A Lesson Through My Chemistry Teacher by Pablo

A Lesson Through My Chemistry Teacher by Pablo - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

Teachers are the very backbone of America. Whilst it is true that most of the responsibility falls upon the student themselves, they need a motivator and someone to believe in them. Having the approval of a teacher gives encouragement to those who don’t have as much confidence in themselves. Prior to my junior year no teacher has ever had as great of an influence as my chemistry teacher, Mrs. Ford. I first had Mrs. Ford when I was a sophomore and chose to double up on my sciences in the hopes I would be able to take more of the advanced classes, and while I ultimately ended up not choosing a science career I will never forget the wondrous life lessons I learned from her.

Mrs. Ford has left an impact on me that ultimately changed who I forever will be as a person. She taught me that hard work will reward those who strive for it. The class itself wasn’t as hard as my other ones, but my grade said otherwise. I asked her how I could improve it and become one of the students who got a perfect score. She gave me various online websites and this ultimately helped me develop my study skills. I learned that I am better at watching a video at home of someone teaching rather than just the classroom setting. I would learn the basics in class then would go more in depth at home.

Mrs. Ford was my teacher, but she also felt like a second mom to me. Our class itself got very close because we saw each other every day. Mrs. Ford was always there for someone whenever there were troubles at home or just in life. She provided a great ear and students learned to have confidence in her. She was one of the first people I told about my mother’s separation and the foreclosure of our house and I knew I could trust her because she was not the sort of teacher who would tell anyone. She would not tell you what is the right or wrong thing to do, but she would let you know what the difference between the two was.

Before this year I thought teachers dreaded coming to school, that the very idea of seeing the same students over and over again sickened them to the point to where they wanted to be mean, but I learned otherwise this year. Mrs. Ford would get up very early, get her kids ready, make breakfast, and drive twenty minutes to drop her kids off, then drive to the high school and settle into her room all before eight AM. I gained a new respect for her, because it’s true that you don’t know what someone goes through in life to get to where they are now. Mrs. Ford teaches that everyone deserves a chance to try something they want to, unlike all the other AP teachers, Mrs. Ford's AP Chemistry class needed no recommendation, if one wanted to try it the door was wide open during the schedule selection period. Through the experience Mrs. Ford has been through I have gained an utmost respect for all my teachers now, but I also learned that when I grow up it doesn’t really matter what I do, so long as I enjoy what I do and bring joy to myself and those around me.