(This blogpost will only be in English, because tomorrow’s will be completely in Spanish!)
Clara and Rodrigo are hard at work. I have so much fun with these two!
Recently, it seems like all I do is attract people who want to learn English.
On Tuesdays I teach Clara, 13, and Rodrigo, 11. On Wednesdays, I teach/play with little Gustavo, 4. Later Wednesday night I teach six adults who truly need to learn English to get a job, or to succeed in their current job. On Thursdays, I teach Marina, 17, and Victor, 11. And the other day, I got offered another “teaching position,” for Rodrigo’s best friend Roberto.
Hm…funny, I never pictured myself teaching 12 students when I decided to major in PR. But, according to Susana and Pilar, my advisors for the Wednesday class, English teachers are in high demand in Europe, especially in Spain.
And it’s not just English. In a previous blogpost, I mentioned how one of my students, Marina, can speak quite a few languages and is currently teaching me French. Most students here learn two other languages besides their native language. Why? Maybe it’s because Spain is in Europe and the United States isn’t. Still, you’d think that kids would start learning a different language in preschool. It’s definitely easier on the kids.
Gustavo: the little one
Gustavo’s mom, Gema, was so proud when he learned how to say nose in English.
Marina is the coolest!
“Necesita aprender más vocabulario,” she said. (He needs to learn more vocabulary.)
Well even though it’s alot easier to play with his puzzles and bowling set (he is four anyway) I still think he’s learning. When Gema was searching for a parking spot and couldn’t find one big enough (parking is sometimes a free-for-all) his little voice piped up from the backseat, “no problem!” Later, after she had driven around the block three more times, he changed his mind and said “sí problem.”
Class with the c.c.o.o. (comisiones obreras)
Every Wednesday, I get to teach English to six people at the comisiones obreras (labor union). After about only six classes with Sofía, Adrés, David, Exuperancia, Amalia and Angela, I’ve started to consider them part of my family. At the beginning of the semester I have to admit I was nervous. I thought they would laugh at my attempt to speak Spanish. Guess what? They were as nervous to speak English to me as I was to speak Spanish to them. Who would have thought? After two months, we’re all a lot more comfortable. Actually, one of the students used to be a teacher, so she helps me out when I just can’t explain something completely in Spanish. I’m so thankful for Sofía.
Last week, we learned phrases about giving directions, “How do I get to the museum?” “Turn right,” or “turn left,” or “go straight until the corner.” This week, we’re going to pretend to be in a restaurant. I will be the server (as always) and they will ask me about items on the menu. As long as I can explain the annoying presense of the server at the table (it’s not very polite to bring the check over before you ask for it here) I think we will be just fine.
Rodrigo and I have so much fun playing the games on this show's Web site. Check it out if you're teaching English to 11-year-olds.
Communicative or traditional?
Right now there is a huge debate/division in my class about which teaching method is better, communicative or traditional. Pilar is a firm believer in teaching people how to defend themselves in the new language by learning phrases without necessarily understanding the grammer behind them. Susana thinks that grammer is crucial, and people need to understand why the phrase is formed how it is. Me? I think that both ways are important. And so do my students. Whenever we learn by playing games, it seems like the subject sticks with them better, even though I try to answer their questions about why I pronounce “later,” “laider.” I didn’t have a good answer for them. “Um…that’s just the way it’s pronounced?” All I know is that listening to “I will survive,” so Clara can fill in the words on the sheet of lyrics is way more fun than giving her a grammer lesson (she gets enough of that in school!) Also, that “Inn between the lions” is my new favorite kids show (best Web site with games ever). Sometimes, when you have fun learning, you learn more.
Teaching = learning
Usually, when we’re in conversation, a Spanish word or phrase comes up and I quickly jot it down to study later. So, when I talk about my students, I really mean teachers. Even though I practice English with them, I’m learning more about my own language, Spanish and even better, life lessons. I wouldn’t give up this experience for the world. And my student’s dad taught me how to make a chocolate cookie cake. I wouldn’t give that recipie up for anything.
In the end, I love public relations. I love designing and writing, and I can’t wait to get back to Sunshine to finish up my PR internship in May. But I think, after I try out public relations for a while, I might just have to give teaching a whirl.
life in alcalá 
as I am going to teach English in Europe so teaching and learning in traditional way that will be my strategy and I think it will successfully work while teaching to students.