Open for Interpretation by Amanda

Open for Interpretation by Amanda - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

There are many subjects that are taught in school that only have right and wrong answers. Like in math, for example, every answer is clear cut and every student is taught to think the same way. I have always dreaded math class due to the lack of creativity allowed in the work and the confinements placed on one’s own thoughts. If I were a college professor, I would want to teach English because of the open window that allows for a multitude of correct answers.
Throughout my time in high school, I always enjoyed my English classes. I was in the higher-level classes for all 4 years, which allowed for class-long Socratic discussions between myself and the other students. There was never a time when my teacher could tell us that we had interpreted the book wrong because there are no wrong answers in English. If the idea could be supported, it was always considered as a correct answer. My extensive time spent in English classes and clubs lead me to tutor younger children in English. I thoroughly enjoyed guiding the children every Monday afternoon as they wrote their essays and short stories. You may ask “why did the children need to be tutored in English if there are no wrong answers?” These children needed help expressing their own ideas onto the paper and that is what I was there to help them with.
With my previously mentioned love of English, I would use that passion as my drive if I were an English professor. College is the ideal setting for creative thinking as each student is preparing for the adult world, where there are no right or wrong answers. I would use this opportunity to open each student’s cognitive window where they can answer a prompt however they would like (as long as it is supported of course). My methods would not only benefit the students to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, but it would benefit my own thinking as well. Hearing how others interpreted things like books, prompts, or even current world events is crucial to understand a point of view that is different from your own.