A Delightful Awakening by Crystal

A Delightful Awakening by Crystal - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

It is a privilege to have had many, many wonderful teachers throughout my schooling career. I don’t know which one has affect me positively the most. Dr. Charlesworth, my first semester chemistry professor, was a great teacher and provided his students with a fun learning environment through all the exciting demos, the class favorites being the “Gummy Bear Execution” and the “Tennis Ball Cannon.” Dr. Xu, my Calculus one teacher, was quite thorough, taught very well, and was dedicated to his students’ success. Dr. Kendall, my Calculus two teacher, was an exciting teacher. He taught the material so that everyone could understand it and went through numerous examples to make sure we could do similar problems fluently.

I’ve had countless great teachers, but I think Dr. Bergstrom really opened my mind up to learning. My composition professor was a wonderful teacher and a very pleasant person. She wanted to get to know everyone in the class, so instead of just being another face in the crowd, we felt like she really valued us and our work. She always encouraged us to get help from the learning centers or email and talk to her if we needed help. Dr. Bergstrom always gave excellent, constructive advice on how to improve our writing, and she always graded fairly. She did her best to engage the class, even though not everyone participated. She offered extra credit and was overall a very delightful teacher.

I started college closed off, because I was very shy. It was a new environment with a myriad of new people that I didn’t know, and I wasn’t a big fan of school. Within the first few classes of composition, however, I really came out of my shell. I was excited to go to class every day, wondering what new things I would learn. I participated in class and felt comfortable going to her for help and advice. Normally writing classes were a chore to me, but with Dr. Bergstrom as our professor, I was eager for each paper she assigned us. Learning how to write more effectively really improved my social and presentation skills, too. My experience in her class helped me to open up more in my other classes. I contributed in class and collaborated with other students more frequently. Dr. Bergstrom’s influence has positively affected me more than she may know.

Dr. Bergstrom was a wonderful teacher. I was very sad when the semester, and composition, ended. If given the chance, I would definitely take another class from her. She really helped me come out of my shell and learn how to enjoy school and learning. I hope to have more professors just like Dr. Bergstrom in the future. She made learning fun.