Student-Based Understanding by Caroline

Student-Based Understanding by Caroline - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my thirteen years of public school, I have had some very good teachers, and some not so very good teachers. I try to forget the not so good experiences and focus on the good ones because it allows me to remember the positives instead of focusing on the negatives. Even though I enjoyed school overall growing up, I still cannot help but think about what would have made my educational experience better. I strongly believe that the solution to this is understanding and patience.

Not all students learn and understand material the same way, and sometimes, even when a student wants to learn, they cannot process information as fast as other students, yet the school system and many of its teachers expect students to learn at the same level of all of the other students around them. My advice to teachers is to stop this dated idea and start catering to the students' learning requirements. Teach.com says that student-based teaching methods help students understand material a lot more than teacher-based teaching methods because the student-based methods allow students to inquire about information, have hands-on experience and a personal model to look up to, while the teacher-based methods treat students as 'empty vessels' to cram with information.

However, if you are unable to change the curriculum, understanding and patience for students who are slower or learn differently will aid this situation just as much. Do not get frustrated with struggling students, but instead show them that you care about them and want them to succeed. If no one believes in them, people will give up all hope for their future, but if someone believes in them, they will want to prove that they can succeed. This is parallel to the relationship between students and teachers. If a student's teachers believe in her, she will try her best to succeed.

In conclusion, teachers should do all that is in their power to help their students succeed, whether this means changing the curriculum, or simply showing their students that they care. Both of these reforms would be ideal, but I really can only give one piece of advice to teachers across the nation, it is the latter. Care for the future adults of this country, because they will one day be our bankers, our politicians, our news anchors, our doctors, and yes, our children's teachers.