First Week of School!

Before I started my job as a Language and Culture Assistant in Madrid, I had a hard time explaining to friends and family what exactly I would be doing. I knew that I would be helping kids learn English in a bilingual elementary school, but I wasn’t sure which subjects and grades I would be teaching. I knew there would always be a teacher in the classroom with me, but I didn’t know what my specific job duties would be. Finally I have answers! A couple weeks ago, I started working at Antonio Osuna Public Bilingual Elementary and Preschool in Tres Cantos, and I love it. 

The first week consisted mainly of introductions. Luckily Antonio Osuna is small, so it has been fairly easy to get to know the students and faculty. I’m also lucky to have some familiar faces at school with me. I live with two friends from North Carolina, and somehow we were placed at Antonio Osuna together! Aarón, our bilingual coordinator, was the first person we met and he did a great job making us feel comfortable at school. He created schedules for us based on our academic interests and the ages we prefer to work with. I work with kids who range from three to twelve years old in English, social studies, and natural science classes. Throughout the week, I presented a PowerPoint introducing myself to each new class, and the students asked me follow-up questions. The kids were interested in the most insignificant details of my life simply because I'm from the United States. They asked me questions about everything from my favorite color to the number of countries I've visited. I immediately won over the fourth graders when I told them that my favorite food is pizza. 

After some initial nervousness, I felt at ease throughout the rest of the week because I could see how excited the students were to have the other assistants and me there. The outgoing kids shout our names and hug us when they see us, and the quiet ones offer a shy smile. The teachers at Antonio Osuna have been excited to work with us, too. From the minute I walked into the classroom, each teacher made me feel that my role as an assistant was valuable. Depending on the grade, I help the children with written exercises, speak to them in small groups outside of the classroom, sing songs, and read books with them. When the sixth grade social studies teacher learned that I was a history major, she asked me spend half the class period each week teaching the students something about American history. Whoever said history degrees are useless never visited Spain. 

I didn’t know what to expect out of my school, but I’m happy with the way everything has worked out so far. The faculty has been very welcoming, and I’m impressed by the students’ English language skills. I’m sure there will be plenty of challenges ahead, but I’m looking forward to the rest of the school year!