AUTOBIOGRAPHY

     I started my career as a teacher some years ago when I started teaching children in particular classes. Some day a friend told me about a child who needed reinforcement in the area of English. I had never taught or explained a child something until that day, and I realized that I needed more preparation. Then, some other mothers called me to reinforce their sons and I started teaching different students, of different ages and with different learning styles. From that moment, I started reflecting on my own personal and professional growth and asking myself, how could I be a better teacher?
     After some months teaching personalized classes, someone told me about a vacant for an English teacher in a school in the center of the city. That day I was excited. The coordinator told me that I had to approve a "classroom test". I remember that I felt really nervous because that was going to be my first class with a big group. There were about fifteen students between fifteen and twenty years old. When I got in the classroom I started sweating and sometimes I stuttered. I introduced myself and applied with them a diagnosis English exam.
     Fortunately, students were kind and very good at English, however, there was one student on his phone all the time. I felt annoyed because he didn't pay attention and I had told him many times to take away his cellphone but he didn't attend. I got mad and asked him to give me his cellphone but he stood up and told me that he was not going to give me anything. He was big and I got frustrated. I decided to ignore him after that and continued with my class. In the end, I told the principal what had happened and the student had to apologize. I didn't feel better after that but I was unexpert at that time.
     Moreover, I think that the diagnostic test was not a good idea for the first English class. It could have been boring for students and that may be the reason why they used the cellphone all the time. I should have done a dynamic and funny class that day as it was my opportunity to give students a good impression of the English class. Maybe, playing a game or doing some funny warming up activity.
     I have been working in the same school for one year and a half. I can say that I have had a great professional and personal growth there. I have worked with different groups and grades and I feel that I have learned a lot from everyone. In fact, I like that students tend to be very honest with me and tell me every time they do not like my class or there is a boring activity. In that school, I feel the freedom of teaching with autonomy, they do not impose a teaching style and I really value that because I have built my own technique and I work on improving it every day.
   

METAPHOR

Like the bicycle, the teaching process is like a vehicle that carries the knowledge from one place to another. A bicycle needs someone who drives and carries that knowledge and that person is the teacher. Of course, the teacher should be a prepared person, because at the beginning of the road it is easy to fall down and dispair, but depends on their perseverance and constancy the real success of the teaching process. There could be ups and downs along the teaching road, and some days could be grey, but some others are good and unforgettable.