By: Graduate School Candidate11   

Subject:   Speech Therapy

While my friends are off vacationing, I have other plans for the summer.

As someone who sees life as one long learning experience, I believe the

most sensible and exciting way I could spend my summer would be by

attending Northern Arizona University. This would give me the opportunity

to seek my master's degree and maintain my position as a speech therapist

during the school year.

My background is as diverse as the state I call home. I lived for seven

years in the deep south of rural Alabama, where life was very laid-back.

Living in Alabama gave me a caring and appreciative¹ outlook on life which

would enhance my personality. Those formative years, especially when viewed

in contrast with my time in Florida, have given me well-rounded perspective

on the world. I am a blend of two opposing lifestyles, and my thoughts,

ideas and actions reflect this blend.

 

As someone who appreciates geographical² diversity, NAU's location appeals

to me immensely. Having lived at sea level in Florida for a long time, I

look forward to the elevated timberland scenery of Pines and Aspens

surrounding Flagstaff.

 

My interest in speech therapy stems from my interest in people. I am a

"people" person -- I have always enjoyed interacting with my peers and

supervisors³ both in and out of the educational environment. Because of my

strong desire to help others as much as I possibly can, I have looked into

various ways I could better serve the speech impaired⁴.

 

This is exemplified through my diverse volunteer experiences within the

field. Following graduation from high school, I began volunteering on a

weekly basis at Morton Plant Hospital. I observed group and individual

therapies such as swallowing, traumatic brain injury and several other

therapy techniques ranging from childhood through geriatrics.

 

While attending University of South Florida in Tampa, I volunteered on a

weekly basis with Dr. Carolyn Ford⁵, a professor of Speech Pathology. My

duties included creating and maintaining a research database which housed

pertinent⁶ participant information. Through this experience I became more

fascinated with the many language disorders⁷ in children, and I realized

this was an area I wanted to study further. While attending USF, I also

performed over 150 hours of volunteer work at Deer Park Elementary School.

The interaction between the speech pathologist and her students was

impressive; it was then I realized I would like to work in such a setting.

 

Today, I work as a Speech Therapist for the Pasco County School District at

Bayonet Point Middle School. My responsibilities include co-teaching three

language arts classes for the Language Learning Delayed. Additionally, I

work with the Educable Mentally Handicapped population through co-teach and

itinerant⁸ therapy. I also perform pull-out therapy for voice, fluency⁹, and

articulation¹⁰. I am responsible for all Individual Education Plans for

Speech-Language students. I organize and perform seventh grade mandatory¹¹

hearing screenings and referrals, as well as screening and evaluating all

speech-language impaired students.

 

Through NAU's program, I hope to apply the creative and innovative¹²

strategies of my clinical experience to the public school setting.

Implementing¹⁴ these strategies will be crucial in getting our students on

equal footing, since I believe that cookie cutter programs are no longer

sufficient to address America's diverse population. Indeed, the order is

rapidly changing. NAU's emphasis on the communicative and learning needs

of a culturally and linguistically¹⁵ diverse region would greatly supplement

my knowledge on how to identify and implement¹³ strategies to enhance and

assist this growing population.

 

In summation¹⁶, I am a good match for NAU because I am a self-motivated,

caring person who wants to further my knowledge so that I may enable my

students to be the best that they can be.

 

 

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 Essay Number: 1049 - Posted on: Mar¹⁷ 31, 1999   Expires on: May 1, 2005 CollegeGate LLC  * CollegeGate LLC *

By: Graduate School Candidate8   

Subject:   Teaching Masters

I want to be a teacher because I appreciate the great value of

education. Throughout high school, education was never a top priority for

me. Only during the past two years, at college, have I realized the

importance of education. Instead of letting hard subjects discourage me,

as they used to, I have learned to turn my frustrations¹⁸ into hard work and

determination.

As a teenager, my social activities consumed my life. My friends

were not motivated to do well in school. Unfortunately, I followed their

lead. My grades were very low, and I did not even care.

 

As I grew older and lost touch with my old friends, I decided¹⁹ to

focus on my education. I enrolled²⁰ in Burlington County College. There,

I chose to associate with people who worked hard. My peers at Burlington

have influenced me to strive to do the best I can academically.

 

Math has always been a very difficult subject for me. I would

often get frustrated²¹ doing problems, and would end up throwing down the

book and giving up. When I got to college, I realized that math would

inevitably²² be a part of my life and that I would have to find a way to get

through it. The motivating environment at college has enabled me to relax

and work through the problems. I now find math to be one of my easier

subjects and I even enjoy its challenging aspects.

 

My own roller-coaster ride with school has made me want to be a

teacher. I have reflected on the factors that made me fail in my early

years of education, and I think one major factor was my teachers. My

disinterest in grades was obvious in high school, and all my teachers

seemed content with it. I feel that if someone had sat me down and

explained the importance of school, or even just attempted to make

learning more interesting, I might have become more motivated.

 

As an elementary school teacher, I hope to make learning fun for

my students. It is my goal to ease the students' frustrations as best I

can. I would like my students to see me as not only their teacher, but as

someone they can talk to and feel comfortable with.

 

My experience at college has proved to me that I am capable of

doing well. Not only do I have the ability to succeed, but I also now have

the confidence. I know how important education is in all aspects of one's

life, and I want to share that knowledge with others.

 

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