Sunday, December 16, 2007

Aspiration statement

so i've made my first contact with the PC uganda team. this consisted of my resume and a short aspiration statement. it's by no means the most exciting thing in the world, but i'm trying to keep some consistency on here and well, to be honest im not doing much but waiting till feb. here is the first section of my statement, specifically the "personal attributes I plan to use and what aspirations I hope to fulfill during my service".

A: At this point I am optimistic that the professional attributes I have accumulated through the years will allow me to accomplish the goals I have in mind for my service. I am also optimistic that the aspirations I have now will pale in comparison to those I will develop when I settle into my community. Overall, I am optimistic, which is probably the most important thing I hope to use during my service.

I will also lean heavily on my patience and sense of humor. Having a sense of humor will let me see the lighter side of the cultural difficulties and having patience will help me deal with them when the humor wears off. Both of these attributes will help me maintain a positive attitude, which I’m sure will be desperately relied on often.

Finally, my curiosity and creativity will be something I turn to for inspiration in my professional position. Teaching, as well as learning, requires a great deal of both of these qualities and hopefully my creativity can help to develop ways my co-teacher and I can fuel the curiosity of the students. These attributes will hopefully allow me to fulfill some of the following aspirations:

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make great friendships in the community
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inspire students to strive for goals beyond the normal expectations
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establish a tutoring system driven by the students
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inspire someone to fall in love with math
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achieve many “ah ha!” moments
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set-up organized sports leagues or tournaments
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have a positive impact on the American stereotype
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prove something to myself about my abilities to adapt and persevere
- feel “at home” in my new community

1 comment:

Johnson Family said...

Yellow Fever, Malaria, driving on the left side of the road, sounds like a preface to the twilight zone? Nah! Welcome to Uganda, Paradise of Africa. Thankfully the ghost of Idi Amin is long since vanished, and the country has adopted the slogan of "Africa’s Friendliest Country". This means that Uganda will be receiving one of America’s friendliest teachers – perfect fit. We all wish you well in the upcoming months. We both feel that you will be very successful in achieving your goals and changing the lives of many young men and women. Although it sounds “Hokie” (I had to get that particular word in – better than “Bucky”or “O”) a teacher is the noblest of professions. I am sure your Mom has pointed this out more than once – without us teachers – no other profession would exist, except maybe us farmers. Best wishes E of U, the Johnson’s are thinking of you and wishing you all the best.