Don't Lead an Illusion by Gina

Don't Lead an Illusion by Gina - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

If I could give one piece of information to a teacher to help me learn, I would recommend them to not lead an illusion. Admittedly, some teachers are intensively busy with a hundred or more other students, and keeping up with each one can become a struggle. That being said, teachers may occasionally find it difficult to make sure every student is properly learning or is happy during class each day, week, month, etc. When I become overwhelmed, I know that the teachers may be feeling the same way and in those cases, learning becomes extremely challenging.

I would advise the teacher to not make themselves appear that they are teaching us something I can’t fully understand unless they check in with me. I do not want a teacher who disguises their feelings or emotions for me, as their student. If I am struggling, I want to know that the teacher actually cares about how I am doing and acknowledges when I excel on a test or homework or the overall semester. That way, the teacher is expressing their appreciation for me and how s/he is taking note of how I am doing. Not one student wants to be known by a name and nothing else; we want to be known personally, because a student is more likely to want to improve and do well in that class than in one with a teacher who does not care. When someone appears to be more approachable, I will be more likely to confront them for help, therefore increasing my level of learning.

At the end of the day, it is simply not about the way you learn or how the teacher gives me that information. It is more about how the teacher interacts with me and helps me. An illusion will hide the way the teacher operates, what their likes and dislikes are, and what they feel about their student’s work. If a teacher cares about my progress and improvement and interacts with me on a regular, mutual basis, I tend to learn more. This would not only benefit me in that one class, but also in other classes. All in all, I advise teachers to be open and caring towards me because that will influence me more than anything else s/he could possibly do.