Heed the Lessons of Failure by Jennifer

Heed the Lessons of Failure by Jennifer - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

When I was younger, I had a teacher who would make me sit for hours in the classroom doing math. She would take away my recess privileges and forbid people to talk to me until I had finished my worksheets. When I would tell her I did not understand what I was doing, she would merely look at me and say, “I already taught this to you. You should get it. Now go finish.” So, I would sit and stare down at my paper. Often times, I never finished those worksheets, because I was unable to answer the questions correctly, and she would send me home with an angry scowl on her face. The process would then be repeated the next day. From this experience, I developed a strong feeling toward math that can only be described as hatred. I never wanted to do math and, thus, avoided it at all costs. I did not want help from tutors or teachers, because I was afraid they would reprimand and punish me for mistakes like my teacher had. This resulted in poor math grades and my school telling me that I had a severe math disability.

Once I got to high school, I realized that the only person holding me back was myself. I was excelling in every subject but math. This needed to change. Now that I was getting older, my grades mattered more in the long run. I did not want something as silly as not asking for help to determine the course of my life. So, I buckled down and began studying for math in my spare time. I went to my teacher’s office hours and got over my fear of asking for help. I worked harder than the other students and brought my grade up. By the end of the semester, I was receiving the highest grade in the class, a trend that continued for the next four years.

My initial failure at math taught me something invaluable: that the only person who can truly make you fail is yourself. Other people do not dictate your life; you do. With a little hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Despite the fact that I still do not agree with my teacher’s methods, in some ways I want to thank her for helping to make me into the person I am today. I am no longer the girl who sat at her desk and cried while everyone else was at recess, staring down at a piece of paper I knew I would never finish, feeling stupid and useless. I refuse to let anyone belittle me academically or make me feel this way again. I am a stronger person now. As Bill Gates once said, “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”