Childhood Studies Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Children should have somebody that believes in them and supports them to become the person that they aspire to be. Working with children and assisting them in achieving their goals in life is a huge ambition of mine. I enjoy interacting with children on their own level; gaining insight into their perception of the world. In the future, I aim to work with children. My experiences tell me that this work will be enormously rewarding. I feel the rewards of a professional career in teaching would satisfy the goals I have hoped to achieve for quite a while. I believe that with my enthusiasm, positive attitudes and strong interest in study your course will give me a firm foundation on which I can build my career, working with children. I can think of no better or more satisfying path to pursue.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

I am currently studying A-levels in Sociology, Philosophy and Ethics and an AS in textiles. These A levels not only equip me for academic life at university but also developed my understanding of early childhood educational studies. Two of the topics of my sociology A-level are dedicated to education and childhood. These topics have given me an understanding of how childhood is not the same for every child because everyone comes from a different background. This is called a social construction. Sociologist Sue Palmer says there are five important things that children need during their childhood. These are play, language, love, education and discipline. Philosophy and Ethics has reconfigured my perception of the universe because it has improved my analytical skills, seeing events from more than one perspective. Studying Textiles has made me improve how I manage my time as it involves me doing practical and theoretical skills for my coursework. This is useful when it comes to having to do work placements with my degree at university. Textile has enhanced my creativity by thinking of different textiles techniques to add to my coursework. People who are involved with working with children will have to think about things from a child’s perspective and need to be creative at solving problems so that the children can understand more easily.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

My interest in teaching children developed through my work experience at a local nursery. This involved me providing support to children with mathematics, reading and writing on a one to one and class group basis. I ensured that the pupils that I supported were able to engage in learning and stay on task during the lesson. I have volunteered at QMC Hospital Nottingham in the adult ward for the last 3 months: providing help and assistance to patients at mealtimes. I interacted with numerous members of patients and staff. This had led to my understanding of the importance of basic routine tasks in a hospital to support patients in creating a sense of stability. I learned quickly how to deal with people who were reliant on me for help. Volunteering is one of the things that I can really do for other people and putting them first. I have also gained knowledge and experience on how to safeguard and promote the welfare of the vulnerable elderly. I have also been involved with Young Enterprise scheme. I had leadership responsibility for marketing and advertisement. My skills in marketing were developed through promoting my brand through talking to the public. These work experiences develop my communication skills. I can now speak clearly, thoughtfully and without feeling nervous. In 2015, I undertook a voluntary work placement in Tanzania where I supervised a group of children aged between 3 and 5. This is where I discovered that I had a flair for building a good rapport with children without compromising my position of authority. Working with children at those ages is a real critical point of development in their life because given the right opportunities they can develop new skills of understanding the world.