How it all started

Education is something that I have grown up around and but was really interested in until I became one. You see, there is a great number of teachers in my family but all I ever really considered was the long days, the early hours, and the cranky parents, but then three years ago I decided to serve a mission for my church. I was assigned the responsibility to teacher religious principles every day for a year in a half in the language of Spanish. It was an incredible experience and I learned more than I could have ever imagined. Most importantly, I gained a love for teaching. 

Teaching to me is more than explaining a new thing to someone. Rather, teaching is taking responsibility for the education progression of that person, which requires an establishment of trust between student and teacher. Once I realized that I wanted to be a teacher, what should I teach? I had taught piano lessons a few years back and considered that but then realized I did not have that the dedication to practicing that would be needed to gain a degree in music. I considered teaching Spanish but decided that really students do not take too much out of Spanish class with them on their way to becoming fluent. I really wanted to help people. A thought occurred to me. I could teach English to students that come from other countries. This was perfect, combining all the elements of my goal to be an educator and really making a difference in that students life. 

I researched different programs and different pathways to gain a degree in teaching to English Language Learners and discovered one that would work great with what I was wanting to do. Boise State University offers a program called Bilingual Education. Being fluent in Spanish this definitely appealed to me. When I graduate I will not only have the ELL endorsement but I will also be certified to teach Elementary Education in both Spanish and English. The State of Idaho provides funding for the education of ELL teachers, but requires volunteer work as a recompense. Right now I help out at a refugee school in Boise where there are students attending from all over the world. In fact, in the school there are 26 different languages. I love the children I work with and they motivate me to continue my educational pursuits and be able to teach them full time.