Essay Prompt 2: In the past 5 years, what person or group has most impacted your life in a

substantial, beneficial and enduring manner? What did this person or group do and why did this
make a difference in your life? What do you imagine prompted this person or group to do it?
How are you different now?

"A good teacher is like a candle, it consumes itself to light the way for others." This quote by an
unknown author embodies every aspect of what my teachers at Mid-Prairie High School do for
each of their students. Teaching has always been a big part of my life. My mother is a first grade
teacher and my father was an elementary art teacher before his accident. I have always known
that teaching could be a career where you can influence the lives of others, but it was not until I
got to the Mid-Prairie High School that I discovered how teachers could impact your everyday
lives, your entire year, and your future.
You know you have an incredible support system when you look back on a year and realize just
how much they have affected your life. I look back on high school and see that I would not be
who I am today if it weren't for every teacher that I have had in my academic career. However I
think that it is the work of the High School teachers that have inspired me to pursue a career in
teaching. They have not only inspired me to become a teacher, but to become an influential and
inspiring teacher.
When I walk in the doors at Mid-Prairie there are no questions of how my day will go. There is a
pleasant atmosphere floating in the hallways and around every corner is a smiling teacher. I
know that I can go talk to my teachers about my homework, questions from class, or about what
happened at the football game last Friday. Our teachers are not merely educators or classroom
managers. They are adults who teenagers can trust in a time during their lives where they don't
know who to turn to. In my high school career we have faced many hardships and challenges
such as the deaths of a student, two former students, and faculty spouses. The teachers at our
school were continually there to support not only myself but also every student in the school as
well as fellow staff members. They go above and beyond.
At the beginning of this school year we had an all school assembly. Our principal told us that this
year we needed to push ourselves to the point of failure. We needed to push ourselves to where
we were learning the most and where we were gaining the most out of our classroom
experience. When you have a principal who is speaks to the students with that passion and
desire for them to do well you know you go to an amazing school.
When I look at each individual teacher I try and think of why they do what they do. What has
inspired them to become a teacher? It seems like each one has a different reason but it always
comes back to the same concept. It's because they love what they are doing. They love to
inspire and impact students. They have that true passion for their subject area, their school, and
most of all their students. Every teacher is someone a student, like myself, can count on. Every
door is open and every ear is ready to listen.
Without the compassion of the teachers at Mid-Prairie I know I would not be where I am today.
I would not be as prepared for life after high school or as excited, as I am if it weren't for them. If
it were not for the teachers at Mid-Prairie High School I would not be inspired to become a
teacher myself. Each class that I take I know that I am being prepared for the rest of my life.
The mission statement for the Mid-Prairie School District is "Preparing today's students for
tomorrow's world in a caring learning environment." Each teacher takes this mission statement
to heart. When a teacher is excited and passionate about what they are teaching their students
will have that same excitement and passion about what they are learning. They put forth effort
that is beyond any student's expectations and the results are recognized throughout the
country. We are recognized as a Blue Ribbon School and in the top 6% of High Schools in the
Nation. I am honored to be able to learn in that building and those classrooms.
Looking back on the last three years of high school I can honestly say that I have been shaped
into the person I want to be. While this is partly because of life experiences and personal
choices it is also due to the passion my teachers have for their profession and individual
students. My teachers encourage me to pursue goals higher than what I think I can reach and
then work along with me to make sure I get there. When I graduate in the spring I will be fully
prepared and ready for life after high school.
My goals for life now are to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with an
emphasis in Special Education and Social Studies. Then I would like to return to the Mid-Prairie
school district and teach future Mid-Prairie students. I believe that it is in this school district
where I would have the best opportunity to impact the lives of my students. This is because it is
a tradition, it is the standard at Mid-Prairie. We have a saying here at Mid-Prairie, "We do things
the Mid-Prairie Way." Every teacher is inspirational, influential, and does their job the 'Mid-
Prairie Way'.
If I am half as good of a teacher as many that I have had at Mid-Prairie High School then I will
make a difference. I will still inspire, I will still influence, and I will still impact. That is how much
effort and compassion they put forth. When I am in college it will be the memories and
knowledge I took with me from Mid-Prairie High School that will encourage me to succeed.
When I am employed as a teacher, no matter where it is, it will be the memories and knowledge
I took with me from Mid-Prairie that will encourage me to succeed once more. And I will
continue to act as my teachers have and strive to do everything I am involved in the 'Mid-Prairie
Way.'

TOEFL® essay: nowadays, what is the role of a teacher?

There is no doubt that throughout history there have been a lot of autodidact inventors; names like Albert
Einstein, Thomas Eddison are just some examples that come to my mind; people who without having gone to
school reached their goals and found what they were looking for and succeded; at the same time the are many
people who succeed without going to school; in spite of this fact, nobody can deny that the more you go to school
and have good teachers the more probability you have to suceed in your life; also, the necessity of a teacher
varies a lot depending on your age.

When you are a child, nothing can subsitute the guidance and education given by a professional teacher; these
people know how to guide children and how to make them gain confidence in their own; in my case, teachers I
daily most remember are the ones I had when I was a child, those who taught me how to behave, what was good
and bad, those who really shaped my personality; at the same time, when you are a child your parents can act
sometimes as teachers and this is crucial for the proper education of a child; while you grow up, a teacher is also
needed as they will give you all the knowledge you need in order to be prepared for the future; a teacher will tell
you what degree can fit more with your aptitudes, how you can get the best of you;

On the other hand, when you are an adult, you will be pushed to study in order to keep you updated in your
profession; of course you could study on your own but it is also recommended that you apply to an university and
study for example a master where you will find professors well prepared to teach you what you need to face new
challenges; nowadays, with internet and all kind of new technologies, the role of teachers have been changing as
you do not need to go a class anymore so you do not listen to a professor's lecture; in these cases professors act
more like advisors, most of the time online.

To sum up, being taught by teachers is so important if you want to guarantee yourself a proper education; I
strongly believe that sucsessful countries rely on a proper and efficient education system; it is also true that the
role of a teachers varies depending on your age so that the younger you are the more you need a teacher; they
are in charge of setting the foundations for the future. :D :D