Goals_and_Objectives

Jeff Schaeffer Personal Statement It has been a few years since I graduated from Long Island University at Southampton College. At that time I was young and ready to take on the world but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I took the first opportunity that came my way and started a career in the business world. Since then I have spent my days grinding it out with my career and had settled on the realization that I may never be happy with my job of choice. Recently I have come to the conclusion that if I pursue a job in teaching I can truly be happy. The idea of waking up everyday with the opportunity to teach children the tools and skills they need to be successful adults is something that makes me very excited. This is the reason for my decision to go back to school and obtain a masters degree in education. At Southampton College I was very focused on the arts and all the theater program had to offer. I spent all four years involved in major productions at the Avram Theater. It was under the tutelage of Professor Michael Disher, who became more than an advisor but also a mentor along the way. In his programs I honed my public speaking abilities and got involved with a theater troupe named “Better Choices, Better Chances.” It was our mission to go to local high schools and teach the students the importance of safe sex. This is where I got my first taste of educating young people. It was a very tough subject for students of that age, and they asked a lot of tough questions. The interaction was natural and more importantly I felt as if I was really making a difference. The work I was doing was truly important. This is the feeling that has caused my decision to obtain a teaching degree. I, like most students, had one teacher who really helped shape me into the adult I am today. Mr. McDermott was the social studies teacher at Southampton High School. He had a special way of handling his students where you felt as though you had someone working with you. Instead of just teaching the material he had to, he explained to you why he did things the way he did them. He was also very open and explained honestly that the responsibility was on you the student, he treated his class like adults. It’s the first time in all my schooling that I thought I was on equal ground with my teacher, I was given the impression that we were working together on the same unified goal of learning the material. He was also there for all his students when ever the demand was there. Looking back, this is the type of teacher I want to be. I want to give my students the feeling that they are on their way to being adults and by doing that I feel they will want to learn the curriculum that I am teaching them instead of feeling like they have to. Give them their first taste of the responsibility it takes to be an adult. Between my own personal struggles in the business world, the experiences of my past, and the desire to make a difference with what I do. There is no doubt in my mind that teaching is where I should be. It is the best combination of my talents and experience. I look forward to starting this adventure with my education at CW post.