Guadalupe Longino Mendoza

Professor Doutherd

English 5M

September 18, 2017

Rough Draft 1

My family and I immigrated from Mexico to the United States when I was nine years old

in March 2007; moving countries was a difficult transition for my siblings and I because

Farmersville,California was a new world that came with many grueling experiences when I

started school. Since 4th grade I had challenges with learning new knowledge because of my

difficulty with understanding English. My first day of class at Freedom Elementary was

overwhelming. I did not know what was going on but fortunately my teacher, Ms Lozano, and

others became my supporters. Ms Lozano made sure that I felt comfortable around her and my

classmates in order to become accustomed to the new language of English. Luckily, I was

surrounded by this support and learning English became a useful tool to communicate with

others and also become knowledgeable of other subjects.

Fourth grade students who do not know how to speak or write in English often do not

realize that they have the potential to learn a new language. As a fourth grade student who did

not know how to speak or write any English I was fortunate enough to have my fourth grade

teacher, Ms. Lozano, and others support. Starting fourth grade three months before school was

over and with no knowledge of a single word of English was difficult. In Mexico the primary

language is Spanish, and it is still hard to become proficient in the language because of the many
different accents Spanish words have and how one word can have multiple meanings. Starting all

over again with a new language completely unknown to me was and still is a challenge. With the

support of Ms. Lozano, classmates and other teachers I adapted to the English language. Ms.

Lozano helped me by giving me extra assignments that mainly focused on words and the

structure of English. Ms. Lozano along with a few of my fourth grade classmates read to me

every other day after school for an hour or so. Throughout the time I spent with Ms. Lozano I

randomly got quizzed on the meaning of words and spelling. All these different sources of help

she imposed on me from March to June encouraged me to continue practicing this language so

during summer I decided to attend summer school.

Migrant students find it difficult to become used to the English language since they move

from place to place so often. As a migrant student it became a challenge for me to finds ways to

learn English but fortunately I was able to seek resources. When my family and I moved to The

Dalles, Oregon for the summer I attended summer school at an Elementary school nearby. The

teacher I had for the summer was very helpful despite my poor English. I could not do much of

the regular class work but instead I read constantly. I read basic books, including The Captain

Underpants series, Charlottes Web and Fairy Tale stories. The books I read during summer were

helpful in developing my knowledge of the English language because I was able to practice the

pronunciation of words and I was able to recognize many words as I read different books. After

summer my family and I moved back to Farmersville.

Students that go back to their hometown after migrating are presented with the same

opportunity of support from teachers and others as when they left. In my case, my fourth grade

teacher became my support for a whole school year. Ms. Lozano suggested I repeat the fourth
grade if I wanted to become proficient in the English language. At the time I was upset that I did

not go onto the fifth grade but now I am grateful I repeated the fourth grade because I can say I

have become fluent in English. Enrolling in the fourth grade again helped me improve my

English because Ms. Lozano was able to help me by using various sources. In class, Ms. Lozano

would allow some of her students translate to me in Spanish, set time apart during class so I can

work with other students and practice my English through flashcards and having conversations

with the students.Throughout those couple of years Ms. Lozano dedicated herself to help me as

much as possible that she even arranged for me to go to another class and practice with an

English only speaking teacher.. In almost two years I was able to understand when people talked

to me and that was all thanks to my mentor.

I figured that eventually I would learn how to speak, write, and read in English so I

became excited when I learned new words and wove them into sentences. There were moments

in which I struggled to learn the basics of writing, of learning how to construct a proper sentence

and also of knowing how to deliver or how to hold a proper conversation with my classmates

and teachers but despite these failures, I did not give up but tried harder to make sense of

whatever I was trying to write or say. I disciplined myself to read words accurately and not just

sound them out and disciplined myself to not mix my words up when I was talking to another

person. All these little things that a student like me might feel insecure about when learning a

new language did not stop me from being able to become fluent in writing and speaking English.

After becoming fluent in the language, I improved my grades significantly all throughout grade

school. During my middle school and high school years I joined clubs and I even held some

positions of authority within a couple clubs. Without the knowledge of the English language I
would have not been able to apply to scholarships or universities. With this skill I was able to

apply to various scholarships and even win a couple, and I am now attending Sacramento State.

When a student fails before succeeding and is not discouraged, but rather continues

trying, helps them develop a mindset that essentially allows them to become persistent and

continue wanting to learn. All my past experiences have helped me become an educated

individual and have allowed me to attend school, work, and even be able to intern at an

organization. I am in disbelief of what I have been able to accomplish with just knowing another

language. The new language I acquired has open up many paths for me and has allowed me to

become knowledgeable of other issues going on around me.

Being aware of the potential within yourself can be achieved through the support of

other people. It does not matter how old or young an individual is and it certainly does not matter

if that person has a mentor that will help them develop the desire they need to achieve their

goals, as long as a person is aware of their own decisions and the path they want to take anyone

can be successful in achieving their goals. I was able to recognize all the support I had when I

barely started learning English, and I am still aware of the support I have now. All theses

resources and support has helped me become the successful individual I am today.