Interacting:The Way to Success by Emily
Emilyof Sidman's entry into Varsity Tutor's January 2015 scholarship contest
- Rank:
- 0 Votes
Interacting:The Way to Success by Emily - January 2015 Scholarship Essay
“Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students” stated Solomon Ortiz, former U.S. Representative for Texas's 27th congressional district. I agree strongly with Ortiz's quote, I learn best from the teachers that care. These are the kind of teachers that I will seek advice from and remember for the rest of my life. By interacting with students, teachers make relationships with them, and that is what helps students get the most out of learning.
From a personal level, I am a senior and have had many teachers throughout my career as a student. I have had the ones that give a lot of homework, the ones who give no homework, the ones where you just watch movies, and the ones who just don't care. But, I have also have those special few who care about each student as if they are the most important in the entire classroom, and that, I believe, is the secret to learning. Each child will have different abilities and learn at different speeds, but the one thing everyone has in common is that they like to have someone there to help them.
For example, if a teacher gives a student an assignment and just walks away and gives no explanation, no help, then the student is more likely to get frustrated , get angry, and quit on the project and receive an “F”. If the teacher would explain the project and be open to answering any questions the student might have then, the student will actually try and gain the knowledge and experience that comes with accomplishing the project. I am not saying that you need to baby every student through every project, I am saying that just throwing a project at someone will most likely get you no where. You need to let them try it on there own, then give them advice on how to move on.
Coupled with the previous statement, is that the teacher needs to interact with the student during class. I personally have an AP Calculus class that I am having no trouble in because of the teacher. Every time there is a problem that needs to be solved my teacher does not just write the answer on the board and move on, she works it out with us. We, the class, solve the problem together all the while enhancing our skills and will now be able to do a similar problem on our own. She also challenges us, if there is a particularity hard problem she does not just tell us the answer she says, “you guys can figure it out”, and then we start brainstorming. As we go through the problem, whether we fail or succeed,we are learning what to do and what not to do, Through the interaction of my teacher I have personally excelled in math and would do so in other courses if I had the same experience.
Given these points, I have expressed my belief in how to enhance the learning of students. Teachers do impact the rest of your life, as Ortiz stated, and the best way to do that is help and interact with your students. Through interaction and friendliness students will feel comfortable in the classroom and be eager to learn rather than thinking of school as a prison.