English Teacher Interview: Whitney

I met Whitney in the London Heathrow airport waiting for a delayed flight back to Madrid from Christmas break in the States. We quickly learned that she had gone to school with my cousins, lived five minutes away from me in Maine, and was also teaching English in Madrid! What are the odds?! Whitney earned her master’s degree while simultaneously teaching English. Read about her experience working and going to school:

1. Where are you from?

I was born in Brunswick, Maine. The majority of my family is form northern Maine.

2. What made you decide to be a language assistant?

I became a language assistant because it went hand-in-hand with the Teach and Learn program at Instituto Franklin; half of the program was studying a master’s degree in teaching and the other half was being a language assistant. 

3. Was teaching abroad your first time in Spain?

No. I studied in Seville my junior year of college at the University of Seville. I studied classes in Spanish and Latin American literature, flamenco, Spanish art, translation, etc. 

4. Which program hired you?

I was originally hired by UCETAM to be a language assistant my first year as they partner with Instituto Franklin through which I studied my Master’s degree, but during my second year in Madrid, I taught through the Comunidad de Madrid.

5. What region did you work in?

The first year, I worked in Fuenlabrada (in Madrid) and the second year I worked in Madrid central.

Cinque Terre, Italy

6. What grades did you teach?

I taught from infantil to sexto de primaria (preschool to sixth grade). 

7. Did you have any previous experience working with children before Spain?

I had taught as an environmental youth leader at the Cathance River Education Alliance in Topsham, Maine, and we taught primary school kids about local ecosystems, sustainability, the watershed, etc. 

8. What surprised you most about the Spanish education system?

What surprised me most was the lack of discipline in the classroom, especially during my first year in southern Madrid. Another thing I noticed was their antiquated teaching methods. However, when I was working in Madrid central, the teaching methods seemed more modern and effective. 

Gifts from students

9. What was your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of the job was when I was given the opportunity to lead a class as well as working with students one-on-one outside of class on small projects or in small groups. I also really enjoyed implementing the teaching methods that I was learning simultaneously in my master’s.

10. What was your least favorite part of the job?

My least favorite part of the job was dealing with the frustration of being an assistant in regards to the lack of discipline that you have in the classroom and the lack of authority that comes with your position, as well as the long commute. 

11. What was your favorite word or phrase your student’s used?

¡Hala!

Friendsgiving!

12. What was it like earning a master’s degree while teaching?

My program was completely in Spanish and from speaking with friends in the other programs, it seemed to be the most challenging Master’s program at Instituto Franklin. It was difficult to balance the virtual classes with Fridays’ five hour long classes and teaching Mondays through Fridays. 

13. What was your favorite part of living in Spain?

I think by far my favorite part was the ease and cheap cost of traveling to a handful of other countries as well as improving my fluency in Spanish and being in close proximity with friends I had become quite close to. I also really enjoyed the life and the plethora of activities that there are to do in Madrid every single day. 

Florence, Italy

14. What advice would you give a prospective language assistant? 

I would give them a forewarning on how different the Spanish education system is compared to the U.S. Also, if you’re coming from the Sates or a different country, to try to be as open-minded as possible with Spanish culture and try to not fixate on the differences but the similarities of their own culture. Also to try to incorporate some Spanish customs and habits into their own life. I would also suggest that if they don’t already speak Spanish, to take classes which are available anywhere in Madrid and attend language intercambio events to practice Spanish with native speakers. They should really take advantage of the immersion readily available to them. I would also suggest to attend as many cultural events as possible!

Mil gracias, Whitney!

If you are a volunteer, language assistant, or English teacher abroad and would like to participate in an interview, let me know via the contact tab!

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