Patience is a Virtue by Samantha

Patience is a Virtue by Samantha - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Teachers are the most important part of society today. They help shape the future generation of America and beyond. Teachers have to deal with many issues in the classroom and out of it. They deal with overfilled classes, difficult parents, and kids with behavioral issues. All of these things can cause teachers to become stressed and possibly burn out. Throughout all of these issues, teachers still have a way of pressing lessons on a student and sending them out ready for the future, whether that is the next school year or life in a job.

I have had many great teachers along my path to graduate school. They have prepared me for the future in their own ways. I have also had teachers that I just could not connect with and it was hard to learn from those teachers. If I could go back to those teachers and give them one piece of advice it would be that each person learns in their own way and that sometimes it is helpful to certain students to learn one-on-one with the teacher. There were many math classes that I just could not follow what was going on in the class and I needed to stay after almost every day in order to keep up with the work. It can be difficult for teachers to keep up with each students’ needs. I know that teachers are stressed and they have every right to be, but there are times that they must be patient with the student and allow them to take their time and learn in their own way.

I was an extremely slow learner when it came to math. I needed a lot of coaxing and a lot of extra help. It was very important to me to have a teacher, or professor that was patient and willing to spend some extra time with me. There are many great teachers out there that will do exactly what I just referred to. But there are so many students that get left behind because they are confused and get forgotten amongst the students who fly right through the lessons. It is important for teachers to stay in touch with each of their students, especially high school kids who are afraid to admit they are lost in the lesson. This is an important lesson for teachers to learn in order to support the maximum number of students throughout their career.