A Scientific Study of Mrs. Stary’s Awesomeness by Akshay

A Scientific Study of Mrs. Stary’s Awesomeness by Akshay - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

Exactly 24 pairs of eyeballs were fixed upon a most curious object rolling around the floor of classroom 404. This object was of a spherical shape, with two arcs stitched upon its sides, as it continued in its kinetic path across the floor. In fact, this mysterious object was none other than a tennis ball doused in lighter fluid and lit on fire. Not to mention that a few students were playing soccer with the “plasma ball,” kicking it back and forth amongst them. But don’t worry! It was all cool (pun included). For this demo was all just a part of our 2nd our Chemistry class’s weekly ritual – pause for effect – Fire Friday!

Just like everything else in Mrs. Stary’s chemistry class, the panache factor of Fire Friday was always at the maximum level. Every Friday, our class would get to light something on fire if we covered all the required learning material during the class period. Objects we got to burn included: a student planner, methane bubbles, hydrogen gas, a wristwatch, and of course, the tennis ball. As Mrs. Stary worked part time at KC Strings, we even heard rumors of getting to “destroy” a cello.

Why is Mrs. Stary such a great teacher you ask? The answer to that question should be rhetorical.
But if you really don’t know, Mrs. Stary turned one of the most difficult classes at Shawnee Mission East High School into one of the greatest adventures, learning experiences, and one of the few classes I didn’t regret taking.

On the first day of school, I walked in the classroom and there was a two foot tall beaker with elephant toothpaste (a decomposition of hydrogen peroxide forming large multicolored foam) sitting on the front table. Less than 10 seconds into my 2nd hour and I was hooked on Chem.

As the year progressed, the workload of chemistry homework grew linearly, but the amount of stuff Mrs. Stary taught us grew exponentially. Mrs. Stary even had methods of keeping our class focused the entire class period. Class Dojo was a website that kept track of participation points by answering questions and asking good ones. Every week, there would be a “battle for the class dojo” to see who would get the most points. Students were only required to get 7-10 a week, but I’m positive I put up 17 points once to beat a rival classmate. Another way Mrs. Stary kept the class focused was by having everyone SLANT at the beginning of class (proper posture in your chair).

And rather than just focus on the smart students in the class, Mrs. Stary gave everyone an equal chance to get the good grade they desired. When verbally asking students questions in class, she asked everyone, not just a few. And when a student answered incorrectly, Mrs. Stary would correct them and help them understand their mistake without making them feel embarrassed.

Mrs. Stary had an indelible impact on me as a teacher, and truly helped me develop a love for learning and a thirst for further knowledge.