Trabajo

The reason I am here really...

I work at two schools here in Madrid. One is in the city of Arganda del Rey, which is annoyingly located OUT of the main part of Madrid, but yet is still part of Madrid, meaning it takes me about an hour and twenty minutes to get there and then another hour and twenty minutes to get back home again. My other school is in a place called Valdebernardo, which is MUCH closer to where I live. It only takes me about thirty to fourty minutes one way which isn't bad.

So basically what I am is an english assistant (auxiliar de conversacion). I assist teachers with English class and also science class which is taught in English. And I am one of the 'lucky' few people who have been placed in two schools. It's annoying because I miss out on so much stuff at both schools. I have to alternate my days at both. But it's also really good because I get to meet alot more people and have different experiences.

The kids are so amused because I'm not from America like a majority of the assistants. When I told them where I was from they were all like OH WOW! SO FAR AWAY!!! And when I told them how long it takes to travel from Australia to Europe, they couldn't believe it! It's such a novelty lol!

At Arganda del Rey I help a teacher called Maria who teaches grade 3. Maria is really nice and we get along well. Sometimes I help with the activities and check homework/classwork and mark tests. The kids at the school are really sweet. There are a few girls who come up and give me hugs everytime I come to class. I have found the kids at this school though to be much more...how can I put it...energetic? They never be quiet when you tell them, and always have a comment on something. I found this out in my 2nd week of teaching when Maria was sick and I was stuck teaching the classes because the substitute teachers didn't speak English, meaning they couldn't teach them anything at all. So it was all up to me. The kid's didnt know me, so they decided to tast my patience and see if they could crack me. Ugh. Spanish kids are so noisy and just way more energetic than Aussie kids. I tell them to be quiet and it just doesnt happen. Instead they run around the classroom being crazy. It's like they have a morning dose of red cordial. Eventually I had to go for the yelling tactic which worked for a few minutes...until they just started talking again...that was a tough week. But the kids are actually pretty good with their English which is impressive. I wasn't sure what to expect when i arrived.

At my second school in Valdebernardo I work with the bilingual co-ordinator Mary who teaches grade 5. Again I help with English class and Science in English. The kids are really bright and work hard. Mary is a great teacher and really gets into her classes which is so fantastic to see. The kids really respect her. Sometimes she gets really mad at them, but its always when they deserve it (eg. when they didnt do their homework etc). But she wants them to do really well. She cares alot. So I always enjoy classes here. I go around helping the kids when she is teaching and sometimes when she has something to do I will take over and do the activities with the kids. I also take out small groups and we do conversation and I also help out the kids who are a little behind the others. I also teach a 1hr class on Tuesdays for Teachers wanting to learn English. I take the basic class, and take them through the real basics of English. 'my name is...' 'on the weekend I went to...' 'I am...years old' etc. It's pretty easy and I'm actually starting to enjoy it. I only have 3 teachers, but they are really nice, so it's all good, and they say that they are understanding because I am explaining things in Spanish first which helps.

So thats pretty much a run down of what I do during the week. 16 hours of work a week...it's a hard life ;)

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