It looks like I haven’t posted anything since the end of last school year. Sorry about that! Time flies. We’ve only got a couple weeks left until Christmas, so I’ll do my best to give you a quick summary of how the fall trimester has gone:
This year I’m working 24 hours per week with primary (primaria) and preschool (infantil). My students range from 3-11 years old, which has been a nice change. Last year I spent about half my time in secondary, where the kids (12-16) were much more frustrating.
Of course, every age has its share of students with behavioral issues. That’s normal. But in general, I just find myself more at ease teaching the younger ones—especially preschoolers.
When you step into a classroom and all the students’ faces light up with excitement, how could you not love that? It makes me smile every time.
To the little kids, everything is awesome and new and exciting. And I’m so glad I have that constant reminder at my workplace to appreciate the little things in life the same way they do.
I feel like a celebrity when I walk down the halls of the school and my students shout out “HELLO TEEEEACHERRRR!” even if I saw them just 10 seconds earlier :P
My coworkers have been great this year too. Raquel and Belén are the two teachers I work with the most. It’s nice to finally get the chance to work with teachers who are around the same age as me. Nothing against the older teachers—it’s just easier to relate to people in their mid-20s. After all, we’re all in the same boat, being new to teaching.
These last couple weeks before the Christmas holiday are basically gonna be preparation for the school’s final two Christmas concerts. I’ll be playing guitar and singing with the preschoolers on “Feliz Navidad” and “Jingle Bells.” And with my secondary students from last year, I’ll be playing/singing along with a couple of their Spanish villancicos.
Since tomorrow is my birthday, I brought bizcocho and chocolate truffles to the teachers’ lounge today. It’s pretty customary for the birthday person in Spain to treat his/her coworkers to some food, rather than the other way around. Sponge cake and chocolate seems like the most common go-to combination. I kind of like this tradition. It makes me feel good to see the people around me happy.
Also on the agenda for next week is picking up my renewed residency card. (Yeah, they still haven’t printed the new card.) I’m literally the next number on the government’s online list, so I assume Monday or Tuesday will be the day.
Before I know it, I’ll be on a plane to … Oslo. Then … Fort Lauderdale. Then … ATLANTA!
It’ll be a long voyage, but I’m ready to be back home for the holiday. I can’t wait to see everybody and enjoy our Christmas traditions :)
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