I speak both English and Spanish. I also have a basic grasp of Italian which I gained during a four month stay in Florence, Italy. I have travelled widely in Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
I took Psychology 101 merely to satisfy an elective but became immediately and passionately absorbed in the subject and claimed it as my major for my bachelor's degree in which I excelled. I have become increasingly fascinated by this branch of learning and now regard its application, especially to the wellbeing of children, as more a vocation than a career choice. I am especially drawn to this program because of its emphasis on multicultural school psychology.
I have been involved in teaching in various roles for several years. I tutored children in the age range 4 – 11 years in ‘after school’ classes in various academic subjects in New York between 2002 and 2004 and I also taught English at various levels in Buenos Aires during a 3 month stay in Argentina. I hold a TEFL certificate.
I undertook voluntary educational activity in addition to paid teaching work during my time in Buenos Aires. I provided English teaching to members of impoverished communities; these students were of various ages and abilities. This work included an experience of teaching English to a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and teaching basic skills to a severely mentally disabled 13-year-old boy. I took great satisfaction from assisting these children and I learned a great deal about relating to highly challenged children to accomplish successful outcomes. I also acquired an appreciation of the individuality of every child and of the need to carefully match teaching methods to each child’s character as well as his level of ability.
I have worked, studied with, and instructed adults and children from other cultures and done so in several countries and settings. I have also tutored children of different heritages and cultures in New York. I feel that this background has provided a very sound basis for me to profit from the program with its emphasis on psychology field work in culturally diverse environments. If selected, I would hope to undertake research in the areas of physiology and new methods of assisting children to learn in multicultural settings.
After successful completion of the master's program, it is my ambition to work in New York City schools assisting and encouraging children to overcome obstacles that might limit a successful educational career and to help them realize their educational and personal potential to the maximum possible extent.
I am aware that there will be many well qualified applicants for the program but I genuinely believe that my work, volunteer activities and life experiences to date have equipped me derive maximum profit from this program and to be a significant asset to it by enabling me to offer highly relevant insights to my class and to the academic community.
Thank you for considering my application for the master's program.
MS Bilingual Education Personal Statement of Purpose Editor
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