1+1=Success by Brittany

1+1=Success by Brittany - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Most students will say they learned their most important life lessons from teachers they had in high school. Their teachers may have brought it up one day in class and it sparked in their minds, while others may have got it from a conversation they had on a random day. However, unlike most students, the most important life lesson I’ve ever learned was shown to me by my fifth grade teacher, and the outcome of the lesson has become quite extraordinary.
Before fifth grade, I struggled with math from early on. I watched other kids everyday pass math tests and quizzes like they were just breathing, as I sat for hours at home studying and studying only to get C’s and B’s. Upon meeting my fifth grade teacher, I warned him that math was not my strong suite and that I needed a lot of help. That year I was put into the lowest math class with him as the teacher. Just in the first week I was already lost and confused. I would go home and cry for hours over my homework, which back then wasn't even a quarter of what I am required to do now. But as if he was my own little guardian angel, he continued to personally help me and guide me through math problem after math problem during the math portion of the day and outside of it. He helped me feel as if I was capable of doing anything without a worry. He encouraged me to practice and practice outside of school and never give up. After every bad quiz or test, he would sit with me during “catch-up time” and help me through each problem, while secretly letting me work my way through the problems my own without knowing.
When spring came around, he started his own Sol Blitz group, with me in mind. We would meet twice a week after school with sometimes ten kids and sometimes just two. He continued to help me understand the math that never seemed to come as easy to me. When the Sol day came around, he made sure I walked in confidently. I went through every problem at least three times, making sure I followed every step I could possibly think of. A couple weeks later, my teacher called me into the hallway to give me my scores. When I closed the door to the classroom and turned to see him, he had tears in his eyes and the biggest grin on his face. Not only did I pass my math sol advanced, but perfectly.
The most important life lesson I learned came from a teacher who never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself. From that day on I always remember that no matter what, you should never give up, not even on yourself, because anyone can achieve anything if they really want it. That lesson follows me from the classroom, the volleyball court, and home everyday and has helped me do amazing things:-)