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Showing posts from February, 2017

Teaching Stories (Part 1)

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This week marks the halfway point through the first bimestre (our school year is divided into four bimestres , each 10 weeks long, give or take). While there have been some bad days, some exhausting days, some days when I just couldn't , and some days when Marlene, Natalie and I end up on the couch after work venting/ranting, there have also been some good days and some pretty damn good days. These are days I want to remember and like to share, so here's a little post on that. :) My first graders have been diligently working on their short vowel sounds. At an age where they're still working on their reading and writing skills in Spanish, it's so great to see them be able to produce sounds and read short words in English. The little boy on the picture above on the left is one of the scholars of the school. He has delayed literacy skills (even in Spanish), and I try to spend a little time during class working one-on-one with him. His upbeat attitude makes my d

The next adventure: teaching English in Guatemala

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On January 1st, I was ready to welcome 2017 with a new challenge, experience, and adventure. I boarded a flight to New York City where I spent two nights, and on the 3rd landed in Guatemala City  to spend the next ten months teaching English. I've been here for a month now (!), and it's been challenging yet amazing soaking in the culture and adjusting to life here. There are a great deal of insights and stories I'd love to share and write about, but I'll take it one step at a time. So first up, a little bit about my job, if you're interested to hear. After two years doing the auxiliar de conversación program in Spain, I was ready to go home. While I loved living in Spain, working as a language assistant, rather than a teacher, wasn't something I found fulfilling, so I decided to search elsewhere for other opportunities. After teaching in Asia (the Philippines) and Europe (Spain), I wanted to try my hand in South or Central America, also because I loved travel