Passing the Torch by Nathan

Passing the Torch by Nathan - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

Whether you’re an instructor or a student, a college classroom setting presents many challenges as well as a great deal of rewards. Many well known and talented individuals have taken place on both sides of the classroom. Choosing to teach and pass on what one has learned is one of the most important and selfless things a person can do. Professors play an important role, not just in helping shape the future of society through education but also by inspiring students to one day carry a torch of knowledge that has been passed on for generations.

If I were a college professor I would teach mathematics. Mathematics impacts our lives in many ways. From budgeting our income, managing our schedule, to measuring the ingredients for tonight’s dinner, we use math in our everyday lives without giving it much thought. Teaching math wouldn’t necessarily be easy, teaching any subject presents its own set of challenges but being able to maintain a level of excitement and passion towards the subject would allow me to keep students, as well as myself, engaged. Math has been a strong interest of mine since a young age. To me, solving mathematical problems resembles solving a puzzle. A puzzle that grants great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment when solved.

It’s hard to imagine where we would be today without the gift of mathematics. The very tool I’m writing this essay on is a product of mathematicians. Math helps give us understanding of how things work by recognizing patterns within the numbers and allowing us to create wondrous inventions. It is an essential skill that, unfortunately, many take for granted or were simply not taught in a manner that they could understand. Mathematics has a language of its own, a language which follows an identical set of rules for all who learn but is spoken in many different dialects. Being able to translate this language and speak it in these dialects is essential for the transfer of knowledge to occur.

The math we know today is a product of thousands of years of dedicated study with each generation passing on what they’ve learned to the next. By teaching mathematics, I would be able to help carry this torch of knowledge and perhaps pass it on to the next great mathematician or groundbreaking inventor. At the very least I would help inspire students to continue a pursuit of math and the development of critical thinking skills that will aid them in their journey towards success and allow them to achieve their goals.