IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!
The day that I have been waiting all month for finally arrived!! Today was the first day at my first big kid job, and it could not have been more perfect. When I first arrived I really didn't know much of what was going to be happening. And for those of you who really know me, know how much I hate not knowing what is exactly going to happen. So needless to say I was quite nervous when I arrived. However, everything went very well; I met with my principal and bilingual coordinator again, I had previously visited the school the week before. I received my schedule for the year right away. I was previously told that I would have Friday's off, but now have Monday's. I can't complain though. It's a day off. My schedule also told me what grades I will be working with: second and fifth. I spend the majority of the day in second with my bilingual coordinator, who I just adore!! It felt so good to be back in the classroom! I missed it soooo much.
Right off the back I was able to find so many differences between the schools in Madrid and the schools in America.
1. The students here either call their teacher by their first name or "teacher." After waiting years to be called "Miss Kaus" it was so weird to hear students calling out my first name.
2. The teachers specialize in subjects in elementary school. This means that the teachers or students travel to different classrooms. I work with the teachers who specialize in English, art, and science. The other teacher in that grade teaches math and Spanish.
3. I can wear jeans to school!!!! The dress code is much more relaxed in the public schools and I love it!!
4. The school day starts at 9am and the kids are let out at 2pm. They have a recess around noon, but do not eat lunch at school. In Spain lunch is usually eaten around 2 and 3pm and is their main meal. For this reason, it is very common for families to come together from school and work to eat. In some schools students will go home for lunch and return for another 2 hours of school.
5. Two words: coffee break. While the students are at recess the teachers take a 30 minute coffee break. It is a beautiful thing, my friends. Why we aren't doing it in the states I do not know.
6. They have bilingual schools. This means that about 1/3 of the students day is in English. I love this because by the time the students graduate high school they will be fluent in two languages!!
Being a teacher in the States and coming here has been an amazing experience, and it's only day one!! I've seen different teaching styles and ways to implement different languages into the everyday classroom. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings!!
Hasta luego!
Right off the back I was able to find so many differences between the schools in Madrid and the schools in America.
1. The students here either call their teacher by their first name or "teacher." After waiting years to be called "Miss Kaus" it was so weird to hear students calling out my first name.
2. The teachers specialize in subjects in elementary school. This means that the teachers or students travel to different classrooms. I work with the teachers who specialize in English, art, and science. The other teacher in that grade teaches math and Spanish.
3. I can wear jeans to school!!!! The dress code is much more relaxed in the public schools and I love it!!
4. The school day starts at 9am and the kids are let out at 2pm. They have a recess around noon, but do not eat lunch at school. In Spain lunch is usually eaten around 2 and 3pm and is their main meal. For this reason, it is very common for families to come together from school and work to eat. In some schools students will go home for lunch and return for another 2 hours of school.
5. Two words: coffee break. While the students are at recess the teachers take a 30 minute coffee break. It is a beautiful thing, my friends. Why we aren't doing it in the states I do not know.
6. They have bilingual schools. This means that about 1/3 of the students day is in English. I love this because by the time the students graduate high school they will be fluent in two languages!!
Being a teacher in the States and coming here has been an amazing experience, and it's only day one!! I've seen different teaching styles and ways to implement different languages into the everyday classroom. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings!!
Hasta luego!
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