Running Head: APPLICATION PAPER

Application Paper
Daniel Coffin
Concordia University, Nebraska

Submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for SOC 565
June 24th, 2016

APPLICATION PAPER

Mission Statement
I will be fully present, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, for the
people around me who need me at home, among friends, peers, and colleagues, and
with the students I serve. I will build relationships of honesty and openness with my
friends and loved ones and with those who with me undertake the work of teaching and
learning. I will conspicuously lead a literate lifestyle, showing with my words and actions
the benefits of reading, writing, and critical thinking to everyone around me, but
especially my students, in whom I wish to inspire a lifelong love of literacy.
Action Plan
My calling is to be Gods instrument at work in the world in the areas of family,
work, church, community, and world (Benne, 2003). In trying to earnestly fulfill my
purpose in my vocation as a teacher, however, I have frequently shirked my
responsibilities in my vocations as husband, father, brother, uncle, and son. I have
either gone long periods of time without seeing or speaking with family members
because Ive been busy with classwork or I have allowed work responsibilities to
impinge upon family time, which has led to me being physically present, but mentally
preoccupied with some other task. For me to totally present with my family, I need to
better balance my work and home responsibilities. Starting August 1st, 2016, I will
constrain my work on weekdays to the normal work period (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), with no
more than eight additional hours during the weekend (6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday and
Sunday). Outside of these times, I will not allow work or work concerns to interfere with
time spent with my daughter, wife, sister and brother-in-law, father, or nephews and
nieces. Starting July 1st, 2016, I will furthermore make time at least once a month to

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spend a Saturday evening each month spending time with friends, either alone or with
my wife as well. I will use my time more wisely at school (prep periods, etc.) more
efficiently to ensure my school responsibilities are still completed. Starting August 1st,
2016, I will not use the Internet for entertainment purposes for work or listen to music so
that I can focus and be fully present mentally for that work.
I pride myself on being able to align with and communicate effectively with
everyone I meet, but I often let my desire to entertain interfere with the efficacy of my
communication. My desire to be seen as humorous has led me to adopt a persona that
is excessively sarcastic and snarky, which has caused me to inadvertently hurt others
feelings. Beginning June 12th, 2016, I will not employ sarcasm or other facetious
speech or actions in my interactions with students, work colleagues, or my young
relatives. I will do so with my wife, parent, and siblings only when it has been initiated by
another and the context makes it clear that I am joking. I will furthermore refrain from
making hyperbolic statements and speak simply, letting my yes be yes and my no, no,
as Jesus commanded (Mt. 5:37 New International Version).
I have conceived of my vocation as a teacher, and specifically a teacher of
language arts, as one of potential spiritual significance as reading and speaking are the
modalities by which most people come to know of the truth of Gods love. By teaching
students to read, I prepare them to read His Word. I would like to make the connection
between my gifts as a teacher and my Christian witness more explicit by teaching in a
context where I can openly proclaim the Word. Beginning July 1st, 2016, I will volunteer
as a teacher for my churchs Vacation Bible School. I will furthermore volunteer as a

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Youth Sunday School or Assistant Sunday School teacher (vacancies in positions

permitting) every Sunday starting on September 1st, 2016.
Many times, I believe, my students fail to thrive in my class not because they are
incapable of success, but because they do not see the immediately utility of a literate
lifestyle, and so choose not to pursue it. It is my job as a teacher to not only provide
students with the tools to be successful, but with a proficient model of what it means to
be an effective reader, writer, speaker, listener, and critical consumer of media. Starting
August 1st, 2016, I will create a space on one of my classroom bulletin boards where I
share with my students what I am reading, why, and how I felt about my reading, and
solicit suggestions for my next reading selection. I will likewise create a database of
suggestions for students organized by Lexile level and subject area so that I might more
effectively and accurately offer students reading selections which will be relevant to their
interests and ability levels. I will make sure that I am seen during our classroom Drop
Everything And Read (DEAR) periods reading every day, with the goal of completing
one novel each month. During our homeroom period, I will share information about local
community concerns (crime, poverty, environmental cleanup, drug abuse) and matters
of national importance with which they can engage and inform their parents and begin
to develop into well-informed, service-oriented citizens of their city and nation. I will
develop and implement a unit of study which incorporates problem-based learning so
that students can select a real-life problem of personal interest to themselves and their
peers which they can use their literacy skills (research, summary, citation, and
argumentative writing) to address. I will no longer discourage discussion of political
topics but point students to online resources which they can use to answer their

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questions for themselves. In this way I will not only support my vocation as a teacher
but also my vocation as a citizen by helping to develop the next generation of engaged
and active citizens.

APPLICATION PAPER

References
Benne, R. (2003). Ordinary saints: An introduction to the Christian life (2nd ed.).
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Veith, G. E. (2011). God at work: Your Christian vocation in all of life. Wheaton, IL:
Crossway.