Michael's Portfolio
¡Hola! Hello! My name is Michael Day. I have had the privilege of being a part of the Auxiliares de Conversación program here in Madrid at the primary school San Pío X.
My mother and I. She also is an elementary school teacher.
Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself.
I’m from Iowa, which is a rural state in the middle of the USA. I grew up in the capital, Des Moines, and studied at Iowa State University. At Iowa State I studied Foreign Language, Anthropology, English, and Art.
Language has always been a passion of mine since I can remember. I have always excelled at English since I was a child and knew from a young age that it would play a role in whatever I decided to do later on in life. This love of language broadened further in college to foreign language, which became a hallmark of my college education. I studied French and German, but Spanish changed my life. I took enough Spanish classes to almost have a Spanish degree and had the opportunity to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and also in Valencia, Spain. When I came to Spain it was love at first sight. I loved everything about this country and wanted to come back after graduation and find an opportunity to put to use what I was learning in college.
As my education progressed I started to be interested in teaching foreign languages. I took a Linguistics/Education course titled Second Language Learning and Teaching, which focused a lot on language acquisition, theory, and teaching methodology. After that course I began to look for opportunities to put what I had learned to practice and to learn more. I began tutoring students in English and Spanish and felt so passionate about it that I began to look for ways I could continue this passion in Spain, my favorite place in the world. That is what lead me to the Auxiliares de Conversación program.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when signing up for this program, but my time at San Pío X has really proved to me that teaching is my calling. My goal is to now get a master's degree in Education, preferably here in Spain, and to continue my career teaching foreign languages.
Feel free to contact me at: yadnayrleahcim@gmail.com!