I am applying to schools this year. I either need to get my master’s in education or I need an international teaching certificate. I’m not sure what I should do first! But this is my goal this year: to take the next big step in my career.
I’m scared as hell.
So I need some help. Below is my application essay. I just wrote it in an hour and I don’t know if it is any good. But if anyone has any suggestions or tips or comments PLEASE LET ME KNOW. Thank you thank you!
You might see in my application that I didn’t reach a 3.0 GPA. I am not going to cover this up nor am I going to add bells and whistles to it. However, if you notice I ended up at 2.9, so there is indication that I tried. Looking back at my past, maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough, maybe there were distractions, or maybe I didn’t get the right kind of teacher attention. Whatever the reason for my low GPA, I can tell you that my goal was always to reach a 3.0 and I came very close to my goal.
In my two years of working with Special Educational Needs (SEN) students I realize that these students don’t reach the mark most of the time. Some of them will never reach the average grade because they do not have what society deems necessary to move to the next level. However, these students aren’t “retarded” – a word that is still used in many countries, like Romania where I had worked for those two years. These students have potential, but as teachers we need to help them “bridging the gap,” as my supervisor would say. The gap ranges from writing ability to social behaviors, from reading habits to sensatory sensitivity. I worked with many elements and it made me understand why a student struggles.
I hear of many stories where a teacher gets frustrated with a student who understands one thing and then the next moment they forget everything. Sometimes the student pushes back at the teacher and it leads to a bigger confrontation. Both scenarios are caused by a lack of information, either by the student not receiving the information or the teacher not being able to understand what the student is trying to communicate. Listening to these stories I know I want to be the communication facilitator because I don’t want these scenarios to be the basis of any SEN student’s life.
I myself was a SEN student. I know the frustration and the struggles – it’s what makes me be able to connect to the students. When students get upset at their writing assignment I take a moment and remember my frustration with writing. I was told that I am not a good “communicator,” but look at my writing now! There is hope. So I give the student a different way of looking at the assignment. Once I see that the student has become interested in the assignment I let them show me what they can do. I don’t want to hold their hand through every step because I believe that every person has their own way of thinking, but sometimes they need a facilitator.
With my low GPA I know that I will not be accepted to most programs. Most schools base the ability of a student on numbers, and not effort. Effort is not easily measured unless you are face to face with that person, seeing their struggles and watching them accomplish the small goals. You will not see my struggles or small accomplishments on this application, but I can communicate to you that I have the ability and the drive to get my Master’s in education. I’ve accomplished my small goal of writing this letter, now it’s your turn as a teacher. Do you want to see how far I can go?
Serendipitous Lessons 