My Second Week As An English Teacher

The morning of October 8th, 2005 shook my world - both literally and figuratively. A major earthquake devastated the entire region of Northern Pakistan and changed my life forever. Little did I know, when I was woken up by the sound of shattering glass and falling trees, that the scale of destruction would be so catastrophic. As the death toll continued to rise, I changed my inertia and grief into action and altruism. I decided to volunteer at one of the largest hospitals in my city. While watching doctors working tirelessly to save lives, my passion for becoming a doctor grew stronger. The satisfaction and sense of fulfillment I achieved after easing the patient's pain and making them feel better was priceless. This indeed was a defining moment in my life and gave it new direction and purpose. With a new found vigour and determination I entered medical school the same year.

The twenty-five stories that are contained in the book, My First Year As A Teacher, are about real teachers and their experiences during the first year of teaching. Each story is different. Some are about memorable students while other stories are about some of the hardships that are encountered as a novice teacher. The diverse sampling of stories in this book gives insight of what kind of problems one might encounter as a teacher, yet they also describe how rewarding the profession can be. I found it rather difficult to choose only ten stories as my favorite but after much consideration and rereading I decided on the following stories because in many ways I could relate to the students as well as the teachers that are given life in these stories.

A Heart for the Work: Journeys Through an African Medical School by Claire L. Wendland is both an first hand account of time spent in an African medical school and hospital as well as a critique on Western medical practices. Dr. Wendland, an accomplished anthropologist and physician, provides a first hand account of her time in a Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Through this account she provides insight into the complete journey a student must take to become a doctor in conditions much different than our own. These insights and research are used to argue that medicine, or biomedicine as it is called, is part of a cultural system and is predicated on the cultural ideals and resources of developed nations. Wendland uses the differences in moral order, technology, and resources between the Malawian culture and our own culture to provide evidence for her main argument.

The experience taught me to work hard to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor and helping as many people as I can. It taught me not to waste my time. All of my dedication has pushed me to be the best person I can be so in the future I can feel confident about all of my choices. Volunteering at Children’s Hospital offered me an experience that pushed me to strive for no less than excellence. By volunteering, I watched my dreams and ambitions get closer, and although the process is a slow and difficult one, every second of it was worth it because I was able to watch everything I value become

For as long as I could remember, I have seen my father rushing to the hospital in a white coat, answering pagers in the middle of important family conversations and attending night calls even in the most terrible weather. I had always wondered; what could be so important that it belittles every other responsibility in his life. It was only after many years of anguish and protests that it finally made sense to me. This defining moment of realization occurred when I first met a patient in his office. I saw how the gratitude in the patient’s eyes can provide a sense of fulfillment that triumphs all other feelings in the universe. It was human life that was most important. Being a doctor does not make you a mere healer but also gives you the responsibility of a caregiver. I had never felt more proud of my father and that was the day I felt the urge to relive this feeling many times over. It was there in that moment that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.

This portfolio has show my progress in many different ways. The biggest way is my rhetorical knowledge has been increased because of the sources we have had to read especially in this last unit when we had to use the UW database. The scholarly articles and journals pushed my reading and analyzing to the limit, but it really helped me for the future. Because of my ability to analyze the sources well, it has helped me increase my writing, because I have been able to really find good credible quotes to use within my work.

In 2011, I traveled to my hometown in Haiti to reconnect with friends and family. It was great to be back home and I got to enjoyed the food, music and spend quality time with family. What stood out the most during this trip was I witnessed nurses and doctors giving out medicine, vaccines and providing medical advice to the community. Seeing this prompted me to approach the doctors, who informed me of Doctors without Borders, an organization I would like to volunteer with once I become a physician. I agree with their mission and want to be part of a world-wide humanitarian organization.

As I walked into Bangkhram hospital as an international shawoing volunteer, I was filled with uncertainty. Working as a volunteer in this rural hospital located in central Thailand was an amazing opportunity, but I also had millions of questions in my mind: Will the patients be receptive of me being an outsider? Is this truly the career path I would like to take? These hesitations stopped as I interacted with patients suffering from chronic mental illnesses, watched newborns receive breathing treatments in the emergency department and witnessed a woman as she received a pap smear for the first time in 22 years. By the end of my time in Thailand, these experinces allowed meto confirmed my interest in clinical medicine.

Ghandi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” This quote by Ghandi serves as the basis for my desire to volunteer at St. Jude. To be given the opportunity to impact another person’s life is a reward like no other. The reward of making a child in needs to day. To help make their stay at St. Jude easier. These actions provide the once in a life time chance to contribute to something bigger than myself. To build something that will outlive me. This would be an opportunity I would cherish for a lifetime.

Jostling about in the hot, noisy Tuk Tuk, with every rut in the road, I wondered why I had signed up for this. Medical mission trips are organized to help people who lack access to medical care, but, honestly, for all the complications, I think these trips benefited me more by helping me know myself better. Growing up, people labeled me as shy and quiet and maybe I was, but it was only because I never really quite fit in with my peers. The first time I felt that I belonged and had a purpose was on my first mission trip to Peru. It felt good helping all those wide-eyed, hopeful children and to finally be surrounded by people who were just like me – we worked as a team with a common goal to help those communities desperately needing healthcare. I discovered a joy in helping others I still feel today, which has inspired me to pursue a career as a Physician’s Assistant (PA).

In my life, I have experienced the incredible work healthcare professionals can provide and how lack of access to care can lead to dire consequences. Growing up in my village in Bangladesh, I was first hand witness to this lack of adequate healthcare. I had to watch my sisters deliver babies without training, I had to witness an aunt suffer in an agony due to the lack of adequate healthcare facility, but my most vivid experience of this lack of healthcare came when I was the victim of an acid attack and had to wait three days to receive medical attention. Due to this attack, I have third degree burn on approximately ninety percent of my body, and left me blind in one eye. Due to the lack of adequate health care in Bangladesh, two organizations, “Healing the Children” and “Naripokkho”, decided to provide me with medical care in the United States. It was there, that I was eventually exposed to all the wonderful work that could be done by doctors and other healthcare professionals. I have had approximately thirty reconstructive surgeries to repair my nose, eyelids and part of my forehead that was perforated through my skull. These experiences have inspired me to want to become a doctor, with the hope of giving back to my local community in Bangladesh, United States and globally.

Like international relations, pursuing medicine is often a long and arduous process; prescribed medications because unintended side effects, being sleep deprived after working 80 to 100 hours a week or failing a biology midterm. When I think of these aspects of medicine, I begin to think of my own experiences. Why do I continue to do research in a lab even after all my samples had been contaminated? Why continue to advocate for the social justice even though you still continue to see adversity? While keeping these hardships in mind, I realize that I want to pursue a profession which emphasizes commitment to service, and compassion. These are what drive medical doctors, and in their training, to persist in the face of adversity. Consequently, I am considering pursuing an

Ever since I was 10 years old I’ve always been passionate about making a powerful impact in my community. Growing up in port-au-prince Haiti I’ve seen various things I wish I could change. Such as; the grey, smoky climate. Piles of filthy garbage on the streets, the homeless desperate to earn a coin. But one thing that pierced my heart the most are the unhealthy children's without shelter screaming for medical attention, begging for a chance to survive. But have no one opened their heart to help. So I️ promised myself that one day I’m going to take action and work in the field of medicine so I could provide unlimited free health care to anybody who needs it especially the children.

My determination to pursue a career in medicine began in earnest during the summer of 2012, when I worked as an intern in Benedict Hospital in Sekondi, a town in Ghana, West Africa. It was the first time I was exposed to the realities of a career in medicine. Like many other hospitals in the region, it was heavily burdened with patients and lacked both the resources and qualified personnel to properly care for them. Although many people were treated every day, it was unsettling to watch those who were unfortunate enough to be sent home without the necessary care. As an intern, tasked with collecting patient health information, I came in contact with a mélange of people. They all sought reliable medical care, something that should always be available, but was not. At the end of my internship, I left with a clear sense of purpose, which has been a key driving force in my pursuit of a medical career.

The night before my first day as a teacher I was scared. It was something totally different for me; it was something I had never done before. Yes, I have made some microteachings at the university, but that was not the same as been in an actual classroom with kids observing you and waiting for you to teach them something. In my head, there were questions such as What am I going to do? What should I tell to the kids? Is this how it is supposed to be done?