The Great and Wise Kathy Silva by Karla

The Great and Wise Kathy Silva by Karla - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“Karlita, if you do not get a problem you should do something else first then come back and work on it. The problem will be more clear by then” said Kathy Silva, the wise math teacher. First off, I would like to say that my name is in fact not Karlita, but Karla. Mrs. Silva was the first person to start calling me Karlita and to be honest I am really going to miss hearing my nickname. She was one of the math teachers at my school and she was also my cross country and track coach.
I first met Mrs. Silva as a little freshman wandering around a completely new environment. The building seemed like skyscrapers to me and the worst part was that I felt even shorter than I was before(4 feet 11 inches). I was a timid person back in the day; didn’t like talking to anybody that I didn’t know; never really made eye contact. Mrs. Silva noticed this and tried to get me more involved with the cross country team. She was one of those teachers that never let anyone be an outsider. By the end of the season, I was probably the loudest person on the team. She made me into a tiny monster which is fine by me because now I can speak to other people without trouble.
To be honest, I have learned so many lessons from Mrs. Silva that it’s hard to keep track which one is the most important for me, but I will try my best to minimize my list. She definitely never let me give up on a math problem or anything as a matter of fact. Mrs. Silva told me those words anytime she could; on the track, during a race, before a math test. One of my goals was to never let Mrs. Silva see me get a bad grade, at least not in math. She would have been disappointed in me then I start feeling guilty about not studying and in the end I would be submerged in a sea of guilt, I got a bad grade once was not a good day for me. It’s going to be difficult not hearing her wise words all the time because she helped me push myself no matter what it was. I will always be grateful for the kindness and compassion she has shown me. She will always be one of my favorite teachers I have ever had. Now I am going into college with a more upbeat attitude than I did in high school and one day I hope to repay her kindness. I am really going to miss her. I can’t wait to tell her some the college stories that I will have in the near future. In the end, the most important lesson I believe I learned from her was never giving up on a problem; it will eventually be solved if you tackle it with different methods.