GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE LA PROGRAMME
I started this program with an open mind. I have been an English language assistant in various countries and schools and I've learned that the best way to start a school year is to prepare yourself to be as flexible as possible as this position requires us to work closely with people of various needs and personalities, both coworkers and students included. In this aspect, I felt as prepared as I could be. I was also fortunate enough to be familiar with how virtual learning works in Spain because of my student practicum last year in a private institution in Madrid. Thanks to these experiences I think I was able to enter this program with the expectation to be challenged in connecting with the students due to my lack of experience with their grade level but to feel fairly comfortable with other aspects of the position. One expectation that I was not initially aware that I had was that I would be teaching only conversation classes. However, it has been a pleasant surprise to be a part of the students' other classes. In my opinion, it makes it easier to connect with them.
GOALS FOR THE STUDENTS AND MYSELF
This year I had two main goals for myself. The first was to connect with my students. In the past, I have enjoyed and found motivation in the positive rapport my students and I have fostered in the classroom. However, my classes have always been of primary aged children. As my first year teaching preteens and teenagers in Spain, I wanted to make sure that building confidence with a safe classroom and positive relationships was at the forefront of my priorities. My second goal for myself was to find a way to implement some of what I learned last year studying bilingual education into the classroom. Since starting as an educator, I have always tried to display and encourage respect of others in the classroom. It is a desire that came naturally from my unique position as the culturally different one in class. And, in the past, I mainly focused on increasing student exposure of other cultures. However, more recently, and after a year working with the IB program on facilitating student development, I have started to see how interculturally competent character traits, like respectfulness and critical thinking skills, can be fostered in any subject and at any age. So when I received my placement and schedule, I began thinking how I could incorporate these life skills into the activities I planned. My goal for the students was to be able to display those skills.