Wanted: The Ever Changing Classroom by Kennedy

Wanted: The Ever Changing Classroom by Kennedy - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

My ideal classroom environment is very diverse depending on what I am studying. I have two places in particular I study at when I am not at school and set definitions for classrooms at school.

I am one of those people who love to laugh and get immensely bored when given the task of reading anything out of a textbook, so taking breaks to play short games to keep up my concentration is a must. Even when I do my homework, I find some place to sit and observe the on goings around me. Usually, I sit in our tree house, if I happen to be out at our farm, where I can keep an eye on our mischievous donkey, Jackson. My best ideas always come when I am distracted. My creativity can be sparked from anything. Oddly enough, most of my best ideas for school projects come to me while I am in the shower. Ironically, if I don’t write my idea down immediately after I come up with one I am bound to forget it.

Over the last two years I have had a lot of homework in my pre-engineering programs at school and have developed good time management skills. When I do my homework at home, I always sit on my bed and listen to music scores of movies. I found that if I listened to any kind of music with lyrics I get distracted a lot easier than if I listen to instrumental music.

Learning environments are different to each individual person. One of my friends has to leave the room to focus when anyone is talking, and another friend would rather work on their homework at their house and prefers to have a class discussion over writing notes and listening to a lecture. My ideal learning environment also varies by the subject. If I am studying English I would rather be in a dungeon-like classroom without windows so I can focus on the extremely boring text I am supposed to be reading. If I am in history, I would rather have windows in the room and a large map of the world so I can see the places the text talks about. And lastly, if I am in any kind of class in which the teacher tells you to “think outside the box,” the room must have at least three windows, brightly colored walls, and past students’ projects for inspiration.

In summary, my ideal classroom requirements center on how I study for each subject. If I need to be creative in the way I think for my homework, I go to a place where my mind can wander. If I need to focus on a book I would really rather not read, I prefer a place with little to no distractions. Lastly, if I need to study a subject in which I need a map or an extra-large whiteboard, I study at school.