The Apple by Harmony

The Apple by Harmony - June 2023 Scholarship Essay

In 10 years I want to be staring at an apple on my desk. In a class full of smiling faces. The apple is a symbol I've been looking at since I was born. This big red apple with a green leaf and a brown stem. That has been the symbol of my future. I didn't know it yet. My mom is one of my biggest inspirations. To describe my mom, nothing would come close. If I had to use one word, I would use determined, which wouldn't even cover it. My mom has been teaching since before I was born. She is a special education teacher. I want to be a teacher, but not just a teacher. I want to be someone my students can feel safe talking to. Those kinds of role models are what shaped my experience in high school. There are two reasons why I would be a great teacher: having a great relationship with my students and teaching creatively and engagingly to my students.

When I used to help decorate my mom's classroom, she had various themes she would do every year. It was "colorful chaos" for a while, but it was an apple for one year. I am still perplexed as to why we use apples to tell teachers, "You are a teacher" My graduation cap had an apple that said "future teacher." It wasn't how adorable my mom's classroom was every year that made the students engage and feel comfortable around her. It was her attitude and her vibe. The way she cared. She would bring them hygiene things, and if they had none, buy them clothes and shoes just cause. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I got older, but senior year helped me figure that out. When I decided to be a teacher, I wanted to ensure I was doing it for the right reason. I wanted to be a teacher because of my role models, Mr. Adam Sanucci, Mrs.Livingston, and Mr.Robert Imbriani. They taught me that having a great relationship with your students is what will shape their lives. I had only known them for two years, and they had so big of an impact that it made me switch career choices. Mr.Sanucci had one of the most complex classes I had ever taken. However, you don't notice because he makes the lecture engaging and even uses you as examples. This is why we have teacher appreciation day and what we give them yearly, that's right, An Apple.

Having a great relationship with my students is one of the two most important reasons for teaching. When you can build a personal relationship with your student, it makes them more comfortable to talk to you. Having a support system was one of my biggest strengths in high school. I had many people that supported me and believed in me. Out of all my extracurricular activities, cheer and yearbook were my favorites. I played soccer for eight years, band since 5th grade up until Covid and sophomore year, STEAM, MAST, managing the boy's tennis team, and clubs. I enjoyed cheer and the yearbook because they helped me get into a leadership role. I was the chief of staff or editor of the yearbook, so I had much pressure on me to ensure that the yearbook gets produced on time and with high quality. I would have quit if I didn't have such a great relationship with my teachers. They helped me work through issues I was having with the team and helped me try to step into a more leadership role. I am very grateful to them. I want to be that for someone else.

My second reason for wanting to be a teacher is to teach the curriculum more creatively and engagingly. My American pop and contemporary law teacher had a very creative way of teaching us what we needed to know. He used engaging lectures and projects. He has one of the most rigorous classes in the school, but he makes it the most exciting and fun to learn. I retained so much information because you have to research for projects. I contained information without knowing to the point that I started getting pretty perfect scores on tests without studying and or a study guide, including our final. I want my students to retain information like that. Only some learn the same, so having a more engaging class is good. I saw kids who never did their work in any type participate in his and get the best grades. It's not about what you teach. It's how you teach it.

I feel strongly about this topic as someone who has struggled with sitting still and paying attention in school. When I got to high school, something just clicked. I don't know. I want to be the one receiving apples on the teacher appreciation day. I want to change the future of learning.
That's where i want to be in 10 years.