look forward to in my life, I can’t wait to be a teacher. A classroom is a place filled with magic, 30 plus students are all processing the same information in a way that is unique to them. It is a teacher's job to strive for the best for all the students, and to see them all succeed. History has also been important to me. My family makes it a point to talk about the unique stories of Wisconsin's past, and how different cultures blended together at the time to create one unique to our state. To me, history is about what we can learn from those who came before us. It is fundamental, especially in this day and age, to recognize the truth of who we are and educate the next generation. We must showcase that our progression through time has shaped the human experience and reveals our trajectory. This is why I will major in Social Studies Education.

One of the most important lessons that led me to a career in education came from my seventh grade history class. The teacher inadvertently taught me that someday what you have will be invaluable to someone. I learned that history was about people and their lives, not dates. It inspired me to see people as people. That was never on a slide show or said in class, sometimes you have to reach deeper to find the true meaning of a lesson. As an educator I want to be conscious of the things I teach my students; especially the lessons not written in the curriculum. I realize how fundamental your lessons are to the life choice of the next generation as they form their own opinions.

In early years of education, I struggled. I struggled to be engaged, I did not care about what we were learning. I was bored. I was a bit of a troublemaker in my classes, not overly disruptive, but I would choose to not do what was being asked of me. One such moment stands out more than the others. I was in second grade and I would repeatedly shut off my M.A.P. (state) test. I would simply turn off the test and tell the adult in the room that it had turned off on its own. I kept this up for weeks. They tried to give me the test several times and it kept ‘turning off’. It got to the point where people at the district office and the M.A.P. Testing company was working on it, trying to figure it out. The last time they tried to give me the test, I recall walking down the hallway and thinking “This is perfect, this will work every time.” Then I got caught. When they questioned me about it I was adamant that, through my tears, I did not want to take that test. I do not remember if it was because of the stress, or if I thought we had taken enough tests, all I know is that was the moment I knew something in education needed to change. When I am asked about standardized tests I always respond back “Why?” To this day no one has given me a good answer.

The No Child Left Behind Act greatly shaped my education. I witnessed the curriculum change before my eyes. This policy was cheating a large group of students out of an education, since teaching to the student at the least common denominator is only educating those at this least common denominator. Until high school, I saw no division in the natural ability or skill level of kids. The separation that went on was bringing the kids that ‘struggled’ up to standard, and everyone else just had to sit and wait for them to catch up. During this time, there was an increased emphasis on test scores, which led to fewer soft skills being taught in the classroom. I struggled with this, I never learned soft skills; in all honesty, I did not really learn at all. I stood still, watching other kids catch up, so they were not left behind. This policy greatly changed our culture and society, and had a personal impact on me. Which further solidifies my choice to major in education.

Throughout my time in the education system I have learned from a variety of different teachers with different styles and philosophies. After seeing a plethora of different things, some will be non negotiable in my own classroom. I want to watch high schools succeed and learn exactly what it feels like to be tasked with the future success of our society. I know this will help me to make the right decisions as I move forward. I hope to make an impact on both the state and national level to our secondary education system. I need our schools to actually achieve what they are meant to, and open kids' minds to thinking differently. The government often overlooks the way we set up our schools directly impacts the future, which is why I will be majoring in education; I want to change the world.