The Basic Principals of Teaching Econ. by Ariana

The Basic Principals of Teaching Econ. by Ariana - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

William Arthur Ward once said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” Teachers are known as the gateway to one’s success. Great teachers not only inspire students, but they also guide them. For that reason, if I ever became a college professor, I would follow the footsteps of the most inspiring individual that I have ever met, Ms. Ashley Clark. Like Ms. Clark, I would teach the fascinating, yet informative, subject of Economics because it addresses important issues and it's one of the few subjects taken in high school that people will find useful as they enter adulthood.
Before taking Ms. Clark’s AP Economics class, I did not pay much to the world economy. I did not feel like I needed to. I found it incredibly difficult to hold a conversation with someone about the economy mainly because I did not understand it very well. My knowledge about the economy and how things worked was limited and so I avoided talking about it as much as possible. Taking AP Economics was the first time I ever had any real exposure to learning about the world’s financial system. I was privileged to learn and share that educational adventure with Ms. Clark. Prior to taking AP Economics, I had heard every horror story possible about it. My peers would talk about how difficult the class was and how almost all of Ms. Clark’s students would fail her tests. My limited knowledge about the economy and the horror stories that my peers shared made me reconsider taking that class. However, I decided to challenge myself and I took AP Economics. It was by far the best decision I had ever made. In that class, I not only learned the basic principles of the economy like how and why people buy, sell, and trade items, but I also learned more about why the world was the way it was and why certain countries are more powerful than others. Ms. Clark even taught us how we could use the things we learned in AP Economics later in our lives as we pursue any type of career. The class made such a large impact on my life that I decided to pursue a business degree in college.
Ms. Clark’s AP Economics class changed my life and that is why I would want to teach that subject as a college professor. I would hope not only to inspire the next generation of businessmen and businesswomen but also help inform those who do not want to go into the finance field to pay attention to the economy. A changing economy is something that will affect everyone regardless of what kind of job an individual has. The impact that the economy has on all of our lives is massive and that is something that I did not fully realize until I had taken my AP Economics class. If I was a college professor, I could only hope to impact someone else's life as Ms. Clark has impacted mine. Ms. Clark has inspired me to aim for higher goals, attack more challenges, and to continue pursuing my dreams. As an instructor, I would do my best to follow her slightly strict, but interactive teaching methods. It was not difficult to see that Ms. Clark worked diligently to be prepared and give her all every single day in class and I became a professor, I would be the same way.
If I end up becoming a college professor, I cannot imagine any other subject that I would want to teach. Economics is often underestimated when thinking about how important it is for an individual to have exposure to the material. Through my class, I would hope to guide my students into reaching their full potential. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to have an amazing economics teacher and if I was a professor, I would do my best to be the same way to my own students so that I too can inspire some individuals.