Mountains and sunset

The beautiful view of the mountains of Gandía.. Sunset is indescribable, birds chirping, ready to go to bed and us, admiring the view 👀

India loves the mountains in Spain 🇪🇸

A day at the beach.

This was our last weekend in Valencia. Just two days left and we are flying back home. We had a lovely time with my flatmates at the beach today. We were lucky because it was very warm, +25 degrees. It felt like the beginning of summer but it's just the middle of April.
I had my observed lesson last Friday. Children were great and the lesson went according to my plan. I feel relieved and ready to move on.

Favourite teacher

Yes that's me :):) Javi the blind boy in 1B told me, in English, at the end of my class today, that I am his favourite teacher.

My tutor told me later that she used to be his favourite, but you know, I guess he's moved on... :)

He's not in school next week because he's going to Alicante for the week to do some activities, so he gave me a hug and said good luck. Ahhhhh he's lovely.

¿Para o Por o Cuatro?

This week - with great help and patience from a few of my Spanish students - I think I’ve finally figured out the differences in use with regards to ‘por’ and ‘para’! This is really big for me OK? So please, don’t play reductionist or take that away from me.

I taught my observed lesson this morning, I was very happy with it; I received some incredibly helpful and constructive feedback from Emile that’s going to prove invaluable when it comes to planning in the future.

Hopefully I’m not going to deep here but, hey, it’s Friday and I’ve got a little time so I’ll reference some quantum physics all the same: ‘The observer effect is the theory that simply observing a situation or phenomenon necessarily changes that phenomenon.’

And so, should anyone read this prior to having their lesson observed, the only advice I feel to be organic, true and honest would be to “be yourself completely”, don’t change any aspect of who you are – intrinsically and naturally - for the perceived benefit of another individual; teach the students like nobody is watching and don’t let the observers change your phenomenon!

Regular verb endings

And so the time has come,when I must face my final curtain. Or at least my observed lesson. Still no idea of what I am teaching whilst feeling vague disquietude about the fact that my fellow trainee teachers are polishing and honing their jewel like lesson plans and in some cases purchasing bribes in the shape of Chinese armies of chocolate rabbits .
I have fallen into the Spanish sueno of sauntering on the metro whilst casually occupying most if not all of the escalator,sipping the dregs of my cafe con leche and crumbs of farton with a mere 30 second time gap to arrive at a lesson and then take a further 5-10 minute of said lesson debating with the students over colours of the rainbow or some other such compelling topic.
The Spanish can talk and do talk mostly at full volume and with stunning disregard of their classmates and teachers.
They have moved from a rigorous disciplined authoritarian mostly religious imbued autocracy to a skewed meritocracy where teachers are called by their first names and there appears to be little accountability for transgressions.
Ok I am from a different era where corporal punishment was the norm ( horrendous and barbaric) but now the pendulum has swung too far in my opinion.
I find it irritating in the extreme where students have worked on and prepared spoken projects only to deliver them to a class chattering amongst themselves paying no attention to the speakers to the point where I can't actually hear what is being said.
There is a balance I believe and respect should be earned both for the teacher and between classmates .There are many excellent teachers dedicated caring and hard working but in my opinion this constant chatting is disruptive and disrespectful to teachers and fellow classmates.
I would be interested to know what others think ....
However I do like the relaxed attitude to time and strong family values and I like being called Susan rather than Miss and the students are all lovely .They are not naughty just too talkative at times!! I like a hubbub in class just need quiet to present .
As for my observed lesson Qué Sera Sera !

Yesterday

Yesterday was a bit of a lack of communication day. I went in for my lesson at 9 o'clock and then he told me they were doing a Maths exam so I wasn't teaching. So I went and sat in the park and read my book. 

Then I went to my primary lesson and when I got there she was just giving out exam papers. She said it was exams for my next 2 classes, so I wasn't needed. So I went and sat in a coffee shop in town and read my book. 

I came back and I did one lesson, I did a recap of numbers with 4C, so you know, fine. And then I was due to do my wildly popular conversation class for the teachers (...once 2 teachers came, but not at the same time:)) Then my tutor came and said 'excuse me we're not having the conversation class because we're having a staff meeting'. 

Then after that, my next primary class were doing the same exams as the classes in the morning, so sat in the staff room, did some planning, read some more of my book (which is almost finished now actually). Then, I went to 4B for the final class of the day and felt useful.