The Power of Collaboration by Emma

The Power of Collaboration by Emma - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Education is different for everybody. There are thousands of districts and millions of students and staff. Each with their unique life and experiences. But, a commonality between all of these students is the ability to collaborate with others. Most of the things invented in our world were made real by multiple people. A successful education begins with collaboration. Collaboration provides valuable relationships, learning from others, and new perspectives

Valuable relationships start in the classroom. When students don’t know each other, it is often difficult to teach and learn. Collaboration gets students talking to each other to create relationships that are unique. Tutors, study buddies, and friends come from asking questions or being offered help. New content often comes with new questions. Questions come with conversations that build relationships; Some quicker than others. Nonetheless, relationships that learn from others are valuable to understanding more than just content.

Relationships build off of acquaintances. I have been in the same school district from Kindergarten to 12th grade. I know most of the names in my graduating class but I am not best friends with everyone. Just knowing someone's name can open doors. Doing icebreakers in class and asking questions lead to asking about their weekend or a school event. Creating that relationship makes me more comfortable collaborating with them. If I never asked my classmates, I would not be where I am today academically. Being able to help and learn from others helps me as a student and a person.

Beyond academics, I learn to be a better person by seeing different perspectives. I collaborate with classmates from various backgrounds and experiences. Everybody has a different approach to learning. Seeing how others learn opens my eyes. Working with others encourages to me see all the possibilities to solve a problem or learn new content. When I don’t understand how a teacher explains it to me, I go to my classmates to see how they understand it. I get to see the content in a new light. The absence of collaboration between students makes it extremely difficult to learn.

Collaboration is vital for professional and personal development. Without collaboration, relationships would lack meaning and depth from not exchanging ideas or perspectives. Additionally, education would be limited by the lack of learning from others, their knowledge, and their experiences. Collaboration expands our horizons and deepens our understanding.