PRIMERAS EXPERIENCIAS DE JEYDELYN MARTINEZ, NUESTRA AUXILIAR, EN NUESTRO CENTRO

Third Time´s a Charm

 My first month in Salvador Allende

Greetings! My name is Jeydelyn Martinez, and I am the new English language and cultural assistant this school year at Colegio Salvador Allende. This is my third year in the Ministry auxiliaries program, but my second year working in a primary school. However, it is my first time living in the Costa del Sol and I am so excited to be here.

 Each year has been different for me. However, I knew from the early outreach from my coordinator Gracia that this third year was going to be special. Before starting officially as an assistant, I got the opportunity to meet staff, tour the school, and get an idea of what classes and projects I would be working on. Since starting, I have felt very welcomed and useful in my classes. Each Monday, I meet with the bilingual staff to plan out our week so I am aware and better prepared for the topics at hand. I am happy to work with all age levels as I can get better insight into their learning development from first to sixth grade. I´m also very grateful I get to work with a variety of teachers, learning different methods of ESL teaching as well as classroom management.

My students are so lively and warm. Group hugs in first grade, active participation in third grade and fun group activities in fifth are some of the many highlights I have had thus far. An important value of mine that I try to reiterate with my students is I don´t look for perfection. I value most their continued effort to practice with me, gaining confidence in their English abilities and an active desire to continue learning. I hope my students know that I will be learning from them, just as much as they will be learning from me.

This year I look forward to actively working alongside my teachers and coordinator, relaying cultural nuances from the U.S., as well as creating fun activities and projects for my students. I would really like to form a leadership week with a focus on community and volunteering. I think it´s never too early to learn important values such as those. Thank you to the staff and students at Colegio Salvador Allende for such a positive start. I can´t wait to see the year has in store!

Jeydelyn Martinez