Getting to Know St. Paul's


St. Paul's School is not at all what I was expecting when I arrived on Tuesday. The campus is incredible and the staff is quite diverse. During my first days at the school, I have started to get to know my students and their abilities in the classroom. One major difference I have noticed is that the students advocate for themselves in their education. What I mean by that is that they are eager to learn and they make sure that is what they are doing. 

 My experiences, so far, in the school have been very pleasant. The staff is eager to help us in both during school activities and give advice on our exploration of Barcelona. My cooperating teacher, Martin, has helped me get used to the different inflections and accents of the students' names, which is one thing I always struggle with at a new school. The staff seems very close as well as collaborative in planning and discussing student progress. They have a common place they go during planning or off times to discuss with one another on their students and their lessons. My placement is with a 3rd grade class and they all speak three languages including Catalan, Spanish, and English at the age of 8-9. The students are eager to find out more about where I am from and about my life, which is really fun for me because I am just as excited to get to know them and their lives!

 Both in St. Paul's and just in Barcelona's community in general I have noticed a friendliness and helpfulness from the people I have come into contact with on my travels. This was a pleasant surprise when coming to Spain and has been much needed as we have been wandering around the city. I am so excited to continue my journey around this beautiful city as well as getting to know and help my students as they get to know and help me!

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 28, 2019 at 2:40 PM

    Alexis, thanks for sharing the photo of the classroom. It looks so similar to our US classrooms! I am glad you are enjoying your first few days in Spain and hope your experience continues to be a great. If you are on Twitter, tag me @WKUmartin. Many of our local schools use Twitter and I would love to celebrate you while you are there. WKU is proud of you!

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