college admission essay rough draft

                Carole Scheder

Writing

Mr. Lindenberg

04/17/13

College Admission Essay

One of the greatest joys in my life is helping kids out. I love watching their eyes light up when they learn something new or when they figure something out that has been bothering them. Above all, what makes me the happiest is knowing that I taught them that new thing or helped them reach that answer. I have spent the better part of the last two years working with kids or watching them, and I have been through ups and downs with kids, seen the bad and, more importantly, the great. The moment when a child realizes that they can do something is like Christmas morning to me. Helping children out is something I have always had fun with. However, lately it has really started to shape my future. It has shown me that teaching can be an extremely rewarding career.

            Before the summer of my sophomore year if someone had asked me what I wanted to do it would have had something to do with sitting in a lab all day testing a million and one samples of blood to try and figure out who did it. However, once I opened my eyes that summer I saw the opportunity teaching could bring. I realized I could help people out before they were in a bad place in their lives. The potential was there to leave lasting impacts on children’s lives.

Most kids start their first job knowing it will most likely end. Their first job is nothing more than a stepping stone along the long road we call life. They don’t expect anything significant to come from this job, maybe a new friend or two, a decent paycheck, nothing that will affect them for the rest of their lives. So, when I got my first job the summer before my sophomore year I expected nothing to come of it other than something to do during the warm summer days and a steady income. I was given the fantastic opportunity to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service that summer by helping them with their prairies and learning along the way. There were four of us high schoolers working with them that summer pulling invasive species, collecting seeds, pulling barbed wire fences, and occasionally going to a class to learn more about the environment.

The work required a lot of physical endurance and the days were hot, but it was great experience filled with awesome memories and even better learning experiences. However, none of that really clicked until a scouting day out at their office. They gave me the tremendous opportunity to teach the cub scouts about all the different kinds of invasive species. Watching their faces as I showed them the different invasive plants was fascinating. What made the day even better was watching the boy’s help get rid of the invasive plants. Working hard out in the summer heat really helped show me how to endure which helps me out when I teach children. It also showed me how rewarding it can be to teach someone something and that I can have a lasting impact on a person’s life.

Had I not taken on that job the summer before my junior year I never would have had my eyes opened to the world outside of forensic science. I never would have known the joy of teaching and helping younger children out. Working out in the heat was not easy, but it helped prepare me for helping kids. It can be an extremely difficult thing to try and help kids learn, especially when it is something that they don’t want to learn. However, no matter how much of a fight they put up it is always rewarding seeing them finally learn something new.

Getting the opportunity to learn something new that summer really made me appreciate how important teaching can be. Teachers are a special kind of person. They are the kind of people who want nothing more in their lives than to help kids out without getting much back. They simply want to help students fulfill their dreams or push them in the right direction. Teachers go in to school every day with one goal in mind, help out their students. They go through their days trying their hardest to help every student understand, no matter how much back lash they get or how little the students are actually interested. Getting the opportunity to teach those kids that summer really showed me just how important teachers are to life.