Personal Narrative: Have You Ever Felt Lost?

787 Words2 Pages

Have you ever felt lost? Like you didn’t belong somewhere? I have. I remember I was 10 years old, and I was going to fifth grade. Up to that point of my life the only language I knew was spanish.In school I had only taken “bilingual” classes in school, where the teacher spoke nothing but spanish. In a bilingual class I learned how to write and read in spanish. As you probably already guess that wasn 't the case my fifth grade year. My fifth grade year I was placed in an all english class, knowing nothing but how to say, “Hello”. I struggled so much that year. I felt like I was back in Kindergarten learning the alphabet, but at least in kindergarten the other kids knew just as much as I did. I was lost and too scared to ask for help. It was embarrassing to be the only one in the class that didn 't know …show more content…

In the beginning my score was very low. If the grading scale was from 0-5, I would get a 1. As we kept taking the practice and the tutorials continued I started getting confident. I started scoring better and better each time. Finally it was time to take the real thing, this was it. If I didn 't pass this they would have to hold me back, I would REPEAT the fifth grade. My heart was beating fast as I sat down at my desk that day knowing that there was no going back. The teacher started passing out our exams, giving instruction. Let us know that we could take all the time we needed this exam wasn 't timed. At this point the only items in my desk were an exam and two #2 pencils. I was prepared and as I stared down at my exam all the confidence that I had faded. She instructed us to begin. I opened the exam up to the first page and started reading. I started to remember all the strategies we had gone over during tutorials. Suddenly, this didn’t seem so hard. I knew I had studied and if I gave it everything I had I would pass. I read through that exam twice before I felt that it was ready to be turned

Show More
Related

  • 'Private Or Public?' By Richard Rodriguez

    337 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood, the author Richard Rodriguez argues that since there is a lack of bilingual education taught in American schools, many students face a loss of intimacy to their native language, leaving them identifiable-less. He makes this claim by expressing that although native language can cause divisions in communication, it is the basis structure to a person.

    Read More

  • “Richard Rodriguez: A Bilingual Childhood”

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    For more than 300 years, immigrants from every corner of the globe have settled in America, creating the most diverse and heterogeneous nation on Earth. Though immigrants have given much to the country, their process of changing from their homeland to the new land has never been easy. To immigrate does not only mean to come and live in a country after leaving your own country, but it also means to deal with many new and unfamiliar situations, social backgrounds, cultures, and mainly with the acquisition and master of a new language. This often causes mixed emotions, frustration, awkward feelings, and other conflicts. In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, the author describes the social, cultural and linguistic difficulties encountered in America as he attempts to assimilate to the American culture. Richard Rodriguez by committing himself to speaking English, he lost his cultural ties, family background and ethnic heritage.

    Read More

  • Hunger of Memory

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bilingual education offers a completely different world for students of different ethnic background and thus creates a comfort zone limiting the risk-taking factor necessary for the maturation of a child to an adult. Rodriguez argues supporters of bilingualism fail to realize "while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality" (Rodriguez 26). He explains that the imperative "radical self-reformation" required by education is lost by offering bilingual education and such a program suggests a place where the need for a sense of public identity disappears. A bilingual program gives a student the opportunity to be separated from real life and institutes a life that leaves out an essential understanding of the world. Bilingual students do not know the complexities of their world, including emotion, ethics, and logic, because the bilingual program secludes the eager minds to a much simpler, more naïve idea of how the society works, leaving out the confidence of belonging in public. This situation not only limits the education experience for non-English speaking students, but also hinders the further education of English speaking students by erecting a communicat...

    Read More

  • What Is My Last Banquet Essay

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    I took a deep breath and began to read it aloud. My nerves were a little more at ease as I read through the text I had written. I spoke naturally and fluently, just as the day before when I practiced. I took time to look into the crowd. As I scanned the crowd I spotted my parents once again, and just like before they began to wave excitedly.

    Read More

  • How To Tame A Wild Tongue By Gloria Anzaldua's Personal Identity

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    The variety of language is something many cultures have, some say, having a second language opens up doors, but the hardship you go through makes you think otherwise. As a person who is bilingual like myself there could be a lot of pros and cons, but in this story by Gloria Anzaldua that’s what helped her shape her personal identity. It not only does that amount your power, but brings shame through your journey into fitting into society.

    Read More

  • Public And Private Language Summary

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article, “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual education delays learning a “public language” and developing a public identity”. I can relate to Richard’s story because my family and me moved to America when I was young and we also had the same struggle learning a new language. I agreed with Rodriguez when he expressed that he didn’t feel like a true American until he mastered the English language because English is the first and main language in America.

    Read More

  • Learning English in the United States

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    When I first came to this country, I wasn’t thinking about the language, how to learn it, use it, write, how I’m going to speak with people who are next to you and you want to talk to them. My first experience was in Veterans School, it was my first year in school here in United States, and I was in eight grades. The first day of school you were suppose to go with your parent, especially if you were new in the school, like me. What happened was that I didn’t bring my dad whit me, a woman was asking me a lot of questions and I was completely loss, I didn’t have any idea of what she was telling me and I was scare. One funny thing, I started cry because I fell like frustrate, I didn’t know no one from there. Someone seat next to me, and ask me in Spanish what was wrong and I just say in my mind thanks God for send me this person, then I answered her that I didn’t know Engl...

    Read More

  • My Transition From The United States to the Dominican Republic

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the year 2000, right before the start of my 5th grade year, I moved to the Dominican Republic from the United States. My parents wanted to raise my sisters and me there. I had to start a new life, a new school, and make new friends. Making the transition from the United States to the Dominican Republic really wasn’t difficult because I spoke Spanish at home with my family. In fact, I was a good student, often earning honor roll and getting diplomas for having good grades. I moved back again to the United States in my junior year of high school, because my parents wanted me to go to college in the US. It wasn’t easy; I didn’t know anybody, I had to make new friends again, and I wasn’t familiar with the life over here. I only spoke a little bit of English, because I had spent many years taking classes in Spanish while in the Dominican Republic. To help me pick up the language again, I decided to take regular classes instead of english as a second language because I thought this strategy would help me learn more English and get accustom to the language.

    Read More

  • English As A Second Language (ESOL)

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    So, less than 200 years ago, students struggled to gain access to a bilingual education. Now, today we stand with a federal law that requires states to provide language education to all non-native English speaking students. While we may have moved legally and lawfully into a new era that opens doors for those who speak another language, we may not all have moved on from the racism, the stereotypes

    Read More

  • I Hate Narrative Essays

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    I stared at the blinking cursor, unbelieving at what I had just done. I was indeed done; done with a paper I agonized over for 6 hours. The paper was due in a scant 4 hours and I had all week to do it. The radio had stopped working because my brother got on the Internet and thus cut off my connection. That was the least of my problems working on this paper. I got it done, though. My life changed with one trip of a teacher to the chalkboard and one phrase, narrative essay. God, I hate narrative essays.

    Read More

  • A Language Barrier

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ents, and my English problem. I didn’t even have control of my own identity at that point. In the bilingual classroom my education depended upon the teachers and the system. I couldn’t express my viewpoints to faculty members like I do now in college. For instance, in college when I need help in a certain class, I can just go and talk to the professor or even to my counselor. Unfortunately, in grammar school, I didn’t know how to talk about the situation. As a result, in college I have been determined to change my study habits and take back control of my identity because I see how a student cannot survive with inefficient study habits. I realize now that, as a child, I was disadvantaged in many ways. Today, I have to be prepared to do extra to make up for a poor educational background by spending more time studying, focusing on school, and controlling my life.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Feeling Like An Outsider

    375 Words  | 1 Pages

    I feel like an outsider or an alien is something that is not native to where ever they are. An outsider to me is someone who doesn’t fit into any type of social group and has very little to no social contact.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Vincent Van Gogh's Work

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first time I took it I had rushed through it. Therefore, I did not pass the writing, math, and reading sections that I needed by ten points. My second try was more successful but not quite fully. I took all of the sections once again and was nervous that I would fail since I kept thinking back to the first time I took those sections. The results lifted up my mood. I had passed the math and reading sections. Unfortunately, I had gotten a four on my writing once again. I needed a five in order to pass the section. I decided to give it one more try before I gave up. I studied harder than I had with the other sections since I had difficulties with writing. The following week I showed up to only take the writing section. I was overwhelmed with stress and sleep deprivation, but I wanted to get into MSA. Therefore, I stayed there and gave it a third try. I was asked to write about Mongols. To my advantage, my world history class was going over Asia. When I finished the section, I held my breath until I submitted the test. I did not dare to look at my grade on the computer screen until I saw it on paper. When the supervisor handed me the paper, a smile spread across my

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Learning From My Mistakes

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a point in everyone’s life when they step back and realize “I can’t do this anymore, it’s ruining my life”. Many of my friends have started smoking cigarettes while drinking at a very young age, and continue to use this drug currently and don’t realize the affect it has on their future. While I have been smart enough to avoid smoking, I haven’t been as wise at making decisions when it comes to drinking. The amount of partying I’ve done in college has taken over my life, and has had a huge impact on my grades. Changing my drinking habits and continuing to avoid cigarettes will enable me to be the best I can be for the rest of my college experience.

    Read More

  • Summary Of An Education In Language By Richard Rodriguez

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bilingual education have been a serious issue for immigrant student. Beginners in education who move to the United States, have an issue with communication, in how to understand English, and losing their identity. For immigrants students, not knowing a second language affect seriously their life in the United States. In his article “An Education in Language,” Richard Rodriguez presents how the English language became a barrier that changed him and his family. Rodriguez explains how hard the challenge of understanding English was for him during his early years of school. Besides, Rodriguez illustrates that his parents’ lives were affected by lacking education and their opinion about it. In addition, he moved over to pursue higher education.

    Read More

More about Personal Narrative: Have You Ever Felt Lost?

Open Document