Traveling. Teaching. Learning.

I cannot believe that I have already been in Ecuador for two weeks, the time has flown by! This past weekend I spent time traveling! On Saturday, I went to Termas Papallacta with two other WKU students and relaxed in pools filled with water from natural hot springs! Sunday, we went to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (the Middle of the World)! Since our trip to Ecuador is short, we make sure to spend the weekend traveling as much as possible! This coming weekend is a Holiday weekend, so I will be traveling to Banos, Ecuador for a few days!  Sunday at Ciudad Mitad Del Mundo monument! College Menor is a great school and I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to spend the remainder of my student teaching here. As far as my involvement goes in the classroom, I mainly help with individual students. I make sure to circulate throughout the classroom and help students whenever needed. I have not had the opportunity to lead whole class instruction because students have

I have almost successfully survived my first week in Ecuador! I arrived late on Saturday night and spent Sunday exploring around Quito and Cumbaya with my host family. My host home is actually located in Cumbaya, so that is where I spend most of my time! She speaks very little English, so I have relied heavily on a translating app to communicate with her. I am still getting used to the food, but I have been trying new foods when possible! I ride a bus each morning to school with my roommate who is from Massachusetts also here student teaching. A bus is provided for teachers that need transportation, so the bus is filled with other teachers and student teachers.  I am completing student teaching in a first-grade classroom at Colegio Menor, which is a private school located near the center of Cumbaya. Students are bilingual speaking both Spanish and English, but they speak only English while in my class. The school days begins at 8:00am and ends at 2:45pm for students and 3:45 for tea

I cannot believe that I will be leaving for Quito, Ecuador in just two short days! I am so excited to see the opportunities I will have while being in Ecuador. I am placed in a first-grade core class at Colegio Menor. This is a private school located in Quito. I look forward to meeting and working with all teachers and first grade students! Throughout this experience I look forward to growing as an individual and developing as a teacher. Although English is spoken in Quito, Spanish is the main language. I do understand some Spanish, but I am not fluent speaking therefore I am nervous for the language barrier that I might encounter. This experience in return will provided me with what ESL students face when entering classrooms across America. I will be able to take this experience and design my classroom and make sure these students feel welcomed.  I am excited for this upcoming experience and look forward to keeping everyone updated along my journey!