Examples of Personal Statements from GTP ... - Wildern School

Examples of Personal Statements from GTP Applications
Example 5
Science holds an explanation for all common everyday occurrences as well as
justifying the weird and wonderful or more unusual things in our World and
beyond. It is key to understanding how life really works; whether this is using
human biology to understand what happens to the body when we are sick or
environmental science to realise what global warming really means to the
human race. For this reason I am looking to complete a GTP course in
secondary science so that I can teach some of the basic ideas to children at
Key Stage 3 and 4; hopefully passing on some of my own interest and
enthusiasm.
I do not believe that any other key subject is more important than, or as
interesting as the sciences. Without a basic understanding of science, it is
very difficult to grasp issues that we hear about every day in the news or just
in passing. For example as I mentioned previously, global warming, which is
a very current issue, as well as disease, forensics, drugs, the solar system
and even why aeroplanes can fly and boats don’t sink – none of these things
can be properly explained without some scientific knowledge. I consider
myself a creative person, which is something I used when developing events
and activities in a previous job; I think that this will aid me in coming up with
ways to teach science in a more exciting way.
I have been working at *******Community College since October 2008. I was
first taken on as a Teaching Assistant. My main responsibility was supporting
teachers in a classroom setting; often this involved working with a particular
child with specific learning difficulties, but on other occasions, giving general
assistance to the whole class or keeping children on task. This was a
fantastic introduction into secondary education and teaching, especially as I
was also given small groups of children with special educational needs, to
teach some basic skills using a scheme of work for handwriting and spelling
skills.
At the end of the 2008/2009 school year I was offered the position of an
Instructor (unqualified teacher) for a new group of children coming into the
school as year 7s. This involves teaching a class of up to 18 children in
numeracy and literacy whose abilities are too low to join the mainstream
classes at school. Many of the children also have special needs and
behavioural issues ranging from dyspraxia and dyslexia to ADHD and
aspergers. They are seen to be an incredibly challenging group of children to
teach, and have given me a lot of invaluable experience. I feel that this has
shown me how much I enjoy teaching despite the challenges, and how
rewarding it is to overcome these and use that knowledge in future. During
this year I have also been specifically placed in some science classes with the
Head of Science (*******), not only so that I can observe her lessons but so
that she can see how I work with students.

Currently I also have a role as a tutor, sharing a tutor group with the
Assistant Head; this means that very often I have the group on my own and
have built up very good relationships with the children, who are from all age
ranges (we are using a vertical tutoring system for the first time). Being a
tutor has also involved meeting with parents for mentoring meetings about
their child. This shows my ability to communicate effectively with people and
lead meetings when required, a skill which is also required in staff and multiagency
meetings.
I have learnt how to deal with behavioural problems in a consistent way so
that both myself and the children know what is acceptable and what is not.
This particular job has involved me working alongside other members of staff
who may be playing a supporting role in my lessons or vice-versa,
throughout which I have maintained an excellent relationship with all, as well
as building a good rapport with the students. The job itself as well as the
school atmosphere has really emphasized how much I look forward to
gaining QTS. Though there can be some very difficult days at work,
particularly as I deal with very vulnerable children in terrible situations, I find
that I don’t get stressed and keep very calm at all times in order to deal with
situations to the best of my abilities and to help the child as much as
possible in a professional manner. I am currently seeking some voluntary
work at a youth club to add to my experience. Throughout my time at *******
I have followed the CPD process which has helped develop my skills and have
recently completed my professional development for the year so far. All of
this is in addition to lesson planning, running my tutor group and teaching,
henceforth I must be very well prepared and organized at all times.
Previously to working at *******Community College, I studied BSc (hons)
Property Development at the University of *******. Although this degree was
not in any of the scientific fields it was very closely related. One of the main
focuses was on the natural environment; this involved learning about
habitats and sustainability of properties, i.e. decreasing carbon output. I
found this particular topic incredibly interesting especially as it is such a
current and important issue. Another of the most relevant modules was civil
engineering. This involved a huge amount of physics when calculating
weights and strains for building projects. Throughout my time at university I
enjoyed attending lectures and put a huge amount of effort into my work,
unfortunately (as my grade reflects) I missed a large amount of the work due
to an undiagnosed illness. This however, has made me even more
determined to accomplish my goal of becoming a teacher. Whilst at
university I found a real passion for helping other people with their work in
whatever subject, and realized through previous jobs that I had a flare for
working with children; this helped me make my decision to go into teaching.
I am very passionate about teaching and hope that my experience has been
adequate enough to obtain me a place on the GTP course for science.