Overall Reflection

I am finally back in the United States now. While the experience was amazing and I am very thankful that I had this opportunity, I am glad that I am home. This experience really taught me a lot. The students at St. Paul’s school were amazing and seemed to be much more well-behaved than students at most public schools in Kentucky. They also have much better penmanship by far. The fact that they are trilingual is still amazing, especially since they learn reading, writing, and math in their second language. However, I did not think the schedule for first grade was effective. I think children that age need a schedule that does not change constantly. They do not even receive math instruction daily. I never was able to adjust to the schedule of the class, as it was different daily. There are so many other classes and such that cannot be pushed to other times, which makes it hard to accomplish much during the day sometimes, and activities that should only take one class do not get finished for a whole week.
A lot of the teaching strategies that I saw were strategies that I’ve seen used routinely in Kentucky schools or that I have been taught at WKU. There were no big curriculum approaches that I took away from this experience. I would have liked to have seen them teach the students how to write in cursive though, because their handwriting is so neat. Even the sloppiest student’s handwriting isn’t very sloppy. That is one thing that students in America struggle with. I think that the students at St. Paul’s value education more than students in Kentucky because their parents do. I think that causes students in Spain to try a little harder and put forth more effort.

The school was everything I thought it would be and the children were very smart and well-behaved as I thought they would be. I did not really encounter anything I didn’t expect to. Thank you WKU for giving me this experience!

Week 2 in Barcelona

The students at St. Paul's are truly remarkable, as they can speak three different language (Catalan, Spanish, and English). The students learn all subject material in English. English is not the native language for the vast majority of students. From what I have observed at the school as well as what I have heard from the other WKU students at St. Paul's, the students' English develops tremendously throughout their primary years. As I am in a first grade classroom, I have noticed that students have a hard time articulating what they want to say, as they do not have a large enough vocabulary or a deep knowledge of English grammar to always make coherent sentences. This has been a real challenge for me, as I have a particularly hard time trying to decipher what students are saying. They also throw in some Spanish words too, which makes things even harder. I am also having a hard time communicating with students because I feel as though they do not understand half of what I am saying to them, as they often just look at me with a blank stare. I think part of the problem is that they are not used to hearing someone with an American accent speak English.

As far as content goes, I do not really think that the students are more advanced than American students at this point in their school career. The first graders are currently learning how to tell time (o'clock and half-past only right now). They also practice reading a book or two every week in reading groups (ability-based). This is very similar to the second grade classroom I was in last for student teaching, as each reading group had different books they read based on reading level. The first grade students a St. Paul's are also learning phonics. I have not seen a lot of phonics instruction or the beginning of phonics instruction, but what I have seen is quite similar to phonics instruction in America. The major difference that I have seen between this school and American schools is handwriting. The first graders at St. Paul's have the best handwriting I have ever seen for students so young - and it is in cursive! It is truly remarkable. They use the Spanish form of cursive, which is very similar to American cursive with some minor differences.

I was able to teach a couple of lessons this week and lead a couple of activities as well. I taught the students how to tell time when the minute hand was pointing at the 6 (half past). I also taught students about what plants need to survive. I led an science experiment activity in which we planted cress seeds in different conditions (no water, no light, no soil, no air, milk instead of water, and a control). I also led the mother's day card craft. Today, I showed the students how to plant their bean seeds and showed them how to begin their bean plant diary. Throughout the week, I have also helped during these activities in the other first grade classrooms. I have also assisted students and I led a small group. During this small group, I worked on reading comprehension with the students.

Week 1 in Barcelona

St. Paul's school is amazing! The campus is so beautiful and everyone that I have encountered is extremely friendly and helpful. From what I have seen/heard thus far, the education system at this particular school is not really that much different from the education system in the US as far as curriculum goes. There are some differences which I will explain in my next post once I have had more opportunities to observe students and conduct lessons. The school as a whole seems very relaxed. The school day is very long (8:45-4:30), but the teachers/students take many breaks throughout the day. They have breakfast/playtime from 10-10:30, lunch/playtime from 12-1:30 and snack/playtime from 3-3:30. I haven't seen any teachers frantic or in a rush for anything. They all seem very relaxed. The Spanish culture in general seems very relaxed. All the students seem to be fairly well-behaved, and there is not a big problem with tattling like there has been in the elementary schools I have been at in the US. I am excited for the rest of my days at St. Paul's!

Pre-Departure Thoughts

I am just four days away from departure and I am beyond excited. I still do not think it has hit me that I am actually leaving the country. I am also feeling quite nervous, as I have never been out of the country before, and I have never been farther than one hour away from my family for a time period of two and a half weeks. I am most looking forward to seeing a new country and experiencing a different culture. I am also eager to learn about the education system in Spain. Through researching Barcelona, I have come to expect a city full of rich culture and art. It looks so beautiful! I have also looked into the school. I expect it to be an extremely nice campus. I also expect that teachers will have high expectations for their students. I feel as though the students will be more motivated than the students I have worked with in the United States. In my experience, students in the US do not pay close attention to detail and just hurry through assignments as fast as they can. I am expecting students in Spain to be very hard-working. I read that these students are trilingual, so that alone tells me these students are most likely hard-working. 

Adjusting to the new schedule will be a challenge. Due to the jet-lag, I know that I will probably be pretty tired, and I feel as though I will be most of the trip due to student teaching and exploring the city. It will also be very hard to be in a foreign place with girls that I am only acquaintances with. However, I know that we will form a strong group and that we will help each other with anything. This experience is going to be amazing, and I expect to benefit greatly from it. I hope to gain new ideas and perspectives regarding teaching and curriculum.