2 comments by 0 or more people

1. Kristina Pollard

   Hi Helen,

   Have just read through your PGCE statements for some inspiration and guidance on my own and just wondered if you had been accepted on your chosen course? Your statement looks really good so hoping you were successful!

   Kristina

   11 Nov 2010, 14:36

2. Kristina Pollard

   Also – just been looking for some other personal statements and thought you might find this one pretty interesting, found this on here : http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055533916
   looks like someone took more than inspiration from your statement!!

   “I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” – Edith Ann

   The above quote sums up my idea on the effect a good teacher should have on a student. I am a motivated individual who wishes to share a love of knowledge with others. I want students to go home having enjoyed the material that they have learned in school. Through teaching I can achieve this whilst enjoying a range of interactions with different people.

   I am not the type of person that is happy in an office job, and the varied nature of teaching consequently holds real appeal to me. Working with children can be a very challenging experience, but these difficulties can make the job far more interesting, and ultimately more rewarding. In teaching you are giving a performance, with the aim of achieving the best learning experience for the students, from interesting presentation of the syllabus to tackling behavioural issues. To be a good teacher one must be patient, creative and outgoing, and I believe that I am all of these.

   There is a great need for young people to be inspired in education. One of the big hurdles to overcome is linking what may seem to be an abstract subject with the real world or something that the students can relate to. In order to improve my skills in this area I took a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, which concentrated on how to get relatively complex English grammar across to students easily through the use of fun games and tasks. I have also done some observation and teaching experience at my old primary school and intend to pursue further teaching work. I really enjoyed my time there and recognized that I can be a good teacher. I was fortunate to have some great students who were wonderful to teach. I discovered the importance of good classroom management, and the difficulties of catering to mixed ability classes. I taught various subjects such as English, History and IT, as well as getting involved in sporting activities with the students.

   In my time as a graphic designer I experienced more of the non-classroom aspects of teaching, particularly the amount of paperwork and administration required. I developed an awareness of the value of working with support staff, and the importance of a supportive staffroom environment. A teacher also needs to be able to use his/her imagination to think outside the box when teaching certain material. In my computer science degree and in my subsequent career as a graphic designer, I have had to often to come up with quick and creative solutions to unforeseen problems. Additionally, this experience has given me ideas as to how I.T. can be used in teaching certain material.

   I genuinely want to become a teacher and am committed to doing whatever it takes to develop into a good one; with my enthusiasm, resourcefulness and willingness to learn I can achieve this.

   11 Nov 2010, 14:48