So, Teachers Actually Do Know What They're Talking About? Weird. by Samantha

So, Teachers Actually Do Know What They're Talking About? Weird. by Samantha - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Teachers have always liked me, probably because I kiss up to them like the brown-noser that I am, but for me, it’s always a hit-or-miss—either I like them, or I don’t. I rarely get anything out of a class where I don’t like a teacher, I get the most from the teachers that are at least decent. It stays true this year, because the most important lesson I’ve learned, happiness cannot be attained by yourself, came from the best teacher I’ve ever had—Mr. Jeremy Werts.
I love to read, always have, and always will. Which meant it was only logical for me to go into Advanced Placement (AP) English 3, which was taught by Mr. Werts. Throughout the year, Mr. Werts constantly implemented lessons about honesty and how to deal with sin through books like The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, but it was when we talked about Into the Wild, a book by Jon Kraukauer. Into the Wild was a book directed to an older audience, but as we were reading the book, Mr. Werts would constantly implement in our head how important relationships were, and as we concluded the novel Mr. Werts told us how relationships are what drive everyone to do what they do, and that people shape people and how if we don’t have people, we can’t grow. What he said impacted me because as I thought through the happiest moments in my life, I realized I was never alone, there was always a friend or loved one beside me cheering me on. It made me start to turn my life around and start to treat those who love me better and appreciate them more than I had before.
Mr. Werts is not the traditional teacher—he was loud, and obnoxious, and mocking. However, he taught me to value those who love me, and that is the best lesson I could’ve ever hoped to learn from a teacher.