A Lesson in Compassion by Toni

A Lesson in Compassion by Toni - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

Unknowingly, a high school geometry teacher changed the life of one of his students. Mr. Darnel's day started just like any other day; preparing lesson plans, expanding children's minds, and simply being a great person. His day was almost over when he realized one of his missing students, Toni Richter, was actually in class that day. Right before Christmas break, Darnel became informed that Toni's father had unexpectedly passed away. He hadn't seen her for over a month; she had missed over two weeks' worth of lessons. Darnel's heart broke for her; he noticed how anxious she was. He realized that she is severely behind in all of her classes; he also realized that her schoolwork was the least of her concerns right now. Throughout all of the years that Darnel had known Toni, she had done very well in all of her classes, especially math. Darnel knew he had to help in some way, but his options were limited. He wanted to take away as much stress as possible without causing a scene. He wrote her a small message that he placed on top of the big pile of assignments Toni had missed. He quietly slipped her the papers and the note while everyone was working on that day's lesson. The message stated, "These are the assignments you missed; come speak with me." Toni nervously got up and started walking towards him, all while trying not to cry. Darnel softly explained that she did not have to do any of those assignments or tests that she missed. He would not count them for or against her; he only wanted her to have the ability to follow along with the rest of the class. She started to tear up and left the classroom immediately.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Darnel, Toni had experienced so much pain that month that she was ready to give up. She started to become reckless and did not care about her life, especially regarding her education. He knew exactly how to help Toni in the best way possible, given his options. That small act of kindness completely changed her world. She had not experienced that same kindness from any of her other teachers. The amount of compassion Darnel contained for his students was that of fairytales. It was not the first time Darnel had shown his compassion and empathy; he was almost every student's favorite teacher because of it. His small acts of kindness reminded Toni of the good parts of life. She realized that even though she lacked a father, she did not lack a support system. From that day on, Toni refused to give up; she would not let Mr. Darnel down.