Short Constructed Response Essays
Essay 1 | Personal Perspectives on Teaching
One of the core tenets of CU Denver’s teaching program is that classroom communities are strongest when each member of the community feels both recognition and challenge: recognition, for the unique strengths, ideas, and perspectives they bring to the community, and challenge, to grow as they listen to new ideas and perspectives and attain new knowledge and skills.
In this essay, reflect on your personal strengths and areas of challenge you anticipate in your journey to become a teacher. Thoroughly address the following:
1. Strengths:
- Identify 1–2 strengths you bring to classroom teaching.
- Describe specific experiences that have helped you develop these strengths, such as working with youth and/or your own learning and life experiences.
- Explain how these strengths will support your development as a teacher.
2. Challenges:
- Identify 1–2 challenges you anticipate in becoming an effective teacher. These could be areas that you worry you need more experience in, areas that have challenged you in the past, or particular aspects of teaching that you think will be challenging.
- Explain how you plan to address or navigate these challenges. In particular, what have you learned about yourself as you’ve faced other challenges that can be applied in this new context in learning to teach?
Essay 2 | Critical Thinking / Issues in Education
CU Denver encourages critical thinking about educational issues from multiple perspectives. Write a personal essay addressing the following questions:
- Issue Identification: Describe a major educational issue that has affected you or someone you know. Explain why this issue is important.
- Impact: Discuss the impact of this issue on you or someone you know, and its broader effects on students, families, and educators.
- Perspectives: Present various viewpoints on this issue, including how different stakeholders (students, teachers, parents/families, policymakers) might view it.
- Personal Perspective: Share your personal perspective on the issue and how you might navigate this issue in your future role as a teacher given the multiple perspectives you’ve identified.