The Best I Can Be by Lexy

The Best I Can Be by Lexy - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

I have an incredible teacher that continuously pushes me in my learning and growth, both inside and outside the classroom. My teacher, Kerri Mathew, has always gone above and beyond for her students, and specifically for me.

During this past year, my high school chose to go back to in-person learning, however, I decided to stay home. Many of my courses were provided, except my class with Ms. Mathew. She ended up allowing me to stay in that class, and I'm the only student she sets up a laptop for so I can be in class virtually. Teachers at my school don't do this, and it is a lot more work, especially for just one student, so they often see it as a waste of class time and would not do it for students, but not her. She has continuously worked with me and my needs throughout this entire year, which I am incredibly grateful for.

Ms. Mathew also continuously pushes her students to get out of their comfort zones. She creates incredibly engaging projects that most high school students will never have the chance to do in a typical classroom. These projects are constantly pushing us to work harder and think deeper. As well as find new ideas and perspectives we might have never considered before. From reforming our global healthcare systems to understanding the dehumanization of Creature in Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein," Ms. Mathew is repeatedly throwing new projects and ideas to her class, that we continuously discuss and bring up, even after the year is over. I've even taken the knowledge I've learned in her classroom and applied it to multiple classes through the years.

这些项目也使学生的礼物information, whether it's in the form of a discussion or a full-on twenty-minute presentation, she pushes us to understand and dive deeper into our knowledge and defend our opinions and ideas. She is also teaching us incredibly valuable presentation skills that most students never get the chance to learn.

Not only does she teach us academic information, but she also finds ways to insert real-life skills into our projects. We have learned about finances, how our healthcare works, and how insurance works, along with presentation skills. She's teaching the next generation about things we've never gotten the chance to learn about because schools often don't have these essential life and adult courses.

She also pushes her students to consider colleges and futures they might have never considered previously. Many students from my high school tend to apply and go to the same four colleges, and although there is nothing wrong with that, she wants to show her students that there are more options out there for them to try out. She also continuously offers to write letters of recommendation for students. This breaks down to the nervousness of a student possibly bothering a teacher, or at least students feeling that way from their perspective.

Overall, Ms. Mathew has impacted not only my high school experience but also my life. She's taught me valuable life skills I will use daily in the real world. She has pushed me to be the best student I can be, the best thinker, debater, listener, presenter, I can be.