Inspiration by Nicole

Inspiration by Nicole - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

There is more to the job of an educator than writing notes and giving a test to see how well the students retain the information. The person the students stare at in front of the classroom has to be a figure of inspiration and encouragement. Without an enthusiastic teacher, the students’ chance of doing well plummets. If I could name one teacher who I can honestly say inspires me to do my best, it would be my high school history teacher. Intelligent, competent and extraordinary, Mr. Schafer captivated his students with: his stories that left them awestruck, his teaching style and his natural leadership.

There was always a point to the stories Mr. Schafer told us during class. He connected them to the lesson we were learning at the time, providing us with a vivid picture to personify his notes. The stories were an enormous help because they gave each of us an identical picture rather than each of us trying to conjure up our own individual and possibly inaccurate conclusions. Having something that we could relate the lesson to made it so much easier to comprehend; in turn, we did better in the class than we would have otherwise. However, the stories weren’t just for educational purposes, sometimes they were like a reward to us for doing well on tests or completing the quota for the week. Everyone found his stories interesting, so they were something the class looked forward to hearing at any time of the year. Mr. Schafer was someone his students looked up to; he made learning fun, making his students all the more anxious to come to class. He made it easy to focus, but also allowed time for breaks and jokes which helped an immense amount in our education.

Another distinction between Mr. Schafer and many of the other teachers I have had over the years would be his teaching style. He never used the textbook during class; instead, he came prepared with notes and an idea of where he wanted to end that day. He also never used the board, but spoke slowly and clearly so that we could write precise notes, which were clear and easy to follow. If ever something was unclear, he would stop and go through it until everyone felt confident that they knew what was written. The fact that he doesn’t use the textbook and works on his lessons beforehand makes him a role model for his students Everyday he works hard to finish what needs to be done and he doesn’t do a mediocre job either. Students know that to be able to accomplish what he does in a day they have to wake up ready to work. They come to school ready to learn and to do what is expected of them. Mr. Schafer doesn’t go easy on his students; he challenges them because he knows what they’re capable of.

One other thing that I find impressive would be his fantastic leadership. Mr. Schafer is only a teacher, and yet his role is so much more fundamental. He comes in early every morning with a box of soft pretzels to sell to hungry students who didn’t have time to grab breakfast. He manages many clubs and activities, and anything else asked of him. You can’t always find him because he always runs one way and then another, finishing one task barely before he starts another and he does it with a smile on his face. As soon as it seems like anything is slowing down, he is ready to jump in and get the ball back up to speed. If you ask the students who their favorite teacher is, nine times out of ten they’re going to say Mr. Schafer. They respect him, because he earns it every day he is in school.

In conclusion, Mr. Schafer is a model teacher. He is hard-working, friendly, and genuinely liked. He is patient and clever and he makes his students’ day better just by being who he is. His stories make us smile, his teaching style helps us learn the material and his obvious capability in being a leader is inspiration in itself. In my four years of high school, his class was the easiest to learn from and I feel that I learned the most from it; both about the subject and about being a leader. He inspired his students to do their best and to pursue an education to the best of their ability.