Reversing Roles: Why I Would Teach Engineering by Eric

Reversing Roles: Why I Would Teach Engineering by Eric - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

If the roles were to be reversed in school, there is no doubt in my mind what subject I would teach. Throughout my over three years of high school, the teachers and classes that have made the most impact without a doubt are Mr. Gish and Mr. Wilkins and their engineering classes. Through taking those classes, I have become blessed in receiving guidance from two of the best teachers I have ever had throughout my entire schooling. They have shown me what it takes to not only be a great teacher, but be a great human being, and that is what inspires me to want to teach the engineering classes.

The first thing that inspires me to want to teach these classes is the teachers themselves. Mr. Gish and Mr. Wilkins go above and beyond the call of being a teacher. Normally, a teacher at our school teaches six periods and has one period off. Both Gish and Wilkins (as we call them) teach seven classes a day, and most of the week are in at least an hour early, and stay after for several hours. In fact, last week before our robotics competition, Wilkins was here at six in the morning and left school just after midnight so our robot could be completed on time. He was then back at school just four hours later for the competition itself. We went on to dominate that competition, and that shows just how committed our teachers are to our success. Going along with that topic, Gish especially shows great care for his students. He makes sure we use all the equipment in the labs properly, and he is very committed to making sure that we complete everything to the best of our abilities. Gish started out in the manufacturing industry, and he knows the grind that working-class citizens must complete, and he wants to make sure that we are prepared for whatever occupation we choose to take on for the rest of our lives.

The other reason that makes me want to teach engineering is the impact this program has on the kids who partake in it. We have one of the best manufacturing labs in the entire country, thanks to the great generosity of our school district and local companies. Additionally, as stated beforehand, we have some of the best teachers any students could have. Because of this advantages, the students who complete the engineering program (which includes myself) have doors opened for them that many other students do not have. It has been a well-documented fact in our school that graduates of our program often have an easy time in the early days of college due to the fact that much of the material covered in our classes is what is covered in the freshman year of college. Because of this, the engineering students from our school are often high in their performance at college. Because of this impact on students, there is not a doubt in my mind that if the roles were reversed, I would teach engineering.