Be Celia Moore not Celia Less by Caroline

Be Celia Moore not Celia Less by Caroline - March 2021 Scholarship Essay

I wasn´t enrolled in public school until 7th grade. Because of that, I was considered below the requirements for academic skills in the regular classroom. Thus, I was initially enrolled in special education classes. By the time I was transitioning into high school, I was going to be taking 9th grade English Honors with a teacher named Celia Moore. When I walked into her class the first day of my Freshman year, I didn´t know what to expect. The year prior I had a teacher who introduced the way our teachers would be in high school and college. She would occasionally use blunt language, and explained that this could be expected from teachers in high school and even college professors. Her explanation was that students in today´s world walk the halls with vulgar language for most of the day, and it was time for us to also realize teachers are human and aren´t afraid to be straightforward with their class either. Ms. Moore wasn´t similar to this at all, unless she felt there was no other way to express herself. The last three years of my high school career, Ms. Moore has been nothing but a role model to me. When we are in class and she goes over assignments, she addresses our class chatter with witty comments, and shares stories about her life to educate us. She is like the fountain of knowledge, yet she makes everything about our class enjoyable.

Ms. Moore´s class has been exciting since Freshman year. I would remember the movies and books we´d read or watch such as Shakespeare´s Romeo and Juliet, The Book Thief, and the activities we did with these readings. There would be books I found extremely interesting and read ahead in or check to see if there were movies made about the books. That year we watched two versions of Romeo and Juliet. Everyone who has had Ms. Moore´s class has had a defining moment, or experienced a memory that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. For me, that moment was when Ms. Moore had our class read Fredrik Backman´s novel Beartown my sophomore year. That book was based around a scenario that could happen in any town, city, country, or universe in the world. It was a story about teenagers set in modern times fighting to keep their local town´s hockey sport alive while simultaneously another situation that could end hockey for the town completely unfolded between a boy and girl. This was the best book I had ever read besides The Book Thief from Ms. Moore´s class in my opinion. Ms. Moore has a way of choosing books that relate and capture her student's interest. I knew that I liked history because of my history teacher, but Ms. Moore taught me how much I enjoyed learning it upon reading The Book Thief, a story taking place during World War II.

Besides Ms. Moore´s choices for our class assignments and her educational prowess, she also makes learning engaging with the way she interacts with us. Throughout my Senior year, I have taken Ms. Moore´s Dual Enrollment English courses for college credit. The year has already been hard enough trying to learn remotely in the midst of a pandemic, but Ms. Moore has made it very easy and emotionally lifting. Ms. Moore sends us messages about missing us and asks if we need help with any of our assignments. She has even offered a helping hand with more than just our assignments through help with scholarships, recommendation letters, and applying to colleges. Ms. Moore has opened my eyes up to opportunities I wouldn´t have seen without her and I am very grateful for that.

Ms. Moore´s interactions with her students can range from heartfelt to hilarious. There have been times in class when everyone is roaring with laughter from Ms. Moore´s comments, and when everyone is comforting one another during a sad time. I think many students have such a special connection to Ms. Moore because she is such an energetic and wonderful person to be around. Students have the chance to spend almost three years learning with Ms. Moore, and I hope even after I graduate, I can be graced by her presence again. In class, Ms. Moore is very straightforward with us, and she is not afraid to be blunt if need be. Her bluntness also serves to be entertaining in class, especially if Ms. Moore is addressing our class gossip or comments. I think the highest of these qualities she possesses. They make her unique and special to the world. If we didn´t have a Celia Moore, I am not quite sure if any English classroom across the United States would be the same.

Overall, Ms. Moore is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I can say that if I´ve learned anything these last four years in high school, it was from one of her classes. She has prepared me for college next year and what to expect from my professors. I can only hope that one day I´ll be near the level of success Ms. Moore has attained through her intelligent and kind personality. That is why I have chosen to be like Celia Moore and not anything less.