My Sophomore Year Experience

For the past six years, I have had the privilege of sharing my first language, Spanish, and Spanish culture as a teacher at a small private elementary school in a small rural town where diversity is almost non-existent. It has been a pleasure to open up a window to the outside world in the classrooms of this school where the students and I get to explore Spanish culture and language without having to leave town. My experience sharing my culture as well as my bilingual skills, however, extends beyond the elementary school classroom. Prior to teaching Spanish at the elementary school level, I worked as a Spanish-English translator and interpreter at various companies, and I also taught Spanish to adults.

Being a Mexican-American, who was raised in the small town of Encarnación de Díaz – located at Los Altos de Jalisco, MX, – and then moved at the age of seventeen to Corpus Christi, TX, was not a smooth transition. The most difficult things I have encountered in my life must have been speaking a new language and adapting to a new type of living. I was fortunate enough to have amazing teachers who taught me to read, write and speak in English back in Mexico, but I was still not confident enough to speak the language when I arrived here. Although, many have told me that my English doesn’t sound as if I just moved here five years ago, I still believe I have so much more to learn.

Initially, I was an Ecuadorian girl that had a Christian family, I grew up surrounded by my family and loved ones. My cognitive development was in progress, and I had created fundamental bonds in Ecuador. Provided that my dad is an American citizen and due to his work in America, he could not spend too much time with us in Ecuador, so, my mom, my little brother, and I immigrated to America. After three years of my life, our family reunited, and I became an Ecuadorian-American. Since I was very young, assimilating the changes came to be unnoticed, if it weren’t for the fact that during the next years I spoke Spanish at home and English at school. As a result, my translations of these languages affected my communication, creating slow comprehensive

Learning a new language at my age was a thug, people make fun of you in school if you don’t understand or don’t know how to say something. Only a few people help you. When I lived in Mexico I was always one of the best students and most of the times I was on the honor roll. Without knowing English in this country, I couldn’t the same. I start school here in Houston the 9th grade and my grades were very low, I couldn’t believe that my grades went from 100 to less than 50. Also, I couldn’t do my work, homework and tests because I didn’t understand or I didn't know how to ask. All this situation made me feel so incapable and frustrated. I started to use that frustration and courage to lose my fear and sorrow to ask my teachers and classmates for help. I decided to talk more English than Spanish with people in the stores, malls, and school. During the weekend with my cousins I remember that I used to talk to them in Spanish and they talked to me English so I could learn more vocabulary and how to pronounce the words. Listen to music in English helped me a lot familiarizing my ear to the language too, and using my free time to translate words from Spanish to English to learn more, so I could do better in

We also believe that as our society assumes an increasingly global focus, becoming proficient in at least one foreign language is important. To attain as many foreign language skills as possible during her high school years, Kaitlyn studied Spanish concurrently for four years at Aim Academy and augmented her Spanish courses with independent study, using a variety of print and online resources. In addition to her high school Spanish language studies, she has also demonstrated great personal initiative by engaging in further independent study of other foreign

The population of native Spanish speakers in the US is growing according to the article “10 Facts About the Spanish Language;” which states that “With 329 million native speakers, Spanish ranks as the world's No. 2 language in terms of how many people speak it as their first language. It is slightly ahead of English (328 million) but far behind Chinese (1.2 billion)” (Erichsen). I am going to college to get my degree in Elementary Education. I am taking a course to learn to speak Spanish – hablar español, because I have noticed this myself.

It's impossible to think about things that have significantly impacted my life without considering my mother's diagnosis with cancer. It has changed the way I approach nearly everything in my life, and has led to other significant experiences. She was diagnosed the beginning of my Sophomore year, so I've had to balance home and school obligations nearly my entire high school career. I had to take responsibility and start acting more maturely, whether I wanted to or not. My mother suddenly couldn't do many things she used to be able to do, and as my father travels every week I had to step up and fill the void. Through doing this, I've become a lot more independent, and gained better clarity into my priorities and what I want out of my life.

Although I did not grow up speaking Spanish at home, it always fascinated me that my father, having been born and raised in Puerto Rico, spoke two languages fluently. As a child, it felt like he could communicate with everyone. As I grew, I realized that speaking two languages was an advantage not all people experience. There’s a camaraderie people feel when you can speak to them in their native tongue, and this inspired me to take my Spanish language studies seriously. I wanted to become part of my own culture, and heritage. I felt exhilarated when I was inducted into the National Spanish Honor Society. In learning to speak Spanish I felt one step closer to embracing my roots.

In Mrs. Gonzalez’s Spanish class, her students learn the Spanish language is a vast range of contexts – both social and educational. Effective

As a child growing up in my family, the conversations between my grandfather and I consisted of weak attempts at speaking each other’s language. There are some words that momentarily break down the language barrier that kept us apart. However, for the most part, my efforts to speak Spanish were hopeless. Whenever I came to visit him, I exchanged a shaky “sion abuelo” for his thick accented “He-llo,” and ran away before the embarrassment from my inability to understand the language that was spoken frequently

Sophomore year, I was thinking about surviving the next two years of high school. I realized I wouldn't graduate, not with the grades I was getting. My grades were at a 65 and I was going downhill. Panicking, I realized it was imperative that I go to a technical program.

This year has definitely been a roller coaster. From the first day there have been some good days, some bad, some easier than others and days I didn’t think I could finish the year. Not everything was has I hoped it would be, I lost a lot of important people in my life; not so much physically but more so emotionally. Friends departed different ways and family became a more difficult to be around. Aside from all of that, I can reflect on senior year and say that my life has changed for the better, simply because I have matured into a more, loving, caring and manageable young lady.

I’m not going to lie to you. This upcoming year for you will in no way be easy. Sophomore year counts, so make it one of your best. The hard work you are putting in now will be worth it in the end, no matter how harrowing it may be. You will have a successful sophomore year if you remember everything will get better, and if you live in the present along the way.

In my Freshman and Sophomore year of high school, I was not really involved in extracurricular activities. I did some community service hours and I joined a club. In my Junior year of high school, I started to get more involved in school activities. Such as football and soccer games. And in all honesty, I can say that Junior year has been my favorite year so far.

Life after an undergraduate is one thing that most MCF scholars can’t get it out of their mind when senior year in college is approaching. In fact, I was once one of these scholars who spent most of their senior year to think about how they can get into grad school after graduation or better still secure a better job. My decision job. Likewise, through my basic analysis, I realized that there would be a number of challenges I may face if I go back to my country with only a bachelor’s degrees with no job experience or post-graduate degree. I needed to differentiate myself by getting more qualifications for the job market. Among the challenges, I thought about whether I would of grad school as a way to do something meaningful in my community