The Attitude of a Student by Hughie

The Attitude of a Student by Hughie - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

At the advent of education in America, from the time when children were taught by tutors hired by their parents to educate them in the absence of high school so as to continue on to a secondary education, the attitude of a student was one of ambition. Or if not ambition but a sense of duty. Students either wanted to be educated or saw it as a part of life akin to bathing. Not a necessity of life, but a necessity of civilized life. And students who had no education fought to have a school, fought to learn. There are many stories of slaves sneaking books into their housing, only to be discovered and punished severely. And they were willing to risk all that because they saw education as something that could lift you above your circumstances.

And if a teacher can continue to show them why learning this seemingly dry subject will benefit them, make them a better person, then students will see the point of this education, and begin to educate themselves, seeing that they need to work for it as well. That learning is as much a teachers responsibility as the students. Teachers should be held responsible for their ability to relate and inspire, not for their students attitudes. However, the hallmark of a truly great teacher is that they have the ability to change the attitude of a student by explain, explicitly or implicitly, the purpose of why any of this matters, on a regular basis, so students continue to see the benefits of their education and attempt to get more out of it.