SEAN L.

POWER
Personal Statement
The educational process has a profound effect on everyone involved and while I originally felt I had the greatest
impact on my students, I am now feeling the immense impact many of my teaching experiences have had on me, my
teaching style, and my drive for students to develop in the classroom, community and their social lives through
extracurricular involvement and high but individualized academic expectations. My approach to education has grown
to include a necessary active component, where knowledge is wasted until it is used in a positive and constructive
manner to benefit both the student and those around them at an immediate and community based level. I feel it is
this approach that leads to a well-rounded and socially responsible citizen.
I believe my experience teaching a diverse amount of courses to students from varied backgrounds, nations and
cultures in Canada, Malaysia and Italy has shaped my holistic approach to teaching. It is with this expanding skillset
that I go into every new opportunity with a willingness and ability to overcome any obstacles that I may face, seeing
them as an opportunity to learn and prosper. I thrive to advance my professional learning as well, such as taking
additional qualification courses like Special Education, technology in the classroom training sessions, language
learning courses, or even starting new extracurricular projects like the national poetry slam, charity obstacle race or
science games day that I developed as annual events during my tenure at Sunway. I do this partly because my love of
education extends beyond the classroom, but also because I feel that to be an effective teacher requires the teacher
to remain studious, always self-improving and providing students with a role model that they should follow to obtain
success in all aspects of life.
For the past 6 years I have had the privilege of teaching students from grades 6-12 in subjects ranging from
Accounting to World History to English Literature. This has trained me to plan and implement courses quickly,
effectively and in a way that appeals to students of all learning styles. In this time I also had the ability to work with a
variety of teachers and assistants in a leadership role, providing them with insight on my unique approach to
teaching, and mentoring them in subjects they have never taught. I have also had the privilege of developing a Special
Education department at Sunway, personally writing the education plans for all students with exceptionalities that
attended the school and training teachers on how to read and write the plans themselves. I believe my most
meaningful project was working with the People to People International (PTPI) club students in helping to fundraise
money for refugee education in Malaysia. Our projects became such a success that the head office for PTPI in the
United States, as well as United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) took notice, eventually coming into
the school to congratulate the team for their efforts and provide them with written acknowledgement of their efforts.
It was through these projects that I was able to create a working relationship between the UNHCR and Sunway in
order to better facilitate refugee and low level education facilities in Malaysia, eventually becoming a liaison and
roundtable consultant to the UNHCR regarding education efforts on a national level.
I believe my experience in a variety of environments and working in leadership and consultant roles for teachers,
students and professionals alike has provided me with a skillset that is unique and beneficial to any employer. These
challenges have given me an ability to manage, communicate and collaborate with a variety of people of all ages in all
settings. It is these unique experiences that shape the significant and dynamic impact I have both in the classroom,
and on a school wide level.

Sincerely,

Sean Power, OCT.

Intermediate/Senior High School Teacher