A Beneficial Classroom by Michaela

A Beneficial Classroom by Michaela - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

Kids can learn anything in a school. That's a pretty general statement, what I mean is is that they can learn what the state requires them to, or they can learn what their friend is doing on Friday. Either way, they are gaining knowledge, but is it what is needed? My hypothesis is that if teachers are able to engage their students in more than worksheets and powerpoints, then maybe students will be able to soak up more of the lesson.

A teacher who cares if his or her students are learning or not is much more important than state-of-the-art electronics or bean bag chairs that have become a common feature in many schools. In my English class last year, the teacher went out of her way to make sure that we understood the texts we read and gave us materials to prepare for the AP test at the end of the year. In result, a large number of us passed a college level test. Although she received no compensation for how well we did, her going the extra mile benefitted her students immensely. On the other hand, I've had teachers who would hand out tedious work pages and then go back to their desks, keeping interaction with their students at the minimum. In those classrooms, students were more apt to talk to each other and copy answers later than take the allotted time to do the pages. If a teacher doesn't care about the assignment, then what kind of example do they set for their students?

The attitudes that are brought into the classroom impact success. Whether it be the students' or the teacher's, each directly correlate with one another. If a teacher loves teaching, then a student can learn what they need to learn, and maybe pick up a few extra lessons on life.