Taking Time to Use the Restroom by Jace Benjamin

Taking Time to Use the Restroom by Jace Benjamin - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Since volunteering, I have learned that my greatest skill is patience. It is a skill of perseverance over failure that allows me to succeed. As a volunteer at my former preschool, patience was an invaluable asset while interacting with preschoolers. One memorable experience involved helping a young boy with potty training. The student had been struggling and, as a result, he could not advance to the next class. Although he struggled, I encouraged him to use the restroom and praised him when he took the initiative to request my help. As the days progressed, I continued to assist the boy until he finally transitioned from wearing diapers to underwear. Potty training him took patience and encouragement, but I was happy to be able to help. Although it was a slow process, my patience and willingness to help the boy was a rewarding experience that surprisingly, invoked a great sense of pride and accomplishment within myself.
My patience was honed, during weekend math classes. Every week, I would be given rigorous problem sets to solve. Initially, I remember struggling to solve even a single problem and feeling discouraged. I felt defeated but I knew in order to succeed, I had to practice more. Most of all, I needed to be patient with myself to improve. I still felt intimidated but I understood that additional practice was crucial to my success. As I practiced each day, I felt more confident in myself and ultimately, with my instructor’s help and encouragement, I was able to develop a stronger foundation in math. Eventually, I was able to solve more and more of these series and felt a great sense of achievement. The patience and belief I had in the young boy also needed to be applied to myself.
Driving by my former preschool, I realize that I have come full circle. I remind myself that patience was essential in helping others but also, I have to be willing to extend that patience to myself. Patience cannot be learned overnight but must be developed and shared. It continues to be my greatest skill in approaching each step in my life.