Abhishek Sharma: Teacher Selector Statement for ACU

This document is a statement of purpose by Abhishek Sharma, applying for the Master of Teaching (Secondary) program at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). Sharma outlines his background, including degrees in engineering and project management, and his experiences in Australia. He expresses a long-held aspiration to teach, influenced by inspirational figures and the belief in teachers' societal impact. He specifies his interest in teaching ICT, digital technology, and Mathematics, citing the potential of integrating technology into the curriculum. The statement also touches upon his interpersonal skills, leadership qualities, and personal values, highlighting his commitment to student development, adaptability, and collaboration. Sharma concludes by emphasizing his belief that ACU will provide the necessary platform to achieve his career goals in education.

Running head: Teacher Selector Statement
Teacher Selector Statement
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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TEACHER SELECTOR STATEMENT
Category 1
I would like to begin my statement of purpose with a brief self-introduction. I am
Abhishek Sharma, and I would like to express my keen interest apply for the Master of Teaching
(secondary course) from the ACU. I have graduated from Punjab Technical University in India
(2009-2013) in Electronics and Telecommunication engineering. I have pursued a master degree
in Business and Project Management from the APIC College Sydney in the year 2015-2017. I
had some previous experiences of working as an operational assistant with a few local businesses
in Australia and have been in an internship under a marketing company. I now wish to enhance
my teaching skills and hence want to enroll myself for the Master of degree program from ACU.
The profession of teaching has always attracted to me as I have heard or learned about
people who have risen from personal struggles and humble beginnings just with the help of
honest teachers. Personally, the story of Les Brown, the world’s foremost motivational speakers
has influenced me a lot. The story of how “educable mentally handicapped” Les was motivated
by his math teacher to fight against all the incredible odds.
Besides this, teaching is a good choice of career as I believe that teachers inspire young
people and hence by pursuing such a career, we are benefitting the society on the whole. Again
the impression that we make on our students will be carried over to the new generation. Teaching
young people can be fun and interesting at the same time. Young minds are inquisitive and are
like soft clay dough, which can be given any shape. They are eager to learn and the wants to
disseminate their ideas. Teachers get to inspire young minds and channelize their positive
thought to these young minds. No wonder, a day might come when one of my students might

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become a Noble prize winner or a Fields prize winner. However, to become an ideal teacher we
need to incorporate few essential elements within ourselves, such as the ability to develop self-
confidence in their students, to develop a patient, kind and caring personality, to be able to foster
a safe, protective and productive environment.
Please consider, that my choice of subjects is ICT digital technology and Mathematics.
The main rationale for taking up these two subjects of teaching is that I have always believed, if
digital technologies are incorporated in the Mathematics curriculum, then this would simplify
several complex problems in math. 3-D diagrams can be used for demonstrating complex
theories of coordinate geometry. Furthermore, my engineering degree keeps me on the
advantageous side that, I would require no prior computer training to initiate STEM-based
learning.
I believe that I possess the above mentioned qualities of a good teacher. Apart from having
expertise in my stream of subjects, my interpersonal skills have always helped to establish
rapport with children.
Teachers are accountable to make a system that includes accountability and professional
capacity. Leadership is necessary to ensure that teaching is recognized for a professional status,
which it deserves. Just as leaders, teachers should show commitment to learning and should be
free from any kind of biasness. One of the core elements of leadership in teaching is to foster an
environment of collaboration and partnership within the premises. This can be initiated by taking
part in extra-curriculum activities. As a student back in India, I had always participated in
various co-curricular activities like debate, singing, drawing dancing poem writing. I ranked first
in District NTSE programs in year 5, 8 and 9. I have learned from my teachers, how they keep

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their peace of mind under excessive work pressure and student load. Additionally, I believe that I
am instilled with personal values that guide my decision-making process. I have known that the
quality of mindfulness and resilience has always been associated with quality, enthusiasm, and
commitment along with positive outcomes. I often self-reflect on my behaviors and my
achievements that help me to point out my flaws. I should mention here, that previously Indian
schools followed traditional modes of curricular framing, providing very little room for
flexibility, which can be due to some societal barriers, yet my values and the teachers have
helped me to develop qualities of adaptability and flexibility.
In conclusion, I would like to say that teaching is not only about inspiring other human
beings to question the nature of the broader socio-historical order. Teaching is also about
inspiring other people at a basic level. Thus, I strongly believe that Australian Catholic
University (ACU) would surely act as a stepping stone for me to opt for better career options for
me.