My Autobiography

I was born and raised in a small town (south of Tolima) where I lived my childhood and adolescence. In the beginning, school was really amazing and funny because this was my first learning experience outside home. During these years I attended a public school from kindergarden through high school, and I was one of the best students because I had great marks in every single subject. In addition, school and family provided me a well-built educational and ethical philosophy which still remains with me all the time.

As a teenager growing up, I enjoyed my schooling and tried to take advantage of my teachers’ knowledge. Although all subjects were easy for me, my favorite one was English. There was a connection with the language itself. I did not mind the traditional teaching method used by my teacher, the worksheets or photocopies she gave us, I just wanted to know more about English. Throughout the last years of school I used to travel to Neiva on vacations to visit some relatives. There, I fell in love with music and the English language, I Listened to groups like audioslave, red hot chili peppers, linkin park, papa roach, etc. This experience contributed to make up my mind to study foreign language at the university and live music on another level.

In 2005, I graduated from school and I decided to move to Neiva to study foreign languages at Surcolombiana University. This period of my life was demanding because I just wanted to learn English but I was not sure about teaching. I lived in Palermo (Huia) and I had to wake up early in the morning to travel to Neiva. Moreover, when I went to the English course at the first class I discovered I was unable to understand what my teacher said. I became a little bit sad I even regretted my decision because there were people who had high English level, particularly the speaking skill. But I did not give up, I liked to read stories, listen to music and compare the spoken and written English. I did my best to improve my skills because I came from a public school where English was not strong enough. I adapted to the teaching methods which our teacher taught and acquired much knowledge in the different fields of English, such as Linguistics, Phonetics, Teaching Method and Methodology, and so on.

The teaching practicum was outstanding in my professional life. I could applied different concepts, theories and at the same time verify teaching beliefs. Also, I could notice that teaching experiences build the kind of teacher you are nowadays. I highlight that experience makes possible to have successful lessons and have a better understanding of our students and their learning process.

In 2008 I was in the third year in the college when I started working in a language institute. I had the chance to work with teenagers and adults in Neiva, Guadalupe, Tarqui and other towns in Huila. Two years later, I traveled abroad where I worked as a camp counselor for five months.  This journey was my first international experience because I have visited many places and met different people, cultures around the world. All those months of experience allowed me to reflect on learning as an ongoing process, where you have to enjoy and have fun while you are learning.

In October 2010, I came back to Colombia and I worked with some colleagues in a research project. The research project helped to analyze the effects of teacher training during the program Huila speaks English. Personally, I was aware of different problems related to our profession in real contexts. And the importance of motivation and meaningful activities in the classroom to catch the students’ attention. This project was my final experience at university because after that I graduated in 2011.

I got my first job as a graduated teacher in a private school in Neiva the same year. Then, in 2012 I started working with the government for three years and a half. And nowadays, I will live a new stage in my professional life because I accepted an official job with the government.

After all these things considered, I can affirm that a good teacher is built through experiences, mistakes and good decisions. In this sense, as teachers, we have to promote a joyful environment in our classrooms where learning is funny and meaningful for each student.