An Experience that has Sparked My Intellectual Curiosity by Peyton

An Experience that has Sparked My Intellectual Curiosity by Peyton - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

My senior year started rocky as I didn’t know what I wanted to pursue in my future. I took my enrolled seminar class with plans to not attend college after graduation. I also had a free study hall and was requested by one of the second-grade teachers to be a teacher's assistant for her class during my study hall. I wasn’t too excited about being in her class at first as I didn’t think I would enjoy it. Turns out I love being in her class and spending all of my free time with my second-grade friends.
In all honesty, school has never been something that sparked my interest, until I was in the second-grade classroom. Being in the second-grade class sparked my curiosity in pursuing a career in Early Education. The second graders I get to spend time with are so passionate about learning, seeing them learn new things, and genuinely enjoy learning makes me want to be a part of their and others' experiences. In a couple of weeks, their Right To Read week is coming up and I get to be a special part of it seeing that the theme is Farm and me being in our FFA chapter I get to help with everything they get to experience. I get to run a petting zoo with different farm animals and teach them what each animal gives to us daily and they get to learn about farmers and their jobs as well. They are also learning about popcorn and where it comes from while getting to make their popcorn. Being a part of this week has brought me so much joy already and provided me with experience, curiosity, and happiness.
Although not one certain subject sparked my intellectual curiosity, a second-grade class did. The experience of being in a second-grade classroom has shaped my future goals of being a teacher that is fun, insightful, creative, helpful, caring, passionate, and many other things. Teaching elementary students has never been something I have seen in my future, but this one experience and opportunity has changed my life for the better. The excitement I have to be a teacher is above and beyond any other career I have thought of. I have learned so much from this second-grade teacher and her class and I can't wait to come back one day and thank her for this opportunity and show her how much she has helped me become who I am today.