Teaching EDventures!

Week One 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 as 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! :)




Week Two at Escorial 

Florence, Italy was a dream last weekend! (See more pictures on my other adventures page!)

This week has been so nice because I have finally introduced myself to all the kids! I had made a short presentation that I have been sharing with the kids that included pictures of Texas, TCU, my family, and a few maps! Now that they all know a little bit about me, they have been able to practice asking me questions in English! They think TCU is amazing (I happen to agree)!!

I have continued working with small groups practicing flash cards. The cards have pictures on them, so I first say the word and then they repeat it after me. After going through 7-10 cards I have them play a little game (depending on the age group). For example, with the 6th graders I made the game a competition - I would say the word then they would have to find the matching card and repeat the word back to me. Whoever first says the word correctly keeps the flash card! With the younger students I give each child more time and remove the competitive aspect because they are still in the early stages of learning English.

With the 6th graders I have also been having conversations with small groups. We practice a specific skill they’ve been working on in their English classes. This week they are learning about past tense, so I have been asking them about what they did last weekend, last summer, etc. I love this because it is an informal and authentic way for them to practice speaking English and I get to know them better!

We were back at the local theater this morning! The kids did a mirroring dance activity where one child did movements and the other followed along! This was funny to watch the 6th graders dancing and being silly!

I have been able to continue to read with my students! Today, I actually read them one of my favorite books - After The Fall by Dan Santat! This book is about Humpty Dumpty after his great fall. I first showed the children a video that sang the famous Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme and then read them the book! :)

Tomorrow night we are headed to Lisbon, Portugal!  




Final Week at Escorial 

Portugal was absolutely amazing!! It is such a beautiful country full of history and character! (see pictures on my other adventures page!)

This week is my final week teaching in Vic. It is so bittersweet. I have loved every second of being here and I will miss it dearly, but I do miss my class back in Texas and it will be so great to see them next week!

I have been able to work with the preschool students in the mornings and they are so sweet. We sing lots of songs and read tons of books! Today we worked on counting up to 5! I had to say goodbye to the four year olds today and it was so sad! Thursday will be my last day with the three and five year old students.

I also have been spending much of my time with the older students (5th and 6th graders) and they have become some of my favorite students to work with! We have continued to practice English using flashcards and it has become really fun for both me and the kids! Since turning the flashcards into games and the kids have gotten really into the competitive aspect and truly want to practice English flashcards! The older kids are able to communicate very well with me and so we have been able to have good conversations and get to know each other so well. Today, one of my students asked me if I would take my next holiday (vacation) to Vic and visit Escorial - I told her if I can I absolutely would love to!

I am going to miss this sweet little town that I have been able to call my home for three weeks. This experience is one I will never forget. The warmth and love in the classrooms here is something I aspire to have one day in my future classroom.