Wow those two weeks have flown by! After a rather turbulent start, the dust has settled and I now feel like a fully fledged clog in the machine. The students are starting to stare at me a little less wide-eyed now and are beginning to engage with me much more. They are happier to ask me questions - and ask them in English (a rather comical beginning with the language barrier being put up with full force!)
From speaking to the other ‘Valencia’ folk, it appears all Spanish schools have a wide range of abilities/language levels within the classroom. This is something I am finding rather challenging to manage. I, admittedly (and somewhat shamefully), find myself gravitating towards the stronger English language speakers, as I am able to have a more coherent conversation. It is interesting to me how varied the levels are across the class and across the school. I have seen year 3 primary children with stronger English than some ESO 4 students. I can’t help but wonder if this is evidence of a developing shift in attitude towards language learning in the school or within the students.
Overall, I feel the students and I are adjusting well to my presence within the school, and the 9-5 school day has definitely become a comfortable routine! After being a university student and working along side my studies for almost 4 years, I completely forgot what the TGIF feeling was like. At long last, I can now really appreciate the oh-so-sweet Saturday and Sunday weekend!
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