Living a Life with No Regrets by Madison

Living a Life with No Regrets by Madison - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

"English IV Literature and Language" As I read this title across my syllabus my stomach tightened. Everyone in the school knew this class was by far the most challenging of all english classes. It had always been my best subject, writing just came natural to me. But Mr. Davidson was no ordinary teacher.

"The stories I had been told since before I even walked through the doors of MacArthur High school, terrified me for senior year english class, especially with Mr.Davison. Ripping up papers in students faces, sending them out crying; all made me wonder, "Am I mentally prepared for this? Will I make it though the year?". Nothing had ever intimidated me more than being challenged by a subject I had always done so well in. But my first day in Mr. Davison's took my knowledge of what I thought english was to a whole other level.

I sat in the mid section of the class, not too far forward to avoid being chosen right away. but not too far back to refrain from being seen as "that kid" who just got along by copying from peers. The anticipation filling the room, we all sat in silence. Not knowing what to expect, Mr.Davidson walked into the room. A bigger mac with a stern expression, not knowing if he was in fact mad or if that was just his resting face. Motioning us to get ready for what he was about to say, we scurried in our backpacks looking for the first piece of paper we could find. He pointed to some quotes on the board and said "Write what you think" then walked to his desk and sat down. With confusion on our faces, we looked around at each other for some direction.

From that day I realized, life isn't always going to have structure. It is very unpredictable and your very own opinion does matter. With over eight billion people on our planet, individuality is priceless. That is what english is all about. Your own personal inout, who you see the world around you, how you tale a task in front of you and do something about it.

If roles were reversed, I would want to teach English IV. It taught me to not rely on what others think of my work, but to have faith and confidence that what I believed to be correct, was. There is no wrong answer when going your own opinions. English teaches the youth to expand their minds past their comfort zones, broaden their horizons, live with no regrets.