Educational Trajectory

My trayectory

My name is Yeidilys Pitre Medina and I am a student at the University of Puerto Rico at the campus of Río Piedras. I was born in 2002 and I am a student at the University of Puerto Rico with the goal of obtaining a bachelor's degree in Teaching English to Spanish Speakers in the Elementary Level, a second major on Preschool Education and a minor in French. My trajectory began on August 26th in 2002 when I was born into the Pitre Medina family. A united and numerous family. Even though we were a family with scarce resources we were happy and full of love. I was blessed enough to be raised by both of my parents and my grandmother. I grew up with three brothers and two sisters in a small home in Utuado, Puerto Rico where we created most of our memories together and spent most of our childhood.

Honor Roll

My love for teaching began at home. Ever since I was little, maybe eight years old, I began to teach my little sister of five to read because it was becoming a difficult task for her. Teaching her how to read led me to discover that I enjoyed planning and applying the different methods of teaching. When I think about the moments that led me to want to be a teacher, this is one of the moments that I always remember. Another moment that I think about is when my little brother was born and I was put in charge of his care. My mom had started a part time job which did not allow her to spend as much time with us as she previously did so I was always taking care of him and my sister; I found that I enjoyed it immensely. Having a child in my home who was in constant learning impulsed me to consider a career in Elementary and Preschool Education. It gave me the opportunity to remember how much I enjoy teaching and how proud and happy it makes me feel that a child has learned something that I have taught them.

My educational trajectory began at a Head Start Program located in the neighborhood of Cayuco in Utuado, Puerto Rico. Where, as my mother tells me, I stood out for being a creative student. I had amazing caretakers that encouraged creativity and made the experience incredible for me. I spent a year in the Head Start Program and then I graduated towards Elementary School. Afterwards, I began my journey in the amazing Carmen Aponte Elementary School until I reached the sixth grade. My memories of my journey through this specific school are only good ones and that speaks volumes about the educators and the community that I had at that moment. Carmen Aponte Elementary School had a great impact in my life. There, I made lifelong friends, discovered my passion for learning, for art, and for the English language. I participated in art contests, talent shows, and I was also part of the library club. The teachers there made learning a fun and loving experience. If I had to mention every teacher that I appreciate from this school I would never stop writing but I have two teachers that stood out the most. Mrs. Luli and Mrs. Toledo. Mrs. Luli was my kindergarten teacher. I remember her as a caring, passionate and loving caretaker. What made me admire her the most was that we had a classmate that was troubled; he had tantrums in the classroom, he used to hit her and she was kind and patient enough to deal with the situation and treat him just as she treated the rest of us. Very differently to her, Mrs. Toledo was my English teacher throughout all of my elementary school years. She was a very strict and serious woman but I remember learning most of the basics of what I know from the English language from her. She often used techniques that kept her students motivated and engaged in class. I will always admire her and remember her as the person who helped me discover my love for the English language. Nearing the end of my Elementary School journy, in fifth grade, I was awarded with the “escalera” to pass it on to the next student at the time of my graduation in 6th grade. This is an award that was given to students with good grades and overall good achievements. In the end, I graduated with high honors from the Carmen Aponte Elementary School. Unfurtunately, a few years after I graduated the the government started to close down schools and this was one of them. It made me very sad because the community and the teachers were amazing and would have been great for other children to experience what I did.

Receiving "La Escalera"

6th and 12th grade graduation

I continued my education in the Francisco Ramos Secondary School of Utuado. I only spent 2 years in this school because the school system at the time was changing, that meant that secondary school would now be from the sixth grade until the 8th grade. Because of this I did not have a graduation from secondary school. Afterwards I began at the Specialized School of Arts and Music of the Mountain Luis Muños Rivera. As its name suggests, it's a school specialized in arts and music. There I participated in almost every art and music subject that they had to offer. I was a part of the school chorus, I took guitar and violin lessons, I also took art and music classes and I stood out in each of them. I believe that taking these lessons was my unconscious effort in searching for what I wanted to do after highschool when it was in front of me all along. All through my school years my classmates would ask me for help completing their English assignments and I gladly helped them. English was and is my favorite subject and it made me feel good that I was good at something, my classmates knew it and they would ask for my help and I enjoyed doing it. From these two schools a teacher that stuck with me was my math teacher Mrs. Maynelis Echevarría. The first time that I met her was in 8th grade and she was very welcoming to us in the classroom. What I loved most about her style of teaching was that she would explain a subject over and over again in different ways so that you could learn what she was teaching. With the change of the school system she was transferred to the highschool that I went to and she also gave me classes in 9th and 11th grade.

My senior year was a very important and crucial moment in my life. I started asking myself what it was that I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I could not decide what it was that I wanted to do because I was and always have been a person that enjoys learning and that if it would be possible I would learn everything that there is to learn. The one thing that I knew for certain was that I wanted to study at the University of Puerto Rico in the Río Piedras Campus. I considered going into many fields of study. Some of them being music, architecture, engineering, art, teaching, and foreign languages. After thorough consideration and reflection I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in architecture. I made a list and applied to three programs in order of priority. I applied to the architecture program, teaching of English program and art program. Unfortunately by the time I applied for the architecture program it was full but as us, Puerto Ricans say, “No hay mal que por bien no venga”. My second option was the teaching of the English Language to Spanish speaking students on the elementary level. I got admitted into the program and my plan was to apply for a transfer to the architecture program once I was able to. Instead, when I did my first class observation for the Educational Psychology course in my first year with my third grade teacher from the Carmen Aponte Elementary School I changed my mind. I paid attention to detail as to what being a good teacher means and it opened my eyes. I fell in love with teaching and in that moment I knew that, that's what I wanted to do with my life. Now I am currently studying to obtain a bachelor's degree in English Education for Spanish speakers in the elementary level with a second concentration in Preschool Education and a minor in French.

The University of Puerto Rico has played a crucial role in my development as a professional. The professors have taught me what it means to be a teacher and what it entails. I aspire to graduate from the University of Puerto Rico Campus of Río Piedras as a Preschool and English teacher with a minor in French. I hope to become a creative teacher in my fields of study. An educator that the students can come to when they have doubts, that makes her students feel special and an educator that guides her students to their maximum potential. I also aspire to pursue other degrees in other fields because as I have mentioned before I have a passion for learning new things. That is why I am completing a minor in French. I know that the journey will be difficult but nothing is impossible. With hardwork and dedication I believe that I will achieve everything that I set out to do. Thank you for taking the time to read about my educational trajectory.

School Choir

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