I was called "stupid" by Frank

I was called "stupid" by Frank - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

There are three teachers in my 12+ years of education that truly stand out to me – one in a negative way and two in positive ways, and luckily in an order that led me on a successful academic path….let me explain….
My third grade teacher openly ridiculed my reading ability and suggested I may have a learning disability. As a child I heard this and immediately thought I was stupid and would never succeed academically. I was tested, poked and prodded, in school and medically. I did have a vision impairment and after months of vision therapy and an amazingly inspiring vision therapist, I overcame this setback. However, even though we discovered the cause of my struggle, my confidence took a hit.
Then I entered fourth grade and thankfully I had a teacher who was familiar with my previous setback and saw I needed more positive support to succeed. I clearly remember a day we were working together and she declared, “Frankie, you are gritty!” At first, I didn’t really understand what this meant – sounded like I was dirty and needed a bath. But she broke it down for me. She recognized my perseverance and desire to meet my goals. She saw that I did not give up easily – that I wanted to learn and wanted to grow. Her enthusiasm and support of me was something I hadn’t seen so explicitly spoken and it impacted me so profoundly. I wasn’t stupid and I wasn’t on a path to failure – a flip switched, and I realized I had the courage and resilience to accomplish whatever goals I encountered.
Fast forward to my entrance into high school. Although I realized I could overcome academic obstacles, I was an outcast socially. I entered high school with no friends. I was hopeful for a fresh start in high school, but Covid hit and my freshman year was riddled with weirdness. I signed up for marching band, hoping to make some friends, but I fainted on the first day of summer band camp. Known the whole year as “the kid who fainted” didn’t help my social confidence. It took a while – a year to be honest – but I finally made a friend in band who introduced me to his friends and that day made all the difference. Band became my home – not only because I finally had friends but also because of my band director, my third teacher who truly inspired me, not only in class but personally when I experienced significant loss.
I lost my grandfather suddenly in 2021. I learned he had pancreatic cancer, and he died a week later. Grief hit me unexpectedly hard when I was at school one day. I was panicking with emotions and went to my band director, who didn’t hesitate for one moment to walk away from his class to help me. We spent lunch together and I let all my emotions go. It hit me at this moment that not only was he my band director, but he was someone who truly cared about me. Sure – teachers innately have to care to be teachers – but this was different. He cried with me, he talked to me about loss in his life, he told me to call him any time of day or night if I needed him. He defined for me what it means to want to make a difference in a child’s life.
These experiences combined developed my interest in becoming a teacher. It may sound corny or something you’ve heard before, but my experiences with good and bad teachers have inspired me to elevate education to be the best it can be. School is not just for learning – of course that’s the main point of it. But it is also about growth, setbacks, grief, friendships, empathy, grit and compassion. Children learn from what they see and are told – no child should ever be told they are stupid like I was. I want to help be the change for just one child like my two examples of exceptional teachers have been for me.
I am extremely excited to embark on my journey in education at Colorado State University. I seek to obtain my secondary education license in social studies to help teach teenagers about the world around them and the change they can impact. I feel the professors, curriculum and environment at Colorado State University will enable me to meet and exceed my goals. I may also continue my education further to obtain my Master’s or Doctorate.