Guadalupe Longino Mendoza

Professor Doutherd

English 5M

October 29, 2017

Third Draft

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. In the article, Sponsors of Literacy,

Deborah Brandt states that [each of us as individuals] have a combination of literacy that makes

us unique. (Brandt 44) Aside from mainly having the support of Ms. Lozano, I also acquired

sponsors during summer school in Oregon and afterwards when I came back to school in

California.

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. Similar to Malcolm X, I was eager

to learn the basics of writing. In his article, X states that ...the best thing [he] could do was get

hold of a dictionary-to study, to learn some words. ( X 120) Although I did not take the

initiative to learn words on my own, I still had all these different sources of help Ms Lozano

imposed on me from March to June. In her article, Brandt states that the concept of sponsors

helps to explain a range of human relationships and ideological pressures that turn up at the

scenes of literacy learning. (Brandt 47) This means that sponsors are what helps an individual

shape their mindset which allows them to take in new knowledge and execute it in a way that

benefits both the sponsor and individual. In a way this is the process I was going through when I

was learning English because it helped me for the relationship I had with Ms Lozano and others.

Mostly Ms Lozano because she 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. In Sponsors of Literacy, Brandt

mentions the experience of Dora Lopez and Raymond Branch and the different sponsors they

each had according to their economic and social status. Similar to Dora Lopez, I did not have

many sponsors but I took advantage of the sponsors I encountered myself with. 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. Malcolm also mentions in his article that as his word base broadened he was

able to pick up a book and understand what the book was saying. ( X 121) I strongly relate to his

moment because just like him I was beginning to understand portions of the books I read. 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.