6B2 - Personal Statement

For my UCAS application I need to write a personal statement that is no more than 47 lines. As the last personal statement I wrote was 3 years ago when I was applying for my current degree I needed some help on what to write. A lot of the uni websites I had researched into offered advice and key things to include. Here is what I found:

§energy§dedication
§patience§enthusiasm§control§interpersonal skills§ability to think on their feet§stamina§creativity
§good time-management   §self-discipline
§organisational skills          §supervisory skills
§administrative skills            §communication skills §leadership skills
§analytical mind§good judgement§a sense of humour 

1)   Why do you want to teach? And why that age range/subject? 

2) Outline your experience in UK state schools

3) What skills do you have that will make you an effective teacher?

4) Explain the relevance of your previous education &show that you understand that teacher training is an intensive course 

5) Do you have any other experience with young people of the relevant age? 

6) Highlight any other relevant work 

7) What are your hobbies and interests? Any achievements you could mention? 

8) What are your ambitions for your future in teaching? 

Here are some examples of personal statements I found online, I have highlighted the bits that relate to my experience or that I thought was well written. 

·       I have really enjoyed working with primary level students through my experience as a teaching assistant. 

·       My undergraduate work in English has helped me to build the skills necessary to effectively teach writing to youth. 

·       I have a passion for education and believe it to be the foundation of any civilized society. As such, I want to be a part of transforming the lives of youth to prepare them for university and careers. 

·       My experience as a psychology major has helped me to understand child development and has caused me to want to be a part of helping young children to build foundational skills for learning. 

·       As a dance student for many years, my love of physical education and my natural aptitude for it make me a highly qualified candidate to teach physical education to primary level children. 

·       My coursework in the field of literature and extensive knowledge of the topic uniquely qualify me to teach primary level English courses. 

·       I am motivated and passionate about being a part of the educational system in order to affect positive change in society. 

·      My experience as a daycare provider has built the experience with youth that has prepared me to be an effective teacher of primary level students. 

·       As a youth group coordinator of teenage children, I have the experience to effectively teach and reach this population in the classroom. 

·       I have had the opportunity to build my interpersonal and communication skills in a variety of jobs which makes me a candidate who will be effective in working with other faculty, communicating with parents, and being a highly effective teacher. 

·      In my previous work and education experience, I have formed the time management skills that are crucial to success in the classroom as an educator. 

·       My successful completion of my science and math coursework in my undergraduate level education has helped me to build the problem solving skills that are imperative for success in the classroom. 

·       My undergraduate mathematical work has prepared me for teaching secondary math. 

·      My own artwork and art coursework exemplifies my creativity and success in art, and reflects my potential for success as a teacher of art at the primary level.

Education is vital to every child’s future and I would love to be a part of this. The early years not only provide the academic foundations that shape their later life, but also their attitudes towards schooling, which can affect their future careers and their ability to socialise with peers.Therefore, it is essential that the pupils enjoy their education and learn a lot, which I want to help them achieve.

Although I have not got a degree in a national curriculum subject, I still have a good basis for primary school teaching. Throughout my degree I had to write several essays and practical reports, which improved my scientific writing skills. My A Level in English Language enabled me to gain competency in literacy, as it covered a large amount of grammar and sentence structure, in addition to analysis of texts dating back to the 1600s and creating original articles using information provided by other texts. Psychology is science-orientated and I did A Level Biology, as well as all the sciences individually at GCSE, so I have a good knowledge base in all aspects of science required for primary school level.In particular, biology and psychology also required proficiency in numeracy through using various data analysis techniques, which I gained throughout my education from GCSE Mathematics onwards.

As well as a strong theoretical basis for the course, I have good practical experience for teaching. During my degree, I participated in the York Students In Schools programme, where I was placed in the dyslexia unit of a local primary school. The placement was varied, as I was doing different activities such as reading, correcting prose, phonetic tasks and explaining parts of the lessons the children did not understand. I have also used initiative by adapting my assistance to the children based on how much they understood. It also helped improve my communication with both the adults and pupils in the school.

More recently, I obtained a job as a teaching assistant in a Year 3 class. This has proved very informative and interesting, assisting children who are struggling, by giving them more practice in their areas of weakness. The feeling of accomplishment when they understood something they previously could not grasp was very rewarding. It has also taught me the importance of gaining a good rapport with the children, in order for them to respect and listen to you, as well as the need to stay calm when dealing with difficult pupils. I have the responsibility of running the netball club at the school, and this has built upon my leadership skills gained from completing the Community Sports Leader’s Award, which I obtained at college.

From my work experience in education, it is clear to me that I want to work with children in a school setting, as I am keen to make a positive impact on their lives, both academically and also more generally. I believe that I possess the necessary skills to make a good teacher, such as resourcefulness, communication and leadership.

Having researched the PGCE course content I have found it to be dynamic, engaging, and of great value to teaching expertise and personal development. I look forward to engaging with children and young people and receiving and developing their ideas.Indeed, one of my greatest strengths is my ability to communicate. I convey my ideas and thoughts to students succinctly and enthusiastically, while appreciating the ideas of the pupils themselves, ensuring that they are listened to and understood. An enthusiastic and friendly disposition is essential to encourage interrelations between pupils and teachers. I am passionate about finding the most effective ways of stimulating and sustaining creative development, and it is important to me to optimize student engagement and success.

appreciate the value of acquiring behaviour management skills. Although I have had experience in dealing with difficult situations in the classroom, I look forward to developing these skills during a PGCE where I will be introduced to children of varying ages and abilities.As demonstrated throughout my BA I am an able public speaker, not afraid to speak in front of groups of people, and am confident that during a further year of study and experience I will become competent in controlling, and challenging, difficult behaviour.

I believe that I can contribute creatively to existing methods and theories in the practise of teaching. While I understand that conventional teaching methods must be respected, I believe that the development of a creative teaching style ultimately rests with the individual. I look forward to studying the national curriculum and applying it in a classroom environment, while at the same time relating it to the design of my own lessons to meet the standards which it sets.My work experience in a school environment has made me aware of the importance of school rules, and that teaching places great emphasis on the enforcement of these rules. I understand that it is sometimes extremely hard work to manage pupils who do not want to apply themselves and am willing to invest substantial time and energy into the challenging situations which might arise during a PGCE.

The theory and practice of teaching should ideally be integrated. I am an independent thinker, a quick learner, and adept at applying myself to the different facets of teaching.Yet I also work well with others, and enjoy sharing and cultivating new ideas in both the theory and practice of teaching. I believe that study within the Humanities can help students acquire confidence in their own abilities and can expand their experience of the world. I aim to help pupils develop the skills needed to work independently and competently, while encouraging them to enjoy and gain the most that they can from their studies.

I am keen to share my knowledge of English and Media within the Humanities, and feel that I could make a substantial contribution to your department which enjoys a high reputation.

  I want to teach because I believe it will be an extremely fulfilling and rewarding career.My own education has had a strong influence on me as the teachers I encountered left an imprint on me with regard to their ability to inspire and educate children. Ever since I had to see a Careers Advisor in school at the age of fifteen, I have wanted to be that same inspiration and educator to children.

I have traveled widely across Europe with charitable organizations between the ages of 10 and 17. One trip was to Romania to work in one of the orphanages for a week in which we cleaned and redecorated the orphanage to make it safer for the children. I worked in their “holiday club” whilst we were there and taught the older children some very basic English and English games. We helped with the amount of time available to the babies in the “play room” in which they were typically only allowed in one hour a day. This trip was a heart rendering experience in which I grew up very rapidly and learned how to cope and deal with such emotional trauma and children that had gone through hideous times to end up where they were. 

I have had a tumultuous few years from the age of 19, in which I was in a very bad relationship, had a child and became a single parent at the age of 20. After the relationship ended, I went back to college evening classes to do a further A-level to those I had done in sixth form. I got a C grade in English Language and went straight on to study for my degree which is also in English. I believe these few years have given me an extremely strong drive to achieve my ultimate dream; to become a primary school teacher. These few years led me to grow to a level of maturity I had never had. I have become responsible with every area of single parenthood and I am able to cope with many situations I have never been in, whether it is regarding finances, parenting or time management.