The Influential Ms. Bryant by Davontae

The Influential Ms. Bryant by Davontae - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

Twice upon a time I had a teacher who went by the name of Ms. Bryant. Personally, my memory is terrible but I still remember how I felt on the first day she introduced herself to her English class. Immediately she set forth an impression that was so different yet comforting. It was if she was "one of us”. All throughout the two years I had her as my teacher, she has unintentionally maintained that impression on me. You really don't appreciate people as much as you do when they are not around you anymore, so while looking back I strongly say that Ms. Bryant was my most influential teacher of all time.

AH! where do I even start?? Well I'll start with her style of teaching. Unlike most teachers, she doesn't just recite her teaching material from a book and let the students do the work. She recites what she legally has to say, and then puts her input in on whatever subject we are discussing. Sure it wasted some extra time, but what I got from the nuggets of wisdom she would drop makes up for that small disadvantage tenfold. In the 1st paragraph, I stated that it felt like she was "one of us". I think the way she presented her story and her personality is the best way a teacher could present themselves. At times she would tell us her personal experiences about her depression & anxiety, and how she dealt and now deals with it. I remember the time she revealed the time she had a panic attack, which felt so relatable to me as a teen going through problems of my own. Now, she was not constantly revealing her personal side to teenagers, but every so often we would get focused glimpses of her as a person in deep discussions.
Most of the time, when a student wants to present something to the class, she would just let them do it. It was such a positive environment (but kids would mess that up sometimes). Every morning I would write a poetic message on her board attempting to inspire or motivate whoever saw it. At first I did it hoping she won't see it, but eventually very morning before she started teaching she read my poems out loud to the class! & it was not just me she would support, I remember my friend Leah wanted to include Ms. Bryant in her rap one day, so Ms. Bryant let her do it in front of everyone.

"she sounds like an excellent teacher, but how was she influential towards you though?" - I chose the elective 'creative writing' to be my elective in the 9th or 10th grade. (Favorite class ever) We wrote numerous creative prompts and projects under her supervision. Whatever I wrote and turned in, she provided guidance through her informative comments she would write on my writing papers, and she would guide me through her commentary whenever I was finished reciting my work to everyone in her class. This really means a lot to me because I strongly believe that I became a better writer/poet and even an artist in general because of HER. No teacher has ever done that, and am forever grateful to that human. Teachers like Ms. Bryant should be the national educational standard. I also think teachers should get paid as much as doctors get paid. Oh I have a load of opinions, but good teachers would have more people agreeing to those statements. Again, I thank Ms. Bryant.
The detailed information in the previous paragraphs are the reason why Ms. Bryant is my most influential teacher of all time.