Erasmus+ Leaders in Language February 2022

Thanks to the Andreas for organising our leaving party yesterday. It was lovely to get together and hear more about everyone's experiences. Due to everyone living so far apart, and having different teaching hours, it was harder than I expected to meet up with each other during the week. The time also seemed to zoom by, so before we knew it we were at our leaving do yesterday! It made me wonder what it would have been like if we'd been placed differently. But hopefully in the future we'll have the chance to teach difference age groups in different settings. Maybe back in Valencia.....??!! Thanks again Andrea and Andrea for all your help in sorting out our accommodation and placements 😍

I thought I would re-read my blogs - wow, how things have changed! At the beginning I had so many questions, which I have now answered ...   Who will I teach? The students at CSB ages 11 - 18  How will I do it?   It has taken me a little time to find my style, to adjust to classroom teaching instead of Zoom based teaching. It also has taken me time to find the confidennce to have my own style that was different to that of the CSB teachers and that worked with the students.  How do I make it fun and engaging? Lots of different activities, lots of competition and games, lots of team working, Mentimeter, Bamboozle, lots of fun.  The only thing that was more difficult to make fun and engaging was the hard grammar point of the passive.  What is different about a Spanish school versus a British school? Firstly, the noise level is much, much louder! No uniforms, informality and a closeness between the students and teachers.  Will they really trust m...

It's been a tough few days saying goodbye to students and fellow teachers. My experience at The Colegio San Bartolome has been amazing.  They describe themselves as a family, and their school as their home. I felt this from day one - which has made it all the more difficult to leave. So what have I learnt?  - Firstly that even basic resources like printing were a challenge, so I got used to having a Plan B, or writing activities out and photocopying them!  - That it takes a constant effort to encourage students to talk in full sentences and to talk in English when doing activities in pairs / groups.  - Having quiet confidence and a calm approach help with classroom management.   - Emile suggested that planning a lesson shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. This was my biggest worry  - I remember talking to Fran about how this was possible on the journey here! So learning how to do that has been one of my biggest wins.  - Having a flexible plan has ...

 Had a great weekend. The girls threw a surprise birthday party for Isaac with plenty of food, balloons and of course a birthday cake. But I guess it was so much of a surprise that Isaac didn't realise and never showed up. (To be fair I think he had a valid reason why he couldn't come). But it's the thought that counts I guess. Still had a good night even without a speaker and managed to get a decent nights rest ready for the castle on Saturday. The castle was even more satisfying considering the failure we had last week. Like the one pilgrimage we said we would do finally ticked off the list. I've attempted to upload one of my favourite pics so hopefully that's worked. Was lovely to get out of the city and get some fresh air although I don't think we managed to top the pics the Leon group got of their mountains (looked absolutely unreal, although I'm definitely not jealous...). Saturday night was a bit wild; beers for 1 euro, a "firework display" ...

 Yesterday, I removed my "fitting in" mask throughout the day. I went to a cafe for food in Valencia, then covered my ears when the loud booming noises began. To find a solution, I went to a large department store for ear defenders. Until now, I rarely want to wear ear defenders in public as it makes me look different. However, the noise is just too much. Unfortunately, the ear defenders are 90 euros meaning I just can't buy them. In school, I could hear the high volume bangs coming from the park outside. It was so loud, it distracted me from teaching for brief periods. As an explanation to my adult students, I told them that I disliked sudden loud noises. Even a few days ago, I would never share such a weakness.  Many of my fellow trainees went to see the fireworks in Valencia at midnight. I didn't join them after giving a honest reason as to why. Today is my last teaching day. I will miss my school, my lovely mentor and each unique student.

Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! And finally: bang, bang, bang! Welcome to Valencia during Las Fallas. It is sudden, relentless and everywhere. From the city centre to the countryside, there is no escape. The fireworks and firecrackers are set off by everyone. From a young girl throwing firecrackers skipping between her parents. To large groups, with cheers accompanying every bang. I hate it all. My noise tolerance has been pushed beyond what I can cope with. I enjoy Valencia, I love the weather and it is fun teaching. However, I just wish I could press the mute button. 

 Hmm, it's been a reflective few days. I had an experience in the classroom that has really hit my heart and made me very reflective on teenage students, their experiences and all the other things in life that they are dealing with. The situation was that there was some "misbehaviour" on Mentimeter which was unacceptable.  This resulted in the school disciplining the class with some students receiving severe punishments including suspension. Everyone in the class had to apologise personally and collectively for the behaviour.   I've been thinking about this a lot.   It's been too easy for me to forget that the students are teenagers first and foremost, going through all the stuff that teenagers go through...finding out who they are as individuals, what they stand for, who they want to hang around with and what they want to be known for.  Learning English is probably nowhere near the top of their list of priorities most days.  It's probably more important to...