Autobiography Analysis

Danielewicz (2001) claims that teaching is an act that once started is never over; therefore our beliefs regarding learning and teaching a language change by participating in the teacher community. My beliefs regarding learning a language were mainly on mastering the grammar structures, based on my own experience in the school. I did not like the English class because classes were focused on grammar and drilling. Activities were based on fill in the blanks exercises and memorizing dialogues, and those were not remarkable for me at the age of 11. However, when I was in 10th grade, I met a teacher who inspired me to learn a foreign language and eventually become a teacher. We all have had teachers, but we mostly remember the ones who have impressed us deeply. Despite the above, teachers who hurt us or taught us the wrong way can influence in the way we teach, given the fact we find out who we do not want to be.

My beliefs about learning a language changed when I meet my 10th grade English teacher, when I studied English in a language institute, and then when I enrolled in the ELT program. From those experiences, I realized that learning a language was not that tough and that some other methodologies could be applied when teaching. Those were more appealing than drilling. Also, my perception of the teacher role changed by interacting with my 10th grade English teacher and my English professor in 7th semester. From them, I understood the importance of being humane when teaching.

On the other hand, I think there is a mismatch between what I think about the use of the first language and the way stakeholders think about this. According to them, in the English classroom there is no room for Spanish, even though my students are seven years old. I am against those ideas, and that is the reason why I still use Spanish when I need to. I do not want them to get frustrated and hate the language because of me.

My understanding of learning and teaching a language has changed over the years. I am aware that I cannot teach the same way I was taught. However, I can provide students with a rich and meaningful context (based on their needs) where they cannot only learn English but focus on issues that are from our concern as a community. There is no need to teach the structure of the language.