Scholarship Essay Submission

Bridging Gaps

Ryan doesn’t care if I think he’s funny or not; it won’t stop him from giggling to himself as he dog paddles back and forth across the pool. He’ll swim to the wall and look at me with wide eyes and a big smile as if he’s listening attentively to every word, but when he pushes off the wall, all instructions are lost as he swims the way he enjoys. The lack of focus and the difficulties in communicating create obstacles for Ryan that cause his progress to take months longer than the other swimmers in his age group.  Ryan has Autism. Our coach and athlete relationship has a lot of give-and-take, and although the challenges are many, it makes the progress that much more satisfying.

Ryan exhibits just one of the differences any given child can bring into a classroom at the start of a school year. Volunteering in a kindergarten classroom has shown me many more obstacles a child can bring into a class - physical or mental disabilities, broken families, and language barriers among them. The first couple years seem to be the most telling, as kids become more aware of themselves and their peers in the public education system.  The children with significant differences need to learn that traits are what make them an individual, and children without obvious differences need to learn how to fully accept others.

My biggest goal is not only to become an elementary school teacher, but to be able to successfully incorporate the values of diversity into the curriculum and emphasize the importance of individual differences. I do not believe that children are naturally judgmental, but I do believe that without intervention to sway them the other way, it is one of the most easily acquired traits.  I want to provide an environment in my classroom that some children may lack otherwise; I want it to be beneficial not only to the kids who struggle, but to the kids who make it through school easily and naively, like my own experience in early education. I took it for granted that school came easily for me, and I didn’t learn until I was much older that it doesn’t come so easy for everyone.  I don’t only want to help the children with big differences to overcome, but I want to help widen the worlds of the kids who can easily take what they have for granted.

I was raised in a relatively easy home life, and it took me far too long to realize that not everyone had the same experience as me. I am now dedicated to changing my perspective and widening my knowledge of the world that I am a participating citizen in.  Most recently, I’ve added a Spanish minor to my degree and am anticipating spending a month this summer in Costa Rica, learning a culture and a language that I’ve had no exposure to until my required high school language courses.  Working with Ryan has been another challenge, as I have had to let go of conventional ways of instruction to better meet his needs. I feel changed as a person by these experiences, and I hope that not shying away from opportunities like these will improve my teaching abilities and broaden the horizons of what I can bring to a classroom setting.

My college education is preparing me to achieve my biggest dream of obtaining the career full of potential that I’ve wanted since before I understood what college was.  Helping others is a passion of mine, and finishing school and getting my degree and my credential from California Lutheran University will be the first step in allowing me to live that passion for the rest of my life. I firmly believe that I will step up to the challenge of not only being an innovative teacher academically, but also inspiring my students to be themselves and strive to reach their full potential.