Hi all,

I am a double major at CSUN: English ESM and Linguistics with a TESL minor. I will graduate in May and enter the credential program this fall. I was a cadette girl scout leader all last year, so I have plenty of experience with my target age group. I also have an adopted thirteen-year-old sister who is certifiably insane. (Again, necessary experience for a future teacher) I am a licensed esthetician and worked in dentistry for twelve years. I love both those professions dearly, but neither offers health insurance, which I need. I need to change careers, and since I was tired of hearing people tell me I should be a teacher, I decided to just go ahead and become a teacher. I home-schooled my sister for a few years and have been tutoring, officially and unofficially, since the fourth grade. Teaching has always come pretty naturally to me and I find it fun and fulfilling. Originally, I was a Spanish major and planning to be a Spanish teacher. My AA is in Spanish. One semester I did a service-learning project wherein I taught English to the Spanish-speaking employees of the local hospital and I fell in love. (with the experience, not the students) I knew I had found my calling. I must teach ESL. I later found out that ESL teachers are generally English credential holders, not Spanish credential holders, so I switched majors and added the TESL minor. To assuage myself after giving up Spanish, I added a Linguistics major for fun. Yes, Linguistics is fun. I love words and language.
I have two dogs and one cat. I will soon be inheriting a kitten to add to the group. I have no children of my own but am frequently "blessed" with the charge of others'. In fact, one of my first real jobs was as a nanny.