Why Ms. C?

Some of you may or may not know my story, the whole reason for why this career has been the one thing I've known and wanted for as long as I can remember. Earlier this year, I stumbled upon my written autobiography (expressing why I chose this path and believed in it whole-heartedly) which I sent in as part of my application for the teaching program at CSUF. Reading through this autobio essay, mind you------- it's been 6 years since this essay was written and submitted, revived this passion that's always been within me. I have been going through a roller coaster of challenges over the last 4 years in pursuing, searching, and trying to land a teaching job in this difficult [yet priceless and most rewarding] career path and economy of California. I felt that giving you more of a background would help in understanding who I am as an educator. I'd say you can take this post as a personal one-on-one interview/ FAQ for Ms. C. I'm going to keep it to 1-3 questions overall.

As a kid, the number one question adults would ask you is ***drum roll please*** "What do you want to be when you grow up?" So, what exactly did you want to be?

It may seem unheard of, preposterous even, to know what you've always wanted to be at such a young age. I kid you not, at the age of 6/7 years old, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I jumped at every opportunity whenever my cousins were around or visiting my house to play pretend school (younger and older than I-- did not care how old they were). I had fake lessons and at times, one of my guy cousins intentionally annoyed me (or maybe he wanted to portray the student who'd help me with classroom management XD ) so much that I switched roles and became the principal in order to set the tone for discipline lol. I would conduct myself in charge despite the 4-5-year age gap, expecting my cousins to follow my expectations as the teacher and listen. Imagine an 8-9-year-old holding down the fort, playing pretend school with 3-5 people who were 4-5 years older than her. I was persistent with my imagination and believing that I would one day have a real classroom of my own. One vivid example during my pretend play: We would walk around the house and that would be considered one of our "fieldtrips" XD 

Another example:

Even though I had younger sisters, they did not always want to play the things I wanted to play. I'd say between the ages of 7-10 years old, I had a collection of dolls and stuffed animals; these stuffed toys had the pleasure of being in my fake classroom aka my bedroom. I lined them up accordingly, sometimes in a semi-circle (depending on how I wanted my classroom set-up to be that day I played). I would take attendance one by one using a list I created, literally calling out the names of my stuffed toys, as well as writing "A" if they were "absent." After attendance, I had an actual spelling test ready to administer. When I believed my "students" were done with their test, I would collect these papers and actually grade their answers (btw, I wrote down real answers to these spelling tests for multiple "students" so that I really had something to grade). Some of my "students" did "well" or an A+ job, while others did poorly and "needed more improvement." As soon as I "graded" these spelling tests, I returned them to the rightful owner and verbally congratulated my "students" who worked hard and received a perfect score. I was so proud in using a red pen for my corrections lol. I had the time of my life playing pretend. 

Why did you go in to teaching?

Some background on myself as a student.... I was always a great student. I had a desire to work and study hard, earn good grades/ straight A's. My father upped the motivation by giving my sisters and I a dollar for every A on our report card (or stakes/earnings went higher the older we got as we entered middle school and high school). I was also that student who wanted to be liked by everyone, including the teacher-- make my teacher proud of having me in their classroom by displaying such a model student (even if and when it costed me the label "teacher's pet"). I was fortunate enough to experience passionate, loving, engaging, educated, and well-rounded teachers for most of my K-12 student life. It wasn't until high school when I realized why and how much I wanted to be a teacher. 

At my HS alma mater, I was involved in CJSF (California Junior Scholarship Federation) and tutoring was part of our responsibilities. I would tutor freshmen or sophomores (while I was a junior or senior) in the morning before our first period at least weekly. It was for Math/or English I believe. I enjoyed knowing that these people were finally understanding the content they have been trying so hard to grasp. Educators would call this the "light bulb" moment, when their students are happy and excited that things are starting to make more sense. Knowing that I was a contributor to their learning, understanding, and excitement to learn more-- this made me want to continue being part of a team who helped students believe [or start thinking] that giving up was never an option and hard work was an important key in earning success. My teachers were inspiring and huge role models as well.

I have 3 main reasons for wanting to teach: *The ever so cliché answer) 1) I love and enjoy being around kids  and 2) I want to be there, helping students grow and realize that their strengths will become their allies and their weaknesses will be areas that only need more improvement and something that won't or shouldn't be an anchor in how successful they become/or want to be... being that person who helps them truly discover their character, talents/ and skills and feel ready to be part of society when they enter the real world and 3) I want to make learning much more enjoyable!

Why teach English Language Arts/ELA? Who was your inspiration?

If I told you math was my first choice, you probably wouldn't believe me. There was just something about Algebra 2 that got my juices flowing (polynomials and factoring, and working out the quadratic formula, OH. MY. GOSH. My 11th grade Algebra 2 teacher, Mr. Buccholz, was the man who looked at this subject in a different angle, helped me understand by truly breaking down how to solve such equations and made me want to do well). Plus, I knew that math was more concrete and students needed/appreciate someone who spoke great English (my HS Geometry teacher had a heavy Romanian accent I was nervous how I'd pass lol!), as well as an energy to keep a math class alive. Math was my first major in college, but after my lack of enthusiasm for even enduring my Precalc class the first year (yes, I got a D the 1st semester and had to re-take Precalc my second semester freshman year of undergrad) and foreseeing more abstract math classes here on out, my stomach churned with disgust. I did not see myself nor want to be the teacher who stood before the class not being sure how to teach this/that function. I decided to reflect back on my HS experiences and teachers I've had. English was the main one that I always enjoyed: content, performance-task based summative projects, and the class discussions with my teacher and peers/classmates. I believed that teaching English was something I wanted to help pave a foundation in the lives of my students... seriously: being someone who will further develop skills needed in all subjects: reading, writing, critical thinking, and speaking.

My English teachers in HS had the best of personalities and energies (well, more so my 10th-12th grade years-- freshman year, not so much and that teacher was so ready to retire-- and thankfully she did lol). I will never forget my 10th and 11th grade teachers especially. I'd say they were my all-time favorite, even to this day. These two provided more than enough room to utilize creativity and collaboration long before the CCSS came in to the picture. They are the teachers I hope to model today, yet still in the fashion of what makes "Ms. C" Ms. C :D I don't ever want to lose my spunk or energy as a teacher. I want to continue incorporating music and pop culture into grammar and thematic strands/ideals when teaching a novel. I want students to know how to properly address someone in an e-mail, especially when it comes to using appropriate tone and language (they need to learn the importance of code switching!). I want to excite my students on content that is usually a bore or huge challenge where they tend to shut down. I want my students to know and realize how important they are and that their ideas, skills, and talents are something that is of worth. Mr. Rockwood and Mr. Bracho were the two whom I looked up to and truly spearheaded this passion to be a teacher even further. 

Here are a couple paragraphs on my two favorite English teachers from my autobio essay in 2010:

Mr. Rockwood was my Honors English teacher sophomore year. Despite his intimidating six-foot stature, he always brought the class to life with his gentle voice and encouraging attitude. He was always willing to meet with his students after class to clarify any questions or concerns. My favorite part of his class period was answering the journal questions that were written daily on the white board. The journal questions allowed his students to write freely without the bounds of formal structure. Those moments in class gave me the chance to improve my writing and develop my voice as a writer. He also helped me face my fear of public speaking by providing creative ways of delivering speeches. Mr. Rockwood followed a consistent class routine that kept his students on task and everything else organized. I believe that all my classmates respected him because of his positive attitude that he never failed to emanate. I honestly do not remember a time when he raised his voice once. Mr. Rockwood helped me see that teachers who respected their students will receive that same respect in return. I learned that preparation and class structure impacts the learning outcome of every student.

I had Mr. Bracho my junior year and let me tell you, he was the most energetic teacher I have ever had in my life. He always entered the classroom with a smile on his face and a bubbly “Hello class!” followed with a random story that happened over the weekend. I found it hilarious and quite amazing with how up-to-date he was with the latest news in pop culture, song, or celebrity gossip. I felt that he used that as a way to truly connect with his students beyond the classroom setting. His enthusiasm and respect for every student cultivated a warm learning environment.

Mr. Bracho provided every student the opportunity to think creatively and independently. He carefully framed out thought-provoking questions for each novel that we covered in class. Throughout the year, he would assign a group project at the end of every unit. I remember performing skits and reinterpreting chapters from the novel, The Scarlett Letter. I loved seeing how each classmate was so committed to performing their version of this sad novel. At the end of the year, our final group project was to make a short video on Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath. This window of creativity allowed me to see literature in a more tangible way. I was not confined to pen and paper to express my thoughts and understanding of the themes in these texts. Mr. Bracho helped me see that passion is the fuel that develops an effective teacher.

*** I had the opportunity to speak with both these teachers [in person] after I completed the credential program as well, long after I was a student of theirs! They, too, even remembered having me in their classroom, which definitely encouraged me. I was able to tell them how much of an impact they were in my life as a student and one of the main reasons I took up teaching. It was one of the best moments in my life as I've trekked on in this career path.

I did not anticipate writing this much in one post, and just on these 3 questions alone. Thank you for taking the time to read and discover why I went into this field.... if you managed to make it to the end :) Feel free to leave comments or questions!