At school

The school is the reason WHY you are there, so be ready to be involve in every activity there. You are going to be the new attraction that the school has, hence, kids will surround you every time. When you travel in the school bus everybody would like to be sitting next to you! Sometimes, you would like to be alone for a little bit, but try your best to adapt yourself to travel every day with the kiddos. At the school, you will have the chance to interact with the teachers as you are another colleague. Also, you will have the chance to meet parents there.

To start the school year, you are going to be assign the grade levels that you are going to work with; sometimes, it is going to be for half of the year and some others for the complete school year. In my case, I changed grades at the middle of the year. Thus, this is going to depend on the school you are in.

During the school day, there are lot of activities that you need to do with the kids such as working in small groups teaching them (kids) math or spelling; you will have to read, and even play game with the pupils. THE MOST IMPORTANT  IS TO SPEAK SPANISH! Furthermore, don’t forget to transmit your culture. 

You will have a free pass to decide what to do and how to do it. In my case, I taught them myths of El Salvador and traditions, I showed them our traditional food, music and dress. So, before you leave to the US think about these important aspects. You must bring some souvenirs with you as well.  

Additionally, do not be shy, try everything there, go out with you friends and colleagues. You will discover that most of their life is not the same as yours, I’m talking about the place where you are living and the location. However, they are fun and they do care about you!! 

In my case, I met a really good friend there, her name is Sra. Trelles. At the beginning, I was her TA in third grade, she took me to different places that she taught I was gonna like. When I was sick, she was worried for me, or when I had a problem she was there helping me to overcome it. I learnt a lot form her as well.  The same happened with another teacher I got really close to- Mrs. Alson-Reiners, she was not only my coordinator, but also my friend. She was fun, and she was really interested in El Salvador because she worked at Peace Corpus in Nicaragua, so, she had a little perspective of how El Salvador looks like. I can say that I missed them, and that I would like to see them one more time.

In conclusion, the job you do at the school will demonstrate that you were selected and chosen for a reason!