Personal Statement for Masters of Arts Program – Term Paper

I am interested in enrolment to the Masters of Arts (English) program with special interest to Rhetoric and Teaching of Writing. One of the reason as to why I need to undertake the course is because I want to broaden my experience in the application of writing skills in a professional setup, and in particular an educational one. Moreover, I wish to comprehend the interaction between literacy practices and an environment with diverse cultural background. In addition, this program will give me a chance to understand the relatedness between rhetoric principles and the the art of business writing. By studying in this field, it will be possible to sharpen my skills in professional and business writing. Finally, I hope to change my career and experience by teaching at a community college after graduating with this degree.

My education background suits me for this program. After finishing my bachelors degree in special education from the University of Texas, I took up a teaching position in a special school. This education has equipped me with the necessary knowledge that I plan to apply in advancing my studies in the teaching field. My previous career as an educator entailed many education and non-education related activities that equipped me with interpersonal relation and communication skills.

Experience is a useful resource when furthering education. During my previous career as a special educator, I gained vast experience in both teaching and writing. This experience will be useful in the classroom especially in taking my notes, doing my assignments and writing my examinations. I am also an experienced writer in business and other fields. I believe that during the course of my studies, I will increase my writing skills and learn how I can disseminate these skills to college students. Furthermore, I wish to learn how rhetoric can be used in an educational setup in implementing the art of persuasion.

As an educator, I have been involved in many issues that affect students in and outside the classroom. For instance, I have engaged in dispute resolution among students as well as instilling discipline to students by use of friendly correctional procedures. In addition, I have handled administrative issues regarding academics in liaison with the district, state and federal education officers. As such, I feel capable to interact with both staff and fellow students hailing from different cultural backgrounds. This interaction is particularly healthy in forming productive discussion groups for class assignments.

My expectations when undertaking my graduate studies are in line with my dream of practicing my writing and rhetoric acumen in an educational setup. I also wish to have more exposure to the teaching techniques that are applicable in a higher education setting. I would like to get deeper in to the understanding of the art of effective writing and communication that was not possible with my former training. I hope to advance my technological skills in MS Word and other writing software.

M.A in English will help me in becoming a good writer as well as teaching the art of writing. Rhetoric and Teaching of Writing training will be a useful in disseminating writing knowledge to college students who want to take up writing as a career. The knowledge of rhetoric gained in school will have an impact in delivering lectures in classroom once I join a community college as a tutor. I will make use of technology to teach students who wish to learn English as their second language.