Childhood Influences On K-12 Education

Childhood experiences help shape the person we'll become. My experiences in K-12 education have influenced my view on my educational philosophy and the decisions I've made thus far. I'm Mexican American and grew up in a Spanish speaking household. My early interactions with the English language was through my older siblings. When my parents immigrated to California, they chose to live in a small town. My hometown is predominantly populated by minorities. In my hometown, there is only one school that goes up to 8th grade. Throughout my K-8th education, inequity wasn't a predominant issue that I focused on. Since, there was only one school in my hometown and it was predominantly Latinos I was unaware of any distinctions made. Not having other

Both my parents have agricultural jobs. At a young age, I understood that there job was difficult. My parents always told me how important an education was. Both of my older siblings didn't pursue a higher education. Since I looked up to them, I became discouraged because I didn't believe that I could make it. In fifth grade, my teacher asked the whole class, whether we wanted to go to college. Not knowing anyone personally who had gone, I responded no. My teacher gasped and responded "Elizabeth you are going to college, even if I have to take you there myself". That moment was very impactful. In that moment, I became more determined that I was going to college. I would be the one to break the cycle and in doing so, I would motivate my younger sister to follow my footsteps. My socioeconomic status has motivated to continue my education and its shown be me the importance of

I want to be: like Mr.Boosalis, who always believes in the underdog; like Mrs. Morris, who encourages students to go to college; like Mrs. Lawrence, who teaches students courage and determination when faced with difficult issues; like Mrs. Martinez, who goes above and beyond to help students; like Mr. Ramirez, who stays after school to help students even I'd he's not getting paid; like Mr.Obeid, who believes everyone's potential in math. These were some of the teachers who have motivated me and inspired me to become a teacher. I want to take all my experiences and implement strategies to help students who are faced with difficult issues. Experiences shape an individual, but the individual decides where to go from those experiences. As a teacher, it’s up to me to give my students the best experience possible and give them the resources they need to be able to grow from their