Hard Work by Grace

Hard Work by Grace - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

It was my freshman year of high school. I sat nervously in my chair for my first day of Honors US History class with the infamous Mr. Henderson. Stories went around and rumors were told about the class. People said, "that's the toughest class ever", "Mr. Henderson is so hard", and "why did you take that class?". I am a pretty good student, but this class was nothing like I have ever taken, and Mr. Henderson was like no teach I have ever have. It was almost like a college class. Mr. Henderson would lecture while the class tried to write down what he was saying. There would be pop quizzes every week. If you did not study ever night, you would really struggle in the class. Mr. Henderson talked a lot about doing your work everyday and doing it right. He was a firm believer in hard work and doing what you're supposed to. I listened to him say this almost everyday, as most of my peers struggled in his class. At the time, I just listened to what he was saying and not really do anything with it. I was doing what I was supposed to, and I had an A in the class. They were just words, at the time. Looking back to his class, and the numerous hours I spent studying and preparing for it, I really see what he was saying the whole time.
As I get older and my classes get tougher, I understand how he was really trying to prepare me for not only my classes, but life. Nothing in life is given to you. It takes hard work and dedication to get what you want. If you want a good grade in a class, you study every night. If you want to improve in a sport, you practice every day. Mr. Henderson will always be the most influential teacher I will ever have. He taught me so much in one year. He continues to teach and inspire me everyday. I have learned from him to work hard no matter what, and do what you're supposed to do because nothing in life is given; it's earned. I believe this is the best lesson to give to your students. Teachers should prepare their students for the future, like Mr. Henderson does. In the real world, it is not going to be easy to get good grades or get a good job. You need to work for all that. Mr. Henderson has prepared me for the future more than any of my other teachers have. I will forever be grateful that I had him as a teacher.