Essay - For the Past Fifteen Years, I Have Practiced Speech Therapy...

For the past fifteen years, I have practiced speech *****rapy for the New York City Board of Education and thus appreciate ***** connection between speech and literacy in school age children. This is the fundamental reason for my pursu*****g a degree in liter*****cy education: it will enhance ***** current career path. Through academic coursework, ***** hope to better underst***** ***** mechanisms of langu***** acquisition. I also possess a M*****sters degree ***** Special Education, which directly relates to my desire for training and expertise in literacy.

***** a speech therapist, I work with parents, teachers, and health care pr*****essionals to assess and treat communication problems specific to young children. Moreover, ***** work ********** a diverse community in ***** English is often a second language. Comb*****ed with ***** familiarity with ***** with special needs, this has provided me with a firm professional foundation in the field of ***** pathology.

However, literacy is a complex ***** and one that encompasses more than just the fundamentals of speech. Literacy ***** ***** directly ***** quality of life, as I have observed ***** the children ***** families with whom ***** work. To thrive in this culture, read*****g and writing in ***** is absolutely necessary. Likewise, understand*****g ***** mechanisms of reading and writing can help educators and literacy professionals to assist those with hearing disabilities or any other obstacle. Teachers who grasp the fundamentals of literacy ***** better educate their students. ***** ***** in this program, I ***** to develop a working knowledge ***** how ***** ********** writing skills are acquired, and ***** apply these principles to my