Above and Beyond by Jordan

Above and Beyond by Jordan - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

The teacher who most absolutely influenced my attitude towards education would be my geometry teacher from Sophomore year, Mr. McDonald. He was an incredible geometry teacher and was able to draw me into a subject that I didn't strongly embrace. What impacted me the most however, is the relationship that he had with his students. Particularly me, because in my Sophomore year I was diagnosed with cancer, and as a show of support Mr. McDonald showed up at my house and shaved his head for me.

Math is not my strongest subject and he knew that and he worked hard to help me. He would send work from class to my house with notes that would help me through the course while I was unable to attend school due to my cancer treatments. Also attached to my work were notes of encouragement to help me stay strong. He continued to make sure I would never get behind even though he knew that I struggled with geometry.

Mr. McDonald has had the biggest impact on my life as a teacher. I would have never thought that a math teacher would have such an impact on my life considering it was my least favorite subject all through school. He continues to show compassion for all of his students and always wants the best for them. I was the first person he shaved his head for and now every year he participates in a charity event called St. Baldricks. This charity event is where people shave their head and get teams together to shave their heads to raise money for cancer research. I believe he is the perfect image of what a teacher should be.