Thinking Outside of the Box by Gabrielle

Thinking Outside of the Box by Gabrielle - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

Through the passage of time and with each generation, teaching methods have changed significantly. The learning environment in most high schools bears no resemblance to the traditional classrooms of the twentieth century.

Teachers are now encouraged to ‘think outside the box’ in executing their lesson plans. With the rapid pace of the digital age, instructors are more successful if they incorporate technology as a part of their teaching tools. I am currently taking an Economics/Government class with a very engaging and brilliant teacher. Because economics is naturally a difficult class and sometimes not easily relatable for students, my teacher has adopted what I refer to as ‘out of the box’ teaching. Due to the use of non-traditional methods, we look forward to attending class and are motivated to participate in the activities and projects. As seniors, my teacher knew that soon we would be interviewing for jobs, whether it was a part time position during high school or a job offer after college. To prepare us for this task, we were assigned to groups that would serve as a panel for the job interviews. Each candidate being interviewed had to dress in business attire for the interview. Sample interview questions were provided and feedback from the panel was given to each candidate. I can really see the benefit of a different approach to teaching. By moving away from the traditional way of instruction for an economics class, my teacher made the exercise more relatable and gave us an initial introduction to the job application and interview process.

Another example where I thought my teacher was ‘thinking outside the box’ was when we learned how to create a personal budget. Of course we utilized online budgeting aids and applications which consequently made us more familiar with personal finance. We even had the opportunity to review credit card offers and determine options that were more beneficial for us. This non-traditional method of delivery gave us an introduction to adult concepts that we will undoubtedly encounter as leave high school.