Statement of Purpose Essay Example for Free

Statement of Purpose Essay Alvin Toffler once said that all education begins with a dream for the future and, simultaneously, all education creates a dream of a new future. I have also read an article in which he said that modern industry is on its third wave but that our country’s education still remains on its second wave. I do not need to rely only on the words of the eminent futurologist: it is simply undeniable that our society has reached an overall crisis with regard to education. In such circumstances, the social responsibility of teachers who take charge of actual educational fields is desperately demanded. It is my goal to improve the reality of English education in my country and to create educational programs that will appropriately serve students in the light of social changes. I chose the MA in TESL course at 000 University because I truly wanted to be a teacher—specifically, an English teacher. I zealously focused on my studies and enjoyed making preparations to become the kind of teacher I had been dreaming of becoming. With a strong sense of responsibility as a teacher, I always thought deeply about how to teach students effectively and about which method I could use to inspire them with positive academic attitudes. In that process, I gradually became most interested in developing an effective English education method. When I was a middle school student, my English teacher always played pop music or showed videos containing simple English to capture the attention of the class before lecturing. While studying various teaching methods in college, I realized how important it is to motivate students before starting the class. Actually, motivation might be the most important factor in learning a foreign language, because spending a whole hour can be meaningless if the students fail to concentrate in the class. There is also research that proves that highly motivated students study hard of their own accord. With that in mind, I came to the understanding that it is necessary to break away from the old, traditional English education methods and develop methods that well suit the changing times. Now I particularly look forward to studying efficient teaching methods in depth. Currently, the educational system of Korea has strayed from practical methods, suited for modern society, of studying English, and it is entangled with unchanging grammar study and uninteresting reading comprehension. While teaching, I’ve been upset by the fact that while students might have an advantage in grammar and reading, they considerably lack the ability to freely communicate orally with English speakers and to express their opinions logically and fully in writing. Therefore, I highly concentrate on the importance of speaking and writing when I teach students in the institute. I help the students to improve their writing, and I also try to give them opportunities to speak freely with native English speakers in the institute. I also do my best to interact with my students and help them to become familiar with English studies by preparing materials from famous U.S. TV dramas and animations. The students at first felt awkward with my efforts and had trouble adjusting; however, they later understood my genuine intentions, and my method eventually made an immense impact even on the students with low scores who was not interested in or fond of studying English. One unsatisfactory thing was that some students could not fully catch up because of other extracurricular activities, and I did not have sufficient experience to care for them fully. Because I have experienced such successes and failures, I have been constantly researching to discover a more advanced teaching method. I personally agree with the current TOEFL system, because it evaluates the student’s practical ability to speak and write English in addition to having a good command of grammar. After deeply studying TOEFL, I still felt that I lacked the ability to speak English fluently, even though I am an English major, and that is the crucial reason I resolved to study abroad. While going to an institute to study TOEFL, I have met many fellow students who are not majoring in English, and I feel sort of sad that they indeed have great potential but are frustrated by the huge barrier of the English language. After I successfully complete every course of your graduate school, I plan to return to my country to devote myself to helping non-English majors, so that TOEFL will not be an obstacle when they decide to study abroad to pursue their dreams. I want to cultivate my ability as an English educator at XXX University. By taking your Ph.D program, I will expand my capacity in English and research teaching methods for effective English education. The future-oriented curriculum of your Ph.D program seems quite suitable for training top quality educators by focusing not only on the theory and practice of English education, but also on the development of English speaking. To make the best of this program, I will acquire the quality of a native speaker and instill a sense of duty in myself. I believe what the 21st century demands is an expert who does not remain still, but keeps developing. Considering an old saying that education is a plan that spans a hundred years, I argue that a person who aspires to be a teacher should try very hard. While studying in your school, I want to do my best to develop and research the English education method that suits my original style. To make this happen, I am open to pursuing diverse academic activities, and, if necessary, I will extend my academic aspiration to a doctoral program. If I am given an opportunity, I long to be a professor who inspires students who want to be English teachers while never neglecting my duty as a scholar to keep researching. Lastly, I will provide students with more than just language skills by obtaining an international sense and playing the role as a mediator of English culture who teaches what they truly need to know.