A school year at Los Morales by Clara.

Hi everyone! Or “kia ora” as we say 
in New Zealand.

I am Clara, the English teaching assistant who has been working here at Los Morales this year. Some of you may recognise me as the girl marching up the hill in morning and attempting to puff out a “buenas!”

I arrived to Málaga unsure of what this year would bring me (and also somewhat shocked by the andalú accent). I had not worked in a school in New Zealand, so I also didn’t know what to expect in terms of working in a classroom. I am pleased to say that this year has been a real highlight and adventure for me.  I have loved getting to know the kids and, as a second-language learner, I have been particularly inspired by how confidently the kids tackle English. I have been so warmly welcomed by everyone at the school and am excited to be able to come back to Los Morales next year.

One of my favourite things has been the in-class interaction with the kids. Over the year and in the various classes we have played different games and quizzes, and I have been inspired to look for new ways to make learning English fun.

Another highlight but one which has been particularly special has been when we have been practicing pronunciation or vocabulary and out of nowhere the whole class says something in a perfect New Zealand accent. It is no easy accomplishment to conquer English pronunciation, but I am so impressed by how well all the students are doing. Not to mention in one of the most beautiful English accents in the world!

Yesterday I was reading a card that one of the kids had written to me and I was really moved to see her say something which I have told them over and over – that it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes when speaking English (or Spanish for me),  what matters is that we have the confidence to try. Bring on all the opportunities to be confident, make mistakes and improve next year!

I must admit, I will miss all the friendly faces in sexto when I come back in October. In my last week with them I told sexto about a special book that had been given to me when I finished high school, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, written by Dr Seuss. It is a lovely book, encouraging people to be brave and enjoy their own individual journey. It has a really nice message and some fun rhymes.
If you’d like to check it out, you can find a reading of it here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ZeZA6wF-k

See you next year!