Teaching the Teacher by Walker

Teaching the Teacher by Walker - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

At the end of my high school sophomore year, I was honored with admission to admission to the National Honors Society (NHS). There are many benefits to being a member of NHS. What I have enjoyed the most is the opportunity to serve as a mathematics (math for short) tutor for fellow students at my high school and young students at a nearby grade school.
My high school has a math center where students can come for free help with their classwork. Math has always been a fascinating and fun concept for me; however, for some, it can be a confusing and daunting area of study. As a volunteer NHS tutor, I am able to, on a weekly basis, sit down with any student from my high school who is looking for some help and direction with their math classwork. It is interesting for me to work with students of similar age, developing new ways to solve problems.
At a nearby grade school, I interact with young students every other day. I arrive near the end of their school day, and I meet with students on an individual basis. Some students are part of these teaching sessions on a repeat basis, and some students are new faces every other week. It is both interesting and challenging for me to develop a different teaching style for these students. Switching from high school age students to grade school age students, I have learned to design a style of explanation that is more appropriate for younger learners.
I have grown a great deal as a human being by interacting with all of my students. While I have been teaching math, my students have been teaching m some valuable life lessons. My high school age students have taught me to appreciate the value of hard work, perseverance, keeping an open mind, and maintaining a positive attitude. In addition to those things, my grade school students have taught me the importance of patience! A frustrated 10 year old requires a different approach than a frustrated teenager. Taking one's time and often a little humor can go a long way toward a positive outcome.
I am grateful to be part of NHS, and I am humbled by the many life skills all my students continue to teach me on a daily basis.