Throughout my entries, I will be alluding to my character (this is because I feel I should continue where my first professional blog post left off). I have chosen to teach for personal reasons, as well as reasons that pertain to the scholastic excellence of future students. After all, it is Leonard Nemoy (Mr. Spock) who noted: "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few -- or the one". However, I also tend to think that one maintains motivation and a need to strive for betterment when he or she enjoys doing his or her profession. In many instances throughout my life, I have tried to follow and practice these principles when undertaking various tasks -- especially when these tasks have involved my dual role as a leader and teacher of others.
At various times in our lives, we are asked to "help" others -- whether it be helping someone physically, giving someone love and support or by providing instruction to someone in order to help that person reach a goal -- a goal that, often times, requires the assistance of an experienced professional, in order to give that person the needed boost to achieve a need, wish or a dream. My experience as a United States Marine has helped me to realize that teaching is more than a means to physically convey massive amounts of information to eager young minds -- it is a way to get others to believe in themselves and to realize their potential for excellence in everything they set out to accomplish. In many respects, I gained proficiency in many roles I had undertaken during my tenure in the Marine Corps. Along with my skilled military profession (I was a Food Service Specialist), I also served as a leader, student, protector, counselor, and teacher. I knew that I had found my passion when I began teaching new Marines how to do and fulfill the necessary tasks and goals required of a Food Service Specialist. Not only did I find out that these new Marines were successfully learning from my instruction -- I found that I immensely enjoyed what many would feel to be a laborious, frustrating responsibility. As time went on, I would realize that this joy was evolving into a love.
It is for this reason why I am pursuing a career as a teacher. Though I haven't taken many, the few teaching-related classes I have taken have not discouraged me or dampened my spirits. On the contrary, they have enlightened and inspired me -- as well as subdued any fears I had before of my chosen profession. Not only have I learned new practices and perspectives in relation to pedagogy, I have learned of the melding of two essential institutions: education and technology. These newly discovered tools will not only help myself and other future teachers to become more effective educators, they will help students to surpass standard measures of excellence, in their pursuit to accomplish goals and fulfill dreams.
About me...
My name is Jonas Lawrence Cockson. I am a student of the College of Education at the University of South Alabama (both the main campus in Mobile and the Baldwin County campus). My declared major is in Secondary English Education. Once I have received my bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama, I plan to attend the University of Southern Mississippi ( in Hattiesburg, Miss.) to work toward a master's degree in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). My ultimate goal is to teach the English to students residing in a Third World nation -- such as Africa. I feel that the need for global education far surpasses the desire to teach within one's homeland. I also feel that by teaching in a Third World country, I will have the ability to expose and immerse myself in cultures other than my own -- thereby giving me the ability to see and convey information, ideas, and practices from a different perspective, rather than a singular one (especially to students from a different cultural background than my own). With this in mind, I feel that the profession I have chosen for myself is a perfect fit for my abilities and motivations.
My name is Jonas Lawrence Cockson. I am a student of the College of Education at the University of South Alabama (both the main campus in Mobile and the Baldwin County campus). My declared major is in Secondary English Education. Once I have received my bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama, I plan to attend the University of Southern Mississippi ( in Hattiesburg, Miss.) to work toward a master's degree in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). My ultimate goal is to teach the English to students residing in a Third World nation -- such as Africa. I feel that the need for global education far surpasses the desire to teach within one's homeland. I also feel that by teaching in a Third World country, I will have the ability to expose and immerse myself in cultures other than my own -- thereby giving me the ability to see and convey information, ideas, and practices from a different perspective, rather than a singular one (especially to students from a different cultural background than my own). With this in mind, I feel that the profession I have chosen for myself is a perfect fit for my abilities and motivations.