1. What language is spoken at home? - I was raised in a Spanish speaking household. My father who has been in this nation for more than 40 years, still has not been able to communicate in the English language, but my mother in recent years has begun to develop speaking skills in the English language.
2. What language do you prefer to speak? - Over the years English has become the language that I prefer to speak.I’m fluent in Spanish, and some what in Japanese (6 semester in high school), Italian (2 semester in college), and now I’m working on Portuguese.
3. How long have you been living in the U.S.? - Thanks to my parents I migrated into the United States at the age of nine. It has been 18 years that I have been living in California.
4. If you have not lived all of your life in the U.S., what is your country of birth? - I was born in Mexico, in the state of Durango. The state is located in the northern region of Mexico and it’s not just known as “the land of scorpions”, but it’s also Known as “the land of cinema”. Durango is well known for its old western films, that include many with John Wayne.
Academic Language Abilities, Content knowledge, and Skills
1. What is your favorite subject? Or part of History? - History, and my favorite parts of history is (like many other) World War 2 and the Cold War. The political outcomes of the second half of the 20th century fascinates me.
2. How much do your remember from World History? - I took various history classes in college, but most interestingly to me where, Foreign Affairs, History of the Middle East (early development-Ottoman Empire, the fall of the Ottoman Empire-September 11), Women in the Middle East, The U.S. and the Middle East, History of Brazil, History of Mexico, History of Latin America, African History (Early civilization-colonialism, imperialism-African nationalism), and other U.S. histories.
Physical, Social Development
1.What are your hobbies in school/sports? - When I was in high school, at SDA (class of 2005), I was in HAV (Having a Voice), Japanese club, MECHA, and Journalism. I did not get play any sports, but if I did, I would probably try out for lacrosse.
2. Outside of school? - I like to grow my own food, especially tropical fruit. I grow almost anything: apples (fuji, dorsett golden), peaches (babcock, elberta), nectarines, apricots, pears (red, bartlett, bosc, anjou), coffee (yes, i grown, harvest and drink my own coffee), grapes, all kind of chilies, figs, allspice, cinnamon, feijoa, jabuticaba (look it up), ice cream bean fruit (look that one too), olives (manzanilla, arbequina), capulin cherry, cherries (5 kinds), goji berries, passion fruit, dragon fruit, star fruit, avocados, plums (3 kinds), bananas (3 kinds), blueberries (9 kinds), cherimoya, tamarind, kumquats (nagami, maiwa), yerba mate, sapote, mangos, papaya, guavas (yellow, pink), pineapples, and other seasonal vegetables. I used to be a huge computer games, strategy games where my kind of game: Civ 5 (kinda about history), Supreme Commander, and others. But now I have no time.
3. What is your families academic history? - My parents never went to college, I am the first in my close family to receive a college diploma. My father never went to school in Mexico, but my mother attended school in Mexico all the way to the 4th grade. My parents encouraged me to read, and study, but they were limited since they were unable to help me with school work. It was mostly up to me to learn and take up the challenge to educate my self.
Cultural and Health Consideration
1. Do you celebrate your cultural/religious background? - My family is a typical Mexican family, that makes tamales in the winter (but honestly any time we feel like tamales). We have small gatherings of 50 or more, just like your typical hispanic small gathering. When the radio is on in the house there is rancheras and nortenas playing. We had chickens for a while, because it reminded my dad of the ranch life back in Mexico. But I have adopted many American traditions, like listening to Classic Rock and driving a hybrid because its environmentally conscious. My family and I are very religious, but lets leave it at that.
2. Is there any special needs that I should be aware of? - I have difficulty memorizing names, so please work with me on that.
Interest and Aspirations
1. What are your plans after Escondido High School? - I want to continue to improve my teaching skills, and I do plan to make the most out of my co-teaching at EHS. I do want to teach social-studies in California.