The table hits back by Finian

The table hits back by Finian - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

A teacher who had a huge impact on my educational journey was my high school physics teacher, Mr. Johnson. He was the kind of teacher who could make even the most intimidating equations seem approachable—and occasionally funny. His enthusiasm for physics was contagious, and he had this uncanny ability to take complex topics and break them down into something even a sleep-deprived teenager could understand.
Mr. Johnson had a way of connecting physics to everyday life that made the subject come alive. I’ll never forget the day he used a watermelon and a trampoline to explain energy transfer. He said, “This could end in one of two ways: you’ll learn about potential energy, or we’ll find out what a smashed watermelon looks like in slow motion.” Spoiler alert: we learned both.
He also had a knack for cracking jokes mid-lesson. When we were learning about forces, he said, “You’ll get a real feel for Newton’s Third Law the next time you stub your toe on a coffee table. Trust me, the table hits back.” His humor made physics approachable, even when it felt like my brain was about to short-circuit from the formulas.
More than his lessons, though, it was how much he believed in me that made a difference. When I struggled with a particularly challenging project, he pulled me aside and said, “You’re smarter than you think, and even if you’re not, you fake it really well.” That little boost of confidence stayed with me.
Mr. Johnson didn’t just teach physics—he taught me how to think critically, solve problems, and find joy in the process. I can confidently say he’s one of the reasons I’m pursuing engineering today. Plus, I still think of him every time I stub my toe.