Michael Cole
Hello. My name is Michael.
I'm an active outdoorsman (climbing, paddling, mountaineering) and a competetive cyclist. I teach high school mathematics and my wife teaches fifth graders. We have two amazing boys in elementary school. That's one of them refusing to wake up from a nap a few years back.
I grew up about 20 minutes outside of Boston in a family that emphasized (that's really not the best word but worshipped comes off a little too strong) education. I was always encouraged to "get the dictionary" whenever I was curious about an unfamiliar word and this would often lead me to spending hours just reading the dictionary in the manner that people now "surf" the internet.
I attended UMass Amherst as a Physics major but after some academic meanderings I eventually graduated with a degree in Communications.
After graduation I did quite a bit of tutoring and coaching and eventually came to realize that "teacher" wasn't just a description of what I wanted to do for a career, it was a description of who I am as a person. I then followed what I now know to be questionable advice directing me on a very nontraditional path toward obtaining my teaching license. I went back to school and attained what the DESE considered a Bachelor Equivilency in mathematics, which earned me my provisional certification as a high school mathematics teacher. I have been a classroom teacher now for 19 years before enrolling full time at NEU to complete my M.Ed. in the spring of 2018.
I was previously enrolled at NEU in a different program which had a concentration in mathematics but I have now completed my M.Ed. with a concentration in Learning and Instruction.
Statement of Purpose
When I entered what I call "phase 2" of my program, I had to reapply for acceptance to NEU. As part of this process I was asked to write a "Statement of Purpose".
I have decided to include this essay here.