Engage Me by Alexis

Engage Me by Alexis - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Just about every student’s fear is the dull, monotonous incarnation of boredom. “Anyone… anyone?” No one wants to sit through that class, and it isn’t because the instructor is ill educated or does not teach very well. It is simply the fact that they lack passion. Realistically speaking, nobody wanted to take most of the classes that they did throughout their lifetime. They took them because it was required in order to achieve something higher, for instance, a degree or a diploma. However, that degree or diploma could not have been obtained unless the dreaded classes were taken. Those are the classes that students need the most help in, because it is those very classes in which they lack passion and therefore will not want to pay attention to the instructor – unless of course, the teacher captures the student’s attention through their character, their animation, and most importantly, their passion. This is what all teachers should do in order to engage their students, and therefore better educate them.

At Golden Valley High School sat a hallway of gray science classes that most students only passed by obtaining the answers to tests. Among the gray classes sat one that radiated with color. Mrs. Kemnitz’s physics room literally had a rainbow coming out the door (she was one for decoration). Everything about her room lured you toward it. The only thing disengaging about this room was the sign on the window that read “Physics”. Nobody liked science. Looking at the outside window one would dread stepping foot into the Physics classroom, but the moment that the door was opened, they were captured by the character of the room. Everything was bright. The posters, the baskets on the table, the ink of the expo markers on the board, and even the quotes around the room. The room was colorful, just like the teacher who occupied it. Mrs. Kemnitz’s room gave one the visual of her character.

Let us recall the dull and monotonous beast in which every student fears. Why is it that they fear him? It is his lack of animation that results in his failure to engage his class, therefore resulting in inevitable failure. No matter how boring a subject might be, the instructor, of all people, should not be the one to seem dead. Back at Golden Valley High School Mrs. Kemnitz’s sixth period class was drained of all energy. Their eyes felt heavy and not even the bright colors of her room were enough to keep them awake. What did keep them awake, however, were Mrs. Kemnitz’s animated lectures. They were the ones that made the students laugh, not only because of what she was saying but also because of her gestures and facial expressions. She jumped around the room, widened her eyes, and laughed in amazement at the things that this glorious subject had revealed unto her. She was passionate, and it was this very passion that not only kept her classes awake, but engaged.

Overall, a final piece of advice to teachers: be passionate about what it is you do and never let that passion fade, for it is with that passion in which you engage your class and help your students not only learn, but succeed.