If I was a teacher by Joseph

If I was a teacher by Joseph - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

​At often times, students think what they would teach if they were in the teachers position and had the opportunity to teach kids. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different classes taught by teachers all the time in schools everywhere. There are the main core subjects, such as literature, math, and science, and there are branches of those such as a business or a computer programming class. If I was a teacher, and could pick any academic subject, I would teach an environmental science course because of my love for nature and care for the planets’ wellbeing.

​As an environmental science teacher, I would teach the students about pollution, ecosystems and how they react when a certain species dies or the climate changes, and how to make the Earth an overall better place for them and their future generations. I would like to incorporate pollution due to the high rise in carbon emissions and rise in sea levels. At the rate in which humanity is going, coastal cities will be pushed farther inland. Washington Post said sea levels could rise more than six feet by the year 2100 if the greenhouse gas and carbon emissions continue. I think it is also important to know about ecosystems in nature. Many times, I will see pictures saying a certain species is going extinct which bothers me because no one will ever see that species again. Making the Earth a better place, I think, should be everyone's motive and goal. It will not happen tomorrow or in a week but, gradually, the Earth is deteriorating and it will be too late to prevent it.
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​I want students to realize how important the environment is and to be able to take that knowledge outside of the classroom. I am very passionate about the Earth and our environment because we only get one Earth. We may discover another planet similar to Earth in the future, but right now, the Earth is all we have and we need to take care of it. Instead of picking a general core class, such as math or literature, I would love to teach students about the environment in an environmental science course.