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Sonia's Date of Birth
I was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. On a spring morning -
First School years
I started kindergarten at the age of 4 years in a elementary school here in Puerto Rico and continued studying in the island until third grade. -
New Life...
Moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey. As a student I had really rough times adapting to the new language and enviroment. At the beggining I was a victim of bullying and almost failed the fourth grade. -
Adapting...
After a while I got use to the enviroment. I had learned to speak English very fast. i was most of th day in my regular classroom and in the afternoons i participated in the ESL program at my school. -
The 90's
My language skills keept improving. I was speaking and writting English very well my converstions were in English most of the time. Language was not a barrier anymore. A couple of years later my parents decided to move back to Puerto Rico. -
Going back home!
My parents decided to come back to Puerto Rico. I was very happy to come back home. i started middle school in the second semester of seventh grade. Adapting to speaking spanish again was a bit difficult. -
High school Graduation!!
In 1997 i graduated from high school. By now my english was a bit rusty because my lack of practice. My future was ahead of me and I thought that knowing the basic English would be enough. -
Becoming a profesional
In 2002 I became a Speech and Language Therapist; worked in that field until 2005 when I decided to become a Special Education Teacher. Soon after I finished my Masters degree in Administration and School Supervision. No English was needed. -
Me, an English Teacher????
In the summer of 2011 the English Program opened a proposal called CRECE 21 that certificated teachers who wanted to become English teachers. I thought it would be easy because i consider myself a bilingual person; so i singed up for the jouney. How wrong was I..... -
Facing English again!!
The first 6 credits of the proposal were offered for two weeks; i have to say that in all my collage years i had never had to study so much. those two weeks were hell. It as difficult for me because I had to make the switch from Spanish to English all the time. I found myself thinking in Spanish and translating in English. -
Loving English!!!
After I finished the CRECE 21 program i was hooked with learning more English. I started to work in a bilingual school as a bilingual special education teacher. After a year working there another proposal opened up this time it was from the Univerity of Sagrado Corazon and there I was again. Up to this day im corsing my second semester in a bilingual certification program. -
Thanks!!
Years back I did not see the benefits of knowing another language; but know when i see all the opportunities that come from being a bilingual person I have to thank my parents that gave me the oportunity to learn English. Soon I will become a Bilingual certificated teacher and all thanks to my parents that even though it was not perfect for me they made a wise decition when they took me to the United States.
