My Growing Love for English by Alessandro

My Growing Love for English by Alessandro - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

English had always been my weakest subject when it came to handing report cards. I never failed English, in fact my lowest grade never dropped below a 90, but there was one skill that I grasped... writing. I hated it, and my growing hate of it lead me to dislike school in general. I disliked how the education system was set up, placing emphasis on success rather than growth. One thing I never had told my mother was by 10th grade I did want to drop out. There was no point in trying to fix something that was damaged beyond repair. I shared this philosophy with my therapist whom I had been seeing at the time, due to the stress of my parents divorce. Although I don't remember her name, she told me to stick it out one more year, that the tenth grade would be the most fun I would have in high school. Reluctantly I agreed, and proceeded into the unknown abyss of what was to be my favorite year in high school.

When it comes to proclaiming your favorite teacher, it is never really clear what makes them so special. It was the same way with Mr. Owens, my English 2 teacher. He had a rather queer way of setting up his room, with the lights turned off and lamps everywhere. It felt like walking into a coffee shop, at eight in the morning, getting ready to learn about contemporary literature. The environment in which you learn heavily dictates the way you learn. Melissa Kelly of about.com states, "Classrooms with desks in rows are quite different than those where students sit around tables. The environment will be different too. Talking is typically less in a classroom set up in the traditional manner. However, interaction and teamwork are much easier in a learning environment where students sit together."
Add the grouped desks together with the mellow lighting, and you get the most unique experience in a classroom in which learning together is encouraged.

Mr. Owens also was not afraid to point out bad teaching habits of his, and never talked to his students in an underlying condescending tone. He was respectful towards the students, and in turn we were respectful to him. It was that special relationship he shared with his students, a relationship that far exceeded the typical student-teacher relationship that brought me back into learning. He didn't teach at us, but rather to us.

Tenth grade was a blast, one of the best years of my life thus far. I was privileged to have him yet again in my third year in high school, for Creative Writing. I feel this point was when I really adopted, and embraced with full force my unique writing style. Mr. Owens helped me with that. Mr. Owens has played such a big part in developing my skills as a writer. He re-invigorated my will to learn by his unique teaching methods. Mr. Owens really sparked my growing love for English.