Prudencio 1

Jessica Prudencio
Professor Kuroki
STACC English 1A
8 May 2014
My Past, Present, and Future
Although I have had some really bad experiences throughout the years of my education,
there were some learning experiences that helped me get to where I am today. It is because of
Mrs. Irizarry, my English high school teacher that I am a better student in Pasadena City College.
Her tough love and speeches is also something that still constantly pushes me to work hard in
college. I believe that without her I would still have a fixed mindset; I would still be that kind of
student that would be afraid of setbacks. Also, I wouldnt be pursuing a career in a field that
requires a lot of hard work and writing. Studying to become a Speech-Language Pathologist
wasnt what I thought I would be doing. Though I became interested in this career after I
observed my nephews therapy session with Lillian Hernandez. I realize that in order to get a
degree in this field, I have to study hard and keep pushing myself like Mrs. Irizarry did in John
Marshall high school.
I had a fixed mindset through out middle school and freshman year of high school.
According to Carol Dweck in The Perils and Promises of Praise, students who have fix
mindsets become excessively concerned with how smart they are, seeking tasks that will
prove their intelligence and avoiding ones that might not (1). I was that student who sought
praise from teachers. Hearing them and my parents describe me as intelligent only made me
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seek assignments that were easy to me. I avoided classes that I knew were difficult, because I
was afraid of failing or proving them wrong. Brainwashed by all the favoritism and praises that I
would get. I even started to believe that being smart was the only thing that was important; I was
stuck in a bubble where I couldnt experience any setbacks.
It was not until I got to my tenth grade honors English class, at John Marshall High
School that my fixed mindset started to transition to a growth mindset. Ms. Irizarry was said to
be one of the toughest teachers in the whole entire school. So I was really scared and nervous
when I found out that I was going to be in her class. I remember walking to her classroom; it was
like a ticking bomb ready to explode once I reached my destination. I entered the classroom and
there she was standing next her desk grinning. She was definitely not what I expected; she
seemed so harmless and nice. She was petite, had navy blue cat eyed shaped reading glasses, and
black pants paired up with a navy blue polka dot collared blouse. I instantly thought, why would
anyone think she was mean? This was the day I learned what the saying Dont judge a book by
its cover really meant.
Ms. Irizarrys class was definitely not easy for me. I had to work extra hard to get an A
on my essay and other writing assignments. Everything I turned in was not good enough
according to her feedback. I felt like she categorized me as a weak student because I was the
only one who was getting Cs on my essays. I would go home so stressed and sometimes even
crying because I thought that she hated me. What made it worse was that I could not talk to my
parents about what I was feeling, because I thought that they would change their perspective of
me. Moreover, the class got even more difficult and I sometimes wanted to give up. I began to
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loose interest in studying because I couldnt grasp the lessons; I was ashamed of getting BS and
Cs, and my grade was not progressing.
In addition, I knew that feeling sorry for myself and giving up was not going to help me
at all. So I picked myself up and dived in to my writing and reading. I wanted to prove to Ms.
Irizarry that I was actually working hard and not just relying on my intelligence. So I began to
attend tutoring sessions and challenged myself in English topics that I did not comprehend. I
began to use a dictionary, and a thesaurus to look up words that were unusual to me. I began to
recognize my strengths and learned how to target my weaknesses through studying. As the
semester progressed I notice that my grade was improving not only in this class but in my other
classes as well. I worried less about what teachers thought about me and became more concerned
on what I thought about myself. I was no longer afraid of failing or not knowing, instead I was
excited and had an urge to learn new things.
Furthermore, my time in Mrs. Irizarrys class was coming to an end and I knew that I had
tried my best. I remember walking out the door on the last day of school when Ms. Irizarry called
for me. As I walked to her desk, my stomach felt like it was being attacked by a millions of bees.
I was so nervous! That the palms of my hands were sweating. When I got to her desk, she paused
and began to tell me how much I had improved in her class. She expressed how proud she was
because I had worked so hard. She apologized for pushing me so much, but that it was necessary.
She explained that tough love was the only way that I would get motivated to learn and get out of
my comfort zone. So when she revealed my grade I felt like I accomplished something. I knew
that I earned that A. So when she stated that I was one of her best students, I actually believed it.
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Ms. Irizarry definitely did not care about how smart I was, but instead she cared about the
effort I made to accomplish the assignments in her class. It was because of her tough love, that I
became more confident as a student. She helped me prepare for college, and Im now taking
classes at Pasadena City College that require a lot of critical thinking. I realize now that I am
capable of doing anything that I set my mind to, as long as I work hard. So pursuing a career in
Speech Pathology does not frighten me. Though I know that becoming a speech pathologist may
be difficult and require a lot of my time, I know that someday in the future Ill accomplish this
goal of mine.
I became certain that I wanted to be a Speech Pathologist, after I observed my nephews
(William) therapy session. Though, before I had my mind set on this career, I had no idea of
what Speech Pathology was until my cousin took me to her sons therapy session at the Glendale
Adventist Medical Center: Therapy & Wellness Center. At first, I was a little against the idea of
my nephew going to speech therapy, because I thought he was too young. I remember telling my
cousin how crazy she was to consider taking him there. I kept saying that children his age were
barely developing their language. Therefore, I went with her to Williams class just to prove she
was wasting her time.
During the therapy session, I noticed how well Lillian engaged with my nephew. She
quickly gained his trust, and quickly got my nephew to speak. Noticing the many words he had
difficulty pronouncing really changed my mind completely. I realized that my cousin was right
to take him to speech therapy, but also understood why she was concerned. Further, I learned
that an important skill that a Speech Pathologists needs to have is compassion. Lillian had that
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quality, and made the therapy process comfortable. She was able to emotionally support my
cousin from beginning to end.
Moreover, after being fully committed to the idea of becoming a Speech Pathologist, I
wanted to know more about the field. I had the opportunity to interview Lillian Hernandez, and
got some insights about the job, and her feelings towards her career as a Speech-Language
Pathologist. Lillian started working as a Speech Therapist after she had the opportunity to
observe her clients therapy sessions ten years ago, when she was a behavior therapist. She states
that Interacting with children and helping them discover their new found skills is what she
enjoys most about her profession (Hernandez). Although she loves working with children, there
are some challenges. For instance, she has to deal with parents who are in denial about their
childs delay/disorder. She also finds it frustrating when parents dont practice the skills that they
work on in therapy.
In fact, I learned that Lillians typical day as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist is
extremely busy and tiring, whether she is on or off the clock. She works full-time and is
scheduled to see seven children a day for one-hour session. She explains that her job can be
exhausting most of the time, because it is hard for her not to think about her patients when shes
off the clock. There is also a lot of writing that she has to do as a speech therapist. Lillian is
given one free hour each day to write progress notes and reports; she has to write about three to
four reports per month-sometimes even more. Even though, her job may come with challenges
she is more than satisfied being part of the Glendale Adventist team. Interviewing Lillian and
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knowing what she has to go through every day as a Speech Therapist motivates me to become
one.
Lastly, the right set of skills is also needed to be a well respected Speech Pathologist.
Some of the skills are Sincere interest in helping people, sensitivity, personal warmth, patience,
emotional stability, tolerance, resourcefulness, imagination, and the ability to communicate both
orally and in writing (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). It is crucial for a
Speech Pathologist to know how to deal with both children and adults, even though one may
specialize in a specific age group. They should also be aware that a persons environment could
be a major cause of their speech impairments. These qualities are all necessary in Speech
Pathology.
In conclusion, after researching and interviewing Lillian Hernandez, I realized that a
Speech Pathologists job is not all fun and games. Helping, treating, and preventing language
impairments are a lot of responsibilities, especially in children. Although, the journey to
becoming a Speech and Language Pathologist may be challenging, it is definitely what I see
myself doing in the future. So in order to have a career in this field, I would have to dedicate
push myself in school in order to transfer to a four-year university. University of Iowa has one of
the best programs for Speech Pathology that was ranked number in the country. So with my
dedication I believe I can accomplish all of goals, transfer, and obtain a degree in Speech-
Language Pathologist.


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Works Cited
Burda, Angela N. "Speech therapy." World Book Student. World Book, 2014. Web. 17 Feb.
2014.
"Careers in Speech-Language Pathology." American Speech- Language- Hearing Association.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
"Delayed Speech or Language Development." KidsHealth. Ed. Amy Nelson. The Nemours
Foundation, 01 July 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Dweck, Carol. Educational Leadership. The Perils and Promises of Praise 65.2 (2007): 34-9.
Web.
Goldberg, Stanley A. "Transitional Technical Skills." Clinical Skills for Speech-Language
Pathologists. San Diego: Singular Pub. Group, 1997. 199-230. Print.
Hooks, Bell. Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. New York. Routledge. 2009. 7-12.
Print.
Prudencio, Jessica. Jessica: Interview questions. Message to Lillian Hernandez. 10 Feb.
2014.E-mail.
"Thesaurus.com." Thesaurus.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.