Running Head: ABE JOURNAL

Autobiographical Essay Journals

Bernabe 1

ABE JOURNAL

Bernabe 2

Educational Background
Elementary and middle school was a little different for me compared to most of my
classmates. As a child, I attended to a private school; however, it was not just a private school. It
was a private school located in a small town of our neighbor country. Mexico is my parents
native country and the country in which I grew up and started my school years. My school was
small, secure, and conservative. The faculty included some people from my hometown, but
mostly it was made up of Catholic nuns who were the school administrators and the ideal team to
keep the school in a peaceful and disciplined environment. When I started my secondary
education, I started fresh and in a different country. I was a student in the Vallivue district;
therefore I graduated from Vallivue high school and enrolled in CWI right after to continue with
my post-secondary education. Currently, I am still enrolled in the College of Western Idaho and
the 2013 Fall is my fourth semester as a college student.
When I think of special educational experiences, there are a few that I really take into
consideration due to the enhancement that they provided me with. One of the most important
experiences that I experienced myself was back in high school as a member of the ELD program
that the school provides. When I started high school, as a sophomore, I had very little, almost
none, knowledge and practice of the language. I am a native Spanish speaker and since my early
childhood I had the desire to learn the language spoken in America, my native country. However,
learning this language in Mexico was not something accessible in the small town that I lived in.
When I finally started my learning process in high school, it was through the ELD classes. My
teachers were very supportive and looked for ways of making the learning process effective and
pleasant. During the four semesters that I was part of the program, I had huge encouragement
and every support from my classmates, teachers, as well as the school faculty. By the time that I
was not required to be in those classes, I decided to stay and be part of the team by becoming a
tutor and mentor for those who, like me, where starting from zero in the English learning
process.
Being part of a teachers classroom is a great opportunity, not only for the experience and
learning involved, but also because it is a great factor that contributes to the decision of whether
or not pursuing a career into the Education field. Ive had the opportunity of being a volunteer at
local schools and migrant head starts; however, one of the best experiences that I have had is
when I had the chance of volunteering in a different country. Last year, I spent a semester
volunteering full time in the same elementary school that I attended when I was little. It brought
an immense intrinsic reward to me as well as a great learning and practice. At first, I started as an
aid; then I became the substitute teacher for grades first through sixth and even kinder garden. It
was during this period of time in which I became completely sure that teaching is the job that I
would love to perform for life. I enjoyed every day of it, even during the days when the children
made my head hurt; and the rewards are irreplaceable. As I continue my education, I can only
hope to learn more, every day, every class, and every semester in order for me to become a good
educator. I am aware that it is a long way and that I might not even be half way done, but I stay
positive because I know I am pursuing a career I am passionate about and at the very end it will
all be worth it.

Work History

ABE JOURNAL

Bernabe 3

Whenever I think of work history, I think of my very first job which I held when I was 17
years old. I worked for two summers in the fields, just like my grandparents and parents have
done for living. My duty was to go into the corn fields and take off the top of the corn, which
stops it from growing. Our shift was long, it started around seven in the morning and it ended
around five or six; even though it would sometimes end later when the days required it. After that
job, I started working at a fast food restaurant. At the beginning it was hard to get it all. It took
me a reasonable time to learn all that was needed. According to my learning style, I learn the best
visually; therefore I now understand why it caused me so much trouble. My trainers would all set
me the example, without explaining me the details and then expected me to do it on my own. In
this job, the area in which I was good at was helping customers. Even with all the trouble the
learning caused, I got practice and after months I became a trainer and helped the new members
in their learning process. Recently, I have been working as a receptionist at a hotel in Boise. So
far, it is the best job and the less tiring job from all. Since I had the customer experience from my
previous job, talking to strangers is not as bad anymore. I also have to put into practice some
accounting skills in order to open and close my shift. Accuracy and organization skills are also
important and they help me to stay on top of my job, make reservations, cancellations, set wake
up calls, give instructions, and make plenty of arrangements within the rooms, the guests, and the
dates.
Something that I count as important every time I talk about previous jobs has been all my
volunteering, in the states and outside the country. My definition of this volunteering would be,
doing work with no other pay than the intrinsic rewards of performing an activity that we like
and enjoy. It is through this type of job that we get to practice our skills and become surer of
what it is that we really want to invest our time while in school. Most of my volunteering has
been in schools, as teacher aid and being a teachers sub. It has been these jobs that have made
me be sure of what I want to go to school for and have clear goals for my future education.
All these job and volunteering experiences have left me something as I keep on going
further with my education and life itself. Since my very first job, which for sure was not the best;
however, it was this job that marked the expectations and goals that I have set for myself. One
day as I walked my way thru the muddy field, I found myself thinking of how ironic my situation
was. I left the country of my childhood in order to find success and there I was, almost tripping
in the mud. I promised myself to be the best learner and that it will eventually take me to a better
place. Perhaps my job history wont be the most exceptional, but something is for sure; the
lessons that it had left me have been the greatest motivation for me to reach the goal of finishing
my education. Although being a student is not easy at all and it only becomes harder, the payoff
will get here someday. When I have the chance to teach my own students, I will try my best to be
a motivator for them; to get their experiences and turn them into the best. I will love to explain to
them that many people have to start from the very bottom while many others have to start from
nowhere.
Service and Extra Curricular Activities
As a high school student, when I was first starting to involve myself in activities outside
from school, I started by being a member in the schools clubs. I was invited by a friend to join
the Future Hispanic Leaders of America, FHLA. The group was formed mainly by Hispanics, but
there was a diversity of cultures within it. The main purpose of the group was to get this group of

ABE JOURNAL

Bernabe 4

students to become involved with the school activities and help the members to be more than
themselves through team work.
When I started to attend to their meetings I became familiar with many activities that
where taking place at a school and at a district level. There was always a ton of volunteer
opportunities available for us and also a lot of encouragement from the leaders and the advisors.
Some of the volunteer opportunities in which I saw more interest were in those that had to do
with translating, mentoring, and workshops for young children. I would help out during parent
teacher conferences and the Hispanic nights held by the school. For me, it was a great chance to
use my skills and feel like I was contributing in some way to my school and my culture.
The advisors were always seeking bilingual students to participate, especially to reach
out for those students who were brand new to the school and who spoke another language
different than English. Also, these bilingual students served as a bridge to get the parents that did
not speak English to become aware of the information and the activities from the school and the
school district. This was an important task because parents would be more involved in this aspect
of their childrens education.
Every time I would be part of an activity in which I was able to help made me feel a great
intrinsic reward because I was able to get out of my bubble and be part of important events for
my school and for my group. After my second year of being a member of the FHLA group I
signed up to be one of the leaders of this group. I was elected and during my senior year of high
school I was the vice president of this club with over one hundred members. This was an
important position with many responsibilities and aspects to it. Along with me there were six
more people including our two advisors who would put their best to make this group be
successful.
Being the vice president of such a big group made me grow in different areas and made
me gain some of the most valuable experiences that are part of my life and my education. I now
understand the value of team work and that when it is a strong group it makes each individual
within it grow as a person. With this group, we as members had the chance of helping in the
activities that appealed to us. To me, having this opportunity helped me reassure the career goals
that I had and I also had the time to be involved in activities and get a glance of what my future
job would be like.
I am currently not part of school clubs or any volunteering other than my observation
hours required for my education classes; however, I have already gained some experience from it
that will help me throughout my life and my education. Team work will always be required in
many aspects of life and I realize the importance of a good communication and cooperation in
order to make important tasks work out.
Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career
Considering Education as a career was not an option that I thought spontaneously, to me I
was a dream and a goal that has filled my mind ever since. It was my dream as a child and as I
grew older it became a concrete goal. Deciding what you want to become when you grow up is
not as required when you go to school until you become a senior in high school. When I was a
senior and was getting ready to start with my college education the question was brought up
everywhere.
When I started doing my volunteer hours as a high school student, I felt more interested
in doing my hours in the schools from the district. I did day care for a few months for those

ABE JOURNAL

Bernabe 5

parents enrolled in ELD classes during the evenings and I became a tutor when I was a junior in
high school. Even in my own classroom, I would enjoy being the teachers aid and help her with
her teacher chores every once in a while. All these activities helped me in order to become
familiar with the environment and the roles that a teacher has. I would also ask them questions
about their career and there was not a single teacher who would not like his or her job. Most of
the teachers that I have had have been a great support and a source of motivation, especially
during my childhood. Many times, teachers are the one adult who a student can look up to when
there isnt any adult at home to see as a role model. They always have an advice or a suggestion
to make a student think outside the classroom and go beyond what is being taught at home.
I also think that choosing a career does not all depend on a last minute decision. I have
been told that choosing a career takes time and on delving into ones self to find what our
vocation is. However; I feel more familiar with the joy of performing a job.
Although teaching has been the career that I have had more interest in, there are a couple
more that I felt interested about. Because it is always good to have more options, I thought of
Psychology and Social Working as some of my choices. These options however, are similar in
some ways to the Education field. My own family has encouraged me to become a social worker.
I understand them and their reasons and I take them into consideration, but I also know that what
they see as the best for me, may not be what makes me feel good about myself or what I do.
I know for sure that if I become a real teacher, the rewards will be more than what I have
in mind or what I can hope for. Before taking my first education class I had not really thought of
the extrinsic rewards that this career could bring for me. My parents are hard workers and as I
was growing up they taught me the importance of working hard to achieve our goals and have a
better future. I am aware that when I become a teacher I am not going to become a millionaire,
but as an adult, I will have to work either way. Therefore, I have decided to choose a career that
makes me feel good about what I do. A job that I can look forward to every day when I get up
and not feel like a robot. This will be a job that I enjoy and that makes me grow every day, not
only as a teacher with experience, but as a human.
Professional Goals
Life without goals would be like living with no purpose. I try to fill my time and space
with plans and have a clear goal ahead of me, with many short term goals that combined form
my long term goals. The shortest term goal that I have at the moment is explain in this page what
my goals in life are. When I finish this short term goal, I will have another one to complete.
There will be many aspects in which these goals will be implied; in school, at home, as well as in
our jobs. And when these goals are complete they will make us want to achieve more. While I
work my way through this semester, I also put energy into my job and always trying to improve,
be the employee of the month is always my short term goal for each month. Turn in my
homework on time and have my projects done by the due date will also be among these goals for
as long as I am a student. Also, when I think of these goals I think of getting my AA from the
College of Western Idaho, since it is months away from today.
Goals are endless, when I am done with this semester, I will sign up for more classes and
put my effort into them. I want to keep up my grades and reach my goal of becoming an effective
teacher someday. For this, I know that I first have to complete many of my short term goals. It
makes perfect sense, if I do not get all the experience and practice that I am required to, I will not

ABE JOURNAL

Bernabe 6

be the great teacher I want to become. These goals go hand by hand. My goal is clear and as of
today, it is the main goal I have in mind and the only goal I really work towards. This can
possibly be because I am aware of the extrinsic rewards that will come as I reach my goal. I will
not only have the satisfaction of completing my goal, but obtaining the role in society that I want
and with this, the job that I have always dreamed for.
It is incredible how goals can be shaped based on the strangest factors. Although the main
goals in my mind have been constant, my way to work towards them has been hugely modified
and adapted depending on every situation that life brings me to. If someone would have asked
me this same question before, my answer would have been different. It is because although we
have a clear purpose, a goal, a dream, or a plan to follow, life is constant and it likes to keep on
changing on us. One day it brings us somewhere and the next day it may have us in a total
different place and have a crazy setting for us. This is why many goals pass by our lives without
even being touched by us. However, when a goal is real, we will never leave it behind for more
time than what is required. If there is a strong bond between us and our goal we will do the best
to adapt to any situation, place, or setting and work our ways to achieve it.
When I sit and think of how I will attempt to achieve my goals, I might stay quiet and
think for a bit. The only clear answer that I can think of is going to school and try being the best
student that I can be; however, I know that being a good student is only half of the battle and that
in order to get to my destination I will have to knock many doors and take the risks that come
with it. The opportunities that come to me will all be welcome and I will not let anything less
important get in my way. This and all my dedication will be the key, of course, never forgetting
patience because it will be my company through all my attempts and my failures because I know
that without a failure I will never get to my goals.