Transitioning from professional baseball to a teaching career through graduate education

Personal Statement

For me, pursuing graduate education is the first step on a path that will lead to a great teaching career, although it represents a divergence from the path that I have been following thus far. I always want to be the best at whatever I try. A lifetime pursuit of a professional sports career has cultivated my competitive nature. As such, I have a strong drive to succeed. For a long time, however, my sports career has simply been a distraction from my real goals. I believe the time has come for me to channel my goals into action and the best way to start is with a graduate degree from your fine institution.

Teaching is my passion. It is a career that runs in my family; both my mother and sister are working teachers and great examples of the kind of educator that I hope to someday become. I have great enthusiasm for working with and nurturing children. The educational system has provided me with so much that I want to return to my students in the form of dynamic, inspiring, and compassionate academic leadership. Beyond just a desire to bring my spirit of fun and ambition to the classroom, I know that teaching will provide me with my personal joy. There can be no greater achievement than helping a child reach his full potential.

As I mentioned, I have spent the better part of my young adulthood working on a sports career. Early on, I showed an aptitude for baseball and it seemed natural that I would try to maximize my potential and play full time. I was fortunate enough to get a place in the minor leagues, playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. My time playing professional baseball provided some unique experiences and great memories. I would not trade those for anything. But I have decided to end that journey in the interest of education, which for me has all the potential to be a richer, more fulfilling endeavor.

What prompted my interest in attending graduate school there was that I got my undergraduate degree at your institution, an accomplishment of which I am extremely proud. From experience, I know that the faculty and resources are among the best in the nation. While I spent a lot of my undergraduate career focused on my future in sports, I feel like my graduate career there would allow me to focus on my true, enduring future. Further, I know that I will be an asset to your program. In addition to bringing the drive and passion that I have discussed, I am a committed student, able to contribute insightfully to class discussions and to challenge myself to create depth and fluency in my writing. Though I bring along these assets, I also know that I have a lot to learn. I want to thoroughly understand pedagogical techniques, classroom management, and curriculum development. I know that the combination of my raw enthusiasm and your faculty and student body's ability and encouragement will produce a skilled teacher in me.