My Guide, My Teacher by Anastasia

My Guide, My Teacher by Anastasia - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I walk up the light grey stairs alongside my other peers, who either glance forward to the location of their next class or chat amongst one another, towards the class that has become my largest source of inspiration the entire year. I greet Mr. Mason, my History and English teacher, as I find my seat at the right corner of the classroom and get ready to become immersed in Mr. Mason’s discussion on any topic, whether it be on the meaning behind FANBOY or European immigration to the United States in the early 20th century. Whatever the subject of the day may be, Mr. Mason never failed to reel me in and keep me hooked even after the school day was over.
Now, I didn’t have trouble with staying focused in classes that I had before, but it wasn’t until my 8th grade year that I fully realized my capabilities as a student and as a person. In elementary school, I was always one out of the handful of students that would be tucked away in a room to learn English while my other peers were reading a novel or writing a story. The English Language Learner teacher always had a warm smile about her and treated us no different than other kids, but I still couldn’t shake off the feeling that my different background from my friends was a representation of my inability to tackle subjects at a quicker pace. This insecurity held me back from challenging myself any further than I thought was possible, and while I passed my classes, my confidence in the subject was no different than the first day of class in that particular subject.
This feeling began to dissolve, however, when Mr. Mason helped made me realize aspects of myself that I didn’t even know were there. On the first day of 8th grade, Mr. Mason told us that his goal wasn’t to force any idea or belief in our minds, but rather to broaden our perspective on the world and ourselves. I found myself all the more in love with History and English the more that I made myself read that extra page in the textbook or search up that helpful video on YouTube, the more that I allowed myself to dive into that subject without the fear that I was going over a personal limit. The largest step that I ever took at school, as a student, was when I accepted Mr. Mason’s offer to take AP World History my freshman year. Mr. Mason only offered this chance to take the course to three other boys who I always thought were whizzes in class, so for him to offer me that chance alongside such smart people really shocked me. What does he see in me that I don’t see in myself? was a thought that always was in my head as all five of us would gather together to read some sample excerpts of AP World textbooks and take some sample tests.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t do all that well during the first days that we gathered together to prepare for AP World. My slow, meticulous reading pace paired with my constant doubts in my answer choices left me second guessing myself until I ran out of time to second guess myself. However, instead of quitting the challenge and moving back to my normal workload, I used these early failures as fuel towards becoming even better. I spent late nights reading my US History textbook and taking practice English worksheets, encouraged by the hope that Mr. Mason had in me and the inspiration that I found from him. Later on in the year, I received multiple continuous perfect scores on my history exams, both my regular 8th grade history class and in my preparatory AP World History class.
I gained a newfound, unquenched love for history through the patience and the dedication of my History and English teacher. Mr. Mason didn’t teach me just one singular lesson, but rather helped me to reflect on who I am. I learned lessons on my deep insecurity of change, my capability to expand beyond what I envision for myself, and my strength in analyzing connections between people and ideas through Mr. Mason’s offer to take a college-level course my first year of high school and through his constant, contagious love of history and writing. The saying, “You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with,” cannot be closer to the truth. Without Mr. Mason helping me figure out who I am and what I can be, I wouldn’t have realized that I can achieve everything and more of what I hope to earn.