Retelling my experience as a former Kindergartner. 

My First Day in Kindergarten

Dedicated to my parents for constantly supporting me throughout my entire education.

Later in the day, I start to think of all the books I will read and how I will soon speak English with my classmates. I see the classroom library and grab a book, but all the words don't make sense. They're different. As I was flipping through the pages of a book, I ask myself, "¿Qué dicen estas palabras? (What do these words say?)"

The teacher waves her hand, pointing to the carpet, and we all sit together. In an excited tone, she says, "Today, we will read this book and start learning our alphabet!" She begins to read a book. I am in awe, watching and listening to her read.

I want to read like her. I want to speak like her. I want to be a teacher like her.&nbsp;

After going through the toughest start of my schooling career, I now feel confident that I have the tools to get through anything that comes my way. The brand new dictionary I had when I was in Kindergarten is sitting on my shelf now beat-up, old, and even missing its cover and a few pages. For me, the dictionary symbolizes the hard work and dedication I put into learning English and soon achieving my goal of becoming a teacher.

After going to my first day of Kindergarten, I went home with crushed dreams because I assumed that the class would have a bilingual teacher as I did in Pre-K. I sat near the dining table thinking what to do about my class.

I arrived at school, thrilled to begin my first day of kindergarten. The classroom was full of loud students, who were running, crying, and shouting. I was stunned to realize that I was the only one who did not speak any English. I saw everyone talking fast and clear to each other. As I observed the other students making friends, I sat in the corner, paralyzed with fear of rejection. How could I make friends when there was a language barrier?&nbsp;&nbsp;

"No te preocupes hija, yo te ayudaré. Vamos a comprar un diccionario, tal vez eso nos ayude con tu tarea. (Don't worry daughter, I will help you. Let's go buy a dictionary, maybe that will help us with your homework)" my mom tells me as she sees my sad face. I become happier to think of something that will help me. I exclaim, "Gracias, mommy. Vamos! (Thank you, mommy. Let's go!)." I went to the local bookstore with my mom, and we found a Spanish-English dictionary. I spent hours with my mom translating words with it - often transcribing homework instructions into Spanish word-by-word every day.&nbsp;

Mariana Ramirez Flores is a first-generation college student currently in her 4th year at Cal State LA pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Urban Learning and Multiple Subject Credential. When she was just about one year old, Mariana and her parents migrated from Mexico to the United States, and everything was new to them. Mariana relates to the struggles and experiences of many emergent bilingual students who are acquiring English and their native languages. At the beginning of her schooling education, she struggled to learn English but is now preparing to help her future students. Since Kindergarten, she has dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher who provides the support that her students need.

Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed it!&nbsp; To create my published writing, I drew a heart map and listed the important events and people to me. I decided to write about my experience in Kindergarten and how it has influenced me to become a teacher. Throughout my writing process, I would read mentor texts, use the authors’ writing strategies, and apply them to my own story. Receiving feedback from my peers also helped me edit and revise my story.&nbsp; The aspect of my published writing that I feel is the strongest is the use of illustrations to help support the readers visualize what is going on in the text. The dialogue is clear as I provided translations of the Spanish dialogue to help the readers understand what was said between the characters.&nbsp;&nbsp; The aspect of my published writing that I would strengthen if I had more information would be adding more dialogue. I should have added more details to help the readers imagine what the classroom smells, looks, and feels like. I also should have worked on talking about my goals as a future teacher and how I will support my emergent bilingual students.&nbsp;

Craft paper border

My First Day in Kindergarten