So What? by Silki

So What? by Silki - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“FLUFF.” My entire introduction had been reduced to one word.

Mrs. Becker was notorious for her relentless AP Literature course at Duluth High School. She had a habit of scrawling “so what??” after every thesis statement we created, “fluff” through all of the superfluous background information we provided, and “do better” at every argument we thought to already be profound. By the time we received back our papers, entire paragraphs would be scratched through with her ink pens.

I had been lauded throughout my prior twelve years for my writing. Yet, in this class, where most students received the lower-bounded grade of 50%, I was relieved to receive a 70%. Mrs. Becker challenged us. In her “so what’s,” I was expected to make continued parallels supporting my arguments. We were required to think critically. In her “fluff’s,” I was expected to be succinct and direct. Instead of vague statements to reach a word quota, we had to provide relevant, detailed, and supporting evidence to our claims. Because of her “do better’s,” I knew I was never truly done with a paper early. Until her class, most of us had never actually edited our own work. Because of all of the multiple drafts, vigorous class debates, and the inevitable “So what?” class theme, Mrs. Becker taught me more than any other teacher ever has.

My papers gained substance, and I, myself, learned to be direct and confident. Growing up in an immigrant, patriarchal household, I was reserved and non-confrontational; I became more self-assured and assertive in my opinions simply through the writing practice. Mrs. Becker also helped me acknowledge that there is always room for improvement—that in order to be life-long learners, students must always feel a need for growth. Thus, I continued to push myself, as well as others. In college, I inadvertently became class-editor in Honors Comparative Literature, as my classmates began to discover my edits paralleled identically to the comments the professor ultimately scribbled on their returned papers. I was simply utilizing the suggestions I knew Mrs. Becker would make—the ones I continue to employ in my writings everyday as I challenge myself to “do better.”

Upon graduating college, I joined the College Advising Corps and became the College/Career Advisor at D.M. Therrell High, a low-income, underserved high school in Atlanta, Georgia, in order to help disadvantaged students pursue higher education. Here, I began editing students’ college and scholarship essays. I quickly gained a reputation for being a tough editor, as I posted one of my favorite quotes in front of my desk: “No student rises to low expectations.” My students complained, whined, and got angry at my critiques and comments. They rolled their eyes as they handed me their essays, knowing I would always have an edit or suggestion.

However, my students also improved. Through the tough love and raised expectations, they got accepted into college, they won scholarships, and most importantly, they truly learned how to voice their stories and their opinions. Thus, throughout my time at Therrell, I kept being relentless in my edits—my “do better’s,” my “fluff’s,” and my “so what’s.” Because of a teacher that never accepted complacency in her students, I became empowered to help my own students learn the same.