Teacher Cadet Personal Statement

As a teacher I will be allowed to pass on knowledge and skills that are essential for individuals

The field of education sparks my interest and it is the field I would love to be working in, in the near future. The role of a teacher is a very important one and is one that is not suited for everyone. A teacher needs to respect students, create a sense of community and belonging in the classroom, be warm, accessible, enthusiastic, and caring. These are all qualities I hope to be acquiring with my experiences working with young children. Being in the school of education and human services here at PCTI has been a wonderful learning experience throughout the years.

What it means to me, to be a R.O.T.C. Junior Cadet at Pryor Middle School. Being a R.O.T.C Junior Cadet means a whole lot to me, as it has been my lifelong dream to serve in the United States Military. A R.O.T.C Junior Cadet should demonstrate qualities of loyalty and patriotism, dependability and good character, obedience to discipline, and leadership abilities. It is important to show loyalty because loyalty builds character and reliability in a person. Being able to understand and exert discipline is also important in order to be successful.

As a young child, I learned that education would be beneficial to not only myself but also all humankind. Growing up in a Northeast Florida housing project my father and mother did the best they could to raise nine children. My father worked seven days a week in the service industry as a waiter and bartender while my mother worked as a domestic employee in the homes of more affluent people in the south. My father had an eleventh grade education and my mother had not passed the tenth grade before she bore her first child. Neither parent completed high school but they had dreams of their children far exceeding their educational accomplishments. I was child eight of the nine and I knew early on that I did not want to live

My interest in naval service began in 5th grade with my admittance to the United States Sea Cadet Corps. At first, I believed that I was making the most of my wasted time watching tv. However, after a while in the program, I began to realize that the camaraderie and dedication that this organization had to offer amazed and enticed me. Soon I became the program’s Ship’s Leading Petty Officer, the highest leadership position obtainable in the corps. Being handed that responsibility was a dream come true. That is where I found my passion for leading. Upon entering high school, I enrolled in the ROTC program hoping for more responsibility and a possible future in military service. On this road, I found my passion for the engineering field.

I am writing this letter to respectfully ask for your support in helping me become one of the many distinguished cadets at the United States Military Academy. I have achieved so much in my 16 years of life and being appointed into the academy will be very well-deserving and forthcoming to all the amazing opportunities that the academy has to offer. I have worked tremendously hard to obtain a 4.0 gpa and maintain a class rank in the top 100 of my 1000 person class. With your help I can hopefully be appointed as a West Point candidate for the class of 2022.

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.

The end of my sophomore year I knew I was going to be a teacher. I wanted to major in Early Childhood Education. One of the main reasons that I wanted to major in Early Childhood was because of volunteering in the nurseries at my church. I have been working in the nurseries since the seventh grade and ever since making up my mind on becoming a teacher, this is what I strive for. Going into Teacher Cadet I obviously have had some experience with kids and teaching them, but once I stepped into Mrs. Gruber’s class everything changed. When you are a teacher if a child had a bad day you couldn’t ask the parents to speak with the child or send the child with their parents, like at church, you had to fix the problem and just deal with the student,

I’ve always loved children and helping to care for them, and the opportunity to be a teaching assistant in SMIC’s annual summer camp in 2013 was perfect for me. I’ve always loved babysitting, but actually being able to teach seemed fun and different. For two weeks of July, along with the teacher I was assigned to, I helped teach basic English to eight year-olds from local Chinese schools. Although they could be rowdy or annoying at times, I grew fond of these kids and they of me. I learned to be patient with these children and not get irritated at what I thought were simple words or phrases. I discovered that teaching younger children was not only about teaching them the content in their textbooks, but also caring for them and helping them grow mentally. Situations like breaking up

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.

Some corps members say that teaching is the hardest thing they've ever done. There are moments when plans don't work out perfectly and where, despite having worked extremely hard, you might not feel good at your job. What concerns do you have about taking on this experience?

I aspire to be a class officer because it would be a valuable opportunity to gain additional leadership experience in my high school career. I for one have interest in the secretary position on account of my experience among working with paperwork, documents, and administrative items. Some of my strengths consist of being well-organized and having organizational skills that will be beneficial to the position of a secretary. I have confidence in myself as an excellent representative for the junior class considering that I am sociable and interact with the different types if personalities in the class of 2017. In ROTC at Robert E. Lee high school, I hold a position of leadership and believe I have the traits that would be effective as a class

Brad Henry once said, “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. Like every child I loved to play with my toys but unlike other children I would “teach” my dolls what I learned that day. In the third grade knew I wanted to become a teacher because I had an amazing instructor who ignited my dream to become a teacher. It has been a goal I’ve strived to meet since then. The Teacher Cadet Program will assist me in attaining my goals by helping me gain teaching experience, confidence in presenting, and gain awareness in teaching.

I am applying for the Professional Development Master Teacher initiative in order to continue my professional growth as a leader in my school, in the library/media profession and in my school district and to advocate for my profession. Unlike most of my fellow library/media colleagues, I was never a classroom teacher. Yet, I craved a career in education. In my fourteen years of service to CMS as a media specialist I have worked at all levels: elementary, middle and high. It was not until after completing the national board process two years ago, however, that my passion ignited and I began to seek greater opportunities for leadership and professional growth.

This past summer, I dedicated three months on community service, helping children. On the weekdays, I participated to become an afterschool teacher at my hometown church. I was in charge of taking care of children ranging from ages 5 and up, as the majority of their parents were at work. Through this program, I would help the children with any summer school homework, give them snacks, and simply play with them until their parents came to pick them up. Initially, taking care of a group of children was overwhelming for me, as the children had bursts of energy which I could not keep up with.