Sunday, January 18, 2009

finally finished

i finally finished my grad school essay...one month after i started it. i know, i'm going to have to get a little faster at writing these things when i actually start classes. since it took me a month, i thought i'd make it worth the time and post it on here in addition to submitting it.

"What motivated you to become an educator and how do you think your participation in Webster's MAT program will help you to accomplish your personal and professional goals?"

I cannot remember what initially motivated me to become a teacher. The desire has just always been there, like a childhood memory. Saturdays in elementary school were often spent playing “teacher and student” in my friend’s basement. In high school, I was a “cadet teacher” which meant I spent a lot of time grading papers and designing bulletin boards. I loved the mark of a red pen, the crinkling of fresh butcher paper, and the bit of extra attention from the teacher. During those same years, I had a conversation with an elementary teacher about the overwhelming numbers of students that needed individual academic help. As a result of this conversation, I started a program that paired high school students with elementary students in an academic after school program. Working with the students in this program opened my eyes to the idea that becoming a teacher was about more than red check marks and pretty bulletin boards. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized its true depth.

It was the summer of 2000 and I had just finished my first year of college. I found myself in the heart of one of the most dangerous cities in the nation attempting to provide some relief in a local school and writing curriculum for a summer program. I entered the school to find an atrocity; too many students in one classroom, third graders that couldn’t write their own names, and very limited resources for teachers. These teachers didn’t have access to a copy machine and many were forced to provide supplies for their students. Stresses like these often led to apathy among the staff and situations where teachers would take to calling their students inappropriate names. I stood outside one day after one such incident, tears gushing, and vowed to become the teacher that would make a positive impact on students. I would not be apathetic, but contagiously passionate. I would empower my students to think, to explore, and to become lifelong learners.

Almost ten years later, I’m living in that dangerous city in the middle of a neighborhood that often evokes raised eyebrows. Living here has stirred up a passion within me for children from poverty, abusive homes, and neglectful parents. Teaching these children is not enough. I want to have a home with beds and clothes for them. I want to leave little surprises in their lunches every day. I desire to be the one that finds solutions for the third grader who can’t read because his school and biological parents have failed him. I want to be a justice seeker, a family, and a source of love.

A degree from Webster University will allow me to professionally serve the students in opening doors to the love of learning, specifically in the science field. Engaging this career that I love on a deeper level will enable me to open my home to children who will need it. I realize that what I would gain at Webster University would not only change my life, but be the beginning of life change in many children’s lives. I seek to include Webster University in this great adventure.

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