Criminal Justice Teacher by Julianna

Criminal Justice Teacher by Julianna - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

There had been a time when I was sitting in my criminal justice class with all my other fellow classmates, wondering whether someone would have their own opinion on a case we were studying. The case we were studying had a question that was being asked that many did not think but just answered on what they were seeing on social media. The question was, what would you do in a case of being in danger from a person? Many of my classmates would just follow what others would say and say the cop was not justified in shooting. However in my head I knew that he was because his life was in danger of another with an armed weapon. And me knowing this I had been scared to speak up about my own opinion. But then my teacher called my name and said, “tell me your exact opinion.” And I went with my gut and said my exact opinion and my criminal justice teacher was very proud and actually agreed with my statement to his question. And after i did not follow, the other classmates who did finally spoke out and said that they had agreed with what i said. So therefore, my criminal justice teacher really influenced me to start speaking for myself and to never follow others. And to also have my own opinion.
After that personal experience my teacher continued to call on me for every case we had studied to see my side since I had been the only one that listened and took my own side. He has influenced me so well that it has actually gotten me out of my shell in this particular class to speak up about my opinions. This teacher is also one of the many reasons why I have chosen to go into the law enforcement field. He shows you the real world and what is happening but also teaches you what you have to do in order to stay on the right path and not get caught up in something bad.
He has influenced me to be one of the “good ones” in the field. Since many of the bad law enforcement workers show because of the news and social media i want to be that change for the future. And my teacher has helped me learn to be a better person and what to do in a certain situation. Now many would say that a teacher that influences them the most would be an academic teacher but it is normally actually the teachers that are teaching you your future career. And my criminal justice teacher has most likely not only influenced me greatly but others as well.