My by Julie

My by Julie - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

What does it take to be a teacher? Going to college, getting a degree, and standing in front of a classroom of students? I don't think so. Being a student of what is soon-to-be thirteen years, I've had plenty of experience with teachers of all sorts and I believe that the best teachers, are the ones that teach you more than the required curriculum. The best teachers could teach your least favorite subject, yet you suddenly become interested and intrigued by Comparative Government & Politics, or Analytical Functions. These are the types of people who were truly meant to be teachers, and who truly enjoy teaching.

When I was a freshman in high school, I took biology with a teacher that everyone called Mr. J, or just J. Mr. J was known around campus as being one of those annoying, over-enthusiastic teachers who stand in the front of the room all period acting like his career as a high school biology teacher is more prestigious than being president of the United States, while his students race to finish their notes before he changes the slide on the projector. Although I was less than excited to endure this torture I had been hearing so much about, I was grateful that I'd at least be alongside a few of my good friends during that period. All of us sat in the back of the classroom and I promise, we really did try to pay attention at first, but the gossip of what everyone was wearing to homecoming, or who had kissed who over the weekend was just too much to ignore for the fifty-two minute class-period. Of course, I regretted all that chit-chat once I received my first D ever on a report card. My parents were not thrilled, to say the least. I knew I needed to get my act together so I managed to talk my best friend into attending Mr J's tutoring sessions after school every week with me. After a while, we realized that Mr. J was actually a pretty interesting a guy and I didn't find his class quite so unbearable anymore.