Teach and Be Taught! by Varsha

Teach and Be Taught! by Varsha - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

Growing up in the Silicon Valley, I’ve been lucky to be showered by opportunities related to my interest in STEM. In elementary school, we used iPads to do classwork and spent our Fridays working on hands-on science labs; my middle school was located in the backyard of Apple Headquarters. Throughout the years, we had passionate teachers who pushed us to volunteer with the less fortunate, pass on the information we learned, and discover the world around us.

As part of my volunteering adventures, I soon realized there was a sharp contrast between my curriculum and those of children in a family housing shelter in San Jose. These children didn’t have the same access to technology or emphasis on science and math that we had. The Silicon Valley STEM focus had a huge impact on the classes I enjoyed, the knowledge I gained, and the future I was building for myself. I resolved to do my utmost to give these children the chance to develop the same fascination for the world of STEM that I had.

I decided to take action, teaching students at local elementary schools from lower income neighborhoods as well as family housing shelters across the Bay Area. My methodology involved explaining STEM concepts using the languages of creativity and expression: art, music, and hands-on experimentation. If the students could make connections with the material I taught them, they had a much better chance of understanding and enjoying the lesson.

This turned out to be a highly effective strategy. Using popular songs like Can’t Hold Us to show students the mathematics behind the musical Rule of Fifths and video games to show them the capabilities of programming worked wonderfully. The sparks of curiosity were lit and their STEM journeys began.

One of my fondest memories from the classes I taught occurred during a snack break. I had just taught the students a math lesson about tessellations, where a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps. I remember Maria, who had mentioned earlier that she had never liked math, was sitting near me as we ate some circular cookies and hexagonal crackers. We were discussing a movie, when suddenly, she turned to me and said, “V, look! The cookies can’t tessellate but the crackers do!”

Seeing my students like Maria make connections between the material and their daily lives is an incredibly rewarding feeling. Whether it be in class or in the form of excited parents telling me about how their son explained the chemical reactions of mixing ingredients, I gained a strong sense of pride for my students’ accomplishments.

I surprisingly found myself learning just as much from my students as they learned from me. I didn't learn math or science from them; rather, I learned intangible things that are infinitely more applicable to my daily life. I learned to be unafraid to ask questions. I learned to be thankful for what I'm privileged enough to have, even if it doesn't seem like much at the time. I learned to approach everything with a smile on my face and to be excited for every opportunity headed my way, like the kids were with every single lesson. I learned that a small action can make someone’s day - like the time when my third grade student Eric put a flower in my hair and declared, “Princesses should always have flower crowns.” Most importantly, I learned that when you help someone, it goes both ways - they help you too.

My Young Scientists program earned me the Girl Scout Gold Award and local news coverage, but the knowledge that I facilitated these students’ entry to the world of STEM was the major takeaway. Now, four years after the first class I taught, I am sure that I will see these kids emerge as our world’s future scientists, programmers, engineers... as our world’s future innovators. And honestly, that's the greatest reward I could ever ask for.