Reconcile

Reconcile- Reconciliar, re-con-ci-liar. < Del lat.
1. tr. volver a las amistades que estaban rotas, o atraer y acordar los ánimos desunidos.
2. Relig. Restitituir al seno de la Iglesia a quien se había separado de sus doctrinas.

When I was given this word in class, the first thing that came to my mind was - is it a cognate or simply false. I had to look up the word and find out the origin. I have always heard this word in relation to relationships/marriage. Now, I can see how I can apply this word to everything in my life including teaching.

I am from Puerto Rico. I came to the states when I was almost 17 years old. My parents made that decision without asking us. I'm pretty sure they thought it was the best for us at that time. Education always played a big role in our lives. My parents believed that getting a good education was a free ticket to a good life. They wanted us to be bilingual and learn the American culture as well. Being Puertorican made things a little easier. We are American citizens, so I had the same privileges as other students. I made the decision to become a teacher after given the opportunity to teach Spanish courses (mainly-culture) to a group of high school students while I was still attending college. I was hired by a federal funding program called Upward Bound. I had the honor to teach/tutor students of all ages. This is when I can honestly say that I decided to reconcile the differences I had with my parents. I always found myself being upset with my parents because of their decision to move to United States when I was just a teenager.

I know this is probably a very personal note, but I truly believe that's the reason why I enjoy teaching foreign languages today. I found a passion for teaching my culture and my native language. I have learned to reconcile and compromise and that's exactly what we -teachers/professors do almost every day. Teaching a foreign language can be exciting when we are teaching students who choose to learn it. It can be a little stressful when we find ourselves teaching students that have no desire in learning another language. Again, we try to compromise and then reconcile in order to promote a healthy environment for all students.