The Great Scott Allgood by Emily

The Great Scott Allgood by Emily - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

As a high school Senior, I have had the opportunity to learn from a wide array of teachers for the past four years. Like many high school students do, I often found it difficult to enjoy the education process in certain environments and under the hands of certain teachers. However, one teacher whom I had during my Junior year opened my eyes to how important and genuinely enjoyable learning can be, and taught me things I will never forget.

When I first discovered that I had been put in Mr. Scott Allgood’s Honors English class for the duration of my Junior year, I was struck with a wave of nervousness. Mr. Allgood was known throughout the institution as the most challenging English teacher and strictest essay-grader in the building. English had always been my favorite subject, and I had always had positive experiences with my English teachers, but I was a little uneasy at the idea of trying to learn from someone with such a reputation. Older colleagues of mine warned me about the amount of work the class required, the infamous “single essay tests”, and the remarkably low average essay grades. While many students assured me that I would succeed in the class and get along just fine, I still found myself worrying until the first day of school.

Within ten minutes of our class’s first meeting, I was sure that Mr. Allgood would come to be one of the best teachers I would ever have. Gone were my worries, and as Mr. Allgood explained how his class was run and what each day would entail, my uneasiness quickly transitioned into excitement. Though my opinion may have been biased due to my affection for the subjects of English and Literature, many of my classmates shared my conviction. As the school year progressed, I found myself anticipating first period English with an enthusiasm that students rarely feel about anything related to school or learning.

Our classes were discussion based, and every morning my classmates and I would enter the room ready, even eager, to talk about the previous night’s reading assignment. Mr. Allgood would take his place at the front of the classroom, and lead us into deep and thoughtful discussions, contributing his own thoughts and genuinely listening to ours. Sometimes a heated debate would fabricate among the students, and Mr. Allgood would encourage us to voice our opinions with conviction, sometimes splitting the class into sides and allowing us to argue our points. Through this class and with the help of Mr. Allgood’s guidance, and knowledge of literature, I learned much more about the literature we read and how to interpret it than I ever thought possible. My thinking process evolved more each day, and I soon found myself looking deeper into everything I read and experienced, finding hidden meanings in the most seemingly transparent subjects.

Having Mr. Allgood as a teacher changed my opinion on learning and on school in general, as I had found a teacher who genuinely cared about teaching students how to really think critically, rather than just memorize facts. My classmates and I became avid critical thinkers and analysts, and also developed a deeper appreciation for literature. I believe that if every teacher were to run their class like Mr. Allgood, students everywhere would come to enjoy learning rather than shy from it.