Rewrite of application essay.
Sooo. Notre Dame wants a rewrite of my application essay.
Okay.
I fell on my nose after finishing my Methods project (40% of my grade). I have almost no time in which to do this rewrite, but, it must be rewritten.
Anyone want to give it a last glance-over?
1. What are your goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study in your chosen program?
I see myself teaching in a small private school where I wear many hats. I plan to start with a dual certification in English and World History, then while teaching, study US History, government, and macroeconomics (partially through sheer curiosity) to eventually add the social studies endorsements.
A graduate program is a must to my mind. While becoming a teacher is straightforward, becoming a good teacher is not.
A good teacher has empathy and alertness. In the late 1990's, when I was tutoring ESOL in the Laubach's program, a Tibetan woman couldn't tell me how far it was to her Bethesda home. Plumbing this oddity, I found she couldn't read maps, road signs, and was at sea in mass transportation. One has to listen to know what a student needs. In 2003, the Washington State Refugee Assistance Tutor Training Program taught me that what's required is often not in the curriculum.
A good teacher has depth and breadth of knowledge. My English teacher had a master's in British literature, so we (gleefully) studied Chaucer at the Detroit Waldorf High School. That's what depth and passion for your subject can bring. As a writer and aspiring Tibetan translator, in 2009 I completed a dual degree in English and International Studies. These subjects are not separate or discrete but rather like different rooms in the same house. If one were to study world history in perfect detail, one would learn all subjects. Yet if one could read every written work, one would learn world history. Through creativity, MRIs have shown that one makes synaptic connections between seemingly disparate parts of the brain. The greater the range one can offer students, the better.
A good teacher has skillful methods. After tutoring for many years, in 2007 at the University of Washington Writing Center, I studied writing center theory. Working with Louisa Peck, we changed everything about how I tutor writing. I reined in my entertaining chattiness till my students spoke instead and expressed their ideas. Paradoxically, the less I said, the more they learned. Writing is how students express what they don't realize they know. Much of my job is to provide questions and space for that knowing to arise.
A good teacher has a coherent philosophy. Ones philosophy determines the kind of teacher one becomes, what methods one uses, what knowledge one teaches, and how one responds to student needs. In studying backwards design in English Methods this year, I discovered that the teaching philosophy determines the goal of a curriculum, and that the goal is where we begin. Without a clear, consciously chosen philosophy, I remain a confused amalgamation of past learning experiences with teachers who may have wildly divergent views of teaching.
In Notre Dame's graduate program I can develop a cohesive teaching philosophy that will become the foundation to develop all the characteristics of a well-qualified teacher.
They gave me almost no time to do this. Sigh.
Okay.
I fell on my nose after finishing my Methods project (40% of my grade). I have almost no time in which to do this rewrite, but, it must be rewritten.
Anyone want to give it a last glance-over?
1. What are your goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study in your chosen program?
I see myself teaching in a small private school where I wear many hats. I plan to start with a dual certification in English and World History, then while teaching, study US History, government, and macroeconomics (partially through sheer curiosity) to eventually add the social studies endorsements.
A graduate program is a must to my mind. While becoming a teacher is straightforward, becoming a good teacher is not.
A good teacher has empathy and alertness. In the late 1990's, when I was tutoring ESOL in the Laubach's program, a Tibetan woman couldn't tell me how far it was to her Bethesda home. Plumbing this oddity, I found she couldn't read maps, road signs, and was at sea in mass transportation. One has to listen to know what a student needs. In 2003, the Washington State Refugee Assistance Tutor Training Program taught me that what's required is often not in the curriculum.
A good teacher has depth and breadth of knowledge. My English teacher had a master's in British literature, so we (gleefully) studied Chaucer at the Detroit Waldorf High School. That's what depth and passion for your subject can bring. As a writer and aspiring Tibetan translator, in 2009 I completed a dual degree in English and International Studies. These subjects are not separate or discrete but rather like different rooms in the same house. If one were to study world history in perfect detail, one would learn all subjects. Yet if one could read every written work, one would learn world history. Through creativity, MRIs have shown that one makes synaptic connections between seemingly disparate parts of the brain. The greater the range one can offer students, the better.
A good teacher has skillful methods. After tutoring for many years, in 2007 at the University of Washington Writing Center, I studied writing center theory. Working with Louisa Peck, we changed everything about how I tutor writing. I reined in my entertaining chattiness till my students spoke instead and expressed their ideas. Paradoxically, the less I said, the more they learned. Writing is how students express what they don't realize they know. Much of my job is to provide questions and space for that knowing to arise.
A good teacher has a coherent philosophy. Ones philosophy determines the kind of teacher one becomes, what methods one uses, what knowledge one teaches, and how one responds to student needs. In studying backwards design in English Methods this year, I discovered that the teaching philosophy determines the goal of a curriculum, and that the goal is where we begin. Without a clear, consciously chosen philosophy, I remain a confused amalgamation of past learning experiences with teachers who may have wildly divergent views of teaching.
In Notre Dame's graduate program I can develop a cohesive teaching philosophy that will become the foundation to develop all the characteristics of a well-qualified teacher.
They gave me almost no time to do this. Sigh.