Assignment #9 Role Model Interview

I’m so excited I FINALLY got the opportunity to interview someone this week. ( and she was white too) Fadia one of my team members recommended that I interview one of her former Spanish professors here at UIC, her name is Lesley Summers. Fadia got in touch with her and told her that I was interested in interviewing her. Lesley said that she would be available this Monday (yesterday at 2pm )so we meet up in UH on the second floor. The interview lasted about half an hour. I asked her how she became interested in Spanish. She told me that she grew up in the south in Memphis, Tennessee and that she did not grow up in a Hispanic family or in Hispanic community, but when she was young she was always very interested in other cultures. She was very sheltered growing up but she always had a high level of curiosity with what she was unfamiliar with. She took Spanish in high school all four years and did very well because she was highly motivated. It was also during this time that she befriended an exchange student from South America. This student came to live with her family for the school year, because of this she was able to practice her Spanish a lot more and it was during this time that she became a lot more immersed in the Spanish culture. Spanish was her passion. She was also very interested in the visual arts but decided not to pursue a career in the arts because it is not economically high valued. Instead she got her B.A in Spanish and worked in the business world for two years. She used her Spanish skills a lot in the company she was an import /export coordinator, but she was not very happy there. So she decided to go back to school and pursue masters in the teaching of Spanish. She taught for a couple of years Spanish at an elementary school with a very affluent community. She liked the students but the most difficult thing for her was having to deal with the parents. The parents always believed their child was right instead of the teacher. She says that one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is the interaction you get from being with others and helping others. Seeing your students’ progress over time is also very rewarding. One of the greatest challenges she faced was having to teach and go to school at the same time. Three things that are very important in achieving your goal she states are your attitude. We are our own worst enemy; you can do anything you set your mind to. Secondly nothing that you want comes easily you have to work very hard. Lastly take time as a student to really plan and organize your time so that you are not overwhelmed with you goal. Do things in small increments step by step so you can see your progress and be realistic about things.
I’m glad that I got the opportunity to interview someone it felt really good. I asked Lesley after the interview if she had any people in mind that I could interview she said yes one of her friends is a Spanish teacher in Cicero. So I will interview her friend when I get back from spring break! I finally feel like I’m making some progress!