My Ideal Classroom by Bethany

My Ideal Classroom by Bethany - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

As a senior in high school, I have been in a wide variety of classroom environments from cold and intimidating, to warm and comforting. I have learned over my years in school that the classroom setting has a major impact on my grades. If I were to construct my ideal classroom, the temperature would be comfortable, the teacher would be strict, yet forgiving, and there would be computers and books available.

The temperature of a classroom highly affects my ability to learn and succeed. If a classroom is cold, I am not able to concentrate on my work or listen to the teacher because I am sitting on my hands to stay warm. If a classroom is warm, I become tired and it is difficult to stay awake and pay attention. Every year I have have one class, usually more, that is either extremely cold or really warm and I have seen my grades and attentiveness be affected by this. I found that when the temperature of a classroom is not in the middle of hot and cold, I have to try really hard to concentrate on the lessons and my work. However, by being in a classroom where the temperature is a happy medium between hot and cold, I am able to better focus on my work.

Not only does the temperature affect my ability to succeed, but the characteristics of the teacher do as well. Students learn very quickly whether a teacher is lenient about class work, or if they are strict. Most students, when put in a class with a lenient teacher, are happy because they don’t have to put as much effort into their work; this also means, however, that they are not going to learn as much as they could learn in a class with a stricter teacher. If a student is given a class with a strict teacher who is not forgiving at all, then most of the time the student will end up giving up because they don’t feel that they are capable and they simply quit trying. In order to be dedicated to my work and not lazy, I need a teacher who is strict and will make sure my work gets done and will teach well, but who is also forgiving if I don’t get everything done or don’t understand something and need help. I always look up to my teachers and highly respect them because I come from a family with many teachers, therefore, I know what they have to deal with and the hard work that goes into being a teacher. If a teacher is lenient and does not try hard to teach me the material, or is so strict that they cause me to want to give up, then I’m not going to be motivated to do my work. A teacher who possesses both qualities would by my ideal teacher that would cause me to learn to the best of my ability.

My school district has recently been provided funding so that each student can have their own personal laptop to take from to class and home every night. Like a really cold classroom, and a very strict teacher, laptops can negatively affect my grades. There are many positive factors about laptops such as: saving paper, being able to quickly communicate with teachers outside of school, and having Google right there in front of you to look up anything you need help with. Although there are positive factors, I have found that my laptop can sometimes cause me to have more problems than if I were to do my work from a textbook. Laptops are a form of technology, so its very possible that something in them will not function correctly or will mess up. Also, if a teacher has all the class work planned to be done online, and the internet goes down, there is not a way to do our work unless the teacher made back-up paper copies. Books don’t need internet and the content in a book does not magically disappear because it does not have anymore battery life. Books also, however, don’t always contain the exact information needed and it may not be so easy to find what you are looking for in a book because there are not “control find” buttons. There are many ups and downs about books and laptops. Both can help in the learning process, and both can be irritants. In order to ensure that I’m able to succeed in class, I would make sure that my classroom had laptops, as well as a variety of books that I could refer to if the laptop was not functioning properly.

As an honor roll student and a member of academic clubs that require an “A” average, I am very dedicated to my school work and want to make sure that I’m learning everything I can so I make good grades, and so I am prepared for college. Having a classroom with a comfortable temperature, a teacher who is strict and forgiving, and that has access to laptops and books, I believe that I would be able to focus better, concentrate on the teacher, and be dedicated to learning the necessary material.