Statement of Purpose Timothy Sexton

My primary purpose for entering the Master's program is to gain additional knowledge that will allow me to become a better English teacher at the middle or high school level, or possible at the college level in time. I feel confident that I could competently teach creative writing and literature to young students at this point, but my goal is to reach beyond mere competence. I want to become the kind of teacher who inspires students and makes them look forward to class. Part of that ability lies in personality, of course, but part of it also lies in creating confidence among students that you know what you are talking about. My favorite classes have always been those in which not only did I like the teacher, but I also felt that he or she possessed deep reservoirs of knowledge about the subject at hand. My contention is that the best way to attain that depth of knowledge about literature and writing is to continue pursuing college-level education, perhaps even at the doctoral level eventually.

I also wish to enter the program because it affords me the opportunity to increase my knowledge of a subject that has interested me since childhood. For most of my adult life I have acquired knowledge on my own, outside the structured...