Language Assistant - Portfolio
Name: Steven Matthew Reeves
Origin: United States
I was born in Nashville, TN, but I was primarily raised in a very small town in Georgia. I spent my entire youth in Pike County (those of us from the area refer to the county rather than the city as most of the land is unincorporated and county land). I think it was my upbringing in such a small location that pushed me to desire traveling to new places and meeting new people. After college in Georgia and working for a time, I moved to Dallas, TX for grad school and new employment. While certainly different than a small town in Georgia, it only further ignited the desire to experience more. It was there that I made the determination to live abroad for at least half a year in a new country.
Incidentally, it was from a coworker that I learned about NALCAP and the opportunity to work and live abroad as an assistant. However, as I had never taught before, the idea of working in the classroom was intimidating. One thing going for me, and the idea that I thought I could bring to my teaching experience, was my appreciation for discussions and questions about cultural differences. I have always enjoyed debating with my friends and family, nothing too serious, but simply trying to understand differences in opinions or values, while keeping an open mind to learn. I hoped to bring this mentality to my teaching experience.
School: I.E.S. Gabriela Mistral
I was placed in a small community within the Community of Madrid. My school is in a small town called Arroyomolinos, located South of Madrid. Initially I was not sure what to think of the school placement, where I would choose to live, or how I would be able to get there efficiently (there is no train stop). However, since arrival I have gotten to know the 'suburban' character more and, upon hearing from the students, gained a better understanding of why their families would choose to live there, and why I could find it enjoyable too. In reality, I could find many similarities with my upbringing and theirs. My family also chose a small town life as oppose to the hustling city.
This is a Secondary Education school that teaches 1-4 ESO and 1-2 Bachillerato. I classes in every year available, ages 12-18! And the subjects I work with are English and Physics/Chemistry.
My Day-to-Day
My week begins on Tuesday, as typical for Language Assistants to work four days I do not have any classes on Monday. I choose to arrive early on Tuesday even though my classes begin around mid day. That way I can find and meet the teachers I work with to ensure that any presentations or expectations for the week are clarified to ensure I am prepared (as much as I can be). Then, if I can, I stop by the cafeteria for a quick coffee.
Once the week of classes actually begins, I find my self running around to my classes where I am either asked to remain in the class to present or assist in their class assignment, or to take a small group of students to the shared tables to practice english conversation. I actually prefer working with the small groups as I think more is gained from it as the students are less nervous to speak and try to continue a conversation. I try to make it as fun and naturally conversational as possible, while providing feedback. My feedback is typically more conceptual and focused on how something would typically be said as an American (since grammar has never been my strong suit anyways).
After my classes are finished for the day, I make a point to think over the next day's classes and schedule and determine if any further preparation is necessary. Then, it is off to my bus stop and back home, or stopping at the local commercial center to walk around. The majority of the time, I am able to complete any necessary preparations during my free periods between classes, therefore I hardly have to take assignments home to finish them. If the teachers I work with ever need it, they are always welcome to email me or send messages through WhatsApp to inform me about any upcoming topics or preparations they would like for me to have.
Example Introduction Presentation
This presentation below was used in the classroom to introduce myself to the students. Afterward, students were able to ask any question they would like about myself (as long as it was in English of course). Most students were interested in my time in Dallas, TX or my pets, while a few were more interested in asking about my love life! If time permitted, I asked the students to tell me places I should visit while in Spain and why. This generated a lot of feed back and some contrasting opinions between students.
