The Pillars on Which we Lay on by Tariana

The Pillars on Which we Lay on by Tariana - September 2023 Scholarship Essay

We are a school of creativity, inclusivity, and exploration. Those are some of the few pillars our school stands on, a continuously progressing goal that we live by. A school of excellence, some say, that fosters a space that “informs, inspires, and empowers.” At a glance, this could very well be the case. You peek your head into our band room, finding a range of students repeating and perfecting the same lesson with neverending support, tips, and guidance. Maybe you walk down the first-floor hallway and catch a glimpse of our variety of CTEs and arts.
When exploring the arts, our electives, and our CTEs, you notice much diversity: a calm environment in which each and every student interacts and learns with and from each other; however, the same cannot be said for our core academics. Our discrete math has students who have struggled with academics due to mental or neurodivergent needs not being met, resulting in them being seen as “less than,” yet our honors math students can be seen being continually challenged and supported. The English classes range in diversity when glancing at different levels. Our AP English classes lack people of color while our honors and standardized English have the most amount of diversity.
The issue with our core academics is two things: the lack of understanding and the lack of interaction.
Students learn in different ways, and while it can be difficult to accommodate them, I have seen it done time and time again. If I had the authority to positively impact this, implementing learning diagnostics and even one-on-one conversations between students and staff could make all the difference in the classroom and that students' academics. Having a teacher who implements different learning styles has and will continue to have an impact on a student’s understanding and academic excellence. In order to achieve this, I would conduct faculty meetings that could introduce the teachers to understand and be empathetic toward a student’s academic needs.
The difficulty with the lack of interaction is that the responsibility of interacting with others relies on both the students and the teachers alike. Students stick to their same groups, not expanding their connections and understanding of people from different cultures. As a school, this is something that we need to improve on because I believe that if we implemented true inclusivity, our school dynamic would shift as a whole. There are three ways to work on fixing this: as an individual, as a school, and as an authority figure. As an individual, I continue to work on this to this day: asking questions, learning, and exploring about others and their cultures. As a school, this is a habit that should be picked up by all students in the building. If I had the authority to fix this, I would implement school meetings in order to remind students that they too should be asking questions, learning, and exploring. I would encourage faculty and parents to encourage this as well.
I believe that the people around me and the authority in my life have the power to change this now. Students can provide an inclusive and supportive environment for those who may be different from them. Our school faculty can continue to have conversations with students, encourage students, and inspire them. They can remind them that our school's pillars do include creativity, inclusivity, and exploration and that these are things we need to continue to learn and achieve every day. We all, in a sense, have a responsibility to adhere to these pillars. I believe that if we all work on our understanding and connections, we can build more pillars: our school can lie on the pillars of relationships, intelligence, safety, and community.