...spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I’d been in this type of situation before. In fact, I’d been born into this type of situation. My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. “The water’s on fire! Clear a hole!” he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I’m still unconvinced about that particular lesson’s practicality, my Dad’s overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns. Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit...
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...My journey toward pursuing an honors education major in elementary education has been deeply shaped by two pivotal experiences: working in a karate studio with children and engaging in honors education during high school. These seemingly disparate endeavors have intertwined to ignite within me a profound passion for education and a commitment to academic excellence. In this essay, I will reflect on how these experiences have influenced my aspirations and shaped my path forward. My immersion in the world of education began when I took on a role at a local karate studio, where I worked closely with children as they embarked on their martial arts journey. What initially started as a job soon evolved into a transformative experience that fueled my passion for working with young minds. Interacting with children of various ages and backgrounds, I witnessed firsthand the impact that positive mentorship and guidance can have on their growth and development. Beyond teaching them self-defense techniques, I found myself imparting invaluable life lessons such as discipline, perseverance, and respect. Working in the karate studio provided me with a profound understanding of child psychology and pedagogy. Each child brings forth unique challenges and opportunities, necessitating adaptability and creativity...
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...Students who lack passion and enjoyment during their studies, strive for average instead. In Mike Rose’s essay, “I Just Wanna Be Average (1989)” he expresses his idea of overcoming the desire to just be average. Rose eventually escapes the mind set of being average. His rebellion of breaking this ‘social norm’ is asserted when he says, “Champion the average. Rely on your own good sense. Fuck this bullshit. Bullshit is everything you and others fear is beyond you” (15). Rose grew up lacking a great deal of interest within the education system. He grew up in a working class neighborhood, where his peers lacked a lot of the same interest. Students lacked the passion, however teachers lacked the ideas to grasp the students attention. Teachers...
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...choice? This essay should be between 250 and 500 words in length. The summer before my senior year, I participated in Mechanisms of Human Health and Disease through Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which exposed me to various aspects of medicine. It gave me the opportunity to learn about subjects related to medicine, such as microbiology and the hallmarks of cancer,...
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...Problem Solving Essay Crystal Bussey Liberty University Problem Solving Essay Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say is an interesting and informative article written by Steven Reinhart, a mathematics teacher in Chippewa Falls, WI. One day Mr. Reinhart entered his classroom of middle school students and taught what he thought to be a masterpiece lesson. He thought he explained the mathematical concepts clearly and with much detail only to find out the next day that the students were confused. Although he took pride in his ability to teach math and received rave reviews from his principal, he realized there was something wrong. The achievement levels of his students were lower than they should be. Instead of blaming the students, he stepped back and began to examine himself. How was his teaching? This question led him into searching for and researching other methods of teaching math. He discovered the flaw in his method of teaching. He stated, “When I was in front of the class demonstrating and explaining, I was learning a great deal, but many of my students were not!” (2000). Reinhart decided to implement change in his teaching method. He had such a passion for his work and his students learning the concepts necessary for success in mathematics that he made it a goal to teach a topic in a better way than he had taught it before. This was a yearly goal and meant he would have to tread unfamiliar territory. Much of the material he gathered during his research suggested nontraditional...
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...management are essential for meaningful and worthwhile teaching and learning experiences. Teachers must learn along with their students; get to know them, teach to their interests and abilities also. Relationships among thinking, teaching and learning are similar to a triangle. Likewise, the triangular relationship may flow in any direction and have differentiated sides. Empowering people, changing lives, shaping our future is why I want to be a special educator. It is my lifelong passion for learning that drives me to demonstrate that every student is capable of learning, worthy of respect, and to know that I believe in them. Rewarding teaching experiences are numerous; however, for me, each time a student comes through a school door is meaningful to me. Meaningful and worthwhile teaching and learning experiences are strongly affected by student relationships. It is the observation of their actions, listening to their language, noticing body language and taking the time to get to know them that are contributing factors. Sharing with students that I am not human, I will and do make mistakes is also necessary. I will not pretend to be perfect or different from each of them. I will learn from them just as they will learn from me hopefully. Believe in each student as capable of learning, being a special, unique individual and an equal in every way affects meaningful and worthwhile teaching and learning experiences. “You can’t have one without the other”, makes me...
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...In the 10th grade, my English teacher Mrs. Gordon began a new section, having us read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Before that, we studied classics like Antigone, The Catcher in the Rye, and Hamlet. The Hobbit was something different. We still studied symbolism and figurative language. We still had pop quizzes on comprehension and vocabulary. But this was the action-packed adventure that put sparkles in Mrs. Gordon's eyes. I already liked to read and write. But that day while observing my teacher instruct a bunch of rambunctious teens, only interested in cell phones and instant messaging, I realized how fulfilling it could be to share the love of literature with others. By the end of that year, we all loved Tolkien's adventure and we all enjoyed reading more. But I left with one extra passion: learning more about the world's great stories, and sharing my love of...
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...course I have learned there is in fact a great deal of work required, in writing. Throughout my lifetime, I have been required to write numerous essays and papers for various subjects, all requiring different styles and techniques. Before immersing myself in the writing process I would try and think of whom I am writing to and what I am writing about. I always assumed I was writing for the audience of my teacher. Writing an argumentative research paper is something I had yet to accomplish in my college career, not only was it thought provoking, this paper also challenged me in numerous ways, such as, understanding who I should be directing my thoughts towards throughout the essay, as well as the simple steps of organizing my thoughts...
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...Many people have shared a problem that has kept them from reaching their full potential in academic studies. One place where students have trouble is when they are unable to relate to course work material, but have a knowledge of their own. Communities may also feel the same affect when someone’s intellect is not accepted as the norm; in this case, street smarts is looked downed upon. In the essay, “Hidden Intellectualism” Gerald Graff explains the troubles these students face when trying to apply their own street smarts towards an education. Graff starts his essay arguing how the academic system is flawed and that it overlooks an important aspect in capturing a persons interest and revealing their intellect; he says that a person’s true intellect will generally reveals itself; Graff then connects his thesis to George Orwell’s essay, “Cultural Meanings.” Graff then gives his own personal experience, he says that throughout his schooling, he...
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...My goal is to have a degree in English with a certification in teaching 7-12th grade. The requirements to becoming an English major begins with completing an undergraduate degree. Those pursuing this degree will also have to complete a teacher trainging program while still in school. For instance, they will have to take courses that revolve around student teaching epxeriences or teaching strategies. This will help them have an idea of how it will be once acquiring their own classroom. After completing these courses, they will have to get a Licensure and Certification. What this means is that they will have to test whether they know the professional responsibilities and techniques of reading and Language Arts which contains topics such as skills,...
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...will have the same background information on the topic of the State of Israel as I. In learning about myself I had to make sure I was not expressing my own bias when writing about things that could be deemed controversial. Additionally, I reconfirmed my passion for Israel and really enjoyed sharing factual informational about the state with readers of my text. While composing my essay I used the following strategies: planning, drafting, revising, and editing. In planning my essay I first compiled a list of topics I could write about and subcategories to make those ideas more specific. I then compiled my first draft, adding more text and pictures to express the facts I wanted to convey. Then I revised my text two times with my peers and professor in class. I shorted the list of original ideas so that I could focus more on making the ones I had more substantial. I made sure I was conveying information in a non-biased manner and in simple...
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...Liking is for cowards. Go for what hurts Jonathan Franzen, an American novelist and essayist, wrote the essay “Liking is for cowards. Go for what hurts” in The New York Times in 2011. Franzen’s essay is mainly about the increasing relationship between humans and technology, where he criticizes the development of the narcissism in the modern time. He writes about how to love and like in real life and in consumer technology. Franzen begins the essay with his own example of his relationship to his old smartphone and his new one. He describes his own addiction to the new Blackberry and he “wanted to keep fondling” the new blackberry even though he didn’t have anybody to reach. He finds safety in the smartphone because it won´t hurt you and it’s always available and writes that the “beloved object asks for nothing and gives everything, instantly, and makes us feel powerful, and doesn’t throw terrible scenes when it’s replaced by an even sexier object.” ll.49-53. Franzen describes therefore his blackberry as a girlfriend. But vanity has become more popular these days and the term “liking “ someone’s picture or status on Facebook is stated as “commercial culture’s substitute for loving” (ll.84-84), and is a superficial way of saying that you “like” the person. Franzen writes that we can form our own lives through the media and make it more interesting for others to see and he blames it because of its increasing narcissism and the fakeness of “liking”. But as I mentioned before, this...
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...Admissions Essay Booker T. Washington said “Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having except as a result of hard work.” I have found this to be true in most aspects of my life, for all of my growth and success has come as a result of determination and perseverance. While I have experienced failures and hardships, these experiences taught me the most valuable lessons, making me a stronger person and building the character which drives the individual I am today. I was raised in a small country town and participated in rodeo and many different sports growing up. My parents taught me that it takes hard work and dedication to be successful. They pushed me to follow my dreams from a young age which has carried over into my adulthood. Their guidance and belief in me gave me the strength to believe in myself, which I consider to be the main reason I have experienced so much success in my life thus far. I loved playing all sports, but developed a passion for softball during my high school career. I put in many hours practicing and playing every week to become the best teammate, pitcher, and leader I could be. I accepted an academic and softball scholarship to CBU upon graduating and received the honors of All-Conference and All-Academic team during my freshman year. Although I received many accolades during my sports career, it was the teamwork skills and leadership abilities I developed that have had the largest benefit in my life and have definitely carried over into my academic...
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...“I know why the caged bird cannot read” is an essay by Francine Prose that examines the way America’s school system teaches literature to high school students. Her purpose is simple, to teach our children better literature in a more meaningful way. Prose believes that the disgustingly repetitory and plain way novels are being taught to American high school students doesn’t prepare them for college nor challenge their minds to see beyond the obvious. They’re given books and asked the same questions over and over. Instead of learning new styles of writing, high school students are learning how to perfect one specific style, in turn making writing more procedural than creative. In no way does our current school system challenge student’s minds....
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...experiences have led you to apply? Teach for America Essay help request Sorry for the long post! Okay, so I have rough drafts of both my essays for teach for America done! I have to revise them like tonight because the application is due Friday. But if you have a moment, look them over and let my know what you think. Ideas on how to trim them down to five hundred words would be very helpful. the first is a letter of intent, the second an essay about my greatest accomplishment in the past four years. ESSAY #1 I hope to join Teach for America for what seems like a simple reason: I want to teach. Specifically, I want to teach middle school social studies or history. What thrills me about teaching is the constant challenge of finding better ways to motivate students and make learning relevant to their lives. I want to teach middle school because it is a challenging age. Middle school students are trying to figure out their roles in the world and are facing many pressures from peers, society, and their parents to conform in different ways. I want to be a supportive mentor for children at that difficult point in their lives. I want middle school to be a pleasant experience instead of the bad memory it is for many people. This is much the same thing that motivates me to teach history: I hated history classes when I was in middle school. History seemed so irrelevant, all about dead white men. When I went to college, I started learning that there are many histories to be told and many...
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