The Joy of Room 109 by Annelise

The Joy of Room 109 by Annelise - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

Apprehensively, I walked down the hallway to Room 109 after leaving a daunting Physics class on the first day of my freshman year of high school. To my relief, welcoming new students in with a smile, I met Mr. Browning for the first time and soon came to know the most caring math teacher I have ever had. Unlike most teachers I’d had previously, Mr. Browning focused more on his students’ well-being than their ability to pass our state mandated assessment at the end of the year. He always opened class with a story or simply a conversation with his students. It was clear he sought to make his classroom environment open and more personal, a welcome contrast to the constant, impersonal lectures provided by many of my other teachers. To add a layer of excitement and suspense to class, everytime his dry-erase marker dried out as he was writing on the whiteboard, he would chuck it across the room to the trashcan and we would cheer as it landed squarely in the bin.
Beyond stories and class antics, what left the greatest impact on me was his inclination to delve deeper into his students’ lives and check in on their well-being. Mr. Browning cared about his students enough to constantly remind us of our worth. He reminded us that we were worth far more than our test scores and grades, and he encouraged me further by reassuring me when I would worry and telling me I was one of the brightest students he knew. His kind affirmations affected me deeply. At the time, I was struggling with a lot of test anxiety and stress while battling a constant fear of failure. One day, I was very concerned about a test I had to make up in his class after school, and Mr. Browning noticed and asked if he could pray for me. I said yes, and he prayed for peace over me, and this kind act was something I never forgot.
This past year, my senior year, I was fortunate enough to have him as my teacher again, this time for AP Statistics, and it was my favorite class of the year. He wrote me the most thoughtful college recommendation letter and was always willing to help when I asked for it, and he never relented telling our class how much he appreciated our work during this difficult year in every weekly class email. I feel blessed to have had him as my teacher twice, and I know my classmates also recognized the way he truly cared about us as individuals. This quality is something I aspire to make evident to those I interact with as well. Though I didn’t get to physically walk into Room 109 as often as I wish I could have due to the pandemic this past year, Mr. Browning remained a bright light throughout the struggles of completing high school during these trying times.