Being a teacher is not an ordinary job. It requires a lot of motivation and a lot of love to give; but, at the end of the day all that love is returned to us.
I wanted to teach with BECA because I am very inspired by the mission and vision of the BECA community, and I wanted to be part of a positive change for the future generations. Also, I really liked the teamwork and the work style at BECA. Over time it becomes a family where you can be yourself. Now that I am four years in, I would say that my favorite part is the relationship that can be built between the student and teacher. It is nice to hear children say that when they grow up they want to continue being my students! It makes me think and reflect on what kind of teacher and, above all, what kind of person I want to be for my students. I also love the idea of being part of the children’s education. I feel proud to see them work hard and succeed in things that they found difficult before.
Speaking of difficulty, being a teacher isn’t easy! It has definitely been hard finding a balance between my life as a teacher and my personal life, and organizing and prioritizing tasks has been a daily practice that I am still working on. Another of the biggest challenges I have had is knowing how to manage my emotions on different occasions, such as when unexpected things happen and as a teacher I have to find the solution to the problem. With all the challenges, though, I have many favorite memories, and if I group them all together I would say that my favorite memories are summarized by when I received letters and notes from my students with beautiful drawings and messages. When I was a child, I had a teacher who I loved very much and who left a mark on me. I wrote her a letter, too. Having the opportunity to be a teacher, I want to be a teacher who creates beautiful memories with her students so that when they grow up, they will remember me fondly, just as I remember my school teacher.
I’ve learned a lot along the way. I learned that the way we see things influences the situations we experience daily, negatively or positively. Likewise, this is reflected in the way we teach in the classroom. For example, if as teachers we see the positive in difficult situations, we will teach our students to think in this same way. My goal is for my students to be able to understand English better, as well as have the confidence necessary to communicate in English with other people. I know with the right mindset, I can get them there.
Now, I see that BECA is union, community, goals, and dreams. In one of the trainings someone mentioned that BECA was a door of opportunities, which I see in all these students succeeding and handling a second language. I am proud to be a BECA Teacher!
Estefany Fernández
Estefany is a graphic design student and is a very passionate teacher from Honduras, a very beautiful country full of friendly people. She learned about BECA through a friend who was working there at the time and was amazed at how BECA works and the impact it has on the lives of their staff and students’. She immediately knew she wanted to be a part of BECA and make an impact within her community. Her goal is to be a part of a community that helps other people achieve their goals and be someone her students will remember as always being filled with love and compassion.
