Week One at Escorial!

My first day at Escorial school was AMAZING. It is such a warm and inviting place to be. All the children are constantly laughing, smiling and so happy to be at school. The teachers are some of the kindest and loveliest people I have ever met! I felt immediately welcomed and so so loved at my school!

The schedule is a little bit different here in Spain than it is in America. We begin school at 9am, then have a 30 minute playground and snack break from 10:45-11:15am. Class then goes until 1:00pm and at this time we take our lunch break until 3:00pm! We then finish with class from 3:00-5:00pm! 

This schedule is not what I am accustomed to, but I think I am going to miss it when I am back in America! The children have so many brain breaks throughout the day and I have noticed this allows them to be more focused during class time! 

The students take classes in Catalan (the language spoken here), Spanish, and English. I have been following one of the English teachers around at my school (she rocks!!) and so I have seen a variety of grades so far! Although, on my first day I was in a 3rd grade classroom where Catalan was primarily spoken. In this class during center time I was able to work with small groups and practice speaking English with them. I was shocked at how much they already know!

Wednesday morning was SO interesting. Every Wednesday the 6th graders go to the local theater where they take a class with a local actor. This week they practiced expressing themselves with no words and only using their body and sounds! I got to participate in the activities (all in Catalan!), but the kids actually translated for me! We went around in a circle and played name games, made letters using our bodies, and acted out a story using only our bodies and sounds! This was such a cool learning experience and I’m so grateful I was able to participate! Thursday, I worked with preschoolers and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Little Red Riding Hood. Reading is one of my passions and sharing this experience with my students in Spain was special! 

My first week at Escorial in Spain was incredible - time is already flying by! 

This weekend I am headed to Florence, Italy! :)