I am currently teaching at Colegio Santísimo Rosario in Avila, Spain. Avila is not far northwest of Madrid. It's famous for it's beautiful historical walls that surround the center of the city. I'm lucky enough to see these walls daily, as my host school is located in the center of these amazing walls. During my time here in Avila, I am staying in a Residencia (like a dorm) full of Spanish college students. So far I have only met one student who is from America and speaks English. She's teaching at a different school. Despite the language barrier I have "at home," I've managed to make Spanish friends here, which is great.
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| Entrance to the school. |
Each morning I wake up and get ready for school. The dress code for the teachers is much less casual. Conservative, of course, but casual. Jeans are worn often. Plaid shirts. Long sleeve shirts. Of course, most Spanish people have great style, so the teachers always look nice. I love this and wish I packed better for it! After I'm ready, I eat breakfast in el comedor, or cafeteria. Customary breakfast is pan tostado con tomate y aciete (toast with tomato and olive oil), or cereales con cola cao (cereal with a chocolate milk type thing). After I eat, I walk to school. It takes me about 15 minutes to get there. The only pain is it's uphill. School starts at 9:00 AM and the teachers arrive at 8:50! How different from the United States. When I was student teaching there, I arrived around 8:00 and the students arrived around 8:50. Those 50 minutes were crucial to prepare for the day. Also, the classes do not start promptly. Sometimes they begin about 10 or 15 minutes later than intended. That doesn't surprise me, considering last time I was in Spain, I learned Spanish people are late for everything because they are on their own time. It's part of the culture.
Parents walk their children to school. Some drive, but most walk. Buses aren't even an option, as the streets are tiny. It's also a parent's responsibility to take care of their child and make sure they get to school okay. Colegio Santísimo Rosario serves students of literally all ages.
Let me explain first how the Spanish school grade system works....
LA GUARDARIA: Babies. Literally babies that are only a few months old. Similar to daycare
1 INFANTIL: 3-4 year olds
2 INFANTIL: 5-6 year olds
1 PRIMARIA: 6-7 year olds
2 PRIMARIA: 7-8 year olds
3 PRIMARIA: 8-9 year olds
4 PRIMARIA: 9-10 year olds
5 PRIMARIA: 10-11 year olds
6 PRIMARIA: 11-12 year olds
1 ESO: 13 year olds
2 ESO: 14 year olds
3 ESO: 15 year olds
4 ESO: 16 year olds
In the school, there is one classroom per grade level. It's a smaller, private school with about 23 kids in each class. Therefore, the students that stay in the school year after year know each other very well. During the day, the students stay in their classroom and the teachers pass through to the different classes to teach different subjects, like:
- CONO (Sciences & Health)
- Mathematics
- Lengua (Language Arts/Grammar in Spanish)
- Ingles (English)
- Music
- Physical Education
- Arts & Crafts
- Religion
Since this is a bilingual school, some classes are taught in English. These are the subjects I am teaching. I'm teaching English and CONO, in English. But, since some are so young, I have to make sure I'm prepared to explain topics in Spanish, too.
One challenge I've had so far is keeping myself organized. I literally pass throughout the entire school teaching different lessons to each grade level. My schedule is different every day, some classes are 50 minutes long and some are an hour. I don't know how the teachers in the school keep up with it all the time.
Another difference is I do not only have one mentor teacher, but rather I have four! These four teach English and CONO to different levels. Therefore, I follow them all around depending on the time of the day.
Lessons I've Taught This Week:
Ingles 2 Infantil: The hokie pokie with body parts
Ingles 1 ESO : Explained the history of Thanksgiving using visuals and acting out the original story.
Ingles 1 Infantil: Family members, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Ingles 5 Primaria: Thanksgiving! Traditional food and we made Pumpkin Pie in a cup. We practiced following recipes and using food vocabulary to do this.
Cono 1 Primaria: Types of foods - does it come from an animal or a plant?
Ingles 1 Primaria: Thanksgiving! Traditional food vocabulary, and we wrote about what we are thankful for. We also made the classic turkey out of tracing our hands.
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| Class with their pumpkin pies in a cup! |
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| The rest of the class. |
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| Sorry it's sideways, but an example of the turkey hand and the "I am Thankful For" activity. |
Spanish vs. American Children....
In my opinion, the kids are kids. They have all warmed up to me right away and have given me little drawings that they have done, just like in the United States. Every time I pass someone in the hallway, I get a "Hello kAAAAte" or "Hola kAAAAAte" that just warms my heart. (They call their teachers by their first names.)
Also, the students are pretty much well behaved. There are not any unusual behavior problems, and the students know to be patient and not talk if the teacher is preparing something or helping someone out. Of course, there are instances where the students "forget" and talk without permission, but hey, they're young! Another challenge for me is managing inappropriate behaviors in Spanish. I had my share of behavior management in the United States, but it's hard to give a message to Spanish students about their behavior with the language barrier.
End of the School Day
Anyway, the school day runs from 9-2. They have a half hour break for "Recreo" which is like recess and a snack. At 2, most student's parents pick them up and they go home for lunch. Some students have parents that cannot get them, and these students need to stay at school for lunch. There are also a number of after school activities and classes that students can take. I'd like to look more into it, but I'm still getting acclimated to the school day :)
When I return to the residencia, I eat lunch with the Spanish students. So far, twice this week I've gone to one of the teacher's apartments to eat lunch and help her with her English homework for a class she is taking. It's very popular for teachers to take classes along with teach. Then, I return to my room for a siesta because they are so important. Also, everything is closed during siesta time anyway. So I'd rather take a nap. The day is long! Dinner is at 9, if you were wondering.
In Conclusion...
I know this was a rather long post. It's hard to put into words (English words, nonetheless) an orientation to the new school I am in. I also neglected to mention, yet again, how nice everyone in the school is. All of the teachers go out of their way to make sure I'm comfortable and happy. They say what a shame it is that I'm only here for a month, and it sounds like they genuinely mean it. To sum it all up, I'm receiving an amazing, once in a lifetime experience with students of a different culture and many different levels. This experience will definitely help me grow as a professional when I return to the United States.
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