Travelling to the south. Day 3

The last day, we got up early again, we had the chance to hear speeches related with the responsibility in having pets, the properties of some trees, and how to get money without killing the trees. After lunch, we went to paint in wall with drawings about ecology.

At night students have the chance to show what they are doing in their clubs.

What I liked about this, is the way some students talked. In some way I felt proud of they way my own students could present their work to the rest of the students. And I say "in some way", because, I am not sure if I have contributed to give those tools to my students. I want to think I did it. But more than that, I felt happy that some of my students are very responsible to prepare their speech, and present it so well, that they were very professional in doing so.

I hope more students can follow their example. And at the same time, I think giving the chance to the students to participate in clubs, and then participating in different activities like this, it would be very helpful to form responsibility, strength to know that they can do anything they want without being shy or nervous to talk to more people.

It is funny, but I am still a nervous person, even being a teacher, but when I have to do something, then I do it.

Give your students the chance to talk in front of more people, and they will feel they can do even greater things.

Travelling to the south. Day 2

After having some problems in finding the place we were supposed to stay the previous night (a boarding school), the second day was great. We got up very early in the morning, and we took breakfast just to go to the opening ceremony in the center of the city of Cañete. We had the pleasure to hear some interesting speeches from very important important people, all connected with ecology.

After that, we went to another place to choose which speech we wanted to hear. My students chose to hear the speech given by SAG (Agriculture and Cattle Service). We learnt some information about animals and the law to take care of those animals in extinction.

We came back to get lunch, and then we visited the Mapuche Museum Ruka Kimvn Taiñ Volil, dedicated to our native people culture. This was the most interesting for me, unfortunately, the time was so few and they were like in a hurry to tour us inside the museum, so no time to really get all you can get from this amazing place.

Students had the chance to know more about our own native culture, games and planting trees.

It is so amazing that our culture has such connection with the Earth, actually, mapuche means people of the Earth. I think it was a good lesson of the love that our native people have for the planet and all the creatures.

Travelling to the south. Day 1

Last friday, I had the chance to travel to the south of Chile, I went with a group of students to the National Gathering of Ecoclubs, in the city of Cañete.

I must say the travel was really long, and tiring, we took the first of three buses at almost 9 in the morning, and we almost reached at 9 at night. Very long. But it was worth it.

Ok, until now, There is no connection between this and my classes of English. But I was thinking that the class in not all, I mean to say, there is so much more than just a subject.

I feel that most of what we remember from the school is not the subject itself, but the experiences we got. And for sure, that when students are faced to situations in which, they must be responsible and mature, then those activities are essential to the life of a student.

We just can't think and pretend that being in a classroom is the only way to learn. There are more ways.

Give the students the chance to prove they can talk in public, and it will be the start in their lives as responsible and grown up students. Believe me.

A multi-task teacher. When just one task is not enough

Teachers have many things to do, that is for sure. And maybe that is why it is so stressing being a teacher.

But that is normal in our world of teachers. I have been busy in these days, too many things to do. I am a teacher of English, and I have to prepare material everyday and correct works and tests. I am the one helping the parents with all their doubts and problems. By now we are planning some actvities to get money and fulfill our projects for this year.

Now, I will be out for some days, I will be travelling to the south with some students, because they will gather in a national meeting for ecoclubs. So I will be posting my experience on that.

Is it tiring to be a multi-task teacher? Yes it is, but it is so worth it, that you enjoy every minute you are working for it. Yes it is tiring, but once you start doing many things, you feel strange if you don't do them. You get used to be a multi-task teacher.

The key is scheduling your time, don't worry too much about things, and you wont get stressed.

But by now, I will know a new city in the south. Learning what other students do within the country, about the environment and nature.

No more violence, no more bullying

No more, really NO MORE! No more violence, no more bullying. Where are the values? where is the love? where is the respect? Is it really the family so absent on this matter?

It is just. I was raised with values, respecting the rest of the people. But nowadays, all those values are getting lost. I feel afraid that the families are not taking account on this matter.

But how can we teach values, if values can't be taught? How can we deal with violence, if violence tends to generate more violence?

The circle must be broken, and we can't accept more threats or violence in the class. Everyone has the right to work and study in a comfortable, nice and secure environment. And as teachers we must help to grant and mantain that environment.

Let's say no more to the violence in the classroom, no more violence outside the classroom, no more violence in our lives, and let's promote love, values, respect and solidarity.

Remember, no more violence, but more respect and love.

why to continue studies to get perfection

I have been very busy in these days, and it is because, apart from preparing the material for my classes, I am already taking courses.

I already shared with you my course about videogames and education that I took last year. And the last semester, I took another e-learning course about research skills in relation with ICTs. Well, now I am taking another e-learning course called multimedia, and until now, we are just starting, but I have already learnt some terms and how interesting can be a page that uses hypertext, video, images and audio. And I hope to be creating material to share with you all.

In addition, I am about to start a short course in relation with the use of blogs, and soon I will start another course for teachers of English with level B2 or ALTE 3. I feel really excited to start soon these courses, because I really enjoy learning new things.

Next friday I will be travelling with a group of my students into a national gathering of ecoclubs, and of course, I will be sharing that new experience too.

I think, it is never late to study and learn something new, and it is essential in the life of a teacher to continue improving and learning, because even if we don't want, things are never the same, and we have to adjust to that.

That is why I have been a bit busy in these days. Is it too much? Well, if you like something, then you will always have a time for everything, the point is that you don't make excuses that there is no time, because it is a matter of just scheduling and time management.

You must take into account the following aspects:

1. Learning is a life-long process.
2. You can have a big and long experience being a teacher, but it doesn't mean that you know everything or that you have the answer to everything.
3. Studying is not just a process that you do in a formal way. You have millions of pages on internet where you can get information to continue learning.
4. Facts are always changing, so you must be updated.
5. Your students are changing too, they are not the same as previous years, so their knowledge and questions are different, are you ready to answer those new doubts?
6. Learning is one of the most amazing things we can do in our lives. Don't you enjoy so much when you discover a new fact?
7. If you demand a lot from your students, then be prepared to be demanded a lot by them.
8. Don't be stubborn, and get along with the modern times. Don't stay in the past.
9. Finally, it is good to be a student again, not just to learn something new, but also, to understand what it is being a student in a modern era.

Are you studying nowadays? what are you studying? what was the course you enjoyed the most?