Writing Assistant

Personal Essay for Teaching Course Selection

I first realised that I wanted my future career to be based around working with children completely by accident. After high school I had started a course in accounting that I soon discovered wasn’t right for me, and I left during the first year. I then spent several months agonising over what career I should pursue, with no feeling of direction. I took some time off from making a firm decision about this, working in part-time jobs in the retail sector and getting married and having my daughter (now aged 5). Last year I decided it was time to get serious again about my future and start thinking about what to do with my life. After flicking through what felt like millions of university brochures and websites, my eye landed on the education section of one particular brochure. It had never once occurred to me to go into the teaching sector before, but for some reason, right at that moment, it just seemed like the right decision to make. My wife encouraged me to attend TSXPO last July, with no idea of what to expect and wondering if I had made the right decision. After speaking with university staff, I was awestruck. I then spoke to teachers at the local high school about what a teaching job entails, and now there is now looking back – I will become a teacher.

As a high school teacher, I would like to focus on teaching Science and Physical Education. This appeals to me as I have always found Science fascinating and regularly read “New Scientist” magazine, and I believe being involved with some form of fitness, whether it is going to the gym or playing a sport (I captain a social indoor cricket team) can not only keep a person healthy but also reduce stress.

I have always been an extremely curious person, fascinated by people and nature and what makes it all tick. There is nothing, in my opinion, much more fascinating than a child, something fatherhood has reinforced for me as I watch my daughter grow every day. Watching a child grow, develop and learn is one of the most humbling experiences a person can have and there is nothing quite like it to make you realise how precious life is.

I am a very passionate person, which is an attribute which is at its peak when it comes to certain issues surrounding young people such as discrimination/bullying, literacy and numeracy, and developing their imaginations. I am passionate and determined to make positive changes for children. My daughter has changed and matured me in many ways, and has instilled the firm belief in me that children can teach adults just as much about the world as adults can teach children! I am now able to view the world from an entirely different perspective as a father, and I feel I now have additional wisdom and skills which would certainly benefit me when working in the teaching sector.

I have been volunteering at a Parent and Teacher group at my daughter’s school for the past six months. I enjoy doing this immensely, as it is encouraging to know that the work I put into the group benefits the parents and children who attend. Running the group has improved my organisational skills even further, and I have put my imagination to good use through planning and putting into practice different sports as well as arts and crafts activities each week, and thinking of healthy but varied snacks for the children to have.

I love to read, sketch and play indoor cricket, and enjoy doing these when I get any time to myself, although I know this time will be lessened when I start teaching. I've always had a vivid imagination and love reading as it enables me to get lost in another world. Indeed, the colourful and vivid imagination that many young people possess, and their seemingly endless fascination in the world and the unknown is something I have always found to be wonderful. I do believe that the first step to working with children successfully is to understand and have this same interest in the world, and to be able to see the world from their point of view.

My future plan is to study and to gain experience in the teaching profession, until I am in a position where I am able to make real, positive changes for children, parents and professionals alike in the sector. I know it is going to be hard work but I believe the research I have done into the life of a Teacher, the planning and organisational experience I have gained from my volunteer work, previous studies and employment, my passion for positive development within children, my knowledge, wisdom and love of children, and the support of my family will enable me to succeed and achieve this goal.