Candidate Statement

Clare Kelly

Candidate Statement

Hello! My name is Clare Kelly and I am a soon-to-be graduate from Butler University’s College of Education. I am graduating with a degree in Middle and Secondary Education with a content area in English, an English minor, as well as an English as a Second Language license. Moreover, I believe that I have numerous qualities that have already helped me to thrive within the teaching field---for instance, my creativity, strong ability to connect with students, my empathy, my excellent work ethic, and my ability to challenge students in addition to creating lessons for them that are engaging and stimulating are a handful of the characteristics I possess that benefit me as a teacher. 

Additionally, it is crucial for not only the teacher to be a leader in the classroom, but for teachers to help their students forge a path to becoming leaders in their own lives. Recently, I sat down to have a talk with a troubled 8th grade student of mine who has been having a rough time at home for quite awhile and desperately needed an adult in her life who she could count on and who would listen to her. That is where I came in. During our discussion, I let my student know that she was clearly a very bright young girl with an immense amount of potential, but even more importantly, she was a leader. She always spoke her mind, didn’t care what others thought of her and knew her own truth. As a result, her friends and peers truly looked up to her. I let her know that because she was clearly a natural born leader, this quality would help her go very far in life. I will eternally have the image of this student’s face lighting up etched in my mind when I spoke those words to her. Moreover, I will never forget how much more content she sounded at the end of our talk and how she sincerely thanked me for listening to her, with a tinge of relief in her voice. It may sound corny, but I simply couldn’t have asked for more. I was touched. It is moments like this that tell me I am in the perfect profession for me.