Reflection

My time in Spain has taught me so much, and I feel privileged to take the experiences back to the states and share it with my future students. I have seen and experienced a whole new world of living, teaching and learning. I have seen firsthand, how hard it is to come in to a whole different way of life and immerse myself into the culture. It has been difficult as an adult, so I can't imagine how it must feel for a child! I now have a whole new level of empathy for my students who are expected to come into the American classroom and understand everything right away.

I can also pass the firsthand cultural experiences on to my students. I traveled to: Barcelona, Spain; Rome, Italy; and Paris, France. While there, I took many pictures, bought magnets for my classroom, and also bought postcards. I plan to make a postcard bulletin board in my classroom where they can not only find out about the places I have been, but they can bring postcards from the places they have visited or lived. It will not only open up the world to the students who haven't traveled, but it will give students an outlet to talk about their own cultural differences or experiences.

I feel that seeing my pictures and videos will make other countries more real to the students and the first hand account will help them understand more clearly.

The schools have been an amazing experience! The students have shown me that sitting in a desk all day, does not necessarily mean students are learning more. Students learn just as much by interacting and moving about. It has also given me a new appreciation for the structure and calm of the US education system. I realized how many classroom management techniques WKU has taught me, and I feel that I will leave a bit of that behind in Barcelona. I am so excited to return to the United States, begin my career in the classroom, and share my experiences from Barcelona!