Academic autobiography.

Autobiography 

Hello, my name is Katerine Alarcón I am 20 years old. 

I started my academic life since I was 5 years old. My mother and my father are teachers, actually, my father is not teaching anymore because he is in another job. When I was a baby, my mother used to work in the countryside so she took me to her classes (That is what she told me). I started studying in a kinder garden school in Palermo, I remember that I hate breakfast there. I do not remember much about this first step of my academic life, nevertheless, I think that study has been always important in my mind. The previous quote means that I am aware that study in life is important and it gives me or whoever many opportunities. I started to study in the countryside, where my mother used to work, there I made my first grade. After that, my parents decide that I should study in Neiva in a private school call “Maria Auxiliadora” There I made my second, third, fourth and fifth grades. I really love study there, to be honest, the high level of education is good and I consider that because of its quality of teaching I am a good student now. I remember that the circumstances were not so easy and for that my parents decided me to start to study where we live (Palermo). I had many problems with transportation from my house to school. Sometimes I lost in the city, others I had to wait for more than an hour and a half for my cousin to arrive for me and take me to the Terminal. There, I have to wait until the bus fully their amount of passengers to travel to Palermo. From this part of my life, I remember my second-grade teacher, she is Sandra. I love her and her methodology, at that time I did not know about those pedagogical aspects but I remember that I learned from her because of her way of teaching. She used to be dynamic, didactics, uses materials that are interesting for us as children and, she motivates us to learn. I lost the fear of being wrong thanks to her.

My sixth grade was made in Palermo in Promocion social school, at that time people believe that this was the best school in the town. During my time in this institution, I enjoyed and learned many things. There were some teachers that I did not like too much because they did not teach me what they should. However, when I was there at that aged I did not realize that and for me was better not to do anything and did some test or workshops and just got a high grade. In Promocion social I did sixth and seventh grades. My mother works in the other school here in Palermo which is “San Juan Bosco”, I was obsessed with the desire to study there, so I started my eighth grade there. This was my best experience, I learned many things in this school and I enjoyed every single day there. I was always immersed in all events that my school offers, I was a member of the Volleyball team, every year we traveled to different towns to play. When I began my ninth grade, teachers started to tell us about the media técnica that the school offers. I started to think about the variety and which one is better for me or what I like the most. There were English, Software, Autotrónica, Minería, and an academic one. At that time I had been doing some English courses at Ileusco, so I have a little interest in English. Finally, I decided to enter to the English media técnica.

The last two years of my school were studying English. I had two different teachers, I love the way of teaching of one of them. Probably both have a big among of knowledge I did not like the methodology or the way of teaching of one of them. On the other hand, I love the other teacher methodology. He always encouraged us to learn English, to participate in class, and he made us realize the importance of English in future life.  Until that moment I did not have the desire to become a teacher. When I graduated from my school some teachers told me that I would have a brilliant future as a teacher of English, because I used to teach English to children and young people. When I received the results from the Icfes exam, I notice that my score was not bad and I could access many programs at Universidad Surcolombiana. In the end, I decided to study this degree because I love English and maybe working as a teacher is what I want for the rest of my life. Now, I can say that I am in love with this program and I am sure that is what I really want to do for my life. Now I am in my first teaching practicum, the process has been a little bit hard. I am a student-teacher of two ninth grades, students are very talkative, indiscipline, rebels, and kind of rude. They are not interested in learning English and the cooperative teacher seems not to worry about that. This is the first experience working with teenagers as a whole group because I have taught some particular classes just for one or two teenagers. Until today, I can say that I would not like to work with this kind of learner.  On the contrary, I have been working in a private school with primary graders for three years and I really love when I have to work with them. I enjoy having encounters with them. They make me feel proud of what I have been doing for them. I noticed that they also enjoy learning, they participate in all activities that I plan for them to each class. Children are always receptive to learn something new and they are so cute. 

Since the beginning of the program, I had many expectations regarding my labor life. However, there are some situations that stop or postpone those expectations. One of them it that I become a mother so I have to start thinking not just on me but also in my baby. For example, I dreamed of being an Au Pair with the desire to travel and meet new people and have more experiences during my youth. Anyways, now my life has changed and I have to make new decisions in order to achieve my goals. In the future, I see myself as a very good teacher,  with a lot of experience in the teaching field. Moreover, I think I will be working with children. 

 During all my academic life I have been thinking that English seems to be difficult but it is not at all. I mean, if you really like it and you have the desire to learn it, you can do it. The process is long but if you work patiently and with dedication is going to be successful. 

Finally, for me, the best way to teach English is being analytic about the context you are teaching in, using motivational activities, make your students understand the topic through simple personal experiences, and using strategies to discover for you as a teacher and to your students what are the best ways to teach and learn. In my personal opinion, I prefer to work with children. I think they are always motivated to learn, they appreciate what the teacher does for them, and they learn quickly and easier.