Explain how your personal history and family background have influenced your professional development to become a teacher
My decision of becoming a teacher solely comes from my family background and my interests as I grew up. I was motivated into becoming a professional teacher because I loved the profession. Although I did not know exactly what it entailed to become a teacher, I started developing the interest and began interacting closely with my teachers asking them questions about how they became to be teachers.
As I advanced in my career, I realized that teaching was not the only profession that I could study. I could as well study law, medicine, and other ‘prestigious’ professionals. I once thought that teaching was not my profession but my wish and my desire of becoming one could not allow me to change my career. Even when my friends advised me to change my career, I could not since it was an intrinsic desire that I felt motivated to pursue it.
My family background also contributed a lot to my decision of pursuing teaching in my professional development. My father to be precise, influenced my decision to pursue the course because he believed that I could provide good leadership and an example to my smaller siblings behind me. He frequently encouraged me to study hard not to lose the target. Furthermore, I wanted to take a profession that was different from the other people in our family. Therefore, I was motivated to study teaching to bring diversity in the family as well as impacting positively on the lives of many children by facilitating the realization of their dreams and achievement of their goals and ambitions. I, therefore, developed a positive attitude and worked hard towards achieving my dream of becoming a teacher.
State your professional goals and aspirations after becoming a teacher
After becoming a teacher, I have certain goals and aspirations that I need to accomplish. Primarily, I will ensure that there exists an environment conducive to the learning system: an environment of respect and rapport between all the stakeholders in the education system. Achievement can only be attained if respect goes to every person, students, fellow teachers, and the parents regardless of age, gender, and among other parameters.
Communication stands out also as one of my aspirations. The relationships in the learning environment should be cultivated based on constructive communication and openness between all the stakeholders. Achieving this will prove a milestone for me in my initiative of achieving my goals as a teacher. I also wish to re-engineer the classroom environment by establishing a culture of learning among my students.
I will accomplish this by managing classroom procedures and ensuring that students uphold good morals and discipline. When students prove their ability to demonstrate good morals when at school, it fosters commitment and hard work in their studies hence excelling in their future careers and life at large (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999, p.32). My happiness will reach a peak upon the realization of my goals, which will otherwise stand out as the best time for my students to excel in their studies achieving their dreams in life.
Other goals and aspirations as a teacher include the demonstration of professionalism and the positive contribution towards the development and growth of school and education in general. As a professional, I aspire to adapt to the appropriate, current, and relevant teaching practices that will foster understanding and growth in the field of education. Professionalism will also encompass involvement or adoption of teaching methods using the current technologies, which will enhance efficiency in learning as well as the transmission of skills and knowledge to students. Lastly, I have the goal of becoming a teacher-consultant where I will teach upcoming teachers on the best practices and ethics required of a teacher.
There has been much discussion lately about an ‘achievement gap’ in K-12 education. What does that mean to you? What do you think are some of the reasons for the gap? What should be the role of a teacher relative to this ‘gap’?
To me, the achievement gap ink-12 is depicted in the deviations in performances of students coming from different races, economic backgrounds, and ethnic groups among others. These differences are the ones attributed to the achievement gap witnessed in the education of students both in primary and secondary levels. There stand different reasons, which have led to the gap including poverty, ethnicity, race, resources among others.
For instance, ethnicity in some of the states proves an issue of concern, which has contributed to this achievement gap to a greater extend. Lack of equity in the learning institutions where students from other races fail to receive much attention as their colleagues contribute a lot to the gap (Stadtman, 1970, p.212). Furthermore, poverty also contributes to the gap. Poor students on most occasions miss out on school due to a lack of learning materials, books, uniforms, and fees, which make them lag hence leading to the gap. Therefore, to end the problems by filling the gap, a teacher has a bigger role to play (Edward, 2007, Para. 4).
A teacher should engage all the stakeholders, parents, and students in helping the students with the requirements. Parents should be talked to and told to pay the fees of students in good time to avoid unnecessary absenteeism on the part of the students. Furthermore, a teacher has the responsibility to treat the students equally without showing favoritism to some based on their race (Thomas, 2011, Para. 3). This will provide a good environment for students. I will encourage them to work hard competing favorably with each other hence reducing the gap. The teacher should also liaise with the government by contributing his/her views concerning how to improve the education of k-12 for the achievement gap to reduce (Edward, 2007, Para. 3).
Describe an experience in which you found yourself changing your views about a significant topic or a significant person in your life. What prompted the change? How did that change affect your thinking and your interactions with others?
My thinking about the deaf man, who despite his situation, managed to accomplish his goal of becoming a lawyer proves my most remembered experience in life that has changed my entire way of thinking. At first, upon receiving the story of the man who had successfully managed to pursue and finish a career in law, I could not believe until I came one on one with the person. I believed that the man was a practicing lawyer who had successfully won several cases.
This changed my formed assumptions about people with disabilities especially those with seeing impairments. This experience prompted a change in my perceptions and thinking opening a wide scope of thinking as I was motivated and encouraged that despite some disabilities everything remains possible provided one has the zeal and heart of achieving what he/she wants to achieve. I also learned that hard work and perseverance pay. The way I used to underrate and look down upon people with disabilities as not resourceful significantly changed, as I was touched never to despise anyone. I came to declare the adage disability as not an inability true.
This experience changed my thinking and interactions with others on a great magnitude. I began to establish relationships with those people with various disabilities encouraging them and beginning agitating for their rights and educating society on how these people remain a great resource to the nation. There has been a remarkable change in my entire life, as I have learned that people need to embrace the disabled people loving them by providing them with what they want for them to realize their dreams.
Write about an experience in which you demonstrated commitment and Resilience
The entire period that my mother stayed in the hospital, admitted for cancer stands out as one among the many experiences in which I demonstrated commitment and resilience. This marks the episode that I will never live to remember or even narrate the story to my grandchildren if ever I will live and see them. By then I was still pursuing my diploma course and paying the tuition fee by myself following my father’s retrenchment.
Money was not enough to cater for the hospital expenses for the operation that my mother was to undergo. What next then? I did not have any person to turn to for help in footing out the bills. I began to solicit assistance from well-wishers and my friends who in most cases turned me away or even never contributed even a cent claiming that they did not have any money at their disposal. However, my commitments and resilience finally bore me fruits when a well-wisher, a stranger opted to assist me in footing the bill. I thanked God for that. I even had to cut off classes just to go and provide comfort to my mother during the pressing time.
On the day of operation, it happened that I had my last examination paper. It was unfortunate for me since it coincided with the date of operation; I had to sacrifice that paper, which I had now to re-sit for the following year. My commitment, concern, and love for my mother could not make me sit for the paper knowing that my mother’s condition was pathetic. I, therefore, sacrificed this just to be in the hospital praying for that the surgery to turn out a success.
I had to leave everything I was doing and use every single penny I had from my savings to pay the bills just to see to it that my mother gets well. This proves the well-remembered experience I have ever encountered in life and I am thankful to God and to all well-wishers for ensuring the survival of my mother. I am glad that until to date, I can see my mother and still feel the love of a mother.
Statement of Purpose for wanting to attend The University of California (USC)
It has always been my desire since my early years of attending school to be one of the students at the University of California. The university has always been my source of inspiration and motivation believing that I will build my future and my profession by securing a place in this university. Apart from winning recognition around the globe for its exemplary performance, the university enhances the skills and talents of students and hence the reason behind my desire to join it.
The university further has an array of a variety of infrastructure and learning resources (Harvey, 2002, p.35), which are important in facilitating the dissemination of knowledge and skills as well as harnessing various talents and gifts of its students. Therefore, my statement of purpose in my need to attend this university is to realize my dream of being an innovative, creative, and competent person and a professional in my field of study.
I have faith and confidence in the institution as it represents the region in offering quality and relevant education that applies in the current situations. The university will also allow me to grow in my thinking capacity providing me with a platform to interact with students from various backgrounds hence learning about different cultures and ways of living (The economic policy institute, 2011, p.4). Hence, I will therefore stand a chance to fit in any working environment based on my learning of several cultures from the students at the university. Therefore, my University of choice remains the University of California. I am optimistic that my dream will come true upon joining the university.
Reference List
Edward, F. (2007). Tips for closing the achievement gap between whites and blacks in K12 School. Web.
Harvey, H. (2002). University of California, Berkeley: An Architectural Tour and Photographs. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Stadtman, V. (1970). A Centennial Publication of the University of California. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.
Stigler, J., & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world’s teachers for improving education in the classroom. New York: Free Press.
The economic policy institute. (2011). Teacher quality: Understanding the effectiveness Of teacher attributes. New York: Washington.
Thomas, B. (2011). NCLB and the closing of achievement gaps. Web.