"Education Through the Eyes of a Second Grader" by Kaleigh

"Education Through the Eyes of a Second Grader" by Kaleigh - March 2018 Scholarship Essay

Trying to convince a second grader the importance of continued learning may seem like a difficult task to some. However, I think it would be easy if you try to explain it through the eyes of a child. Explaining this would require me to help the student picture what makes a forever learner. I would begin by drawing a student on a blank piece of paper. I would explain to the second grader that I was holding a picture of a student that I needed to turn into a forever learner. Together we would discuss that forever learners are people who never stop learning. We would brainstorm and write down the things that would make a great forever learner. Once we establish what it means to be a forever learner, we can the explore the question, “Why is it important to be a forever learner?” At this point, I would make real world connections for the student. I would explain that the choices we make today affect our tomorrow. I would ask the child to think about what he or she would like to be when they grow up. Then I would take their interest, dreams, and goals and discuss how being a forever learner will help them reach those goals. Together we would explore how good choices will take us good places, and how bad choices can take us to bad places.
However, we all know children learn best by example. I plan to pursue continued learning to set an example to all. I want my life to stress the importance of always striving to learn more, to be more, and to do more. As Socrates said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel,” and it is a vessel that is never full.