Always Challenging Myself by Tommi

Always Challenging Myself by Tommi - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Teachers influence students lives more than they may believe. Teachers are the people who guide our education, and set us in the right direction for our future. The most important lesson I have learned from a teacher is that it is important to challenge myself and strive to reach new goals.
One teacher gave me advice that has set me on the educational track that I am on today. In 6th grade I believed I was not smart, and the idea of partaking in an advanced class seemed too much to handle. However, one day my English teacher called me over, and asked why I wasn’t signing up for an advanced English class for the next year. I told her that I wasn’t smart enough, and that if I tried to take higher-level classes I would struggle and fail. This teacher sat me down, looked me right in the eye, and told me that I was only as smart as I believed I was. She said she believes that I can do it, and now its up for me to take the challenge and push myself to do better. When I walked away from this conversation I had a sense of hope in myself. A new sense of determination washed over me in which I had never felt before, at least not when it came to my education. I am forever thankful for this teacher because the next day I signed up for the advanced English class, and jump-started the confidence and boldness that has led me to who I am today.
Challenging ones self and striving to reach goals is a great lesson I learned that can be applied to not only education, but life overall. It is the motivation to take the next step, to gain confidence in your abilities and then push them in order to grow. This lesson can be applied to gaining a career, meeting new people, and experiencing new situations. Whenever I am in a doubt, I look back on how I have challenged myself in the past, and then apply it to my current situation. I tell myself not to shy away from new possibilities or higher goals, because I will never know until I put in the effort and try. An example of how I have applied this lesson to an area of my life other than education is athletics. Freshman year of high school I was too afraid to try out for track and field because I had heard that it was difficult. However, running varsity track as a freshman was a challenging goal I wanted to meet. So I joined with the mentality that I may not excel, but I will try to. Two weeks into the track season I was at varsity level, and the amount of hard work and determination I set to this goal was rewarding. I then continued up until junior year of high school running the same 3 events at varsity level. I did not believe I could run another event, and specifically the 400m appeared to me as too difficult for my capabilities. However, senior year of high school I started to run the 400m, and I pushed myself to master the event. I pushed aside my doubt and began running a race that I once thought I would not succeed in. Without the motivation or belief to meet this goal, I would not have developed as an athlete.
The most important lesson I learned from a teacher is to challenge myself and to set new goals. This lesson has followed me through my high school education, and is what pushes me to continue my education at a 4-year university. I will no longer shy away from challenges, or goals that may seem difficult to accomplish. It is important to meet challenges and set new goals because it allows growth and development.