Educational Journey by Izabella

Educational Journey by Izabella - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

One teacher that has had an impact on my educational journey was my chemistry teacher, Dr. Sheppard. I took chemistry when I was a sophomore in highschool. Going into that class I was not confident at all because I had heard stories about it from older kids about how hard it was. I am and have always been a strong student but I was still worried. Dr. Sheppard would talk about and present slides during class that we had to take notes about. At the end of every unit we would have a test. My first test was on protons, neutrons, and electrons and I almost failed it. I was upset with how I did and was nervous about how it was going to affect my grade. All of our homeworks could get checked as many times as we wanted and when it was turned in, if you got even one wrong then it was graded as a zero. Dr. Sheppard had this homework grading system because he wanted his students to come for help and get their homework checked so he knew his students were on the right track and knew what they were doing. After I almost failed my first test, I knew I had to change something whether it was my study habits or lack of attention in class. I started going up to Dr. Sheppards room almost every lunch period of mine until I did better. I had all of my homeworks checked and I even went to his room for review sessions. The next test we took I did exceptionally well and I appreciated the time and effort Dr. Sheppard put into making sure I was succeeding.
When it came time to think about college and an area of study I initially had no clue what I wanted to do. I wasn’t interested in biology, marketing, or criminal justice. I wanted something I would enjoy and make a lot of money doing but I couldn’t figure out what that would be. After volunteering in a first grade classroom I decided in my junior year of high school that I wanted to be a teacher and major in elementary education when I got to college. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make a lot of money, but if being a first grade teacher makes me happy, it’s all worth it. I am now a senior in high school enrolled in the New Visions Pathways in Education program for becoming a teacher. Shadowing in a first grade classroom is a great opportunity for me because I get to observe teaching styles I can one day use on my own students. I am glad I enrolled in the program, since I had an interest in teaching and wanted to test out whether elementary education is something I want to continue in the future. I love the teacher I am working with, she has a great personality and has amazing classroom management skills. To get into the program I needed an interview and I needed to submit an application with a recommendation letter attached. I decided to ask Dr. Sheppard to write my letter because he made an impact on me and knew my learning style and determination. For Senior athletes, my high school does My jersey your impact, where a student athlete chooses a teacher who made an impact on them and then gives them a pin as a keepsake. For my volleyball season I gave my jersey and pin to Dr. Sheppard because he made such an impact on my education and he was an example of a teacher who cares about their students and I deeply admire that. I want to treat my future students the way he taught and treated me.