After School comprehension by Ivana

After School comprehension by Ivana - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

Reading compression. This has always been a struggle of mine since I started school. I would spend countless hours reading a passage in English for homework but, would find I did not retain any of it. I would read a passage over 5 times and would still not get the main idea of the passage. My 4th grade English teacher noticed this when she was grading my assignments for reading comprehension. It was getting to a point where my grades were slipping in English, and I was on the verge of failing my English class. My English teacher Mrs. Cummings saw this and pulled me aside. She said that she would keep me after school for a couple of hours to sharpen my comprehension skills so that my grades would improve. So, for the next 3 months, she would give me practice articles to comprehend and taught me the proper ways to comprehend articles. After the first 2 sessions, my grades already were improving and after another 3 sessions, I received my first A+ on a paper.
From that day on I consistently received as on any reading assignments. But her support did not stop there, she would constantly check up on me when I moved to fifth grade and would always help me with any problems that I had. Mrs. Cummings followed me to middle school and assisted me with any English assignments that I needed help on. She wrote me countless recommendations when going to high school and would constantly send me scholarships and research opportunities. She never stopped being a teacher to me, but she became more of a family member to me. She was invited to my high school graduation and party where she made a speech on my behalf, telling of how she's seen me grow and progress on my journey. Mrs. Cummings never gave up on me, but she rather used her tools and resources to help me get to where I am today.