Switching Places by Brett

Switching Places by Brett - September 2015 Scholarship Essay

In her famous novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird' Harper Lee wrote "You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This sums up my experience in becoming a better student. I went through school in a nonchalant way, not trying too hard to gain any knowledge, just have fun and look cool. I could still come through with the grades I needed to graduate, but there was not a lot of passion there. Then I became a teacher after college and a karmic circle of disinterest in education came around. I would constantly tell my students of the benefits of extra studying and paying attention in class. I would try to peek their interest through playing educational games in class, reading controversial novels that sparked lively debates and stayed up several nights each week planning lessons that were not only engaging but relevant to the world around us. There were always those students and questions that made my blood boil: 'Why do we need to know this? This isn't any fun. When am I ever going to use this? When's lunch?'

Needless to say I became burned out of teaching after ten years and have decided to pursue my passion, going back to school to get a degree in environmental science. Through my years of teaching, though, I saw what a challenge it is to be a teacher, and how to be a better student. A better student doesn't know all the answers or is even smarter than everyone else. Better students work hard in their research and independent study. Better students are flexible in their approaches to problem solving and critical thinking. Most of all, better students take criticism and advice to heart and use it to grow into more well-rounded citizens. After walking in those teacher shoes for a while, I am now working harder to become one of those better students I enjoyed educating.