Students In The Hands of the Teacher

It seems as human beings, we often underestimate how profoundly our words can affect how people act and think. Regardless of the subject, by reaching to the pathos of the audience, speakers can undoubtedly shape human behavior and the path of history. This is a simple, but not obvious, social axiom. I myself did not realize the power words could have on people until I was engaged in a class discussion in my 11 AP English class on the subject of Jonathan Edwards and his lurid sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". Edwards was able to shape his words and portray vivid emotional detail to create a sense of immense fear and guilt in his listeners, thus leading to a mass revival of the Puritan religiousness that lived generations before. It is amazing how Edwards was able to create such a change in mood and mindset of the Puritans using only the words he crafted from his brain and delivered by word of mouth.
In the same respect, teachers have the overwhelming power to shape the actions and ultimately the future of their students. While this may seem completely understandable and obvious to society, many teachers often do not realize their full power to impact the lives of their students. Teachers have the power to inspire and aspire their students to their fullest potential. Most of this power lies in the power of their words. I am not talking about the curriculum required lessons, but rather what teachers can offer students that can change their outlook on life and give them a helping hand for their future. For example, a simple "you can do it!" to a struggling student in a class can go a long way in encouraging the student to maintain academic success. One teacher which stood out to me in this respect was my AP U.S. History teacher last year, Mrs. Lorelli. At the beginning of the year, I was struggling with keeping up in the class, and often I found myself behind the herd in terms of both test taking and essay writing. Mrs. Lorelli was aware of my struggles and one day had a talk to me that went like this: "I understand APUSH is a hard class and that you're struggling, but if you keep working hard and putting all your effort to improve yourself, I have no doubt that you will succeed in this class." I took these words to heart, continued to improve myself, and by the end of the year, I had an A+ in the class and received a 5 on the AP Exam. Through Mrs. Lorelli's encouraging words when I was struggling, she gave me hope and reason to keep improving myself, and thus molded me into a better student.
Just as how teachers can affect students in a positive manner, teachers equally have the power to harm and hinder student growth towards greatness. Teachers can often undermine the abilities of students, or fail to notice/acknowledge how hard a student is working and thus give up on the student. For instance, a teacher can notice a student who struggles in the class (but is clearly giving all of his effort into the class in order to improve) and say something even as simple as "you're not succeeding because you're not working hard enough" to kill a student's morale and desire to improve. In this case, negative reinforcement or even a lack of words can affect student's desire to achieve greatness or even maintain a respectable grade in the class.
Outside of the classroom, words have shaped many great events and strides in history. The greatest example in history of how words can promote change in humans and society is the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the epitome of how words can shape people for the better. Regarded as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to mold his words to effectively portray to America the inequality of African American's and the harsh realities of how African American's lived in the racist American society. In his immortal "I Have a Dream Speech", King undoubtedly changed the course of history and African American life in America by his powerful words and ability to depict African American inequalities.
Whether we as humans are fully aware of it or not, the words and how they are shaped by the speaker have paramount effects on both human behavior and history. In the classroom, teachers are given the task of shaping their words and lessons to foster the greatest growth in the lives of students. If students are expected to achieve academic greatness and put forth all their possible effort into succeeding in school, teachers should also put in an equal amount of effort and thinking into how they phrase their words and lessons in order to ensure the greatest amount of success in the classroom. In the fast-paced, cut throat society in which the future generation is expected the thrive in, it is ultimately the responsibility of the teachers to teach and foster the success of the future generations.

The First 10 Seconds

Studies have shown that a person, within the first ten seconds of meeting someone, has already created a judgment in his head about the other person. Moreover, these judgments that the person makes are more likely to think negatively of the person. Why do these judgments occur? The answer is stereotypes. Whether we know it or not, stereotypes affect all of the judgments that we make on people. It's self-conscious, it's almost second nature. What baffles me is how much these stereotypes affect people on a day to day basis. Even at Troy High, there are times when I notice other students ridiculing each other solely based on their skin color or gender. This is plain wrong. Stereotypes are what cause people to judge each other so negatively and cause animosity between people. The unfair judgments on Native Americans are depicted in Sherman Alexie's short story "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven", when the 7-11 clerk is with Sherman a Native American and senses that his "dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous" (Alexie 183). The clerk does not know anything about Alexie except for the fact that he is Native American, and automatically, almost subconsciously, fears Alexie solely based on the stereotype that Native Americans are thieves. Instead of basing ones view of someone else on the racist assumptions of society, one should always strive to acquaint and really get to know someone until they can make a fair and just decision about the person. Everyone has a different story, a different perspective, and one should not judge another until they have truly understood and comprehend their story. History also tells many stories about individuals or groups being judged based solely on stereotypes; the most striking and outrageous being against African Americans. Africans were judged solely based on their skin color, and thus the white man deemed them racially inferior and able to be taken advantage of for their benefit. Even after slaves were emancipated and given the status as "Americans", they were still treated harshly and as inferiors. It wasn't until Martin Luther King Jr. led his nonviolent resistance for Civil Rights that Africans were given a truly "equal" status with other Americans. Stereotyping and the subconscious judging of man based on their appearance is a problem that has plagued America and human race as long as history. Instead of judging one based off of their race or gender, people should strive to understand and connect with each other before making judgments about the person.

A Particular's Puissant Power

How much power does an individual wield? Does life shape an individual, or does the individual shape his life? As a junior high schooler, there are many times when I feel that life has taken control over me; however, I always persevere and bring myself up in order to combat the toughness of life. The individual has the power to shape his or her own life, yet a rare amount ever find and utilize this unfounded power to shape their lives while the rest allow their lives to take control over them. In the novel The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, the narrator Jeanette is the epitome of an individual who uses her power to overcome the hardships in which life puts on her. The dysfunctional Walls family lives a life of poverty and adventure, and Jeanette is often victimized by her fathers instable conditions and family problems. However, Jeanette does not let these hardships control her life; instead, she learns from these experiences and molds her own individual self apart from the misfortune and misery in which her family life influences onto her. Jeanette goes on to shape herself as a prominent writer in first the high school level, and then in moving away from the family into New York, establishing herself as a prominent writer and story-teller. Jeanette accentuates the point that even when the harsh realities of life can weaken an individual, the individual still has the power to shape their own lives without letting the life of the individual barricade one's hopes for success and a better life. Events in history also point to the fact that individuals do have the power to shape their own histories and futures. Thomas Jefferson changed both his own legacy and the legacy of the nation with his pen, taking leaps and bounds in writing the Declaration of Independence, a document which documented both a nations indepedence but also the natural law of man, and the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness in which all humans possess. Overcoming the fear of treason and the pressure of the delegates around him, Jefferson fought through and created one of the most profound pieces of literature and law in human history. Both Jeanette Walls from The Glass Castle and Thomas Jefferson portray the simple law of human nature that individuals do have the power to shape their own future, an unlimited power to create themselves, and it is only those who are able to realize this power and not let the hardships of life restrict them that truly succeed at life.