Martita

Hello!

This is a picture of me when I was around 4 years old.  My family used to call me Martita.  Martita means little Marta.  I want to take advantage and talk about Martita and How Martita and the Marta that I am now being similar.  Martita was very curious and loved to explore the world. She was always mischievous, and her mother always had to keep an eye on her.  Also, Martita was very caring specially with her younger brother.  Martita helped her mom to change diapers, feed and play with her younger brother.  One day when the baby brother was crying in the crib.  Martita went straight to the crib and took the baby brother out the crib and put him on the edge of the bed.   Her mother panicked when she saw what she did, and she became very sad because she was just trying to help.  Martitaloved to play with the dolls, and she used to use her brother as a doll and dress him up and pretend that she was the mommy.  Martita attended school for the first time for Kindergarten.  Even though she did not have  experience with day cares or pre-school she did not have adjusting issues.  Of course, she loved to play in dramatic area, but she also enjoyed music time.  She was not that interested in books and stories.  Over the years, Martita became more interesting in helping her mother to take care of her siblings and all the little kids from the neighborhood always wanted to play with Martita.  From playing with dolls in the dramatic area, she became interested in playing teacher, and of course, she was always" the teacher".  Martita became a mother when she was only 16 years old.  She stopped being Martita and became Marta.

It was a surprise for some people that, at a very young age, I was not overwhelmed with the baby.  I did not know a lot of things, but taking care of someone it was innate to me.  I graduated from high school, and  I was admitted to college into the computer science program...LOL. I laugh because I did not know what I was doing when I chose that program.  After one year in the computer science program, I was not doing good, and I withdrew all my classes and took a semester break.  One day I was talking to one of my aunts about school, and  suggested me to switch my major to Elementary Education. I was like "what", "teacher" and she said, "yes teacher".  She asked me, if I am not realizing that all my life I am always being around children that I am always trying to teach and help others, and she said that she could tell that I would do very good in the field of education.  That made me think in all the things that I did in my life prior to that point in my life, and I decided to give it a try to education.  In my first semester, in the program of Elementary Education, my grades improved.  I was highlymotivated to my new courses.

I graduated with a BA degree in Elementary Education and taught Science and Social Studies to children in 4th, 5th and 6th graders until I moved to Tampa, FL.  When I moved to Tampa FL I needed a job immediately, and I chose to look for jobs in day care centers.   I got a job in a day care center as an infant teacher.  That job switched my path again.  I felt in love with early childhood education.  During the years that I have worked in early childhood I found the Martita in me. The little girl that enjoyed playing, caring, and teaching other children.  I am not making as much money as a Computer Programmer, but I am happy and very proud of what I do.  I encourage everyone to find that little child in you, and do the things that you are meant to be doing, and you will live a happier life.