I am who I am becuase of great teachers and classmates! by Kyle

I am who I am becuase of great teachers and classmates! by Kyle - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

I love school. There…I said it! Ever since I watched my older brother sitting at the kitchen table doing his homework, I couldn’t wait to go to school! I was jealous that he got to get on the bus every morning while I stayed home waiting impatiently for him to come home to see what he had done that day. When it was finally my turn, I was ready! I had the greatest kindergarten teacher of all time! She was kind and funny with a great smile. She did not tolerate any bad behavior and when I found out she was also a hockey fan, I knew that we had a special connection. I was lucky enough to have her as my teacher a couple of more time during elementary school. She challenged me, encouraged me, and made me feel like I could do anything as long as I put in the work. She was a huge influence on me early on which carried through high school. Having a teacher like her and others like her helped make me a confident and successful student.

I attend a very diverse school district which I thought was totally normal until I got older and saw that some kids went to school with kids that were only like themselves. My classmates are from different economic, racial, and religious backgrounds. In the classroom I was privileged to work side by side with students with physical and mental challenges. I only realized recently how lucky I am to have been exposed to all of this diversity. Even though we were so different from each other, we all learned, grew and played together as if we had no differences at all. We not only learned from our teachers and coaches, but we learned from each other. Having such a diverse school had a great impact on me as a person because I do not feel awkward around people who are not like me. I feel very fortunate to have had great teachers and great classmates that have helped form me into the person I am today.