Instituto Tirso de Molina
Photo of the front entrance of Instituto Tirso de Molina, Legazpi.
Infantil
Infantil
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I taught at Instituto Tirso de Molina in Legazpi. I was strictly with Infantil (preschool and kindergarten) at this school, where my students were 4-5 years old. When I first arrived at the preschool, I was extremely nervous. The auxiliar program does not require a teaching degree nor any teaching experience prior to applying (only a Bachelor's), so I had no idea how to teach and manage such young children.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I taught at Instituto Tirso de Molina in Legazpi. I was strictly with Infantil (preschool and kindergarten) at this school, where my students were 4-5 years old. When I first arrived at the preschool, I was extremely nervous. The auxiliar program does not require a teaching degree nor any teaching experience prior to applying (only a Bachelor's), so I had no idea how to teach and manage such young children.
Photo of the blacktop area for recreo (recess) at Instituto Tirso de Molina, Legazpi.
Solo Teaching
Solo Teaching
After shadowing another English teacher on my first day, I was told that I will be teaching Infantil all by myself. At first, this was absolutely daunting to me. I was given the responsbility to teach an English lesson to four different preschool and kindergarten classes per day with zero prior teaching experience. Despite there being a teacher in the room when I travelled to their classes for a lesson, she was not helping with any English teaching. She was usually laminating, lesson planning, or acting as "crowd control", reminding the students to be quiet, respectful, and attentive when I was there.
After shadowing another English teacher on my first day, I was told that I will be teaching Infantil all by myself. At first, this was absolutely daunting to me. I was given the responsbility to teach an English lesson to four different preschool and kindergarten classes per day with zero prior teaching experience. Despite there being a teacher in the room when I travelled to their classes for a lesson, she was not helping with any English teaching. She was usually laminating, lesson planning, or acting as "crowd control", reminding the students to be quiet, respectful, and attentive when I was there.
There were other times when I was left alone with all of these students though, like when the teacher ran to make copies or use the restroom. These long minutes without any teacher support were difficult, as I was trying to teach toddlers a foreign language while still being engaging and fun. For quite some time, teaching by this method seemed impossible.
There were other times when I was left alone with all of these students though, like when the teacher ran to make copies or use the restroom. These long minutes without any teacher support were difficult, as I was trying to teach toddlers a foreign language while still being engaging and fun. For quite some time, teaching by this method seemed impossible.
Photo of the Infantil hallway at Instituto Tirso de Molina, Legazpi.