Autobiography

     My full name is Shirlenne M. Peralta Benabe (you didn't think I was just going to give my second name away that easily did you?) Something many do not know about me is that I had an identical twin sister. Sadly the nurses and the Doctor didn't notice her until my mom was seven months pregnant, and by then, it was too late to save her. My twin died in the womb in the fifth month. We were born on april 27, 1989 in Fajardo Puerto Rico at 2:14pm to be exact. My mom's name is Ivette Benabe and my father's name is Cesar Peralta. I have two brothers and a sister. I am the older sister, which means ever since my siblings started school, I've helped them with their homework, projects and helped them study, you can call that the start of my teaching career I guess.

     I studied in Escuela Elemental Dr. Santiago Veve Calzada in Fajardo from Kindergarten to sixth grade. I  didn't finish Kindergarten because it was not required in the United states #Kindergarten Dropout #StillCouldRead.  I studied 5 months in Puerto Rico and 5 months in Brooklyn N.Y. from kindergarten till third grade, except second grade.  I took the entire year of second grade in the United states.  I can't recall the name of that school because I was small. Throughout my elementary school years I always played to be a teacher as many kids these ages do, but I never thought of becoming one. I wanted to be a doctor.

    I went into high school having the same aspirations but more defined. My mind was set to be an anesthesiologist because I could be in all the surgeries but didn't really have to do them myself. I had good grades through my whole academic life and I did great in the College Board test, so I got into Biology program in the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao in 2007. On my first year I did pretty good (except pre-calculus), but my studies got interrupted by the opportunity to study music in World Harvest Bible College in Columbus Ohio (now called Valor College). Did I not mention I'm into music?
 REWIND... (Yes, I love music! I sing, play the piano and I'm also a songwriter.)


     After a year in Ohio, I came back to P.R. in 2009 with the idea that I was going to change major, pursue education and later on mix it with music. After being in the K-3 concentration, which teaches all the classes in Spanish, I got convinced by one of my English professors in the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao, to change to English major. Thank you! Best decision of my life. I truly love what I studied and I thank God all steps led me to where I am today. I'm a practice teaching away from graduating on December 2014. I'm currently working in a music academy, and up until may 2014 worked as a kindermusik teacher in different daycares and private schools. Some people dread to go to work because they don't do what they love but I'm thankful for all the experiences and opportunities I've had where I could live out my two passions at once, teaching and music.

    I will now graduate in December 2014 with a BA of Arts degree in English with a major in Education at the Elementary level. I already took the Teacher's certification tests and passed! Future plans for me until now, include to pursue a Masters as a children' s choir director in Turabo University, take the PCMAS to earn my degree in the secondary level and to work in the Department of education.