Teacher Assistant Personal Statement

“Letto diciassette!” I froze at the sound of “bed seventeen,” and watched with horror as the Italian nurse ran into my grandmother’s hospital room. The monitors were beeping out of control, yet my heart seemed to be beating even faster and louder. I stood at the end of the dimly lit hall, shaking and unable to move. A health care provider spotted me standing there, desperate, alone, and vulnerable, and made her way over to comfort me. The feelings I experienced next were what I remember most when I look back on that dark and gloomy day in Italy. ***The feelings of hope, reassurance and genuine kindness. The feeling that a missing piece of my heart had been put back where it belonged. That is what I remember most and that is the role I want

Based on my experience in the classroom and my educational background, I want to pursue a certification as a K-12 administrator because I want to help and work with a larger population of students. My desire to enhance the culture and community in a school building has come from working with three amazing, passionate, and dedicated administrators (one principal and two vice principals) in my school building. Their drive to positively influence the lives of students, collaborate with parents, and enhance the teaching styles of all the faculty members in the building, has motivated me to want to do the same. A new challenge is presented every day in a school building, and I want to be part of an administrative team that will successfully work together to overcome each and every obstacle in order to better the educational experience of students.

I have been dedicated to education throughout my academic life and in recent years have shown determination in pursuing a career as a primary school teacher. After gaining my HNC in Early Education and Childcare and SVQ level 4 in Children's Care Learning and Development, I returned to university to gain my BA degree in Childhood Practice. In addition, at present, I am working towards my higher English qualification in order to gain entry onto the PGDE

Having discovered my calling to work with nontraditional students, I took a position with St. Charles Youth and Family Services as a Teacher of Experiential Education. This position allowed me to interact with urban students from MPS who were expelled, court ordered or Special Education students who were deemed best suited to self-contained program. I loved the challenge every day. Every student was so different, but they all wanted and craved the same thing… acceptance and unconditional love. I wanted more.

I am a great teacher and am passionate about achieving my goals. I have several years of teaching experience and my enthusiasm for teaching children has only grown.

The old woman, wrinkled and tired, looked up at me with tears in her eyes and asked, “When will you be back? I don’t want you to leave.” We had been visiting for some time and she was visibly distressed to see me go. As I left my job as a nursing assistant that day, I was deep in thought, pondering where I was in life and what I wanted to do. This statement, uttered by a woman who I had worked with for a long time, stuck with me.

Since I remember, I always wanted to be a teacher. For instance, my dream came true at the very young age of 19 years old. In my country, Guatemala, I got my Vocational Teaching Credential. Unfortunately, my long-awaited dream ended too soon. Six years later, my life completely changed when I moved to the United States.

I am interested in becoming a teaching assistant in the UTEP sociology and anthropology department partly due to my interest in, the undergraduate students I would be teaching, and my ability to connect to them. A TA can fill a vital role in reaching students who lack the social and culture capital to interact confidently with professors. I have the background, skill and experience to fill this role. As an undergraduate student in this department, I was an unofficial mentor to students who was new to the Women and Gender Studies department, as well as to a student who was new to the Sociology and Anthropology department. As someone who had initially lacked the social and cultural capital to effectively communicate with my advisor, I understood their need to connect with someone who would be able to offer them advice, and help them learn how to communicate with their professors/advisors.

of Bachelor of Science in 2004 at Delaware State University (Major: Psychology & Minor: English Education) and holds a dual Master’s of Science in Early Education/Students with disabilities at Mercy College in 2008 (Bronx, NY). Starting from the teaching assistant, she has with her sincerity and loving nature achieved many awards in teaching profession. Dean’s List, Teaching Ahead and so on awards are under her belt in her small, but effective, almost 11 years, work experience. Moreover, Teaching Assistant and NYS Teacher Certification are two other appreciations she has acquired. She has a natural aptitude in superior interpersonal and communication skills to foster meaningful, spirited and affectionate relationships with students, staff, and parents. Likewise, student motivation, technology integration, creative lesson planning, writing jobs and so on tasks are a piece of cake for her and students enjoy her appearance much.

My decision to be a teacher did not come easily to me. This choice was dependent on a reflection about what I was passionate about and how I could make a difference. I have chosen to become a teacher, as I believe teachers have the ability to provide future generations the stimulation for one of the most significant roles in life; to become a lifelong learner. Many teachers that I have had during my education have had a positive impact on my decision to grow and develop the skills that are fundamental to pursue a successful teaching career. My aim is to be a part of an honorable profession with the optimism that one day I will become an efficacious teacher who can provide future teachers with inspiration, as my teachers have provided for me. Through personal educational experiences and peer-reviewed academic literature, I am able to shape my approach to my pre-service teaching, as it will influence my future practice. As a teacher, there is not just one singular approach to educating students; there is a need for flexibility, diversity, adaptation and reflection.

I write in pursuit of becoming a teaching assistant for EG-1003 beginning this fall. I seek this position wishing to further develop my skills in communication and collaboration. Furthermore, I would admire watching student creativity in action when they work in the labs and interacting with others when helping them solve problems. I believe my previous experience and personality enable me to be an effective teaching assistant.

I am attending Concord College to further my education. After graduating with an Elementary Education Degree, I would like to teach in an elementary school in Southern West Virginia. Preferably, I would like to teach in a kindergarten environment. While teaching I plan to further my career with a Master’s degree. I would like to be able to reach those children that aren’t as fortunate as others. As a teacher I will not only teach the children, but they in turn, will teach me. Education is one of the most important aspects to the success of the country. It is important for everyone to feel a part of that success; therefore, I feel strongly about teaching students to succeed.

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that in my future I wanted to become a teacher. I always looked up to my teachers, especially the ones I had in elementary school. I even played 'school' with my friends and pretended I had my own classroom. I loved being in charge. During a summer, I was given the opportunity to work as an Energy Express mentor and work with a group of eight children. This was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever been through. I was a mentor to help guide the children, and by the end of the summer I felt as if I had really accomplished something. I am planning to pursue a career in elementary education. I love children, and just knowing that as a

Ideally, when I graduate, I would like to enter the credential program at Cal Poly Pomona. As an English Education major, I feel like this is the next logical step for me as I seek to move forward on my path of becoming a teacher. The opportunities that await me in the credential program truly excite me because I have always found my studies of English Education to be very rewarding and purposeful. I have found this to be especially true now because I am currently in the process of conducting observation hours at local high schools in Pomona as part of my English Education curriculum. When I am in the classroom, I immediately feel a sense of joy, purpose, and productivity. Outside of the classroom, I do have experience teaching as a leader for a club on campus; I am a Woman’s Bible Study Leader for Cal Poly Cru and I have found this experience of teaching college students to be the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. It can become overwhelming as doubts and deadlines tend to sneak in on me from time to time, but I know that being a teacher is worth every ounce of pressure because of the positive impact that a teacher has the ability to make on a student. There is an incredible statistic that states that “On average a teacher affects 3,000 children over the course of their career” (Bickley). This opportunity stirs my heart like nothing else because when I was in high school, I had an incredible teacher named

Teaching the youth seems more challenging to me and it was an attractive option as I got the chance to shape my education in line with my desire of becoming a researcher. After completing two years of practical work now I believe I am ready to chase something bigger, something better – a Master degree in the field of Education. Two consecutive years in teaching profession made me realize that immense progress should be made with educating the youth of