Prof. Failure by Ashley

Prof. Failure by Ashley - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

My difficulties with math were an academically challenging situation that I had to learn to overcome. We know that there is often an easy way, and a hard way to learn a lesson. This was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way.
By my freshman year of high school, I was set in my habits of just accepting that I was bad at math and would just barely get by. Well, when my math teacher got injured we were stuck with a long term sub. As one might know, subs are usually merciless graders. So, here I was with a deployed dad, sick mom, an unrelenting instructor, and a mindset that I wouldn't fail even if I didn’t try. Well, I failed.
As a result of my failure, I had to take credit recovery, and end up in a class comprised of people a grade under me, and take math support with my reputation as a “really smart person”. I was humbled by those experiences and was forced to learn how to do math.
I learned invaluable skills because of my failure. I not only learned that I do like math, but that I am also good at it. I also learned to not take myself as seriously, but to take my grades more seriously. I learned that failure is the best teacher, and because of that I definitely wouldn’t need a remedial course in these lessons.
My greatest challenges were, as you just read, not actually with math but with myself. I overcame them by actually making an effort to be better.