KC Royals Charities Scholarship Essay

My greatest leadership experience was being a teacher’s aid. Recently, my school started offering a teachers’ aid class. During this class, a student is sent up to one of the lower school classrooms to assist in class time. I rushed for the opportunity to take this class because of my interest in working with children. I want to go into the mental health field, specifically children’s mental health. Children are the future. It’s up to today’s leaders to ensure they can have a good future. One of the most important leadership roles is teachers. Teachers spend so much time working with tomorrow’s minds. They provide invaluable life skills and are present for so many developmentally important times. The opportunity to learn how to be a leader to young minds was one I couldn’t pass up.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the value of trust. A leader should be someone who you can trust and turn to. Children are naturally trustworthy, they automatically look to those older than them for guidance. However, maintaining trust and using it properly is what’s difficult. A leader can’t be feared but rather respected. I learned this through disciplining my students. As a child I hated being yelled at. I can’t remember half of what I was scolded for because I was so focused on how angry I was. But I also remember teachers who didn’t have a handle on their class. Often it was because they struggled to be strict. With that in mind, I always focus on what my students need to learn and how I should communicate it. A large problem kids face is bullying. I often see my students tease and exclude each other. I realized kids usually bully out of a lack of knowledge. They automatically see things that are different as wrong. It’s amazing how explaining things to kids can vastly shape their behavior. Explaining why some people are different and why their reactions are hurtful often stops the behavior immediately. I’ve seen how fast a simple explanation can click for a child. All it took was one person to tell them in a way they could understand. In a similar fashion, consequences need to be explained in order to be effective. I had a kid who wouldn’t stop trying to provoke me. He interrupted when I was helping other kids, frequently got out of his seat and insulted me. In response, I refused when he asked me for help with his work. I explained to him that he was disruptive to his classmates’ learning and also disrespected me. I felt like it was a realistic consequence: People won’t help you if you’re rude to them. It ended up working. The student always waited for me to finish helping another before asking for my help. He also learned insults weren’t the way to get attention. These interactions have taught me the value of a good leader. It’s most important when the ones being led are young. Kids are adaptable and in a constant state of learning. They are experiencing the world and its unique challenges for the first time. It’s no wonder they’re so quick to react in a less than ideal way; change is confusing. Kids often don’t have bad intentions. Their negative traits are only a lesson that needs to be taught to them. I applaud all the leaders who teach these lessons. Parents, teachers and coaches have my utmost respect. It isn’t easy to teach someone to be a good person. I’ve learned that firsthand. Young minds are so impressionable, one experience can shift their entire course of life. That delicate nature is exactly why it’s so important to have good leaders. A life full of positive interactions can vastly shape someone. Traits like kindness, responsibility and patience are so easy to teach if taught by the right person. These traits can save the world from some of the ugly caused by mistreatment. The opportunity to be a teacher’s aid isn’t one I’ve taken lightly. Being a leader can be challenging, but the reward of seeing someone be great because of my guidance has been worth it. I’m grateful to have taken this class during my senior year. I feel reassured that I’m on the right path. My plan is to go to college and become a children’s therapist. I’m only able to dream because of the leaders in my own life. Now it’s my turn to be that leader. I’ll be the kind of leader who respects others as much as they respect me. Someone who guides but walks on the same path as those who I’m helping. Mental health is often double-edged and tricky. Teaching accountability as well as providing care isn’t an easy balance. However, I’m determined to follow my dream regardless of its challenges. I will accomplish it by being the leader I’ve learned to be, no matter who is in my care.