Leaders in Language November 2016

Life so far....
Planning, teaching, eating out,
feeling settled in.
Rain,snow, exploring,
Too many beers and gin.
New friends, old friends coming and going,
So many positives, but a few strains showing.
Everyone's working hard, nose to the grind,
Making up for it on the weekends so what's there to mind.
It's flying so fast, time's slipping away,
Enough left to enjoy though,
Were only a little over halfway!

Week three is here already! It came with some sun, which is very welcome after last weeks chilly spell. It's always easier to look on the bright side of life when the sun's shining. For me, in Schola, week 2 was a good one. I have continued to get to know the teachers and students and build on positive relationships. I am enjoying teaching, especially the additional speaking lessons I give on a Friday as I am able to be creative in my planning of them.
My students range from children to adults. Learning to speak English has become very important in Spain over recent years and more and more people are looking to develop their skills. My students started off being quite nervous with me - a native speaker. They were worried about their pronunciation and getting it wrong. As soon as they'd heard my attempts at speaking Spanish and had a good laugh as a consequence, it was clear that we'd created a safe space within which it was good to have a go and  also OK to make mistakes. Once they relaxed and their individual personalities started to come through, that's when I really started to get to know them, their stories, their ambitions for the future and their passions. I love that. The opportunity to build relationships with people is the best gift that teaching gives you. And another thing I've learned is that the one thing that all of my students and the other people that I have worked with here, have in common is their overriding sense of pride for their country and culture. Even with minimal English they will speak passionately about the food, the wine, their famous regional fiestas, their lifestyle and their love of life. They want you to know all about it. As well as being taken on that trip to the mountains, I have been given a detailed itinerary of must see places and things to do on a visit to down town Valencia (I'd actually need to spend at least 3 months here to get through this itinerary - but I suppose that it's a good excuse for returning sometime in the future). The Spanish people's  love of life and how to live it is something they readily want to share with you. Their verve is infectious and perfect for jump starting January 2017. They think that people from the UK are too serious. My understanding of spoken Spanish may not very good yet but my appreciation and embrace of the culture is good and it's adding another dimension to my outlook for this year.