Clara Galvan
My name is Clara Galvan and I am 32 years old. I am the mother of a wonderful four year old named Bowie. I was born in Mississippi and raised in Alta Loma, California, where I graduated from the local high school. It was there that I first realized I wanted a career in teaching. Mrs. August, my 10th grade math teacher, showed me the importance of education and the impact a great teacher can make on their student's lives. After graduating from high school, I decided to begin my journey to become a math teacher by attending Chaffey Community College. Once I earned enough units, I began teaching at a pre-school in order to gain experience while still finishing my degree.
After teaching for six months, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the colon and liver. He was forced to stop working in order to begin treatment, which put our family in a financial bind. This forced me to put my educational and career goals on hold because I needed to help boost my family's income by finding a job that offered a higher salary. Shortly thereafter, I was hired at a small sporting goods retail store named Sport Chalet.
For the past ten years, I have been an employee with Sport Chalet. They currently have over 50 locations, located predominantly in California, Arizona, and Nevada. When I first started, I was responsible for various administrative duties in the scuba repair department. It was at this time that I was first introduced to scuba diving. My interest in the sport quickly grew and I began taking as many classes as I could. After about a year of working in the repair department, I was promoted to Scuba Operations Assistant Manager, a position I continue to hold to this day. Part of my job involves working with scuba instructors and handling the various administrative duties that accompany their jobs. This motivated me to combine my two passions in life, teaching and scuba diving. Sport Chalet put me through the necessary instructor training courses and helped me to obtain my teaching certification while working full-time. I am able to teach various beginning and advanced level classes on nights and weekends.
Although I enjoy my current job, I have not given up on my desire to become a middle school math teacher. Not a day goes by where I do not try and think of a way to balance my work schedule and supporting my daughter while going back to school. Since I am the sole supporter of my family, I do not have many options for finishing my college education. If I take time off work to become a full-time student, I will not be able to make ends meet and support my daughter. This is why I believe online classes would be perfect for my schedule. It would allow me to continue working while going to school without giving up quality time with Bowie. Although I realize some financial and personal sacrifices are necessary to achieve my goals, I do not want to my daughter to suffer because of this.
Education will enable me to achieve my goals because it will allow me to finish my degree and earn my teaching credential. Competition for teaching positions is becoming more aggressive. Earning a degree is the first step to making myself more marketable for school districts. I strongly believe that one of the most important characteristics of a teacher is passion for the job. I learned this from great teachers I have had in the past, and noticed the difference in those who genuinely enjoy their job. When teachers enjoy teaching, it makes learning more fun for the students. One of my ultimate goals is being able to positively contribute to student's lives the same way Mrs. August contributed to mine. She made learning fun and helped her students realize the importance of education. These are just a few of the lessons I would like to pass on to my future students.
Education will also help me achieve goals in my family and personal life. My father always wanted to send me to college, but could never afford it. I would like to able to send Bowie to college one day and be an inspiration for her as well. She recently began pre-school and loves every minute of it. Seeing her happy in an educational setting makes me proud that she is receiving these lessons at an early age. When she grows up, I want her to make the best of her life as well. Being a working mother will show her she can achieve anything she sets her mind to, as long as she is willing to commit herself to that goal. Working moms have two jobs, in a sense, because their job is not over when they get home from work Being a mother, however, is much like being a teacher. It does not feel like a job when it is something you truly love doing.
Not only will education allow me to finally have a career I have a passion for, but it will have a positive impact on my daughter's life. Being an educator will also allow me to spend more time with Bowie. Our schedules will coincide since we will generally be at school at the same time. This will enable me to be home to help Bowie with her homework and stay informed with what's going on in her life. She means the world to me and being able to be such a positive influence in her life will be great.
Rarely do people find a profession that they were truly born to do. I have a passion for teaching and believe that is what I was meant to do. I have taught scuba diving for almost 6 years now and still love it the same as when I first began. There is not much money in it, but that is not why I do it. Seeing the smiles on my student's faces when they achieve something they never thought they could is a feeling unmatched by anything else. This is something I will be able to carry over to teaching math as well. Mrs. August made math fun for me. She helped me become good at a subject I never thought I could.
I would like to continue teaching scuba even after I become a math teacher. I feel lucky to have found a career where I will look forward to going to work everyday. I am eager to take that first step in this journey and finishing my education. Although going back to school at 32 years old will not be an easy thing, the reward is well worth the sacrifice.