Hokey Pokey (What this blog's all about)

A writing challenge I've given myself to write every day for six months. After some posts, I'll put in a comment with a brief explanation of the inspiration for the piece. Some posts will be practice for bigger projects: character sketches or settings. I don't really know what all will happen which is why I'm doing it.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Day 25 (Lame Grad School Essay)

I worked for a long period of time today on two essays, (neither of which should have taken very long.)  I don't blame you in the least if you skip this post.  I also don't have it in me to do more writing today.  I'm completely wiped out.  So here's my lame essay:


Learning and Career Objectives

                Statistically, the more advanced a person’s education, the more income the person tends to make.  I have spent the last ten years making very little income from being, first a Special Education Teacher who mainly focused on emotional and behavioral problems, and then, a Caseworker at Social Services.  Earning a Master of Arts degree would help increase my earning capacity which would benefit my family as we expand and grow.  Growth in income is a reason to complete a Masters program, but it is not my most important reason.  

                My growth as a human being would be expanded by this degree program.   A large part of my career and adult life has been spent in service to others and I have found that a valuable way to spend my time and energies.  The jobs I held were the kind that, when told to others, illicit piteous responses.  They’ve been the kind of jobs that generally make people cry.  The idea of crying at work has always raised my hackles and my response is to dig in and prove that I am strong enough to maintain my composure in the face of tragedy.  I have felt that if children have had to endure, then I can respectfully keep it together.  I find there is value in being the strong one for kids and do not regret my demeanor at work.  However, while discussing my interest in this program with a professor at Regis, I found myself near tears.  I thought, “If I do this, I will cry.”  This idea, rather than putting me off, attracts me.  It would mean significant growth both academically and personally.  I am ready to embrace that challenge.

                While meeting the challenge may mean a career in writing, it may also mean a return to teaching.  I am not overly focused on one outcome versus the other.  This degree would increase my earning capacity as a teacher and qualify me to teach in an area I haven’t taught in before.  I love teaching and especially enjoy working with adolescents while they are newly forming their more complex ideas, so this idea appeals to me.  It could also mean a career in writing.  Either way, it means improving my writing.  Writing is a soul-bearing activity and I am prepared to engage fully in it.  Historically, I have spent a lot of time on the first draft of writing and then have a tendency to walk away from the piece.  The main objective I have for myself in this program is committing to reworking my writing through editing, peer review, and polishing a final project.  A further objective would be to learn to submit work for publication and then to be published. 

                I have never taken an online class and enjoy the face to face contact for building my skills.  However, I live 70 miles from Denver in the mountains where snow is a frequent obstacle.  Therefore, a combination of online and in person classes would work best for me.  Weekend intensives would be ideal for meeting face to face for classes, but I believe I could also be successful with online directed studies. 

                Whatever the modality, the Master of Arts Creative Writing program is sure to be a challenge for me.  I’m further challenged by having a small child and a husband and needing to balance the needs of home with that of an education.  To meet all of my obligations, student loans and effective time management will be key.  I will need to have time that I reserve and protect for my studies.  Thankfully, I have a husband who is supportive of this endeavor and extended family who live in the area and are also willing to help with my son.  As I said previously, I embrace this challenge.

                I hope Regis will be the University where I get to pursue this endeavor.  My education at Saint Louis University prepared me well both academically and practically.  I enjoyed the Jesuit philosophy of education and feel Regis would be a good fit for me.

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