A journey of thousand miles

A journey of thousand miles, says an infamous adage, begins with a single step. This saying speaks volumes for life and relationships alike. Far from being generic, the saying does in fact strike a sensitive chord, at least as far as I am chiefly concerned. For early on in life, I have been taught that each one of us is bound to take a path that would lead one to realize the noble purpose of one’s otherwise brief life.

At this point, my discernment leads me to consider taking a step towards a path not everyone would readily entertain – to take up a Masters Degree in Education. And I know that this is exactly where I can embrace my greater purpose of in life.

I believe that I am gifted to have both a passion for Mathematics and a knack for academic instruction. My desire to become a Mathematics teacher in the secondary level therefore stems from natural giftedness in view of both ends.
In my stint as an instructor, I have come to realize that what spells fulfillment for someone called into this profession lies not so much in how sizeable one earns on a bi-monthly basis, but on how fulfilled one becomes in seeing his or her students learn things that would later on help them become established individuals themselves.  If only to mentio.
I have had the privilege of working with students, which on the surface, pose great challenge not only for instructors but also for the learning environment; these are, among others, students coming from low-income families, those whose English adeptness are classified as secondary, those who are most often under-represented, and even those tagged with negative backgrounds on account of their parents’ involvement in drugs and gangs.
I believe that working with these students, i.e., working to ensure that these students get to receive their share of the promising benefits of education, have greatly moved me to consider further developing my instructional skills in order to better serve them. Far more critical, my experiences have also made me realize that there is a pressing need to prepare for similar experiences of this nature which I have yet to encounter in my professional journey.
I am of the firm belief that a Masters Degree in Education, with special concentration on Mathematics, will help me become better equipped to respond to the many challenges of present-day educational instruction. Now more than ever, the need to be more competitive and inclusive in instructional approach – i.e., the need to create a learning environment that appreciates and caters to the individual needs of, ideally, each learner – requires a fair amount of expertise both in one’s theoretical base and practical instructional skills.
Basic knowledge can hardly be enough. For when the welfare of our younger generation is at stake, I must do everything and anything, but falter. Along the same vein, I believe that continuing to tread along a professional path with a Masters Degree will ensure that I can always end up in a better position to handle instructional issues that require not just basic knowledge but also – even more so – expertise.
To this end, I have decided to pursue my graduate studies at the Charter College of Education in California State University, Los Angeles; and I must say that I am making this decision not bereft of good reasons. I am fully aware that the Charter College of Education can help me realize my goal to become an expert in the field of secondary education.
Besides, it is not for nothing that the University is admired for making successful professionals out of its students. By right of mere logic, I can only surmise that the educational programs of the University have been very successful in tapping the potentials of its learners. In many ways therefore, I do believe that, for a learning institution that promises to give individual attention to their students, the Charter College of Education is the best choice there is for me.
True, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But one has to make sure that he or she takes the right one, lest the journey end up self-defeating life’s greater purpose. As for myself, I am certain that, by deciding to pursue my graduate studies at the Charter College of Education, I am taking not just the first step, but also making the right choice.