Angie Rivas

March 28, 2015

Teaching English
Teaching English has been quite the experience. Before I started
teaching I was under the impression that it was going to be easy, because
English is my primary language. It turned out to be challenging and very
rewarding. I have always enjoyed assisting individuals reach their academic
goals. Thus, teaching English as a second language has derived me with
fulfillment.
I am always up for a challenge. If we're growing, we're always going
to be out of our comfort zone. - John Maxwell. I was definitely out of my
comfort zone when I began teaching. Teaching English required me to relearn
certain grammatical rules and think outside the box. I dont remember
learning that much grammar in elementary school. Yet, I seem to know what
sounds right. One of the first grammatical rules I relearned is that, when you
are using a present continuous word you need to have a verb to be in front of
it. For example: I am running. They are running. Hes running. Relearning
grammar has not only helped me with teaching, but also in my pursuit for
higher education.
When I was teaching a small group of adults the topic titles, I thought
outside the box by making a diagram that focused on titles and marital
status. The titles column included: Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Miss. The marital status
column included: single, married, and unknown. In this lesson, I also
included the historical context behind Ms. Ms. was created because of the
gender inequality that stating your marital status created for women in the
work force. As a sociologist I know many interesting facts and statistics that

I enjoy sharing with others. When teaching Spanish speakers English its
important to sometimes explain these types of things so they have a better
understanding of the language but also the English speaking culture.
Being an educator has been a pleasant experience. It is satisfying to
witness students gaining knowledge. It makes me happy to see lightbulbs
turn on. I worked for We Can Foundation for a short amount of time. In that
time period I found that my students parents noticed a difference with in
their childrens school grades. It was rewarding to know that I was the reason
why they were obtaining higher scores. These outcomes motivated me to try
even harder with their lessons.
I enjoy teaching English because I like helping people. My profession is
a reflection of my commitment to assisting others. I chose to study social
work because I would be helping, advocating, and educating vulnerable
populations. Helping people is part of my nature. At the end of every English
class I taught I felt content. It felt lovely to be a positive influence in peoples
lives and to be admired.
Learning a second language is not easy. There are many factors that
can make it challenging. I know first-hand how difficult and embarrassing the
process can be. My primary language is English and my second language is
Spanish. I learned basic Spanish at a young age but my language and
vocabulary were very limited. When I began traveling to Mexico I could not
communicate effectively. I was ridiculed for my accent but I did not let that
stop me. I would tell my friends and significant other to correct me. I can
relate to individuals learning a new language. In the past I have made it a
point to build confidence in my students. I would tell them to embrace their

accent and to not let anything or anyone interfere with them reaching their
goals and full potential.
I like teaching English because Im always learning something new.
Continuous learning is something I value deeply. I believe that everyone has
something new to teach us. Just like my students learn from me I learn from
them. One of the things I learned is to be more patient and creative.
In conclusion, teaching English turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I
was able to learn forgotten skills and grow as an individual. I was also able to
inspire others to go the extra mile. Through my personal experience I was
able to motivate students to reach personal and educational goals. Overall I
encountered many benefits from teaching English. I would like my English
teaching journey to continue.