College Entrance Essay #1

Most districts that I have subbed for have a pretty stream lined process: You show up, they check to make sure you have a license and a heartbeat, and they give you a PIN number.

Two of the more EXCLUSIVE districts, however, require you to fill out an essay just for the PRIVILEGE of being considered for their ranks of upper eschalon reserve teachers. The whole process frustrates my impatient heart and makes me feel like I'm applying ti colleges all over again....


The Heart of a Child

I have been teaching for over ten years. I teach because I love learning and I love kids. In my path so far as a teacher I have received a lot of training, both formal and otherwise. I’ve received years of training in Responsive Classroom, Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, Cognitively Guided Instruction, as well as earning my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. However, my greatest lessons have often come outside the classroom.
Before I lived in Japan for two years I did not think I was “good at languages.” However, when I ended up being the only English speaker in a town of 7,000 people, things changed. I learned that necessity is not only the “mother of invention” but the mother of motivators. It also showed me that learning comes easier to those who are not afraid of making mistakes. I owe my fluency in multiple languages to the fact that I have an unabashed love of taking risks and making a fool of myself when in pursuit of knowledge.
During my time at Community of Peace Academy I learned the value of character education. I saw that teachers who live peace, teach peace. Students are always watching, and how you treat your co-workers will more surely be emulated than any words you may speak. Above all, l strive to learn from everybody I encounter. I value my elders in the profession, but also I realize that sometimes the best teacher for the job is a kid. I believe strongly in students teaching students. Not all learning happens in the classroom and not all learning springs forth from the teacher. The best teacher inspires learning with his burning curiosity and strives to make students self-sufficient and self-sustaining in their quest for knowledge.
Above all, I believe learning must be fun. I have impersonated an ancient Greek god, a 19th century Minnesota Voyageur, and a superhero in the name of education. I have staged live chariot races, built time machines, and planned trips to the stars. And if I could teach every aspect of every subject in the form of a game, I would. After all, I don’t teach Math or Science or even Reading, I teach children. Developmental appropriateness is always at the heart of my teaching and play is at the heart of a child’s world.