Lessons Learned Outside The Classroom by Edward "Teddy"

Lessons Learned Outside The Classroom by Edward "Teddy" - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

I hate admitting when my mother is right. At some point, don’t we all? However, I am here before you to eat some humble pie. She has been warning me for months not to wish away the rest of high school. In just a few months I will be graduating yet, hiding behind my senior swag and bravado, are the tinges of sorrow for what I already know I will be missing when I pull out of our parking lot for the very last time.

However, it is easier to explain what I will not be missing. I will not be missing the predictable, obvious aspects of high school such as our limiting rules and regulations, the monotony of a mostly prescribed course schedule and of course, our uniform dress code. What I will miss are the many valuable moments I experienced, the relationships I’ve forged and the lessons I have learned outside our classrooms. To those of you with many years or just one more to go, I will ask that you capitalize on this opportunity to fully engage your high school experience on a different level.

There’s more between these walls and in our halls than books and exams. My coaches, my teachers and members of our administration have all had a lasting impact on the shaping of the person I am today. Raise your antennae higher to catch the sometimes subtle signals these people may be sending your way. Many of the adults that walk into our lives are trying to connect with us. In the off guard moments I have had personal, memorable, enlightening conversations with many of my teachers. Teachers are humans too. They are not just figures in the front of the classroom bent on making your day miserable. If you let teachers get to know you, you will get to know them too.

I have discovered that my one of my teachers shares my sneaker fetish, though he has more spending power. I was amazed to learn of the exciting piloting exploits of another teacher. One of my long-time and most influential coaches is a high decorated military service hero. His perspectives and insights are outstanding. Now, my mom even stalks him on his 3am broadcasts on a local network. I have traveled abroad with our esteemed principal. Although the news that he would be chaperoning us put a damper on our hopes of any “highly discouraged activities”, he joined us in the spirit of the journey and showed us his off-duty self. That trip and those moments forever changed my relationship with him. I would be doing this entire presentation a great disservice if I didn’t come clean by mentioning the intrinsic value of having a great relationship with our nurse. I don’t consider myself a frequent flyer in the health office, but it has always been comforting to glide through her doorway knowing she remembers that I get migraines or that we had a very tough hockey weekend and I might still be icing my wrist or shoulder. There is no shame in seeking a little TLC! These are but a few of my experiences here. Yours are there for the making and the taking.

You will likely forget most of your Chemistry formulas and the highlighted timelines of AP World History, but I am certain you will remember the moments outside our classrooms and the faces of the people who made them happen. Seek to learn more than our curriculum. Grow as person by cultivating relationships with other people in your lives here. Open up and share your stories, let them in. Start a conversation with a teacher or administrator that you don’t have in class. Look the cafeteria cashier in the eyes and say hello sometime. Did you know her daughter is a phenomenal singer? And yes, listen to your mother!