Guadalupe Longino Mendoza

Professor Doutherd

English 5M

December 4, 2017

Final Draft

My family and I immigrated from Mexico to the United States when I was nine years old in

March 2007; moving countries was a difficult transition for my siblings and I because

Farmersville, California was a new world that came with many grueling experiences when I

started school. Since 4th grade I had challenges with learning new knowledge because of my

difficulty with understanding English. My first day of class at Freedom Elementary was

overwhelming. I did not know what was going on but fortunately my teacher, Ms Lozano, and

others became my supporters.

Ms Lozano made sure that I felt comfortable around her and my classmates in order to

become accustomed to the new language of English. Luckily, I was surrounded by this support

and learning English became a useful tool to communicate with others and also become

knowledgeable of other subjects. In the article, Sponsors of Literacy, Deborah Brandt states that

[each of us as individuals] have a combination of literacy that makes us unique. (Brandt 44)

Aside from mainly having the support of Ms. Lozano, I also acquired sponsors during summer

school in Oregon and afterwards when I came back to school in California. This was a big deal

for me because it allowed me to expand my knowledge and become aware of the different

resources that were available to me.

 As a fourth grade student who did not know how to speak or write any English I was

fortunate enough to have my fourth grade teacher, Ms. Lozano, and others support. Starting

fourth grade three months before school was over and with no knowledge of a single word of

English was difficult. In Mexico the primary language is Spanish, and it is still hard to become

proficient in the language because of the many different accents Spanish words have and how

one word can have multiple meanings. Starting all over again with a new language completely

unknown to me was and still is a challenge.

With the support of Ms. Lozano, classmates and other teachers I adapted to the English

language. Ms. Lozano helped me by giving me extra assignments that mainly focused on words

and the structure of English. Ms. Lozano along with a few of my fourth grade classmates read to

me every other day after school for an hour or so. Throughout the time I spent with Ms. Lozano I

randomly got quizzed on the meaning of words and spelling. Similar to Malcolm X, I was eager

to learn the basics of writing. In his article, X states that ...the best thing [he] could do was get

hold of a dictionary-to study, to learn some words. ( X 120) Although I did not take the

initiative to learn words on my own, I still had all these different sources of help Ms Lozano

imposed on me from March to June.

In her article, Brandt states that the concept of sponsors helps to explain a range of human

relationships and ideological pressures that turn up at the scenes of literacy learning. (Brandt

47) This means that sponsors are what helps an individual shape their mindset which allows

them to take in new knowledge and execute it in a way that benefits both the sponsor and

individual. In a way this is the process I was going through when I was learning English because

it helped me for the relationship I had with Ms Lozano and others. Mostly Ms Lozano because
she encouraged me to continue practicing this language, so during summer I decided to attend

summer school

Migrant students find it difficult to become used to the English language since they move

from place to place so often. As a migrant student it became a challenge for me to finds ways to

learn English but fortunately I was able to seek resources. In Sponsors of Literacy, Brandt

mentions the experience of Dora Lopez and Raymond Branch and the different sponsors they

each had according to their economic and social status. Similar to Dora Lopez, I did not have

many sponsors but I took advantage of the sponsors I encountered myself with.

When my family and I moved to The Dalles, Oregon for the summer I attended summer

school at an Elementary school nearby. The teacher I had for the summer was very helpful

despite my poor English. I could not do much of the regular class work instead my teacher gave

me the opportunity to read. She let me start off with basic books, including The Captain

Underpants series, Charlottes Web and Fairy Tale stories. The books that my teacher gave me to

read during summer were helpful in developing my knowledge of the English language because I

was able to practice the pronunciation of words. I was also able to recognize many words as I

read different books. Malcolm also mentions in his article that as his word base broadened he

was able to pick up a book and understand what the book was saying. ( X 121) I strongly relate

to his moment because just like him I was beginning to understand portions of the books I read.

After summer my family and I moved back to Farmersville.

Students that go back to their hometown after migrating are presented with the same

opportunity of support from teachers and others as when they left. In my case, my fourth grade

teacher became my support for a whole school year. Ms. Lozano suggested I repeat the fourth
grade if I wanted to become proficient in the English language. At the time I was upset that I did

not go onto the fifth grade but now I am grateful I repeated the fourth grade because I can say I

have become fluent in English.

Enrolling in the fourth grade again helped me improve my English because Ms. Lozano

was able to help me by using various sources. In class, Ms. Lozano would allow some of her

students translate to me in Spanish, set time apart during class so I can work with other students

and practice my English through flashcards and having conversations with the

students.Throughout those couple of years Ms. Lozano dedicated herself to help me as much as

possible that she even arranged for me to go to another class and practice with an English only

speaking teacher.. In almost two years I was able to understand when people talked to me and

that was all thanks to my mentor.

I figured that eventually I would learn how to speak, write, and read in English so I

became excited when I learned new words and wove them into sentences. There were moments

in which I struggled to learn the basics of writing, learning how to construct a proper sentence, or

knowing how to hold a proper conversation with my classmates and teachers. Despite these

failures, I did not give up but tried harder to make sense of whatever I was trying to write or say.

I discipline myself to read words accurately and not just sound them out, I also learned not to

mix my words up when I was having conversations. All these little things that a student like me

might feel insecure about when learning a new language did not stop me from being able to

become fluent in writing and speaking English.

After becoming fluent in the language, I improved my grades significantly all throughout

grade school. During my middle school and high school years I joined clubs and I even held
some positions of authority within a couple clubs. Without the knowledge of the English

language I would have not been able to apply to scholarships or universities. With this skill I was

able to apply to various scholarships and even win a couple, and I am now attending Sacramento

State.

When a student fails before succeeding and is not discouraged, but rather continues trying,

helps them develop a mindset that essentially allows them to become persistent and continue

wanting to learn. All my past experiences have helped me become an educated individual and

have allowed me to attend school, work, and even be able to intern at an organization. I am in

disbelief of what I have been able to accomplish with just knowing another language. The new

language I acquired has open up many paths for me and has allowed me to become

knowledgeable of other issues going on around me.

Being aware of the potential within yourself can be achieved through the support of other

people. It doesn't matter how old or young an individual is and it certainly does not matter if that

person has a mentor that will help them develop the desire they need to achieve their goals, as

long as a person is aware of their own decisions and the path they want to take anyone can be

successful in achieving their goals. I was able to recognize all the support I had when I barely

started learning English, and I am still aware of the support I have now. All theses resources and

support has helped me become the successful individual I am today.