Don't Pity the Weak, Challenge Them by Sarah

Don't Pity the Weak, Challenge Them by Sarah - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

As a teenager who frequently missed classes due to my terminal illness, i found it difficult to keep up with my studies and stay motivated. As my freshman year of high school ended I no longer cared for the majority of my classes and worried greatly about my sophomore year. I wondered how I would keep up with classes when I had so much trouble relating to the things I was learning. I thought a lot of the information was ultimately useless, since I didn't believe I would ever use a lot of the knowledge again. But that all changed as my 10th grade English teacher took a liking to me and showed me so many possibilities.

This fabulous literature fanatic noticed quickly that I often looked sick and missed days of school, so I explained I had Cystic Fibrosis - a genetic disease that increases mucus and inflammation in my body that predominately affects my respiratory and digestive systems. All of my teachers up to that point in my life would pity me and try to work out a learning plan for when I was sick, but Ms. Blake was different. She saw the potential I had and told me that she wouldn't allow my disease to stop me from learning - of course my absences would impact my GPA, but it wasn't about the numbers for her, it was about the experience.

Ms. Blake showed me that school isn’t about how other people think you succeed but rather how you can personally grow and what you can take away from the new knowledge. Too many students turn into automatons when it comes to learning. You’re told the information; you write it down, study it and spit it back out when an examination comes along. But that kind of education doesn’t benefit anyone in the long run. Ms. Blake always challenged me to apply what I learned to my life so there would be some practicality in what was being taught. And that’s exactly what I did.

I read mesmerizing stories that year and took the challenges each character faced and learned from not only their successes, but their failures as well. I started applying science to my life as I attended more doctors’ appointments and grasped more firmly what was wrong with my body. Mathematics helped me learn how to become a better driver with depth perception and parking angles. I suddenly started enjoying learning and enjoying my life more. On top of that I was absorbing lessons better as I applied them to my life. I inadvertently became a kinesthetic learner and actually liked it.

Ms. Blake’s quirky sense of humor and existential way of viewing life was one of the greatest blessings of my high schools years. I don’t know if I could’ve accomplished my goals for college without her help and expertise. I will always appreciate what she did for me by not pitying the “sick kid”. She challenged me to rise above obstacles without me even realizing it. I learned without knowing I was doing anything, the best sign of a wonderful teacher.