Not just about the grades by Haley

Not just about the grades by Haley - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

When I was in high school, I did the running start program. The running start program is a program in which students are able to get a head start on their college careers by attending a local community college at the same time as attending a high school, the college credits count for both college and high school credits. This allowed me to complete my Associates in Arts and Science degree at the age of 18 years old. I took many classes both at the community college and my high school and one class that I can say really benefited me as a student, was a technical writing class I took at the college. This class taught me multiple skills, but there is one thing I learned that I will take with me throughout my entire career and that is, that its not just about the grades.

As we started the quarter with the professor she mentioned to us that there would be multiple writing assignments and exams throughout, which is as to be expected within a college course. What she said afterwards though, was something that not many college instructors tell their students prior to the class, and that is that it isn't just about the grades you receive. It's about more than just the grades, that depict what grade you will end up with at the end. She gave us the example of, someone could write an essay within a few minutes and it could be viewed as an amazing essay. It could be the best essay she has ever heard but one thing she is going to take in account is how much effort was put into writing it. Which is something that is very special to me, considering that there are some students are especially good at a certain subject, whether it be chemistry, language arts, calculus, whatever the subject, the effort must be applauded. Not just the time it took to submit a certain assignment.

Another thing she shared with us was that the effort we put into helping others and the effort we put into studying and bettering ourselves as students help us to receive part of our grade as well. I thought that this was an awesome way of putting things in perspective as well, because most teachers teach their students that it is always about the grades and the quality of work they submit. Which is partially true, colleges and scholarships such as this are going to look at the quality but what they sometimes don't see is the work and the dedication students apply to make sure things are done correctly and on time. I love that this teacher included helping others and helping better ourselves as part of her class because it is truly something I will take with me throughout my entire career.

One final thing my technical writing teacher taught me through the college, was that if we put our mind to anything, we can complete it. And that is something I have been taught my entire life. Putting thought and hard work into everything you do will help you in the long run and will better you as a student and a person, and that is something I learned from the class I took in high school and something that will stick out in my mind for not only the rest of my career, but for the rest of my life as well.

So in conclusion, the class I took in high school on technical writing, not only bettered me as a writer and a student, but also me as a person. I am forever thankful for the lessons she taught us on the fact that sometimes we need to appreciate ourselves and the work we completed, not just the grade or prize we received for doing so.