English Teacher by Cedria

English Teacher by Cedria - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Cedria Grant
Varsity Tutors Scholarship
2 October 2016
English Teacher
As a child, I have always had a fascination with words. I was always curious to the origin of them and their meanings. Along with that, I was also focused on how to pronounce them correctly, how to correctly use them in a sentence, and how to spell them correctly. Due to my fascination, it would make perfect sense for English to be my favorite subject. I was always open-minded and excited to expand my vocabulary, and it caused me to be immersed in the art of poetry. In all of my English classes, my teachers would note how much of a prolific writer I was and how attentive I was to the class, which is why if I could switch roles, I would want to be an English teacher.
In my English class, I would teach my students vocabulary words that would be on the SAT each week and assign them to read books that would also teach them lessons that can be related to the real world. For example, the book Of Mice and Men is a tale of two migrant workers, Lennie and George, that embark on journeys from town to town because Lennie has a mental disability. The pair have been the best of friends since childhood, which labels George as Lennie's caregiver. This mental disability, however, causes the two men to get into trouble at every ranch they work at, and George had to make the decision to either kill his best friend himself or let the lynch mob get a hold of him. Despite George's decision, it was done out of love and mercy since he and Lennie had a mutual love for each other. The themes of this book are how loneliness affects the human race, as well as what it is like to be human. Both of these themes and learning the meanings behind them is essential to learning life lessons that can be effective both inside and outside of the classroom.
I would also allow students in my class to participate in spelling bees, since they were my favorite things to participate in. Spelling bees enhances students' vocabulary and educates students in a competitive way. I remember a specific time in my eighth grade year when I participated in the school spelling bee and placed as the runner-up. Although I did not win first place, it was a wonderful experience. I learned words I have never heard before and their definitions, and I can truly say that my vocabulary was indeed expanded that day. Experiences like that one has also helped me to perform exceptionally on the English portion on the pre ACT, the pre SAT, and the SAT itself, which is why I would take the role of an English Teacher if I was able to do so.