Personal Essay
Please explain why you are interested in pursuing a teaching career. Please
provide specific reasons to support your response.
When I first moved here from Colombia, I found that moving to a new country that
requires you to know a new language is very difficult. Everyone thinks that as a child it’s easy
to learn new things quickly, but in fact it’s challenging. Colombia is a third-world country, so
my environment changed quickly. I became scared since I didn’t know what to expect; there
were different types of places and even people that I wasn’t able to communicate with, and it
was frustrating. I started school two months later, and I felt a million different emotions. I
had to stop going to school in Colombia because we had to focus on coming here; therefore, I
felt insecure about going to school in the U.S. since I didn’t have this experience in my own
country.
On account of my age, it was required for me to start in the first grade. I skipped the
important opportunity my other classmates had in kindergarten, which was making friends,
and I felt like an outsider. There were kids who knew Spanish, but I was the laughing stock
because I had been struggling with learning English. My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Gonzales,
was very patient with me. She took time out of her breaks to have time with me one-on-one,
and when I struggled, she didn't lose her confidence in me and helped me till I understood.
Mrs. Gonzales knew how defeated I felt, and I could communicate this to her because I spoke
to h er about it in a language I felt comfortable with. One day, the bullies said mean things
among themselves right in front of me. This caused me to break down and beg Mrs. Gonzales
to do anything she could so I could just understand. Mrs. Gonzales brought me away from the
others and hugged me. She then started bringing along flash cards and bilingual toys that
helped the terms she was saying to me appeal to my young brain. When I was finally able to
communicate a whole sentence to another teacher without struggling, I cried and thanked
Mrs. Gonzalez because she had become a hero to 7-year-old me.
As I grew up and had different experiences with English teachers, I learned that
English is a beautiful language. English is now my favorite and strongest subject in school,
and it’s really all thanks to reading. I loved going to the library and picking up books like
"Harry Potter" that took me on journeys. I’m also learning to write my own magical
adventures, and even though sometimes it’s still hard for me to manage, I know I can do it
with the help of my amazing teachers. I try to share my love of reading and writing with my
niece and nephew, who are now struggling with learning English. After school, I always try to
help them learn like Mrs. Gonzalez once did with me; I feel content and that I'm showing I'm
grateful to her by doing this. Even though the struggle was really hard, it made me see at a
young age just how much effort teachers really put in to actually teach us and help us grow so
that we too are able to develop and give back to the community; I’m going to give back by
teaching others and helping them realize that’s even though it’s hard sometimes, learning is
a beautiful thing.