Contain the Classroom! by Machiami

Contain the Classroom! by Machiami - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Pens and pencils tapping on the desks every minute. Paper airplanes are in the process of taking flight into the classroom's ceiling. Teacher stands in front of the class calmly, like the air that gives him life was suddenly taken away in a few minutes. While still on problem 3 for the past 10 minutes, it seems he doesn't want to make a move. Yells of terror fills the classroom or so I thought. The laughter of teenagers consumes the classroom as I sit there and question my future. Will it survive? Will I survive? Not knowing the answer to these thoughts brings about more questions. "Class? Please be quiet! I want to teach!" All of a sudden, he speaks. It seems the oxygen in the air had been given back to him. An enormous force impacted with the back of my head. Not wanting to turn around and seek the perpetrator, I sat quietly without a drop of attention in my eyes.

The bell rings indicating the end of the period. As everyone leaves the classroom, I stay behind to talk to the teacher. "Have a great day!", he compassionately tells each student as they exit. I walk up to his organized desk and review the words I was going to say to him. "Contain the classroom!", I screamed without analyzing my tone. "Please?" I squeaked very lowly. The teacher I've always looked up to for help had suddenly looked confused. I explained to him how containing the classroom will help me concentrate more. I told him how it seems that every pen and pencil are always being tapped on the desks every minute. I told him about the paper airplanes and how it soars into the classroom's ceiling. As he takes it all in, he tells me that tomorrow is a new day and that change will come upon us in the classroom. I nodded to the words that I've wanted to hear in a long time, and left the classroom.

7 am in the morning, and it's time to go to school. As I enter the classroom, I smile about the dream I had last night. The dream I was about to make into a reality.