Power in Perseverance by Brandon

Power in Perseverance by Brandon - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

My childhood memories are riddled with images of a younger version of me standing face-forward in classroom corners amongst my mocking peers, frequent visits to the guidance counselor, and trips to the hallway as last ditch efforts to remove the “learning impediment” (or so I had once been aptly named). I was the kid in school whose hand shot up spasmodically when a question was asked, earning glares from annoyed students and audible groans from many of my teachers. I never missed an opportunity to add my two-cents to any conversation. I was the bane of silence. In fact, that was one of the comments that my fourth grade English teacher left on my progress report, prompting an impromptu parent-teacher conference (something my parents had grown quite accustomed to).

My teachers didn’t know how to deal with me. I hated being in school because I felt that something was seriously wrong with me. Nothing kept my attention long enough to be interesting. I earned low marks on nearly every report card I’d received from middle school through high school, barely advancing to the next higher grade each year. I never felt capable of excelling in math because no matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to fall behind. Because of my difficulty in some subjects, I was afraid to keep trying because I truly didn’t see the point. That perspective changed my approach to learning and I resigned myself to the fact that I just wasn’t smart enough for school. I carried that feeling with me for a long time until I started high school where I learned—what I would consider—the most important lesson from my 9th grade English teacher, Mrs. Woodworth. The lesson she taught me was the power of perseverance.

This may sound like a simple matter, but for me, it has changed the way that I deal with every situation in my life since that day. In my younger years, I always equated intelligence with a person’s ability to quickly learn new information and recall it easily should a situation require it. Mrs. Woodworth was the first teacher that I had who showed me that the structure of the American education system assesses knowledge in an unbalanced way without considering individual differences and other myriad factors that influence how learning is accomplished from person to person. I never had that perspective on education and as a result, I spent many years truly believing that I was not intelligent.

Throughout my high school career, Mrs. Woodworth spent countless hours undoing the years of negativity that drove my mentality on learning. Her approach to teaching, her guidance, and her passionate devotion to educating her students penetrated my mind and taught me to persevere in my education and in life. She taught me that being “smart” wasn’t what I thought it was. Being “smart” isn’t what made me good at learning something new. Trying hard, being okay with failure, learning from mistakes, and a willingness to try again is what she taught me. Perseverance is truly a powerful thing and it was Mrs. Woodworth who gave me the confidence and motivation to persevere even when I doubted my own abilities.