Congratulations to our Winners! 1st Place Essay 2nd Place Essay 3rd Place Essay Honorable Mention

Part of The Critical Thinking Company's mission is to inspire a love of thinking while developing important critical thinking skills. The essay competition was designed to inspire and encourage middle school students to continue practicing higher order thinking in high school, college, and beyond. The college scholarship essay competition asked middle school students to write an essay, 500 words or less, in response to one of the following topics: Topic #1) Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to The Critical Thinking Company educational materials from the last 50 years. Topic #2) Describe, 50 years from now, how your everyday life may benefit from strong critical thinking skills. We would like to sincerely thank all participants for their essay submissions.

1st Place Essay

Topic # 1: Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to The Critical Thinking Company educational materials from the last 50 years.
Student's name: Leyla Akay
School's name: Bilkent University Preparatory School, Ankara, Turkey
Grade level: 7 (age 12)

Logic in My Life

            From kindergarten to sixth grade, I was homeschooled in the heart of Pennsylvania. Unlike other children my age, my lessons were short and concise; indeed, the school day for me rarely lasted more than three hours. One of my favorite classes was Logic and Critical Thinking. I still have very fond memories of curling up on the couch, solving complex logic puzzles.  The books and programs we used included Mind Benders, Critical Thinking, Word Roots Software, Object Mystery Cards, and Developing Critical Thinking Through Science.  
            Indeed, this love of logic has sparked a penchant for mysteries and mystery novels. Some of my favorite books are authored by novelists such as Agatha Christie, of whom I have read nearly eighty works; P.D. James; and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My affection for verbal reasoning and mysteries is not confined to merely reading, however. In fact, I have published many detective short stories, and recently became a “Top Finalist” for the Mystery Writers of America annual writing contest in their 6th-10th grade division.
However, this year as I began the seventh grade, my family and I moved from the Pennsylvanian suburbs to Ankara, the capital of Turkey. This move effectively re-ignited my passion for critical thinking. Although for some years our well-worn books of Critical Thinking had lain untouched in the basement, I had never lost my passion for delving into complicated mind games.
            When we finally completed the move and packed the last box away, it was time to start school. There, at a well-known preparatory school, I began to re-discover the wonders of Logic. Indeed, three weeks upon starting school, I was invited to join the Junior Model United Nations team. In order to be accepted, I had to write a short essay on the Russian-Georgian conflict. No assignment before had ever relied upon my sense of logic and critical thinking. As the essay was due the next day, I spent every waking moment researching, thinking, and writing. I was ecstatic to learn that I qualified, and I knew that I owed this success to my foundations in Logic and Critical Thinking.
            Whether engaging in lively debate, pondering over thought-provoking prompts, or just trying as hard as I can to “not think of a Polar Bear,” the exercises provided in Critical Thinking books have opened my eyes to the depths, extent, and applications of logic and critical thinking. These books have guided my path in not only the Junior Model United Nations, but also in choosing law as a career for myself. Whether in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or in Ankara, Turkey, critical thinking has helped me every step of the way.

2nd Place Essay

Topic # 2: Describe, 50 years from now, how your everyday life may benefit from strong critical thinking skills.
Student's name: Nur Kose
School's name: Kose Homeschooling, New Castle, DE, USA
Grade level: 6

At age 60, critical thinking would help me deal with my family, job, and social life by helping me make educated decisions.  Here is an example of a diary I might write in 50 years.

October 24, 2060
Dear Diary,
Today was such a busy day!  Before going to school, I raked the leaves in the backyard and put them in a bag.  Then, the bag went into the trash can.  After going back inside for breakfast, I suddenly realized that throwing the leaves into the trash wasn’t needed!  I hurriedly took the leaf bag out and put it in the garage.  I decided to start composting.  That would be good for my garden and would give landfills more space.  Earth does have a limited amount of space.  Even though I am not an experienced environmentalist, I do know what helps the environment and what harms it. 

The students were very attentive today.  I was pleased with the way they used their critical thinking skills to learn more about the inventions of the middle-ages.  I told them to write about which invention they thought was the most beneficial.  They carefully read about all of the inventions during that time period and connected them with their everyday lives to make their decisions.  In my first year of teaching, I read an article called, ‘Why Teach Critical Thinking Skills?’  I liked the author’s first sentence,“If we teach children everything we know, their knowledge is limited to ours.  If we teach children to think, their knowledge is limitless.”  I have used this advice throughout my teaching career.

My friends came over for tea in the evening.  We talked a lot about voting though half of them weren’t interested in voting at all.  I tried to convince them to vote by giving them examples of consequences that may occur if the wrong person is in Office.  The wrong person could destroy our country.  They asked me who would be the best candidate to vote for.  I told them to find out all about what each candidate did for our country so far.  I advised them not to listen to the promises they make, but study what they already did.  Promises can be misleading sometimes because people don’t always fulfill all of their promises.  As they were leaving, they were still asking me questions about the candidates.  I smiled as I closed the door.  My friends were finally acting like responsible citizens.

When they left, I read some Quran.  I know that God’s best gift to mankind is the mind.  So I try to use my mind carefully and think wisely.  The Quran tells me to think critically and to not just blindly accept whatever others say without having any knowledge about the subject.  I thanked God for all of His blessings and especially for my mind which helps me make the right decisions throughout my life.
Now, I should rest for the busy day ahead of me tomorrow. 

3rd Place Essay

Topic # 2: Describe, 50 years from now, how your everyday life may benefit from strong critical thinking skills.
Student's name: Julia Miller
School's name: University City High School, San Diego, CA
Grade level: 9

            What is critical thinking? How might it affect us ffity years from now? Critical thinking involves many types of thinking, including logic, reasoning and problem solving. Adults constantly have to think ahead. Once you have a job you can't make very many mistakes, but by using critical thinking it is easier to avoid common mistakes. I believe that fifty years from now critical thinking will help me by looking at things more optimistically. Looking beyond is very critical, the harder you try to look beyond the more critical you are thinking. I believe that looking beyond will really help me excel in any career that I choose.
            In fifty years from now I will be very close to retirement and I will really need to try to think critically, by trying to save my money, as well as really thinking of how to plan out saving my money for the rest of my life. So critical thinking definitely could help me financially by spending it carefully, also being very protective of my finances. Also, if I think critically in finances I could possibly make myself even more successful than I already hope to become. By using logic I know that I will make fewer mistakes in the workplace and by using problem solving I know that I will be able to resolve any mistakes that I do happen to make.
            Critical thinking will come to be useful when I do eventually start to get any type of career, all that matters is by using critical thinking is to start off on the right foot. Not being "side-tracked," and not thinking before I act. Critical thinking will definitely be important because, if I don't use critical thinking I could ruin the decisions that I once had planned. Constantly I need to practice to do well in a career choice. Using critical thinking will help by having more success in a career, by practicing critical thinking skills it will also help my life and career.
            To get in to a career you want, you need to go to college. College will also use critical thinking. By using critical thinking, it may help get unstuck on some of the lessons that may be difficult or misunderstood. In those situations I may use critical thinking skills to think outside and around the box. Also using critical thinking to ask oneself questions about the things I may need help in. I would use my critical thinking skills to hep solve my issues that may be similar when I am in that situation when I want to reach my goals and attend college.
            Writing about critical thinking has really made me progress to use the skills and practice them in school and later on in life. Knowing, what is critical thinking? Critical thinking will be something to try to use daily as a goal in my life in order for me to be successful that way that I want to be successful. All the things I wrote I would need the critical thinking skills for to be successful fifty years from now. Thinking and preparing for college and a career will lead me to my dream, the way I want to be fifty years from now, critical thinking is so very much important.

 

Honorable Mention

Topic # 1: Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to The Critical Thinking Company educational materials from the last 50 years.
Student's name: Colin M. Eustace
School's name: Tower Heights Middle School, Centerville, Ohio
Grade level: 7

How Critical Thinking Skills Change My Everyday Life

            The products from Critical Thinking Company have improved my life in many ways. As I read this topic, my first question was ‘what is critical thinking’. According to the Critical Thinking Co., critical thinking is “the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making”. In addition, the company defines a critical thinker as a person who “uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately." After reading these definitions, I realized that critical thinking is a way that not only uses common sense but also good and reasonable judgments. The company values education, a component of life I also value because “education builds futures”. The products of the company have been helpful to many students.
            Personally, I have benefited from the Critical Thinking Company’s online teachings. I have learned to be responsible in my everyday life. As I become more responsible, I not only focus more on my school performance but also get along with my parents. My parents become so happy and proud when they find me studying on my desk without being asked to do so. Being responsible also has prevented me from getting in trouble while in school by critically thinking about the consequences of my actions. Responsibility is a helpful trait and I am grateful that the Critical Thinking Company is able to bring this to me and many other students, especially teenagers like me.
            Critical Thinking Company has given me the opportunity to live my dream through excellent education. When I grow up, I want to pursue a PhD in civil engineering and teach at a university just like my father, who has always been my role model. I appreciate the company’s products that are easy to use and understand making learning easy. Some books from other companies just give out facts but the books from the Critical Thinking Company gives facts as well as elaborations on the facts so that students can understand. The company also points out that although all human-beings need food, water, and shelter, they need an education to be able to get these precious resources. I am grateful that my parents have been able to get a good education even though they suffered a lot during their childhood. They had two major responsibilities - taking care of their siblings while their parents were trying to make ends meet and get good education. It did not matter to them when other students taunted them because their families did not have enough money. They were not distracted by minor things like getting the newest shoes or downloading the coolest music. They deserved their PhDs because they had excellent critical thinking skills. I have to admit that I sometimes get distracted by little things. The Critical Thinking Company continues to provide me with the necessary critical thinking skills that guide my academic success and life skills. I would recommend the company’s products for all students and parents around the world.

Topic # 1: Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to The Critical Thinking Company educational materials from the last 50 years.
Student's name: Nadia S. Lahlaf
School's name: TLC Academy, MA
Grade level: 6

            My name is Nadia S. Lahlaf. I am almost twelve years old, and I am in the sixth grade. My Mom home schools me at our house in Billerica, Massachusetts. My mother has taught me for more than six years, and she has always given me Critical Thinking products. I used many various products, and I am always ready for another fun challenge with new ones.
            I have used and enjoyed Critical Thinking computer software CD work and practice books, and organizers. Among my favorites are the CD, Revenge of the Riddle Spiders, and Organizing My Learning. I really like Critical Thinking books and software because they teach me essential skills in life, such as organization, logic, grammar, and math in a way that is fun and easy to understand. I do not really enjoy reading books that have complicated wording or boring paragraphs, and Critical Thinking is definitely not like that. Everything is always phrased in a very simple manner, so it is easy to understand, and paragraphs are short and to the point, though they get the message across well.
            I believe critical thinking is very important because one must be able to think logically and figure things out, otherwise one will never get anywhere. If life is a long road you are driving on, critical thinking is the fuel. Just as the fuel is essential to drive the car, critical thinking is essential in your life at school, work, and even at home.
            Critical Thinking books and software were and still are a big help in my education. I recommend them for anyone who wants to learn and have fun at the same time.

Topic # 1: Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to The Critical Thinking Company educational materials from the last 50 years.
Student's name: Elizabeth Egbert
School's name: Egbert Homeschool
Grade level: 8

            My life has strongly benefitted from critical thinking skills developed by the Critical Thinking Company. My mom has used several Critical Thinking books and they have helped my siblings and me incredibly. To understand how critical thinking has influenced me, first we need to understand what critical thinking skills are. Critical thinking is the ability to ask intelligent questions, answer those questions, and make your decisions using the information you’ve gathered.
            Asking intelligent questions is a very important skill. If you want to get an intelligent answer, you have to ask intelligent questions. The Critical Thinking Company has helped me ask intelligent questions by creating the Mind Benders books.  My siblings and I do Mind Benders every week and it has helped me to ask intelligent questions and use deductive reasoning in order to grasp a concept. I haven’t mentioned deductive reasoning before, deductive reasoning is all of these three concepts in one.
            Before I started doing Mind Benders I would just ask questions just to get the basic gist of the problem. Now I ask questions so I can truly understand. Leska an educator from Charleston, West Virginia also thinks Critical Thinking Skills are great.  “My students really enjoyed the mental challenge of the problems posed them. The excitement that I saw coming from (their) faces as they worked cooperatively to solve problems was mind-boggling to me.”
            In getting intelligent questions answered, you have to be willing to do research and ask other people questions. Through the Critical Thinking Company I have learned how to get my questions answered. I have learned how to ask questions in a way that I get the best possible answer I can from the people around me and from gathering information from the internet and books. Teachers around the country have also been surprised at how Critical Thinking Skills influence kids. “I credit you in helping both my (students) and me to learn the thinking skills needed for success.” says Michelle an educator from Broad Run, Virginia.
            Making your decisions by using the information you’ve gathered is really important. Whether you’re just deciding what to have for breakfast or deciding what college you want to go to when you graduate, these skills are necessary. The Critical Thinking Company has helped me to be able to use the information I gather to make good decisions. Mind Benders especially has helped me make wise decisions. I think the Critical Thinking Company has done a great job in challenging kids like me to work beyond their potential. People all over the country have seen big changes from using critical thinking skills. “We see great results from using your products. Your work has produced positive results and, I believe, higher test scores.” stated Luine an educator from Baytown, Texas.