Summer School Changed My Life by Kyria

Summer School Changed My Life by Kyria - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

I failed my seventh-grade math class. I had to go to summer school so I could pass on to the eighth grade. I felt shame and guilt when I told my mom I had to go to summer school or repeat the seventh grade. She told me summer school was the only option and signed me up for a summer math class at Greenville Middle. It was this class and this teacher who gave me the confidence that I lacked in mathematics.

I'll never forget the name of my seventh-grade math teacher, Ms. Buzzel. She was a no-nonsense teacher with whom even the "smart kids" had a tough time. Despite long hours spent studying, begging for extra credit (which she refused), and getting help with my homework from a family member, I just wasn't understanding it. This led to me failing said math class and having to go to summer school. When I arrived at the school, I knew I had to pass somehow. After all, my mother was paying for me to take this class, and if I didn't pass, I'd have to repeat a grade and watch all my friends pass on to the next without me. This extra anxiety and pressure were quickly reassured by my summer school math teacher, whose name I cannot remember, but I will call him Mr. Simon.

Mr. Simon had a fun, and easy-going personality and made the material easier to understand. His personality also made me feel comfortable to ask him questions if I didn't understand the material, and he answered them without making me feel dumb or slow. He encouraged interactive learning by having us work out problems on the board and lead our classmates to the answer if they were stuck. In this class, I found myself earning B's and low A's in stark comparison to my C's, D's, and F's in my seventh-grade math class. This math classroom put me at ease, unlike any other math classroom I had been in before. Before this class, I would loathe even stepping foot in a math class because I would feel dumb, and feel like crying because I don't like feeling as if I'm behind and everyone else is fine. Mr. Simon's classroom made me feel encouraged, safe, and eager to learn, as a true classroom should be. As the learning process should be.

西蒙先生是th老师影响了我的生活e most. Because of him, I felt more confident passing on to my eighth-grade math class. My eighth-grade math teacher, Ms. Cochran, was a kind and loving lady who was surprised that my previous standardized test scores showed that I was "not met" in math. I remember her saying, "but you're such a good student! How are you not met in math?" When she said this, I felt pride, and that pride is because of Mr. Simon. I'm not saying that ever since I took his class, I'm some sort of math genius, but he instilled confidence that I can understand math. Had I not been assigned to take his class in the summer, I can honestly say that I don't know where I would be right now regarding my educational career. Thank you, Mr. Simon. I hope you're well and you're still out there inspiring kids to keep learning and keep trying to learn.