A Lesson in Respect by LisaMarie

A Lesson in Respect by LisaMarie - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

My first year of teaching actually taught me a lot about lesson planning and keeping lessons interesting. And, while I would absolutely love to believe that every single lesson I have taught was absolutely breathtaking, I know some lessons are inherently more interesting than others. Reflecting on twelve years of primary schooling, four years of undergrad, plus dozens of seminars and 200 hours of lesson observations during my student teaching practicum, I realize that while I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of interesting teachers in my academic career, the most interesting lesson I received had very little to do with academia.
            In my senior year of high school, we were given the option to take “Intro to Sociology” through St. John’s University as a regular course in our class cycle. While the entire year’s study was fascinating, it was not until the “Respect” unit that I really got engaged. Our teacher (a man of incredible energy and curiosity) had us read Respect: An Exploration by Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot. Most of the class hated the book and did not really get the point. After we had finished, we were asked to break up into groups and discuss who does and does not deserve respect. The opinions spanned the gamut and the discussion was engaging. At the end of the class period, the teacher brought us back together and asked us if we deserved respect. Of course, everyone said yes and brought up anecdotes about being “disrespected”. Our assignment that night was to reconsider if any one in the world does not deserve respect, and why we had the authority to decide who does and does not get respect.
            Up until that point, I considered myself an open-minded person. That discussion and that question brought up ideas I had never remotely considered, and ultimately made me realize that respect is not something we earn or deserve- it’s something that we are owed by nature. That lesson has stuck with me and has become the basis for my teaching practice. I hope to carry that lesson with me further in my studies as I pursue my MFA in the fall.