With the lesson observation over, I'm feeling a lot more relaxed and enjoying my final few days here.

It's lunchtime so I'm sat outside on the beach, the sun is shining, there are dogs running about, some people swimming and a man even scuba diving! I wonder if he's spotted any fish yet.

This morning, I had my last English class with 4EPB and 7 students usually leave to have a speaking class with another teacher but none of them wanted to go! I felt so loved and even more so when they handed me the cards they had made for me. One girl had even used her mother's perfume to spray on it to make it smell nice.

Feliz San Valentín 💗

You Donkey.

•              Si sabrá mas el discipulo? (Might not the pupil know more?)

I saw this etching on Saturday, its by the famous Spanish artist Fransisco De Goya. The thought "Might not the pupil know more?" has stayed with me this week. When your trying to navigate 25 pupils, you can easily become overwhelmed and totally forget to appreciate the strange, beautifully expressive qualities of each child. You gotta ground your feet, keep your cool and enjoy the lessons your giving each other. What's it all about if not?

Some key lessons I'm learning:

1) Make it kinaesthetic. They need to move, so harvest that energy. 
2) Experiment with nomination techniques- give them alphabet letters and number cards. Keep them on their toes. 
3) Learn their names quickly. (I didn't and it would have made life so much sweeter)
4) Speak less. Gesture more! 
5) Don't explain....SHOW 

P.S. This experience has opened an exciting door for me. I will return to Spain in March and work with Language Kingdom as an activities leader in language immersion camps. That means teaching English via games and activities and spending springtime outside walking, surfing and chasing children. Enough said.

P.P.S I'm a big fan of donkeys, there affectionate and resilient. I reckon teachers could learn a thing or two from donkeys. 

La Burra es mi maestra.

2 days left...

Guys, I'm gonna be honest with you all.
When they told us back in UK at the prep week that "it's going to pass really fast", my left eyebrow was kind of brushing the ceiling.
I was thinking "How can 4 weeks pass fast?, God...if things go wrong, it will last forever!"
Well, when things go wrong, that's a great lesson to learn from ;)
So, if I could tell my previous self something, I would tell myself:
"Relax, time flows differently in Spain, and at the end of it all, you'll really miss it.."

The final week

I feel so sad that this whole experience is nearly over. This week, in particular, I have finally felt relaxed teaching. I haven't stressed myself out over planning each lesson in every detail, but allowed myself to see how the lesson is going and adapt some activities when needed. This is something I never thought I would achieve during CELTA as I have always been a big planner!

Another big positive this week has been the sun - we have really been able to see the best of A Coruna over the weekend. Its such a lively and friendly city, but without the overcrowding and high prices. This afternoon, Chloe and I had lunch and planned lessons together on the beach which made it not really feel like work.

Overall it has been a challenging but positive experience and I could definitely see myself coming back to A Coruna.

Before we leave we have lots of plans, mainly to enjoy tapas and Estrella.

Adios! 

Halfway through the final week

Buenas tardes!
I'm trying to mentally prepare for a lesson observation tomorrow with a secondary class, but I feel quite nervous about it all. I had a few last lessons with some students today and it'll be strange not to see their faces everyday. I'd grown quite accostumed to it (and them).

Here's a photo of the view from 4EPA this morning (before the children arrived of course). I think I'll miss this view.

Good luck to everyone with their observations this week!

I am quite sad to leave this place. It feels like I have just began to get to know it, the people and school. It is much more fun to teach when you know your class (and also more effective since they will be more receptive and you more engaged). The students can get a bit noisy occasionally (haha) and I still need to get better at managing it but they're a lovely bunch truly. A lot of them love me and I like being loved XD and I love them. Staying here has been a romance that has its inevitable end and it's painful to admit that. I will probably have to leave, unless I stay in a weird twist of fate. There's always the future I suppose... Anyway, good stuff and take your day as they come and all that.

Time flies - much like anything not tied down does in Moncada winds

These 3 weeks have gone by way fast. My time in here in Moncada + Valencia has been largely positive, whether it be punctuated by 20+*c heat or gale force winds, there has always been something interesting to see or do.

Highlights include:

-the impressive river bed park (ft. bulbous bottomed trees)

-the very sci-fi museums/centres at the south-east end of said park

-the natural history museum

-the fine art museum (ft. goofy renaissance era art)

-getting lost in the old town/northern part of Valencia 

-La Vitti for good live music but not for their watered down tinto!

-Cafe Berlin for good music and cheapish drinks

-La Fabrica de Hielo, where we inexplicably saw a very good mariachi band   

-La Paca, a quaint and cosy bar selling great tapas 

School wise, I've used silly voices, tried and failed to correctly pronounce any students' names, built LEGO-esque models that demonstrate simple infra-red technology, accepted half chewed sweets from 2 year olds, bumped into half of my students out of school (in this tiny, tiny town) and am currently working on a lesson that pulls from a dubious Welsh myth, that I may have entirely fabricated myself to work with the target language.  

(formatting photos on here is hell so here is a quick compilation)

(clockwise from top left - thicc trees, big legs, excellent painting of a historical event, the 'Hemisfèric', the park next to the science museum)

Taking some time to reflect

As we're entering the final week, I'm taking some time to reflect on all the new experiences and varying emotions I've felt throughout my time here. 

As someone who wasn't totally sure she wanted to enter into teaching and who used to feel such stage fright and trembling nerves when speaking to a group of strangers, I've enjoyed this experience. I may have felt nervous about some of the things I was teaching but didn't feel at all nervous in front of the children, which surprised me.

I won't say that this has been a huge turning point for me and that I've suddenly found a love for teaching or a concrete career path that I want to pursue forever. But I will say that I now know that it's something that isn't completely out of my reach or abilities. More than anything, for me, I'd have to say that this experience has been about confidence building and I've enjoyed getting a bit more creative with the children. I hope they've enjoyed it too.

On another note, I went for a potter around town yesterday and found some wonderful independent bookshops and ecological shops. I bought a soap for my mum that smells divine (orange, argan oil, lavender and something else that I can't remember) and a book for me. I'm looking forward to giving it to her next week.

Here are a couple of photos I took yesterday.

The Grammar Gameshow - BBC Learning.
Am I the only one who didn't know about this? ( actually I know I'm not as my flat mates hadn't heard of it either!). I used it to consolidate learning around Reported Speech (episode 23) and the students (and the teacher) loved it. I followed it up by creating a TV studio in the classroom and devised numerous roles. I gave the 'naughtiest' student (i.e. Very Bright but Easily Bored) the job of Studio Manager - his role was audience control and also holding up the 'Cheer', 'Clap' and 'Boo' signs.  One of the shy kids was The Scorer, 3 others were the Participants and 12 members of the 'audience' asked the questions. It went down really well and I'd feel confident to use it again. Hope I can come up with something as creative for my observed lesson next Friday (yikes!).

Can't believe we are going into our last week - it's too short! At least 2 more months!!!!
Good luck everyone for next week.

Hola. It is thursday today and tomorrow is friday..Really looking forward to the last weekend >.<
I have started two new projects with two diffrent classes that I´m really excited for. I hope they finish it before I leave.
The boys kept complaining about how boring arts and crafts is so I decided on this...
1st project is a board game they will be designing. Since the boys like sports and football so much they will be doing a board game related to that. The other groups are doing music, religion, sports, science and maths. They would rather mix it up the questions.
2nd project is a theatre play. They will design their own theatres and write their own scripts. Once they have finished, they will present the play infront of the whole class.
excited on what they will come up.

Went for a walk with one of the teachers, showing me around the area. It was really fun.
Going out with some Spanish friends I met this weekend- EXCITED <3

Done writing for now... ADIOS x

Medio Camino

Just after the halfway point now and it's definitely been a bit of a whirlwind. Some lovely moments and some more trying times too, but overall it's been an incredibly worthwhile experience already. With such a busy few weeks both in Chester and in Spain maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that this weekend my body just needed some down time. On the positive side it gave me the chance to reflect on the experience so far:

I think I've been incredibly lucky to be in a lovely school that has a truly community feel. My mentor and all the other teachers have been so friendly. It only makes me wish I had brushed up a bit more on my Spanish before I got here so I could get a bit more involved. The students are always interested in what you're doing so you don't get much downtime in school though!

I've also had some great times with the other UKLCers out here. We live slightly north of Valencia so it's always nice to venture into the city and meet up with the other half of our cohort. We've discovered some delicious food, great drinks and escaped from a post-apocalyptic future together! Me & Marina also got to go and watch a football match at the Mestella which was great fun.

Now I'm going to try to regroup and make the most of the time we have left here.

Hope all is well with the A Corunians!

Some days are better than others

After the loveliest weekend exploring art galleries and filling our tummies with tapas and laughter I must say this week has been a bit difficult so far. But hey, it's only Tuesday so there's still plenty of time for it to improve! 

I've had a couple of lessons with the ESO students (those who shalt not be named) where they are really loud and noisy and I've struggled to get their attention. It's mainly just shouting over each other or speaking when one person is sharing an answer or presenting an idea they've worked on. Any tips??

I think I'm also a bit anxious to be doing some more grammar based lessons because I want it to be fun and find things like countable and uncountable nouns tricky to explain.

On the upside, the weather is warmer and it hasn't rained for a few days! 

Un saludo desde A Coruña :)

La Paz

It all makes much more sense 2 weeks in. You understand the rhythms of your days. Decisions come easier. And the bonds between you and the school develop. Given the opportunity I would happily sign up to stay here for many more months. 

Week 2 at Salesianos was special for many reasons. Celebration were being held for 'la dia del Paz' (the day of peace). I attended a ceremony with cherubs lighting candles, paper doves and dancing. Thursday and Friday were the anniversary of Don Juan Bosque the patron saint of the school. To mark this occasion, we created 100s of tradition hats to wear at mass and munched on donuts and thick hot chocolate. The year 6's heard party games for the rest of the primary students. It was pure sugar fuelled mania. 

Half way through...already!

I can't believe we are half way through our time in A Coruna already. It feels like I blinked and missed 2 weeks.

The start of last week was kind of chaotic...my tutor at school tore his Achilles tendon. So, my timetable changed around a lot and I am now teaching some Bachillerato classes as well as 1 ESO, which are very different challenges! Anyway, I got into the swing of things and everything is still going well.

Our school celebrated 'Juan Bosco' day on Friday, which meant no lessons but lots of activities. It started with mass (which I decided to skip), followed by hot chocolate and donuts for everyone (which I was 100% there for) and then games and activities for the rest of the day! The kids absolutely loved it. I stayed until lunch to see what was going on and then our main tutor at school (Merce) took Chloe and I out for tapas and wine. The tapas was amazing and Merce was so generous and paid for everything. It still amazes me how kind and generous everyone here is.

This weekend has also been really fun...we had a tour of the city on Sunday and for the first time in 2 weeks it actually didn't rain and we had sun! I loved seeing all of the cities main attractions and learning stuff about its history.

Now I am into my third week it is taking me a lot less time to plan lessons. I am more confident to try new things...and adapt them to work better for next time. 

Until next time...

End of the second week!

Guys, I don't know about you but we had the classes decorated with movie posters, props and all kinds of really fun themes!
We had movie viewings, we had popcorn, improvised sets and lots and lots of photos!
Last class I was in had a sad movie playing and it left almost all of the kids in tears, and I saw the kids who weren't crying trying to hug and comfort the kids who were crying.
it broke my heart, guys....it was really beautiful.
We can all learn things from our students!

Peace out!

Crazy and beautiful!

There's nothing quite like it....Facing your fears, that is.


Walking into a classroom filled with teenagers, you start to remember all the weird and boring stuff your teachers used to do, and you keep saying to yourself "this time it's gonna be different, I'm gonna be different! I'm gonna be the cool teacher, I'm gonna play great games, I'm gonna be that teacher that's gonna keep the students at the edge of their seats!"
So you start smiling, you get confident, you stroll around the board with a weird smile on your face and then you look at the schedule and see.....you're the technology teacher!
You're the guy who has to make formulas fun!
You're the guy who has to creatively teach them about maths, engineering and lots....and lots....of formulas.

Heart's pumping...Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, something about spaghetti....


You know the drill, right?

But I survived, two classes of technology, one after another.

Who knew I could find and teach similarities between football and electricity? (hint: the electron's the ball)
They didn't know that was possible, the resident teacher didn't expect it, the students were surprised (well...probably confused too, but, I'll just focus on the surprise part for now)
That moment when you goo too deep in the football metaphor and you look at the resident teacher for help and he looks confused back at you......Priceless!


Listen, what I'm blabbing on about is this: I made it, I survived it and I lost a fear on the way. If I can do it, EVERYONE can do it!


Peace out!

Holaa Beautiesz <3

This week has been a bit of a nightmare. spent half of the week in bed sick with a temperature, sore throat and an ear ache. Staying at the hotel was sooooooooooo boring and I was missing my cute lil students :( but I´m getting a lil better WOOOOOP. Went into school today (Friday). Shoved tissue in my ear to help with all the noise ( we know how cute and loud those spanish children are :P)  The weather is absoloutly horrible today OMG. It´s raining and I do not have the right shoes..... going to go home with wet feet YUKK. Got a lesson in an hour so I´m free to ramble on for abit :P

I found an exciting Music lesson about SuperHeroes that I´m really looking forward to teach in an hour.
I hope the children are excited as I am hehe
Heres the link

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/songs/amazing-superheroes
The song and the activity worksheet with it

The children at the school all had a project to do this week. Each class has a movie and they have decorated their walls and doors. My favourite is Harry Potter.... OMG HE IS SO SO CUTE. I absoloutly love cute things ^.^ So when I call you cute ;) know that I like you <3

LOOK AT HOW CUTE HE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!