When I got married I moved to the United States, and I knew zero English. I was a teacher after graduating from school in Mexico, and I wanted to teach in the United States. I got a bilingual teaching assistant job in Idaho Falls, and this experience allowed me to become familiar with teaching in this country. My second experience was in Alaska where I taught with a temporary 1-year certificate. During this time, I had to pass a required test to get certified. I failed this test five times, and I felt frustration, sadness, and anxiety. However, I didn’t lose my faith. Due to an emergency, we moved to Houston where I found another school to work at. A couple of years later I try to get certified. I took the required test six times, and I failed
…show more content…
Emotionally I was lost. I thought I was not good enough and that I would never learn another language. I started comparing myself with others. I couldn’t believe others with less time in this country were having success. I became good friends with Laura. She was brought from Mexico to work in my school through an alternative program. She loved teaching, and she had the passion for helping children to learn in different ways. She is smart and successful. In less than six years she wrote a book and she finished her masters. Last year, she went to another state to perform a presentation of her book. I asked her, “How do you do that?” She said, “What?” I said, “Don’t you struggle with English being your second language?” She said, “Yes. When I am talking, people sometimes make gestures that make me feel like they don’t understand me. However, I do my best.” Then, she shared with me her passion for what she is doing. She didn’t seem to care about doing it in another language. My heartbeat was going so fast. I couldn’t control it. I calmed down, and deep inside I heard my thoughts, “Hey, if she can do it, I can do it too.” I felt motivated and excited that I was able to succeed too. I heard a soft voice in my head, “ You are a daughter of God. Therefore, believe in yourself.” I was not alone, and I needed to overcome my low self-esteem. So I thought about improving my …show more content…
I felt like I was hurting myself for trying to understand the instructions time and time again. Nevertheless, I was not alone because I had my husband on my side. Also, I had the positive influence of my teachers. They all motivated me and pushed me to keep going. I worked harder every day, and I got excited about what I was doing. Reading the testimonies and the life of the prophets and apostles gave me the strength to break the walls of my low self-esteem. After strengthening my faith, everything was positive even if I was not getting a good grade. It was the opposite. I started to say, “This is a challenge, and I am going to do better next time.” I felt I was able to write everything in English, and I was not translating to my first language anymore. I was proud of myself for getting good grades. I see the finish line of my first school year, and I am ready for my next challenges. I feel strong and ready to get to the end and
Emotionally I was lost. I thought I was not good enough and that I would never learn another language. I started comparing myself with others. I couldn’t believe others with less time in this country were having success. I became good friends with Laura. She was brought from Mexico to work in my school through an alternative program. She loved teaching, and she had the passion for helping children to learn in different ways. She is smart and successful. In less than six years she wrote a book and she finished her masters. Last year, she went to another state to perform a presentation of her book. I asked her, “How do you do that?” She said, “What?” I said, “Don’t you struggle with English being your second language?” She said, “Yes. When I am talking, people sometimes make gestures that make me feel like they don’t understand me. However, I do my best.” Then, she shared with me her passion for what she is doing. She didn’t seem to care about doing it in another language. My heartbeat was going so fast. I couldn’t control it. I calmed down, and deep inside I heard my thoughts, “Hey, if she can do it, I can do it too.” I felt motivated and excited that I was able to succeed too. I heard a soft voice in my head, “ You are a daughter of God. Therefore, believe in yourself.” I was not alone, and I needed to overcome my low self-esteem. So I thought about improving my …show more content…
I felt like I was hurting myself for trying to understand the instructions time and time again. Nevertheless, I was not alone because I had my husband on my side. Also, I had the positive influence of my teachers. They all motivated me and pushed me to keep going. I worked harder every day, and I got excited about what I was doing. Reading the testimonies and the life of the prophets and apostles gave me the strength to break the walls of my low self-esteem. After strengthening my faith, everything was positive even if I was not getting a good grade. It was the opposite. I started to say, “This is a challenge, and I am going to do better next time.” I felt I was able to write everything in English, and I was not translating to my first language anymore. I was proud of myself for getting good grades. I see the finish line of my first school year, and I am ready for my next challenges. I feel strong and ready to get to the end and