University of New England

Attn: Online Worldwide Learning

716 Stevens Avenue
Portland, ME 04103

Re: Michelle Braley

Goal Statement

June 1, 2015
The first 15 minutes of the interview were going extraordinarily well when the Principal looked
up suddenly from my resume and asked, What have they done to your career? Clueless, I mirrored
the what-a-shame expression on her face and remained silent, hoping the question was rhetorical. It
was. She explained that since I had taught three vastly different grade levels in my first few years of
teaching, in addition to three different subjects, the years of experience that I had hoped would get me
a job at the most prestigious school on the small island, only really counted as one year of teaching.
In her eyes, my school had put me through three first years of teaching, each year having to start over
with new material and a different grade level.
I did not get the job that year, or the year after when I applied for a similar position; my small,
under-resourced, struggling school had yet again asked me to teach another grade level, thus
maintaining the somewhat scattered look of my resume. Though the positions I had been asked to
take at All Saints Cathedral School may not have been ideal resume material, the environment there
helped make me incredibly versatile; in those first four years of my teaching career I taught four
different subjects to students in 5th through 12th grade. Potential for leadership was boundless; in my
first year teaching I acted as sole coordinator for the school-wide Spelling Bee and was asked to sit on
the accreditation team for both the English and History curriculum development committees. The
following year I worked with a kindergarten teacher to develop and implement our own after-school
enrichment program for students aged 3-11. In my third year, with support from the school guidance
counselor, I developed, coordinated, and taught an after-school SAT preparatory course for low-income
high school students.
Page 1 of 3

The third time I applied to Antilles School was the last time. Now in my second year of
teaching sixth grade English and History at Antilles, I have a clearer understanding of what the
interviewing Principal meant. I can appreciate the stability of having the same exact position for
consecutive years and the growth it has afforded me. Among other things, it has allowed me to mature
and develop into a more focused and purposeful educator. Course stability has not made me
complacent, however; Ive been encouraged to take on leadership roles in other ways. For instance,
this year the school librarian and I started the first Middle School Book Club; Ive also been selected to
act as the faculty advisor to the Middle School Student Council next year.
While the constancy of my position at Antilles has allowed me the flexibility and time to
pursue further professional development, it is the success Ive achieved in undertaking a wide variety of
leadership roles and corresponding responsibilities that has given me the confidence to undertake the
challenge of graduate coursework through UNEs Masters in Education program.

Living on an island that is 13 miles long and 4 miles wide alters ones sense of distance. No
one really knows how far away any one thing is from any other thing; it just doesnt matter. Distance is
irrelevant because the person, place, or thing you are trying to get to is either on island or its not. If
its on island, then youre almost there; if its not on island, then its far away and a plan is needed.
Other than sunshine and beaches, access to most things is incredibly limited. Education is not exempt
from this. Distance-learning helps to overcome those limitations and make our Caribbean perimeter
inconsequential.
Even if our small island university had a graduate program in education, UNEs distance
learning format would still be a better fit for me: as a full time teacher with multiple extracurricular
duties, the flexibility of online coursework is paramount to my overall productivity as both a

Page 2 of 3

professional and a student. Distance-learning is normal on island and we rely heavily on internet
sources to stay in touch with the mainland to remain current and informed.

Prior to my years as a classroom teacher at two very different schools on one small island, two
experiences helped to shape my path in education. Working in Maine as a counselor at a
rehabilitation facility for juvenile sex offenders was an eye-opening experience; every interaction carried
with it a substantial weight. Whether it was playing whiffle-ball on the lawn, tutoring, or helping a 13
year old practice empathy towards a peer; every moment, word, and deed from me, for me, or
between offenders mattered. The environment was physically and mentally challenging, but
provided a unique opportunity for my own personal fortitude to be both tested and strengthened.
However, the three months that I spent as a volunteer for Camino Seguro (Safe Passage) in
Guatemala City, Guatemala, proved the most formative for me as a future educator. For the students
with whom I worked, education was a means by which they could escape their lives of extreme poverty
and avoid the generational pattern of sorting trash for a living. I believe that what I learned about the
remarkable opportunities education can provide, and the extraordinary obstacles education can help
an individual overcome, will prove a unique and invaluable asset to my learning potential at UNE.
I am grateful to have a job that I love at a school that both supports and challenges me. I have
proven myself as an educator in a myriad of ways, and have demonstrated my abilities both inside the
classroom and out. I dont need a graduate degree to keep my job, but I want to earn a Masters degree
from UNE because I dont want to stop. I want to keep growing so that I can give back to the small
island community that has helped me build a career, and in some small way honor those students who
first showed me that an education is more than proof of ones accomplishments, it is the key to an
often otherwise locked door.

Page 3 of 3