Educating the Heart of Education by Victoria

Educating the Heart of Education by Victoria - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Teachers are always the ones who give students advice. They try their best to guide us through elementary school, middle school, and high School. Yet, most educators do not realize the stress they place upon our shoulders. Most students work day and night to earn the grades they need to succeed in the future. High schoolers are expected and encouraged to take AP classes, be a part of multiple clubs, have jobs, and participate in sports. We are expected to work til midnight or later, perfecting our homework and completing projects. We are not awarded for all the hard work that we put into school.

I have one very important piece of advice for teachers, and it is to reward students for their hard work. Compensation should not given to the class as a whole, unless they deserve it. Instead, I believe that awarding deserving students is crucial in education. This will encourage their peers to improve, as well as the individual himself to do even better and persevere. These rewards can be as simple as handing out candy for the student who got the only 100% on a test. Even a bonus point or two would encourage pupils to excel in school. A movie day for a transcending class would do wonders for many student's brains. I, for example, have a job, I am in several clubs, I am a competitive cheerleader, I take AP classes, and I even took two college English classes this school year. I have done well in all of these courses, and to show for it I am a Valedictorian of my school. Yet, all the stress and toiling over work is not really worth it when I did not even get a "good job" from the teachers that I see everyday. I believe that to be a great educator, one must recognize the hard work that students put not only into their assignments, but also their clubs, sports, and community.

I think I would have done a lot better in school, and liked it a lot more, if I was rewarded. It is kind of like giving a puppy a treat when it has succeeded in a step of its training. Not to mention, students would appreciate it a lot more than a dog would. I think that this is important advice, and should not be overlooked. Students tend to be more successful, when they enjoy what they are doing. My advice to teachers is that in order to improve our learning and our willingness to learn, they have to give their pupils little rewards for their small achievements in the classroom.