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Col·legi Santa Anna – Lleida

 Col·legi Santa Anna is a school located in Lleida. This year they are hosting Sarah, from the UK, as their Conversation Assistant. Sarah works with students from 3 to 16 years old, who enjoy spending time and speaking English with her.

We thank Sarah and her tutor, Eva, for writing to us and also sending some wonderful photos!

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 sarahmain2After graduating from Lancaster University with a degree in English Language and Linguistics, I wanted a chance to travel and experience a new culture, whilst putting my degree to some use.
CAPs has proved to be the perfect programme for me.
I am working at Santa Anna School in Lleida, Catalonia. My role within the school involves practicing conversation with small groups of students from each class; I am often extremely impressed with the level of English the students have! Other than teaching, I have been involved in some out of class activities, such as playing a demon in the Christmas performance of “Els Pastorets” alongside the 4th ESO students.

I have had no problems fitting in here, as I’ve been made to feel so welcome from day one. My host family are fantastic; I’ve been very lucky. I have learnt sarahmain4so much from them about culture and language here in Catalonia. I was very much thrown in at the deep end, having snails for my first meal! They have taught me how to cook typical foods such as prawn and crab soup, Spanish omelette and paella. In exchange I have made them typical English desserts such as Apple Crumble and White chocolate and winter berry cheesecake which have both been hits! The family always include me in their plans even at the weekends; we have such a laugh together and I feel I could go to them with any problem I may have. I truly feel part of the family.

Before arriving in Spain I was admittedly very apprehensive due to not knowing the language at all, and therefore not being able to communicate freely with everyone. It is difficult at times but I am picking up a lot more Spanish than I had anticipated (with lots of help from my host family) and I never really feel lonely here because there arether CAPs in Lleida who I meet on a regular basis and have become quite close to.
Also, the teachers in the school have all been very helpful and accommodating, and even the ones who cannot speak a lot of English always really make an effort with me.

I’ve had a truly fantastic experience so far and am excited to see what the next months have in store for me!

sarahmain3

 

Col·legi Santa Anna – Lleida

It is their first year in the Programa Auxiliars de Conversa, but in Col·legi Santa Anna they sure know how to make the most of this program! Their conversation assistant, Sean, takes small groups of Primary and ESO students to help them improve their English and encourage them to speak. Here are his thoughts on the Program: thanks for writing, Sean!

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Since my first day at Santa Anna, I have had an amazing time with both the students and the teachers in and outside of my classes. I have no doubt that this will continue until the end of the course in June, because everyone is so easy to get along with and most of the students are lots of fun to work with. My lessons consist of taking small groups of students out of classes from both primaria and ESO and improving their spoken English level, through exam practices, role plays and themed conversations, alongside other fun activities. I was so surprised by the level of English in the school, it is significantly better than I had originally presumed. I found that no matter what the student’s level of oral English, they will always try and have a conversation with me or ask questions, it is incredible to see such a large interest in a language.

Working with a small group of students

 As well as taking the students for oral practice in my lessons, I have also been included in other activities. These include the school play, where I played a grandfather who tells the story of ‘Els Pastorets’, a traditional Catalan Christmas story, and most recently, playing the bass with some students in a music group for Peace Day (El Dia de Paz) and Open Doors Day (Puertas Abiertas). Being included in these events with the students has let me get to know the students better and helped to create a strong bond between us, which in turn encouraged them to participate more in class.

Sean took part in ‘Els Pastorets’!

I strongly recommend for any CAPS, new or current, to include themselves with as many activities with the students as possible as it is a very enjoyable and entertaining experience!

Sean played the bass with a group of students for Peace Day

While I will be staying in Catalunya I will be staying with a total of 3 families. The families I have already lived with have already been extremely welcoming and have treated me like another child in their home, and most weekends have been filled with enjoyable activities. Such activities include visiting Barcelona or going climbing in the mountains, and if we haven’t got any plans for the weekend I am never bored because the families always try and include me in their plans, or I go out and visit my friends I made from the CAPS program, who live in the same city as me. There’s never a dull moment in Catalunya!

In conclusion, if you haven’t applied for this course already, then you should straight away because it is an incredible experience and one not to be missed!