Role Reversal by Maurice

Role Reversal by Maurice - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

I will be honest. It’s hard for me to imagine myself as a teacher. Teachers play an important role in their students’ lives. It is a critical time in our lives as we all need guidance, support, and the authority in order to allow us to grow. Now imagining that the role was reversed and I became a teacher, I would want to teach a class about health.
Health is a topic that looking back on my journey through school, I did not learn enough about. We learn the basics for a little while and soon forget the lessons that were taught to us, hoping that we would choose to live a better lifestyle in regards to our health. As a health teacher I would put much more emphasis on the topic of health for a couple reasons. The first reason is because it is essential that students understand at a reasonable age that exercise is important. Most students have taken physical education courses at some point in their educational career. The problem is that these physical education courses are more about fun than about really teaching the negative effects of not being physically active. As a teacher I would make sure to teach on all aspects of physical exercise and why it is necessary while also making the class fun for the students and one they would not soon forget. One of the most important jobs as a teacher is to apply the lessons in a way that they stick with the children and remain in their minds for years to come. Physical exercise is an important topic that I would make sure the students are reminded of constantly.
Another topic that is essential is nutrition. While I would love to just teach children that exercise is important and just demonstrate that by playing games and having fun, I would also need to inform them on the importance of having a good diet. Many Americans either aren’t aware or disregard the importance of eating healthy and putting the right things in their bodies. We fill ourselves with junk food that is detrimental to our health either right away or in the future. I believe as a health teacher it would be critical for me to instill the value of eating the right foods in the minds of young children. Eating the wrong foods is too easy in America because of all the fast food chains and junk food in grocery stores that kids have easy access to and grow addicted to. Teaching kids the importance of putting the right things in their bodies to allow them to reach their full potential would be my goal. Nutrition is also something that was touched upon minimally when I was in the lower levels of school and it just never stuck with me. If the roles were reversed I would teach in an interactive, fun manner that would allow the lessons to stick in the kids’ minds and be easily applied to their lifestyles. Eating the right things is essential to good health and I would dedicate myself to educating children on that topic.
Health is a super important topic that students must learn. Although some parents make an effort to educate their children on this subject at home, not all parents do and the reinforcement of a health class at school becomes necessary. Every student must take health classes and learn how to take care of their bodies in order to reach their full potential. If the roles were reversed I would want to take up this position as a health teacher because I understand the value of health and how it must be ingrained in the minds of children as they grow into teens and young adults. I would make the class one that is desired and the lessons easy to be applied in their own lives. Exercising and eating right are two important pillars of being a healthy person and a health class that emphasizes these things could be the first steps in creating a healthier nation and a healthier world. I would love to be a part of that if the roles were reversed.