My Biography and Statement of Purpose

My name is Barbara Sanchez. I’m 20 years old turning 21 on February 7^th. I graduated from high school in 2007 and this is my second year at Miami Dade College. I am aspiring to become an elementary school teacher. I was born in Miami, Florida into a very small family; only my mother, father, and brother. My parents came over to the United States from Cuba in 1980 in search of new hopes and opportunities like many other immigrants. Since early age my parents instilled the idea of becoming a professional in what ever it is I loved, because in communist countries such as Cuba individuals were not allowed to pick their profession it was chosen for them. My mother was an elementary school teacher in Cuba which was very beneficial to me in my younger days because she used her teaching skills to reinforce what my teacher’s had taught me in school and the things that I did not have a clear understanding of. I believe that I do want to become an educator partially because of my mother and also because of my sister-in-law. I did my high school community service hours by volunteering at Miramar Elementary helping my sister-in-law with FCAT incorporated ideas, grading papers, making photocopies, bulletin boards, etc. It gave me a slight outlook on certain things that teachers do in preparation for their day, while they teach their lessons, and also when they come home after a long day of work and begin to grade papers. I am also currently working at an elementary school as an after school counselor. As a counselor we try to help students with their homework, reading, writing, and we talk about character and teach them about things such as responsibility, respect, etc. I feel as if I can offer students a genuine attempt at teaching and helping them understand their lessons thoroughly. I have a passion to teach because it is something that hits me so close to home, and I know how advantageous having a wonderful instructor can be to the learning process. If students are truly motivated they will want to learn the material. I feel that after the proper training I will be a great, inspiring educator.