Last Post!

Well, a fabulous Erasmus placement has ended and I am now sat at home typing my last post while devouring coffee, toast and marmalade.

The last few days in Spain were full of wonderful experiences beginning with a day spent at a fantastic primary school in Favara where David, one of the teachers on the CEFIRE course, was among the teaching staff. It was great to work alongside such a gifted practitioner and see how well his creative ideas work in practise. I learned so much from him, not only the many ways he uses technology with his classes, but the importance of routines which he has developed over time to keep his students focused and on task during lessons which work so well. David had arranged for me to meet and interact with all but one class during the day which, given the absence of primary age teaching on my Schola timetable was a wonderful, unexpected bonus and I loved it! I always wanted to teach at primary level but this has never opened up for me as I'd hoped. One day with David at Favara simply confirmed my desire for this among all the fun and games, projects about sharks and cats, some lovely children and a fabulous team of teachers who seemed as thrilled to have a native speaker with them for the day as I was simply to be there. Thank you David and everyone else!

Immediately after my day at Favara, followed the final CEFIRE session, which for me was a highly emotive time and a session which despite not exactly going according to plan, summed up the very essence of CEFIRE for me. There were some excellent presentations from Spanish teachers as there have been throughout the course, including from David, who showcased all that I had seen during the day at school. He delivered a brilliant summary of his classroom practise lasting about half an hour but it was so worth giving him this time. I know these ideas and routines work folks! There wasn't a dry eye in the classroom after Oana had shown a You Tube clip of Musharaf, a student from a West Yorkshire Secondary School being supported to overcome his most debilitating stammer. Think the King's Speech! This is a modern tale which cannot help but touch you deeply unless you have no soul at all! I think at time of typing this blog that Channel 4 have removed this clip from You Tube but you can still see some shorter extracts from it which I encourage you to do. As the teacher who uses the same technique as in the King's Speech to help Musharaf says, the results are "insane"! After the final 1:1 sessions, the teachers were supposed to be presenting their ideas for teaching the topic to the age group they had been given in their 5:1 groups to the whole CEFIRE group. However, there simply wasn't time and instead this final session simply ended with conversation over some tasty snacks and soft drinks. New friends and contacts have definitely been made with some Spanish teachers expressing a desire to teach in the UK, while people like me plot a similar course in the opposite direction!! For all that CEFIRE has been, I firmly believe this initiative needs to continue and expand to reach even more teachers not only to help improve their command of the English language but also to raise the standards of teaching and thus engage and enthuse students to learn our beautiful language. With behavioural and other issues evident across the Spanish education system, as in the UK, notably at secondary level, if routines and practices such as those showcased by Jen and Emile (UKLC) and David for example are more widely employed, then surely this can only have a positive impact at all levels in the future. CEFIRE has provided a platform for teachers to come together to talk about their experiences and share ideas. On the evidence of this CEFIRE course, it is a successful initiative which has far exceeded my prior expectations and points the way forward for teachers in Spain, the UK and around the world. Please visit the CEFIRE blog to learn more.

Last Friday was a very poignant and reflective day for me but one which probably saw me deliver some of my best lessons of the whole placement. In my A2 class we simply used some of the adjectives learned in the previous lesson to describe people using textbook images and realia in the form of this teacher and her lovely, willing students before describing some family members and friends. Simple but effective with plenty of speaking using adjectives and adverbs. My B2 class was a classic example of changing planned activities because of something which came up in the lesson! The wonderful Mikhail and Manuel contributed greatly to a lesson focused on writing a review. I had planned to show some film trailers including Harry Potter, Star Wars and La La Land. It turned out that Manuel had already seen La La Land so I encouraged him to tell me all about it which he did. Then the three of us looked at an on-line review and discussed whether this mirrored how Manuel felt about the film. Then I asked Mikhail if he'd seen any films recently and he told me all about the true story of Desmond Doss in 'Hacksaw Ridge', the American conscientious objector in the second world war who was given a hard time over his pacifist stance only to become the hero who saves some of his platoon. We did the same thing with this film in what proved to be a really sttimulating lesson for the students and for me. After reviewing best practice for writing a review both Manuela nd Mihail agreed to write a review of their chosen film. We also looked at The King's Speech and the story of Musharaf to encourageand motivate them that whatever difficulties they may face in life, even in learning English, there is NOTHING that cannot be overcome! We ended the lesson with a group hug and the sounds of the wonderful Labi Siffre song "Something Inside So Strong" echoing all around us. What a brilliant way to end my teaching placement at Schola. I still have goose bumps thinking about it!

Saturday was just a brilliant day from start to finish. A planned 'team-building' activity proved to be a 'sing for your supper' activity except we had to cook it instead! After meeting up in central Valencia, we walked to a restaurant where we were given a masterclass in cooking paella Valencian style (with rabbit and chicken),  a soup (my description!) of peppers and tomatoes and a light sponge dessert all washed down with much sangria and a little water!! This was a lovely thing for Alicia and Mampa to have organised which I think was enjoyed enormously by everyone, especially me! I will certainly be whipping my next cake mixture a lot more than I usually do!!

As fatigue started to set in and crowds began to gather for the evening firework display, while others went sightseeing, I returned to Moncada Alfara with Viv to ensure we didn't have problems catching a metro later in the evening. Well, what a brilliant decision that was! After a brief rest at the convent where Viv was staying overnight, we decided to go for a meal only to encounter the most spectacular carnival I personally have ever seen! For over two hours we saw loads of brass bands, people dressed in colourful costumes including candles, flowers, chefs and martians. People were dancing and singing, the children looked divine dressed as bees or butterflies and the spectacle was a joy to behold! A great way to end our time in Spain. We then found a great restaurant at just the right time where we had a lovely meal before the crowds joined us!! I also had some red meat in the form of lamb cutlets for the first time in four weeks which was lovely (sorry to all you vegetarians and vegans out there)!

I have never ever felt so much affinity with a place as I have with the people of Spain. Not only was this a new adventure, but also a first visit to Spain. The people, way and pace of life is what I feel we lack in the UK and so me! I just didn't want to come home and joked with everyone about buying a parachute with which to leap from the plane!! I have only happy memories of this placement which has given me more than I could ever have dreamed of. THANK YOU UKLC!! It will come as no surprise if I tell you I am already planning to move to Spain at the earliest opportunity. Now the end has come, I can reflect on so many good things, learn from the things which didn't go so well and look forward to a future which I could never have dreamed of in the middle of last year. "And this, much more than this, I did it my way"! Adios everyone and good luck with whatever the next chapters of your lives prove to be for you all. It's been a pleasure to meet you all and work with some of you. I hope we'll stay in touch. Con amor!