Scholarship Essay Entry – Carlyn L.

Growing up there was so much to learn and so many things that mattered. Looking back on my childhood I can remember two distinct things that stick out in my mind. I can remember playing Barbie's everyday from the moment I got up to the moment that I fell asleep. I would take them to the pool, which was really the bathtub and I would always make sure they were cared for. If I wasn't playing Barbie's I would be in my room talking to myself pretending to be in a classroom full of kids. I would lay out sheets of paper across my room and draw thirty different drawings followed by me "marking" them. As some of you would think, that seems boring! For me it is what I remember most about growing up. I have always had a strong desire to help and teach others.

I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Education Program at Red Deer College. I want to help children learn and be there to help them through their struggles in education. I have chosen to take the path of elementary education because I have a love for younger children. I am currently volunteering for a cheerleading program in Red Deer with kids aged six to eight years old. The best thing about coaching them is that no matter what kind of mood you are in when you go to practice you always come out with a smile. They have taught me that the little things do matter and even a little scrape causes the end of the world. They have shown me how perfect they can do handstands and cartwheels, even though their legs are still bent and we all see they aren't really perfect. They make me laugh and bring so much joy into my life, which I would have never thought anyone with such little knowledge about life could. They have taught me so much including who I want to be and have helped create a vision for my life. I want to help children all around the world become something great in what ever it is they are doing. I want to teach them to never give up during the hardest struggles and to always fight for what they believe in.

One day I would love to travel to other countries and teach their children. I could teach them things I have learnt from life in Alberta and I could bring back lessons from my experience with them. I want to bring children happiness and impact their life's in a positive way. I would like to continue on with my imaginary children and turn them into real ones. My dream is to help and teach children all around the world whether it's a sport or in the classroom... "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Henry Brooks Adam