Arc San Diego
I began my professional career as an employee for the Arc of San Diego, which is a service provider for children and adults with special needs. My duties were to manage adults with special needs and help "teach" them skills they will need and use in the workforce. Many of our special needs adult transitioned into the workforce and worked for McDonald's, Target, etc. This job truly humbled me and made me appreciate how blessed I was to be healthy and in a position to help others.
Retail
After the Arc of San Diego, I was employed at several department stores such as Macy's, Blockbuster Video and several clothing stores. These experiences molded my skills of customer service that I currently use today as a teacher with parents and colleagues. Customer service is every interaction I have every single day with my students, parents, colleagues and the community. The customer service experience taught me to do my best to serve others, to make them feel appreciated, be approachable and communicate with them in a positive/helpful tone and do my best to listen as well.
Child Development Associates
After my retail experience, I entered the field of social work where I remained for 8 years. This is where I truly learned the art of patience, listening and serving others. Social work is not easy. I had the responsibility of maintaining a caseload of over 100 families where we were the eligibility specialists that enrolled low income families into free to reduced cost child care. During this experience, I had clients that took out their frustrations on me, they were basically shooting the messenger whenever they didn't qualify, terminated or were asked to pay a larger sum of the child care. I understood their anger and did my best to serve them anyway, extremely difficult but there were many moments of joy when families would thank me for what our company did for their family. I also moved up the ranks during this time and began training (teaching) new employees how to do a job I previously held. I was a trainer for about 2 years and this is where I developed a love for teaching and my first vision that I can possibly do the same but in a different venue, elementary schools.
Student Teaching
I consider student teaching a professional experience because I was surrounded by of the best professionals in the business of teaching, my master teachers. These two wonderful women molded me and treated me like their son. They taught me everything they knew and did the best they can to keep me away from any negativity that surrounded the district at that time. I wanted to attend staff meetings to gain experience but they would say no because they felt a lot of the teachers and the news were negative. I appreciated them for that because somehow my naivete allowed me to pursue teaching as if there were no obstacles. During my student teaching, I was always the first one to the school, I even beat all of the custodians and people noticed that. This was my first epiphany, people do notice when you do good things so even to this day, I'm always the first one at our school. Sometimes, not all the time, I get there before the custodian.
Teaching
As I enter my sixth year of teaching, it all began in 2010 at a school called King Chavez Prep where I was hired as a PE coach for 6th-8th grade students. This experience truly taught me a great deal. I worked with another coach that was also one of the football coaches for San Diego State, he like my master teachers treated me like a son and allowed me learn everything he knew. About 2 months later I receive a call from an elementary school asking if I was available to interview for a long term substitute position as a Kindergarten and 1st grade combo class. I interviewed and then hired. Five months later, I was hired permanently as a first grade teacher at a school at which I remain today. I later taught 2nd grade, 2nd and 3rd grade combo and now in my second straight year as a straight second grade teacher.
All of these experiences molded and prepared me into the professional I am today and I wouldn't trade any single moment.