¡Hola desde Madrid! Hello from Madrid! Today is our second Tuesday at our placement in Madrid, therefore, time to give an update! There are 6 of us in the Madrid placement and so far we’ve had very different experiences so far. Some of us came to Europe early to travel to other countries before the program: visiting Italy, Netherlands, Germany, France and Portugal. Others have travelled to different cities in the free time between the start of placement and classes, like Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Mallorca. So far we’ve adjusted well to the European lifestyle- the cheap produce, the…
As we near the end of this experience, I find myself reflecting on what has changed over the past 6 weeks. In the students, I have noticed great development in their language and communication skills. They are more engaged in collaborative play compared to the beginning of September. I am happy to see that the students who rarely communicated are now verbalizing their wants and needs, as well as interacting more with peers. The students have also fallen into routine and are much more regulated as a result. In the first week, many students were emotionally disregulated without their parents.…
Now that we’re over a month into TAB, I feel like I’ve really established myself here. The weeks have flown by, especially as I’ve settled into my role with the fourth graders at SEK Castillo. I’ve been able to build a rapport with students, building connections with even the most quiet and reserved of the bunch. The students will alternate from having one full day in Spanish and a full day in English, moving to one class for Spanish and to another for English. Both classes that I’ve had the chance to be with have about 20 students. The students…
It has been amazing to see how much development there has been in just 4 weeks! The classroom dynamics have changed a lot since the first week of school. Almost all of the students are adjusted to the daily routine, although Mondays are still challenging for some. Since we are only here for Monday and Tuesday, every week I am surprised at how much they have changed. As students have become used to life in the classroom, they are more social. Many of them went to nursery together so I am curious about how the dynamics have changed now that…
The first two weeks of teaching in Spain have been a time of learning and growth. At SEK El Castillo, the school we have been volunteering at, I requested to be placed in the preschool faction. As a Werklund student, I will not have the opportunity to gain experience in a pre-school setting, and as an Early Childhood Education specialist, I wanted to better understand where students come from before they enter Kindergarten. My placement is in PYP 1, which is a group of students who turn three by December. It is a different setting than I am used to,…
