It is done!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
My statement of purpose
Finally completed my statement of purpose and got it vetted by a journalist, an ex english teacher and an english HOD. =p
Anyway.. here it is...
Statement of Purpose
Being able to interact with youths is the key foundation from which my passion in teaching came about. Thus, I joined the teaching profession immediately after graduating from junior college and found great joy in imparting knowledge and touching the lives of the youths I worked with. However, being able to live independently overseas and break out of my comfort zone has always been another dream of mine. My interest in the JET programme came about in 2006 when I came across its website while searching the Internet for opportunities to teach overseas. It was also in the same year that I found that one of my friends had succeeded in joining the JET programme as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and through her, my interest in the JET programme grew deeper as she shared with me her wonderful experiences in Japan.
Japan is a country which I have always wanted to visit. I first learnt about its rich cultural heritage through my Japanese Language studies in University and then through my friend’s husband who is a Japanese. As a student who majored in Geography, Japan also excites me with its extensive physical landscape, from the famous Mount Fuji to the great lakes. Also, coming from Southeast Asia, I believe I will be able to adapt easily when I move to Japan, given some similarities in Asian rootedness. However, I do recognize the need to adjust myself to Japanese culture and traditions when I am there and I look forward to overcoming these challenges. Thus, I strongly feel that living and working in Japan will fulfill the aims and goals that I seek.
Being an avid traveller, I have visited many countries and there were some memorable trips which brought me much joy. The first was a personal trip I made to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2004, where I volunteered at an orphanage for 9 days. During this period, I found great fulfillment in teaching English to the young children there. Subsequently, I made it a point to do community service in my overseas trips whenever possible. Thus, in Sikkim, India, in 2006, I volunteered for a similar teaching stint. This was another memorable trip because it totally took me out of my comfort zone. Being underdeveloped, there were few facilities in the small village and besides dealing with the extreme cold of 5 degrees celsius, there were also communication difficulties - I had to interact with villagers who barely spoke English. However, this trip also taught me that if you put your mind and heart to it, anything is possible. At the end of it, I made good friends and came away from it with long-lasting memories of the wonderful times I spent there. After such an experience, I was much more patient with students who had difficulty catching up with their peers. The experience taught me that examinations and getting good grades aren't everything in life, and that it's more important to instill in students the joy of learning.
Besides my personal community service trips, I twice led my students on school trips to do community service in Kunming, China - once in November 2007 and the other in November this year, where I guided them to teach basic conversational English in a village school. These experiences had made me appreciate the simpler things in life, for instance, a simple word of encouragement can mean so much to others. All these had helped me grow as an individual, which no doubt, being an ALT in Japan will enrich me even more so.
My 4 years of experience in teaching English, Geography and Social Studies to students aged 13 to 17 from all walks of life will enable me to deal with the challenge of teaching different types of students in Japan. I have also attended courses such as the Kagan’s Cooperative Learning strategies which encourage the use of collaborative work and student centered teaching in the classroom which I look forward to putting to good use in Japan when I teach English. My non-academic responsibilities such as heading the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC), running the Staff Welfare Committee as a Vice Chairperson and being a member of the Outdoor Education Committee in my school have given me much experience in the development of my leadership skills and effective communication with my peers, students and their parents. These skills are vital assets to being an ALT in the JET programme where I have to handle my young charges.
Being independent, adaptable and easy going will help me to settle in well in Japan. Always eager to learn and experience new things, I am looking forward to tackling the challenges head on although I know that there will be a learning curve for me in Japan due to the differences in culture and traditions.
By becoming a participant of the well established JET programme, I aim to be able to introduce my country, Singapore, to the people I meet and interact with in Japan. At the same time, I hope to brush up on my teaching pedagogies and through my interaction with students from a different cultural background, I hope to be to promote inter-cultural understanding in whatever small ways I can. Although these are small steps, they are still significant as I realise the world cannot change in one day, so little by little, I believe these efforts will bridge the gap between our cultures. Personally, I hope to become more resilient as I will be on my own and out of my usual comfort zone. Finally, when I come back, I hope to be a better teacher and continue to inspire and touch lives.
Anyway.. here it is...
Statement of Purpose
Being able to interact with youths is the key foundation from which my passion in teaching came about. Thus, I joined the teaching profession immediately after graduating from junior college and found great joy in imparting knowledge and touching the lives of the youths I worked with. However, being able to live independently overseas and break out of my comfort zone has always been another dream of mine. My interest in the JET programme came about in 2006 when I came across its website while searching the Internet for opportunities to teach overseas. It was also in the same year that I found that one of my friends had succeeded in joining the JET programme as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and through her, my interest in the JET programme grew deeper as she shared with me her wonderful experiences in Japan.
Japan is a country which I have always wanted to visit. I first learnt about its rich cultural heritage through my Japanese Language studies in University and then through my friend’s husband who is a Japanese. As a student who majored in Geography, Japan also excites me with its extensive physical landscape, from the famous Mount Fuji to the great lakes. Also, coming from Southeast Asia, I believe I will be able to adapt easily when I move to Japan, given some similarities in Asian rootedness. However, I do recognize the need to adjust myself to Japanese culture and traditions when I am there and I look forward to overcoming these challenges. Thus, I strongly feel that living and working in Japan will fulfill the aims and goals that I seek.
Being an avid traveller, I have visited many countries and there were some memorable trips which brought me much joy. The first was a personal trip I made to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2004, where I volunteered at an orphanage for 9 days. During this period, I found great fulfillment in teaching English to the young children there. Subsequently, I made it a point to do community service in my overseas trips whenever possible. Thus, in Sikkim, India, in 2006, I volunteered for a similar teaching stint. This was another memorable trip because it totally took me out of my comfort zone. Being underdeveloped, there were few facilities in the small village and besides dealing with the extreme cold of 5 degrees celsius, there were also communication difficulties - I had to interact with villagers who barely spoke English. However, this trip also taught me that if you put your mind and heart to it, anything is possible. At the end of it, I made good friends and came away from it with long-lasting memories of the wonderful times I spent there. After such an experience, I was much more patient with students who had difficulty catching up with their peers. The experience taught me that examinations and getting good grades aren't everything in life, and that it's more important to instill in students the joy of learning.
Besides my personal community service trips, I twice led my students on school trips to do community service in Kunming, China - once in November 2007 and the other in November this year, where I guided them to teach basic conversational English in a village school. These experiences had made me appreciate the simpler things in life, for instance, a simple word of encouragement can mean so much to others. All these had helped me grow as an individual, which no doubt, being an ALT in Japan will enrich me even more so.
My 4 years of experience in teaching English, Geography and Social Studies to students aged 13 to 17 from all walks of life will enable me to deal with the challenge of teaching different types of students in Japan. I have also attended courses such as the Kagan’s Cooperative Learning strategies which encourage the use of collaborative work and student centered teaching in the classroom which I look forward to putting to good use in Japan when I teach English. My non-academic responsibilities such as heading the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC), running the Staff Welfare Committee as a Vice Chairperson and being a member of the Outdoor Education Committee in my school have given me much experience in the development of my leadership skills and effective communication with my peers, students and their parents. These skills are vital assets to being an ALT in the JET programme where I have to handle my young charges.
Being independent, adaptable and easy going will help me to settle in well in Japan. Always eager to learn and experience new things, I am looking forward to tackling the challenges head on although I know that there will be a learning curve for me in Japan due to the differences in culture and traditions.
By becoming a participant of the well established JET programme, I aim to be able to introduce my country, Singapore, to the people I meet and interact with in Japan. At the same time, I hope to brush up on my teaching pedagogies and through my interaction with students from a different cultural background, I hope to be to promote inter-cultural understanding in whatever small ways I can. Although these are small steps, they are still significant as I realise the world cannot change in one day, so little by little, I believe these efforts will bridge the gap between our cultures. Personally, I hope to become more resilient as I will be on my own and out of my usual comfort zone. Finally, when I come back, I hope to be a better teacher and continue to inspire and touch lives.
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