About+Mr+Gonzalez

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My name is Daniel Gonzalez and I was born in Gilroy, California in 1978. My parents came to this country in 1977 and became legal citizens. My brother and I were what was then called English as a Second Language, or ESL, students, and by the fifth grade I transitioned into an a mainstream classroom. Ms. White, my former ESL teacher, was responsible for nominating me to be a part of a sister city student exchange program that Gilroy City Schools had going on at the time. I believe that the time I spent in Fukuoka, Japan where I learned far more about life than I could imagine at that age, during that time in my life, helped shape much of whom I am now. The sense of appreciation, respect, and trustworthiness that my parents instilled in me, coupled with the sense of independence and freedom in a place that is completely foreign to me at such an early age really opened up my brain in way that I didn’t expect. I still think about how wonderful that experience was for me, so in a way, I am still inspired by it. By the 6th grade, my father moved our family to Modesto, California in search of a permanent home. Although this move initially took me a considerable amount of time to adjust to, both academically and socially, I eventually considered Modesto home. After graduating from high school, I began commuting approximately 120 miles per day from Modesto to San Jose with my father for about 4 years. Not having been encouraged or even considered for college while in high school, working with my father as assembly line worker in manufacturing company was the most reasonable thing I could do at the time. And even though those four years taught me much about responsibility, dependableness, and accountability, I was getting bored and decided to challenge myself—I went back to school. It was during this time that I found out what it was to think critically in a conscious and holistic manner. My time at Modesto Junior College allowed me to develop and strengthen the academic skills necessary to transfer to an institution of higher learning. With mentoring and encouragement by my professors, I was able to graduate with honors from the Junior College level. I also transferred to UCSB in pursue of an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology. After graduating from UCSB, I moved back to Modesto and began working as an on-call substitute aid for Modesto City Schools. After substituting for approximately a year, I applied and was offered a permanent position as Vocational Assistant for the Santa Barbara County of Education Office: Special Education. It was this experienced that gave me the opportunity to discover what I love to do—work with students who experience moderate/severe disabilities. Now, I am motivated to acquire my credentials as well as a Masters in Technology in the classroom to make a significant contribution to the students and community I work with. Although working as a substitute had introduced me to this rewarding field and helped me begin developing my coaching skills, my current position as a vocational assistant for the Santa Barbara County Education Office Community Based Program has allowed me to develop good rapport with the students, families and staff. I feel this kind of rapport was necessary to better my classroom efficiency and support. When I became an active component of this program in 2007, I learned and practiced strategies that emphasize positive student behavior, offer vocational assistance, and support life skills, independence, and a better quality of life. At this point, I want to earn my credentials and deepen my knowledge in this particular field of teaching. I believe that growing up in a several multi-cultural, economically depressed environment offered me priceless knowledge regarding being sensitive towards our individual differences. I believe that true community harmony predominantly comes from embracing, respecting, and providing all individuals a relevant place in society. Therefore, I believe that my holistic outlook on life compliments the profession of special education.