Erasmus+ Leaders In Language April-May 2022

I had been planning to post this for the last few days but I've got slightly distracted. I've dedicated today to sorting everything out, including unpacking which up till now only consisted of me emptying my suitcase onto the floor😶. I wanted to do this final blog as a way to round off this experience. I'm aware nobody is likely to read this now, but I've actually discovered blogging is a useful way to work through your thoughts. I don't want to make this too emotional or cringy but more just a reflection of the last five weeks.  Before embarking on this journey, I was terrified to be quite honest, I didn't know what to expect and I didn't think I'd be good enough. 5 weeks later and I can honestly say its the best thing I've ever done, in more ways than one. I have gained confidence and learnt some much in terms of teaching but I also just had a great time in Valencia with everybody too. I have made some great friends, one in particular who without ...

What an amazing experience this has been. I’ve met some wonderful people and really learnt to see myself as an individual again which for me has been invaluable after many years of being boring old Mum. During my CELTA I felt more than a little jealous of the travels my fellow trainees were about to embark on and even in Kent, hearing about all of the adventures everyone had planned for the summer turned me slightly green with envy. But this trip is just the beginning of my adventure into the EFL world. I have learnt to think of myself as a teacher and to be more adaptable within lessons accepting that some activities will work better than others and sometimes you just can’t tell until you are in the thick of it. I think the most important thing I will take away from this experience is that it doesn’t matter where in the world I start my teaching career. There’s a noisy little house in Norfolk, where my children play in the garden, my dog barks at the postman, my mother turns up un...

  (The surprise is there’s no final haiku, my brain has gone to dry spaghetti.) Just a note to say thank you to everyone who’s made this experience what it is. You are all fabulous human beings. From this project I’ve learnt so much about what I want, and what I can do. It’s been strange going back to my favourite spots today and saying goodbye. Yes, I could come back to Le ó n (and I intend to), but it’s not the location, or the people I feel I’m saying goodbye to. It’s the pocket of time and the person I’ve been while I was here. A strange sensation. But I’m feeling stronger for it all, so I couldn’t ask for more.

paths lined with cotton; falling, like snow not melting; marking my journey Probably my last walk in Leon, along the River Torio to where it meets the River Bernesga and then back through the city - about 2.5 hours and very warm. The two rivers are very different, one out in the sticks and the other chasing the city roads, but both beautiful. Just one of the many things (and people) I shall miss.

 This last week has been one full of emotions and feeling of achievement at the same time. Emotions because every time I finished teaching the last lesson in one class, I looked at the children and thought: ‘you are great children. You have given me so much happiness. I shall really miss you!’ And then the other feeling: it’s nearly time to go home! I cannot wait to see my kid, husband and my very sweet dog! And then, you pass the cathedral and think to be surrounded by so much beauty daily is so soothing to the soul. There was also a last time I met Mireia in our café: we tended to see each other there about once a week. A really lovely snippet in my experience here in León. Exchanging experiences with all the Erasmus+ participants were always highlights and to just meet one or 2 on the stairs or coming back from their school enhanced a feeling of togetherness and support. Thank you all!  Now to come to achievements, I absolutely loved teaching science; preparing for it, maki...

 An awesome week again, full of teaching and then relaxing en la playa, its a dream life. Im a little aprehensive about going into the final week with the observed lesson, but i should be all planned up and ready for it!  Classes at the end of the school day with challenging teenagers is never going to be an easy gig! Went paella cooking on the weekend with the group.  Loved it, and i tihnk we all enjoyed eating the results.  I had a very relaxing Sunday trying to get as much of the sun before being indoors again tomorrow!  Im learning more and more that teaching face to face is much more enjoyable than online teaching,  transferring back onto online classes after teaching in a school is really quite dull!  Im very grateful that opportunites like this exist, because its a great taste of what the reality is like.  Teaching doesnt end after the last bell, its hard! But i love it and would like to make it my fulltime job.

Had such a fab lesson with the 3rd grade today (7-8 years old)! We did a zoo project. I'd made some flash cards to introduce the animals in Spanish and English, and we played "I'm thinking of an animal, it's got a long tail...", you know the sort of thing. Their hands were going up long before I'd finished saying anything, they were so into it. But isn't it great that they didn't just blurt it out, they put their hands up, squirming with delight waiting to be picked to say the word.  Wouldn't it be great if that continued into later years? Even the ones who didn't have clue what I was talking about wanted to take part and say anything, just to contribute. Maybe it was for reassurance, or just to take part, to be connected - I dunno.  After we'd found all the animals and grouped them as mammals, reptiles, birds, and done other stuff, we made the 'now classic (thanks Matt)' origami frog as a reward for hard work. Some followed the sta...

  It is a relief to have completed my observed lesson. Although we are not assessed on the lesson I was still worried about it. I didn’t need to be, overall I am pleased with how it went and it was helpful to get feedback from Fran afterwards. Even if classroom management is still a problem, I am confident in my ability to design a good lesson with a clear structure. I have my last evening classes at Schola tonight. I am really pleased I took on the extra classes because it is a completely different experience teaching in small groups. For a start I know the names of all the students at Schola and I feel like I can get more involved. I feel more confident with every lesson I teach (even if they don’t go as planned) and   I would like to have taught more. In general though this has been a positive experience which has better equipped me for job hunting back in the UK. I feel like I’m winding down now, I am ready to go home and see my family. One month is both too short and to...

 Hi readers! Well, a lot has happened since last we spoke! Where to begin 😂 Apparently in Leo'n you can't find a laundrette where you can use your own detergent, which for me, meant washing my clothes in the shower! Let's just say, that ended up with a white pair of jeans turning purple 😅 Then, when drying another pair of jeans, the paint from the wall came off and died them white! And I caught another pair on something and ripped them on the side, what a disaster! So, yesterday, I took a little trip to Primark, which was over the river, and I ended up finding a nice shopping centre. I bought a new pair of jeans, then got lost on the way back, cause I'm out of data which means no mapping 😬 Got some nice photos whilst lost though... Whilst hunting for my way back to the accommodation, I met 2 Erasmus students studying at the uni, who were on their way there, so they walked with me, so being lost can sometimes result in some good moments. On Sunday, we went to Oviedo, ...

It is currently 7:30am and I’m on the Metro on the way to school. Sitting here I remember this is the last time I’ll be heading it to teach my Monday classes. Unfortunately, we have only 6 days until we have to head back to the UK, leaving sunny Valencia behind. Everything about this experience has been so rewarding and I have learnt so much. For the last week of teaching, I am teaching pretty much all of my timetable apart from a couple of classes who have exams this week.  My mentor, Salut has been so supportive throughout always making sure I have whatever I need. The way she has gradually increased my teaching hours has been really successful in building my confidence.  Prior to this experience I had no in person teaching experience, having done my CELTA online, so I was very nervous to start. I am going to make the most of this opportunity for the last week, trialling as many techniques and activities as possible to make the most successful lessons I can.  For our fi...

 / We live at the beach we occasionally teach we don’t know anything about poetry / Been to Valencia for probably the last time. Very nice in a Birmingham sort of way. We all went to class to make paella on Saturday – we must be naturals because it was probably the best food we’ve had. We’ve not really gone out for a proper meal here – we’ve mostly been living sandwich to sandwich and when we have tried to broaden our horizons we haven’t had much luck – we tried to go for a fancy lunch last Thursday and when we ordered emperador con tacos we were given twelve solitary cubes of swordfish. I have two hours for lunch every schoolday in which I am literally locked out of the school and forced to go find somewhere to eat, so I’ll have to try and do better this last week. / Four boys who in harsh northern climes dwell Were sent to live an hour from everyone else So they got the train into town And roamed randomly around Then looking at bank accounts wondered which kidney t...

  We had the "paella training" experience on Saturday and I have to say it was even better than I thought it would be! We also cooked Spanish omelettes and a local Valencian sponge cake which was a nice surprise addition to the day. Learnt some great things from Chef Willy who was clearly a man of experience! Everything tasted incredible and looked like everyone enjoyed themselves which is nice. Had a good look around the older areas of Valencia (with some intermittent 'cerveca pit stops') which was great. Last week of teaching tomorrow, really has gone by quickly but thoroughly enjoyed everything. 

 Trying not to think of the depressing reality that this is our last week here. I really want to have a strong end to my time teaching at Escolapias especially in my observed lesson. Its a shame its nearly over as every day that goes by I feel more confident and get to know the kids better. Had a class weekend as always, especially in Valencia making paella with Big Willy the Pro Paella Chef. Forget the feeling of achievement teaching for 4 weeks, now I've got a certificate for completing a 2.5 hour paella class. 

This week has gone really fast. I can't believe we've only got a week left. I've taught a lot more of my timetable this week and next week I'm teaching the majority of it. I'm happy about doing more teaching as I feel like I've really made progress even just in 3 weeks. I am learning from each lesson and finding that building a rapport with the students is key, as this week has been a lot better classroom management wise, because the students have got to know me and I've got to know them better too. On Wednesday we met up with Andrea, a trainee English teacher at Santa Ana, and two of her friends also doing masters in English teaching. It was really nice sharing experiences with them and getting advice. And more importantly, they showed us a delicious restaurant very close to our school!  On the weekend the Andreas organised a paella cooking class. I'd never done anything like it before and it was really fun meeting as a whole group and making some tasty...

  --- the inside of masks chalk lingering on fingers smiles spread by the eyes ---   Not the best week this week – I was in for two days, and off sick the rest. A strange illness that seems to have made the rounds in our group. I was feverish and dizzy most days… finally feeling better today but unfortunately I had to miss the Oviedo trip. The one I was most looking forward to! I felt it better to rest before the final week, but also I of course have a mountain of lesson planning to do which I couldn’t tackle in my mid-week haze! Gah. But it occurred to me today that when I think about getting back to teaching in those classrooms, the physical sensation of it, all I can think of is the feel and the smell of the inside of my disposable mask, the chalk that gets on my fingers and clothes (if only I could get one of those pesky white teachers’ coats… I’ll have to ask Luke to hook me up), and also of the smiles that are exchanged from behind masks, just by the eyes. ...

Handball has become a major part of my Saturdays in Spain. It's like baseball but with a softer ball, a smaller pitch, and underarm bowling.  Do I play this game? No, I listen to it. Actually, I have no choice but to listen as it is being played in the field next to the accommodation. I don't think I've ever come across so much enthusiasm for any game, but then I'm not the sporty type. Most of the good players seem to be called Jorge; at least, that the name I keep hearing being shouted. The catching skills of the fielders are phinomin, phanomia, fenom - they're really good! Every now and then, the team coach starts off a really macho chant; it's a bit like the Maori haka but less scary because they not wearing war paint. If I was a handball player, I'd want to be called Jorge, just so I could hear people cheering me on. Oh, but what if Jorge is an absolute plonker who is being jeered not cheered? I think I'd better think it out again. 

This week has marked the majority of my teaching so far! I've been doing 1 full lesson a day and still at least one full activity every lesson this week. I've gotten very comfortable now with the kids, finding a good mark between friend and teacher. When I am at the front of the class, they are happy to treat me as the place of authority, and talk to me rather than their regular teacher when they need more explanation. But when I'm assisting in an arts n crafts lesson or on the playground, they're all over me with hugs and swinging from my neck like they're the monkeys and I'm the tree! In fact this has given me the chance to teach them the words tree, monkey, koala and so on! They keep telling me I'm the best teacher or the 'fun one', which Juan Angel takes very well (thankfully).  The year 6 class have been particularly loud and difficult to control this week, they're all excited about their upcoming camping trip. I was doing a story bingo with...

It's been an up and down week.  My mentor, along with the other main English teacher, has gone to Romania with some students as part of an Erasmus exchange programme... and I am taking her classes for the week...b ut the uncertainty and lack of communication around this in terms of curriculum and substitute plans, means that I've had a fairly anxiety inducing week in all honestly. However, I am making it through and feeling a bit better now. Despite the chaos at the school I have had some nice moments, including: -Observing a Bachillerato English class last Friday (was determined to catch one before the teacher left for Romania so very glad I did), and I really liked it😊 they are preparing for their final exams at the moment. -Joining in with a Spanish literature class, after I was talking with the literature teacher and she mentioned they were studying La Casa de Bernarda Alba - which happens to be the book we studied on my Spanish A Level, so she invited me😁 it was so cool...

  I have been teaching a bit more now and I have taught a few lessons that have completely flopped. I feel okay about the flops because I can definitely see ways that I could improve them for next time. I am having difficulties with classroom management, especially in the school where the children have little motivation and are very loud. It is very different to teaching the adults I taught in the CELTA who were there because they wanted to learn.   This is definitely an area I need to work on and I hope with experience I can improve on it but right now I’m unsure of how. I think maybe the problem lies with my lack of rapport with the students. I’m not naturally sociable and as the lessons are mostly in Spanish I have found it difficult to contribute much to them or to create any rapport because I generally don’t have a clue what is going on until my name is called and I’m required to explain a word or phrase.   My mentor is still very supportive and I’m definitely gettin...

Someone with such grace, in a town far from my own; swaying like a reed I hope the queen of Haiku will forgive me being indulgent, but I'm in a pensive mood. Wondering how many times I can restart my life before my batteries finally give out.

 We are into week three and I’m enjoying working at the two schools. Working at Schola breaks up the week a bit and I have been able to teach a bit more at the school, mostly because my mentor has had other commitments so has not been at the school but that works out well for me. At the weekend I went hiking up a mountain and there was even a stream to ford. It was a beautiful day and we had fantastic views of Valencia from the top. I also went to the Oceanografic, Europe’s largest aquarium. There was a plethora of sea life as you can imagine. My favourites were the seals and the dolphins. It was a great weekend but my legs were very tired by the end of it.

I can't believe we’re halfway through, only one full weekend left???? QUÉ? This week has gone very well albeit very fast too. I did at least one activity with every class, as well as led a full lesson or two. Food rainbows, pictionary, charades, ‘find someone who’ etc any game or activity you can think of I’ve tried! My mentor has let me choose whether I want to give them activities focusing on revision or their current topics, so I’ve been doing a good mix of the two. I particularly enjoyed giving the older years their superlatives and comparatives practise by getting them to debate their favourite superheroes. But the best part of my week was probably playing guitar to the 6-8 year olds while we sang vocab focused songs together. I really am going to miss the little ones. I've been given so many drawings and hugs that I think I’ll go through withdrawal back in England!

This week I was given Friday off by my mentor and I worked the additional hours on different days. This gave me an extra day to get my plans done leaving the whole weekend to explore Valencia. I was discussing with Hannah how Valencia weirdly feels like a second home to me after only two weeks. I am feeling so grateful for this experience and I can't say I'm particularly keen on going home in two weeks😞 I spent Friday planning in the morning, before going to a lovely Cafe with Hannah, after she finished school. We then met the others at the beach.  On Saturday, we spent the day at the Bioparc in Valencia. This was particularly exciting for me because I got to see an elephant (which is my favourite animal) for the first time.  I'm looking a little too excited here, but Kitty insisted (and I'm glad she did) that I needed a picture to mark the moment! After the bioparc, we went into central Valencia to explore and find some food! The celebrations for the Lady of the Forsa...

Bit of a stop-start week at  Escolapias, lots of tests / post-Easter student events happening. It's a very nice school - we came in on Monday and all the classrooms and corridors had been totally redecorated by the children after their favourite films etc. Now to get into the 1st grade classrooms we have to go through Platform 9 and 3/4s and the kids were all dressed up in robes/capes and holding magic wands. They were having some sort of delayed Easter celebration so all week I was constantly going into classes and hearing them singing this Christian-pop song called Resucito which is still stuck in my head. Then on Wednesday afternoon everyone finished early and went down to the playground and the age groups took it in turns to do a bit of a dance and sing. They have a daily religious reading and prayer in the morning, I'm not sure how into it the kids are, but they seemed pretty into their songs, and a few kids (and teachers) have looked pretty horrified when I've told th...

 Hi readers! So, I'll be honest, I forgot about blogging this week 😅 A lot has happened! A lot of sadness, but a lot of fun too... At school, I've done a lot, from pronunciation lessons, to charades, to getting flowers from two of the nursery children!  Yesterday evening (Saturday), I went to the theatre with Luke to watch 'la ruta de tus suen(virgulilla)os el musical'. It was so bizarre, so crazy, and so much fun! Exactly what I needed after feeling so down lately, and so lonely.  This experience in Spain has been amazing, but I'm learning I'm quite different from other people here, in the sense that I don't enjoy drinking, clubbing, or going out all the time, so sometimes, I'm sat in my room, missing my boyfriend so much, and feeling so lonely. I've now started a countdown to when we fly back. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, I love Spain, I just miss not feeling lonely all the time 😅

A city tour by some fab guides this morning, and lovely wine afterwards. Have to say I was tired and hungry, but I'm grateful for the experience nonetheless! Leon is bloody beautiful. Then a bit more lesson planning… I’m finding the teaching exhausting! When the end of this week came, I felt almost comatose. The conversation classes I do with the teens are my favourite – I learn a lot about them and it’s nice to have a small group all to myself. The grammar lessons are my least favourite – I’m given the coursebook exercises to go through and it’s very tricky to make the lessons engaging. Also this week: I was an examiner for twelve students’ mock Cambridge oral exams! A surprisingly enjoyable experience – I actually really liked making the students feel as relaxed as possible and later deciding on their marks – there’s some impressive students at Asuncion. The ones with the best English all seem to be online gamers or avid Youtubers, soaking up their language from Americans, whose ...

Can't believe we're halfway. It's been an interesting 2 weeks of teaching, many of my lessons have been focused on revision or simply not gone ahead due to exams so I haven't had as much experience as I'd have expected by now. At my school the curriculum and text book is strictly followed and I'd hoped to be able to have more freedom to plan lessons and choose topics but that's the nature of the job I suppose. The kids are all sound however some are very uninterested but I can't say I wasn't the same at their age. One teacher said she was essentially not going to be there to intervene in a lesson with some younger kids, and sat back as I was eaten alive by the suddenly unruly class of 30. That was a wake up call about classroom management, can't say I am looking forward to that tomorrow but it's a good learning experience.  Took a punt on getting a train to Curella at the weekend, was well worth it. Walked up to a cool castle with amazing vie...

The sun is back and it's been a busy weekend! On Friday some of us met up at the beach to unwind from a tiring first week of teaching. After school, me and Amy found a restaurant near our school that does really nice vegan food - Ampola Tasty Moments - which I think we'll be regular customers of for the rest of our time here! On Saturday we visited the Biopark and walked around seeing all of the animals. In the evening we went into Valencia centre and watched a street parade for the Lady of the Foresaken festival, with Spanish dancers and music. On Sunday we went to the city of arts and sciences. The architect was amazing and the umbricle gardens were gorgeous in the 26 degree heat! We then visited an art gallery before getting a donut and heading home for the start of the third week! The last two weeks have been really good and I hope everyone is Leon is having a great time too!