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Moreno, Sarah

Module # 500: PRQ Paper #1

January 10, 2017

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Moreno, Sarah

Module # 500

January 10, 2017

What events and people contributed to my decision to teach?

While growing up, I never considered becoming a teacher. My family always told me that

I should look into teaching and that this is was Gods plan for me. But as a stubborn child I never

listened to them and attempted to take make my own path for myself. As I was completing my

undergraduate degree, I never considered going into graduate school for my credential. I have

been teaching in many capacities for over ten years. Ive taught swimming lessons was a

preschool teacher and tutored multiple students in various subjects. Each of these opportunities

has shaped me into the person I am today. Yet there was one single event that led me to the

teaching profession.

The first semester of my senior year at Whittier College was filled with change and

excitement. I was preparing to graduate and enter what I thought was my career path. I had spent

four years creating and designing my own major in Child Advocacy and Social Justice and

thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do. But God always had a different plan for me. I on the

other hand, feverously went after becoming an adoption and foster agent. I believed that this was

what God wanted me to do and so I sought out and internship with an agency. This was the start

of the hardest year of my academic career.

Working at an Adoption and Foster Care agency was a shock for me. I was pushed into

positions that I was not mentally and spiritually ready for. I began monitoring and reading the

case files of children and my heart broke with each word. I struggled to separate my heart from

the job but failed to do so. I came across heart wrenching situations and realized that this was not
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the career for me. I became very discouraged and unsure of my life choices. I had recently

applied to a Masters in Social Work program and was nervous that I would either be accepted

and hate it or be denied and be without a plan. By the time I reached graduation, I had finished

my contracted year at the agency and was waiting on new regarding graduate school. I was so

torn as to what I would do if I didnt get accepted and I realized that I had not seeked Gods

guidance with my future.

It was May when I started to pray for guidance from God. I left my future in His hands.

As my friends where graduating with promised full time dream jobs, I was working a minimum

wage job with no future plans of growth. I woke up one morning and discovered an email

regarding graduate school; I was not accepted into my program. A feeling of relief and utter

confusion rushed over me. What was I going to do now God? was all I could say. My parents

told me to continue praying and open my heart and mind to God and His path will be revealed to

me.

Fast forward, I ran into my second grade teacher, I was so excited to see her. She started

asking me about life and I opened up to her about my last year and how I was feeling. She

looked and me and said, I would of thought youd be a teacher by now. And thats when it hit

me. The one career I pushed away, was the path that God had planned for me my entire life. He

had placed me in teaching situations from the day my parents decided to enter the missions field,

to my father becoming a pastor at church, to entering high school and college and leading the

Christian clubs there. God provided me with teaching jobs and moments to teaching at random

times. Everything fell into place and I knew this was what I should be pursing along side God.

I started looking into credential and masters programs and came across Vanguards program. I

contacted the school in late July. I assumed I would be sent some information and told to apply
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for the spring, but to my surprise they opened the application and told me to apply for the Fall of

2016. I prayed and jumped feet first. I managed to complete the application in two days. I was

interviewed and accepted the second week of August. The entire process was a whirlwind of

excitement, anxiety and a littler nerves but I knew this was where God wanted me. I am now

completely devoted to fulfilling the plan God has for me, and dutifully seeking Him each step of

the way.