Forever Unsilent by Tiana

Forever Unsilent by Tiana - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Most teachers only come to school for the salary. Other than grading your assignments and leaving some rather brief, blunt comments in the margins of your paper, most teachers never take the time to give you information on the important tests that aren’t written on paper. You rarely have teachers that will give you lessons on subjects that can be utilized beyond the standardized tests.

As expected with the prompt given, my life lessons came right from the boundaries of the classroom. To be more specific, the life lesson unraveled through the teachings of my English teacher Denise Clement.

At first glance, many wouldn't expect my petite, gentle English teacher to offend anyone, but once a topic she was passionate about came up, the entire classroom, willingly or unwillingly, would listen to her views for some time.

My special life lesson didn't come from this class immediately. I had the special opportunity to participate in the school's Integrated Humanities Program (IHP,) meaning that I had the same English teacher from my freshman to junior year of high school. Freshman year included some simple showing-and-telling stories, some intermediate gerunds, and topping it off with an analysis of Great Expectations, one of the most difficult books I've ever had the displeasure of holding in my hands.

Sophomore year was when the real lesson-learning action began. After a hectic first week of school, Mrs. Clement explained to us an assignment that would be year-round. She called the task “Open Forum.” For each and every six weeks grading period, the class would find an editorial from an online news source, mark it for its use of at least ten rhetorical devices, and then read your article to the class, explaining your findings along the way. Okay, I thought, no big deal, right?

But as she went on with the second part of the assignment, my comfort slipped from my hands. After every article was presented, we had a week to write an argument against one of these controversial editorials. That basically meant that I had to put my contrasting views on display for everyone to listen to. Standing in front of a group of teenagers, giving my opinions that could either cause cheers or jeers? Sure, we were supposedly the best-behaving bunch of the school, but any form of speaking my opinion had me trembling with anxiety.

At first, the quality of my arguments varied from six weeks to six weeks. Some were good. Some were bad. Some were thoroughly planned. Some were thrown together the night before. But what they all had in common was my original voice. As the weeks passed, my voice became more vibrant, my words became more eloquent, and my papers had less loopholes. My arguments even had people either wincing or cringing from their intensity at times.

After this assignment, my voice never failed to be heard outside of Open Forum, either. As the year progressed, teachers noticed that I became more vocal, fiery, and witty amongst my peers. I grew more confident and assured in my abilities. The shy, quiet shell of my former self was finally removed, revealing the true me. Whenever the name Tiana Woodard came to mind, a new image emerged. I finally learned to never hold back my true feelings no matter the consequences, whether it resulted in an argument or losing friends.

My English teacher never stood behind her decorated podium and gave a detailed lecture on how to express my opinions with others directly. Instead, she guided me toward learning this valuable life lesson myself. Without her, I'd probably still be the amiable, conflict-fearing girl I thought I would grow up to be. And I could never thank Mrs. Clement enough for not being just a teacher but rather a role model for all students hoping to make an impact on society with their words. She helped me and others to find our unique voice and to share it with the world.