Understanding Learner

1. Bullying - I was really confused when the school decided to skip me from pre-k 3 to
kindergarten. I didn't know anyone from that class and I remember I was scared to talk to
them. As the days went by, the kids in the class started to see me as an outcast and
began excluding me from their groups. As a kid my instinct was to tell the teacher of how
my classmates rejected me but my English as a five year old was not the best. I
remember I took an English book for kids which translated the names of the fruits from
spanish to english. My classmates had learned the book and I didn't understand much of
it at the time but instead of getting sad I ignored the hate from my classmates and
learned how to say different types of fruits in English by asking my sister, who was a
fluent english speaker.

2. New Family Member- As an 8 year old I didn't know how to talk to people let alone
someone from a different country. During school I saw my sister walking with a really tall
American but I didn't think much of it at the time. After 2 weeks of seeing this guy I
noticed he was hanging out with my sister a lot. He then finally came to my house and I
didnt know why a teacher was at my house so I asked my sister and she told me that he
was her boyfriend. I understood but I was still confused and scared to talk to him.
Months later we got closer and closer as he took me out to the movies and many other
places. We both liked video games so that was our way of getting close to each other.
He later married my sister and as I got closer to him, I was able to ask him for help for
my classes.

3. last year at doulos- I already knew it was my last year at Doulos way before I left
because my parents had told me but they had also told me not to tell anyone. I was sad
but I wanted to make my last year count. As the year went on I already had made many
memories with my crazy personality. This was my first year in middle school and I was
meeting new people and making new friends. My sister and her husband had moved to
the states and I didn’t have to ask them how to manage and learn new things. I did what
I knew how to do best and that was to make people laugh. I made many new friends with
my jokes and outgoing personality and right before leaving I had finished my first 2
semesters with good grades because my new friends had helped me with middle school
homework.

4. Moved to the states- It was a weird and difficult situation because I didn't have any
expectations of everything. I rarely had access to the internet so I never got to learn
much about the US culture. When I first got there I was so amazed because of how big
and beautiful everything was. I loved the environment and I loved the way everything
was different compared to the DR. My english was already developed but it was not the
best. All of my family members lived in the states and it was a completely different
experience for my parents too. I learned how to use US money by asking my family
members and I had already been asking them how I could get money while I was there.
5. Detention- I remember I came into the classroom and I started to fight with my best
friend. We never hit each other but someone told the teacher and the teacher came in
and took us to ISS (In School Suspension). I saw many of the badly behaved kids and I
remember I hated the place because we were secluded in a room where we couldn't
leave for three days. The guide teacher for ISS gave me a packet to reflect on why I
acted the way I did. I remember It was a 10 page packet and I didn’t want to do it. We
weren't able to talk with any of the other students so I just sat down and drew on my
paper. On the third day I remembered where I had comed from and I told myself that I
was better than this. On the third day I filled out the packet and I behaved well
throughout the rest of the year.

6. Soccer- In 7th grade I decided to join the middle school soccer team because my friend
asked me to. This friend and I had an altercation before where he started hitting me and
I kept hitting him back, but no teacher could see us. We then reunited and he wanted me
to join the soccer team with him. I joined and I thought it was going to be really easy for
me because I used to play in the DR. I was wrong because the guys on the team looked
like professional soccer players and I was lazy back then so I was no competition for
them. I remember the coach put me in a position where I didnt want to be in and so I got
mad at him. Even though I hated that position I still wanted to shine because Ive always
loved to show off. So instead of complaining I got to work and I began watching the other
guys play and I became better at the sport which got me to play for both JV and Varsity
by the end of the year.

7. The fight - During 8th grade I was not the most ongoing person but I still had a voice to
defend myself. My grade had at least 300 students who had been together since pre
school. They all knew each other and they all had their ways of getting along. Some
nicer than others and some that did not have a personality at all. Since I joined the
school in 6th grade, I had always been directed by racial names and comments. At first I
took these comments as jokes. One day another student came up to me and told me
that the DR was a very poor place and I got mad at the fact that he said that so I
punched him in the face and he tried to tackle me and we had a semi physical fight
which was later on finished when a teacher separated us. I got sent to detention again
and after that I learned how to ignore any rude comments directed towards me.

8. Highschool - Middle school was an adventure and my expectations for high school
were really high. People had told me what went on in high school and I was really
shocked because it didn't sound like a lot of good was being done at the highschool. It
was smaller than middle school but it still amazed me how big things were. I was
meeting new people and learning many new things. Though it had nice teachers and a
good academic environment, the students ruined the whole experience of a “great
American high school”. As I got to meet new people they also showed me what went on
throughout the day while the teachers were not looking. I never told the teacher what
went on but as I kept reflecting on it I realized that it was the wrong thing to do so I
 distanced myself from those friends and I just kept a small inner circle in which I stayed
out of trouble.

9. Covid-19 - As covid hit, I was still learning new things and actually taking highschool
seriously. My grades were not the best but I was never failing a class. By the start of
2020 which was when the covid spread began, I had already given up on my school
work. I didn’t want to fail my classes so I still kept my grades up, but by the end of the
year I had completely given up. My parents knew that I was doing bad in school and they
always grounded me but I still found no interest in school and I didnt want to finish
highschool. I later learned that if I didn't keep my grades up then I would fail and I didnt
want to fail.

10. grades - I was never an “above average” student but I always managed to keep my
grades up even in the worst situations. A lot of my friends had failed because of their
negligence. Every time I fell I stood up and I was always trying my hardest. My grades
had been the worst they could have ever been right after covid hit. My parents told me
that there was a possibility that we were going to move back to the DR and I wanted to
see my friends. I figured that if I didn't bring my grades up I would fail and I wouldn't be
able to be in the same class as my friends so that motivated me to pass and do my
work.

11. Back to Doulos- As I came back to Doulos I didn't know how to act but I knew it was a
Christian environment. Coming from an all American public school to a bilingual private
Chrisian school was a life changing experience. I knew so much but I didn't want to bring
the bad actions to Doulos so I stayed calm. My friends accepted me like I had never left.
They motivated me to work because I saw hope in the school. Doulos demonstrated and
showed the students the way they are supposed to act. I learned to be more loving and
my grades became above average and I had completed many of the goals I had set for
myself.

12. Comfort zone - As a junior at Doulos I have been seeing my friends stepping out of
their comfort zone and I wanted to do the same. I always wanted to try new things and I
felt comfortable doing so around the people that know me the most. It has been a fun
experience and I have changed my life around and I have become a better person. My
goal is to keep stepping out of my comfort zone and join activities and talk to more
people. Since coming back to Doulos has helped me improve in many areas of my life I
want to use my skills and talents to help them and the community.

Link for the timeline

https://prezi.com/view/TdHCEOdihl7J45Fwscl1/