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.