an excerpt from my memoria, ies matarraña
Valderrobres, May 2019 — It’s my last week at school as I am writing this. Even though this is no surprise at all, it still feels surreal. It’s all about to end—the routine of getting up early to get ready for the day, choosing the Expression of the Week, coming up with lesson ideas and crafting presentations that I always hoped would catch the students’ attention and keep their minds from wandering elsewhere during class—all these and more.
But let me go back to the beginning.
When I finally got my appointment letter and learned that I would be teaching at a school called IES Matarraña in Valderrobres, I immediately went to Google Maps and tried to locate my new home-to-be for the school year. On satellite view I saw the school buildings, an old town with a castle and a church, a bridge across a river, red and brown roofs, patches of land with scanty bushes, more patches of land with more bushes, and then just brown and green, brown and green, brown and green as I zoomed out. You get the picture. I remember telling myself, “Oh, cool, a school literally in the middle of nowhere. Just what I need!” I was a tad concerned, I must admit.
And then, D-day. Did I mention there were only around 2,300 people in this town according to the website of the Comarca del Matarraña? No shopping centers, no cinemas, not even a regular bus schedule to take me to the next town if I decided to live 15 minutes away! To someone who is used to living in the city, with everything being just a bus or train ride away, there was virtually nothing here. OH. NO.
BUT NOT REALLY. The truth is—I had everything I needed right here.
First off, I have to mention that I have such wonderful students. They’re the best! They’re the sweetest and most adorable teenagers I’ve had the pleasure of sharing precious moments with. I will never forget how I’d enter the classroom and see a giant “Hello, Katherine!” on the board, written in lovely lettering with hearts and other drawings by the students, to welcome me in class. And I will always remember how happy they made me feel whenever they greeted me with enthusiasm when it was “Kat’s session” that day. My students are truly an amazing bunch—they’re worth all the positive adjectives I can think of right now. They’re smart and eager to learn. I sincerely wish them the best.
I believe we’ve accomplished a lot this year. And we made it work because we worked together. The school has been very supportive and helpful. In my short stay at this high school, I’ve seen how the administration is really committed to giving its community, the students and teachers alike, the richest experience they could possibly get. Participating in the English language assistants program of the Spanish government is just one of the many initiatives the school is undertaking to promote holistic development for the students and professional enrichment for the teachers.
The teachers I’ve worked with are passionate about what they do and I love how they are always full of ideas. I’ve spent most of my time with the English teachers and I am very grateful for my experience with them. Right from the start, they’ve been so welcoming and made me feel that I was really part of something. We had open discussions on what they thought would be best done to encourage the students to speak and participate in class more. They gave me topics to talk about, shared resources, gave tips on how to go about something I was unsure of, and offered suggestions on classroom delivery. They gave me freedom to conduct my classes as I thought fit but also gave me all the support I needed when I needed it. I appreciate their kindness to me personally and all their efforts to make the learning experience for the students the best possible one. And the same goes for the science teachers and the others I’ve had the honor of working with this school year. I am very lucky to have encountered such wonderful people and educators at IES Matarraña.
My days as an official part of the school may be over but I still have a lot going on. The administration has been so kind to allow me to take part in one of the extracurricular activities they have left for this school year. I am going on a trip to the Pyrenees with the second-year students during English Week! My school definitely knows how to throw a grand season finale. And that’s why—if all the good things I’ve already said here are still not enough—I would like to stay. It’s not yet time to go. When you’ve found something beautiful in your journey through life, you want to see it grow. What’s one to do if one’s found an extraordinary high school in a remarkable town called Valderrobres?
At the end of my second year at the same school, the Ministry of Education in Aragon instructed that we write brief memorias and only include specific information (e.g., what types of activities we did in class and what materials we used). I guess they found my original five-page memoria too much. 😛
