It wasn't just math by Alysa

It wasn't just math by Alysa - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I’ve had all kinds of teachers, some terrible, helpful, and temporary but there was one that seemed to love what she did every single day no matter what. That doesn’t mean she was always happy or anything, because that’s not at all how it went. She was my 8th grade pre-algebra teacher and when I walked into her class I was (of course expecting to hate it because, well it was math, and granted I’m good at it I still don’t like it.) expecting for her to teach us math, and well she taught me but it wasn’t just math. She was another adult figure that taught me to solve real-life issues with other people, myself, and any of the goals I had planned at the time.
“Just because you took longer than everyone else didn’t mean I failed.” that's what she told me one day and it stuck. That teacher believed me for reasons I couldn’t envision at the time. It might be just a sentence and I only realized what she meant now that I’m in highschool, but I’m glad she said it. I passed that class with a high C, because it was technically honors but I never really grasped the concept of what she was teaching. I later finished my math required credits my sophomore year passing all of my classes with an A or a high B. I made sure to go back and see her to let her know that I was doing a lot better. Now that I’m a senior I realize she wasn’t telling me that as my teacher she was telling me that as a friend. It applies to a lot of things going on in the slow transition towards college and my ongoing passion for soccer. I said it after most games I didn’t play in, waiting for my chance to just do something I loved to do. As my possible last season I have another chance and although other of my senior players are where they want to be, I just know I haven’t failed yet and I’m proud to say it’s not over with the sliver of hope my teacher gave me.