The Vaccine by Malik

The Vaccine by Malik - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

A student, like any other organism, is partially a product of their environment. As the student's natural habitat is the classroom, there is a correlation between academic performance and the classroom environment. However, the characteristics of the ideal classroom are dependent on the individual's preferences. My own conception of the ideal classroom is based upon three elements: the student body, the teacher and the learning method of the class.

The students are the integral component of the classroom. How they function as a group, as well as how they individually interact, affect the social atmosphere of the class. A room full of conservative, emotionally and mentally distant students creates a tense atmosphere that represses any genuine input, inhibiting the class from promoting productive discussion. To avoid creating a brain dead class of the undead that loves staring at walls, the ideal classroom environment would have a student body that welcomes and encourages each individual's input. With relaxed students comes free discussion that could lead to a productive debate directed by the teacher. But for the students to enter such a comfortable state of mind, the appropriate environment must first be instituted by the teacher.

The teacher is responsible for assuming a role of leadership and guiding their students towards success in the classroom. To accomplish this, characteristics such as appropriate body language, auditory skills and sheer personality are a necessity. If the teacher is the brain dead zombie of the class that shows no interest or initiative to interact with their students, that contagious behavior will deter from the class' enthusiasm and focus. For the ideal classroom environment, no matter the size of the class, the teacher should express a spark of passion for the subject matter and the will to see it ignite a flame in their students. This positive attitude towards teaching is also contagious towards the students, and when combined with the appropriate learning method is certainly a factor in how well a student chooses to perform.

The learning method is the foundation of the class. Different learning styles include verbal, visual, aural, physical and social techniques with the effectiveness entirely reliant on the student. However, my ideal classroom environment focuses on the paradigm of learning, not the style. In the common classroom, students take notes in class and do homework elsewhere. In my experience, the reciprocal of this was the most rewarding. In both my AP US History and IB SL Math classes, all students took notes from the same source and did homework at home, then reviewed and expounded upon the subject matter in class. This time-saving method focuses on review and discussion by removing commonplace note-taking from the classroom. This allows for a more engaging environment that fosters independent and competitive thinking among the students, leading to a fruitful education.

These three elements; a relaxed and supportive student body, an engaging teacher and a learning method that prioritizes in-class discussion, create my ideal classroom environment. A comfortable atmosphere among fellow students with a teacher that does not give me narcolepsy is where I would hope to study. I resent days in class when nothing is accomplished because of the plague that is a lack of focus in the students; a symptom of having a lackluster teacher. With these three elements met, such a disease would never infect my ideal classroom; unless it was movie day.