Teaching Takes More Than One by Nicholas

Teaching Takes More Than One by Nicholas - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

When I first began attending school, I like many of my classmates, attempted to get out of class as much as possible. To me school was seen as unnecessary and something that distracted from playing sports or video games. Like any young boy I planned on being a superstar athlete. Why would I need school? Reflecting on my journey through my education it is impossible to pick one single teacher that affected my attitude towards education. Almost every teacher, educator, and school personnel had a positive impact towards education and my life. However, the ones that had the greatest impact were my English, history, and law educators. My English teachers helped bridge the gap between school and my love of reading books. They made me look at literature past the face value and brought new meaning to the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” This spread to my other classes where I began reading the textbooks and applying the information I learned. To me, any reading was interesting, even if it was school work.

History, like English, focused a lot on reading. It was easily my favorite course to study and each teacher helped to further that love of the past. These teachers were the first to make me consider teaching as a living. They were also the ones that made me realize how well I could do not only in the classroom but outside of it. My history teachers were willing to counter the “what-if” questions and demonstrate how history was applicable in the real world. They pushed me to become a better student and made me want to apply myself in my courses.

Ultimately, this led me to consider becoming a law school student and to take a week long introductory course where we would explore law. These professors helped me to explore law, the classes that are required in law schools, and exposed me to students currently attending. Additionally, I got to meet a professor who rekindled my interest in becoming a teacher. Only this time it was to become a teacher of the law. This professor, and my teachers in the past, have given me so much in my educational journey. They helped turn me from a student who never wanted to be in school to a student who wants to spend more time at school than needed. Everything that I become in the future, I owe to them.