My Vocational Essay

I can not think of a more precious gift to give my students than the love of the English language.

Autobiographical Essay

My dream as a young child was to become a teacher when I grew up.  I never had another goal and I pursued my dream diligently in high school and in college.  Unfortunately, due to economic and personal conditions, I did not enter the teaching field until my middle years.  I am finally finding my vocation as I teach writing and reading at ACE, part of Danbury High School.  My dream is just beginning to be fulfilled.

My educational qualifications include two degrees from Cornell University.  As an undergraduate, I studied English literature.  I received valuable instruction, not only in the appreciation and interpretation of literature, but also in expository writing.  As a graduate student, I worked on setting up a writing laboratory as well as acting as writing teacher for undergraduates.  In the years since Cornell, I have kept up my personal writing through letters and journals. My graduate school courses and student teaching experience prepared me for a classroom environment.  I received instruction in methods of teaching as well as teaching philosophies and linguistical studies.  My current work at Western Connecticut State University is refreshing and updating my professional background.  

The years I spent as a retail professional and a corporate travel consultant have proved to be valuable in my new teaching career.  As a manager of anywhere from ten to two hundred and fifty store employees, I used and mastered organizational skills as well as communication skills taught in my colleges classes.  As a travel professional at Union Carbide, I was able to interact and provide critical services for my corporate clients.  I was also afforded the opportunity to travel and experience new and different places.  My husband and I are avid SCUBA divers and explorers and I am able to bring many life experiences into my classroom.  

Throughout my years in retail and corporate environments, I maintained my love for the English language.  I read avidly.  Books are my constant companions.  I write voraciously.  Writing keeps me level headed and focused.  It helps me to discover my own feelings and motivations and goals.  It is a passion with me.

In my classes, I strive to impart this love of the English language to my students.  I respect each of my students and they, in turn, respect me.  I work hard on building healthy relationships with my students.  My classroom is a safe place to be and it is a place of working hard and learning much.

I can not think of a more precious gift to give my students than the love of the English language.  I believe most students will be excited about the things I am excited about.  I try to convince my students that they can write if they can talk.  If I can coax them into writing down their conversations and then reading them aloud, a major roadblock to writing is overcome.

I am a firm believer that every child can learn because learning is a natural ability and desire.  Children learn from me, but most of the time they are learning from each other and on their own.  It is very rewarding for me when my students grow in their writing and reading skills.

I am pursuing my Sixth Year Degree in Reading because I want to be more effective as a reading and writing teacher.  I want to learn all there is to learn about the needs of my students and the best practices in meeting those needs.  I love to learn myself and continuing my education is challenging and rewarding.

My dream to be a teacher is just starting to be fulfilled.  I plan to work long and hard at this dream.  I hope to impart to many my own love of reading, writing and communicating.

This is really my philosophy of education and how I got to where I am now. It's a bit dated and I'm going to try to update it.