MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
Currently, in my gorgeous Italian apartamento, the window is cracked open, with a gentle breeze flowing through the window. The sun has just begun to set, and nothing but natural light fills up the space around me. Birds chirp softly, a dog barks from a nearby garden. I stare out the window at a neighboring home, painted a golden shade of yellow. In the sliver of space between this home and our terrace, you can see the silhouette of Cypress trees and the outline of a hill in the distance. As I glance around the place I now call home, I cannot help but wonder whether our plane crashed on the way here and landed in Heaven. For the past five days, I have been overwhelmed with the beauty that surrounds me. Whether it be the medieval city architecture, the stunning Tuscany countryside, or simply the view out my bedroom window, I am constantly in awe. I have similar feelings about the school I am lucky enough to be student teaching at for the next eight weeks. The energy at the International School of Siena is unmistakable. The joy radiates from every student, teacher and staff member. They all just seem genuinely happy. When we asked a teacher why this place felt so joyful, she simply pointed to the window. The view alone is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. On our first day, we went on a tour of the school, and stopped in a few classrooms to see what they were working on. In a sixth grade Italian class, I witnessed a student describe that day’s lesson topic in fluent Italian, and also explain it in English immediately after. She spoke with such eloquence and confidence about how much better her current school experience is compared to her previous school, where she spent so much time sitting in a chair and barely had a voice. I could name countless examples of students at this school who spoke with such maturity that I often questioned whether they were elementary school students after all.
In just the two days I have spent here, I have met students from Hungary, Belgium, Russia, Spain, China and Finland. I have interacted with students who speak two, three, four or even five different languages. In describing the diversity of the students to our host mom on the way to school, she smiled and said, “The world is in your classroom.” It is absolutely beautiful to see. I honestly find myself feeling intimidated by these students. In many ways, they are smarter than I am! Being around students with such strong charisma, knowledge and confidence has made me wonder how many teachers underestimate their students. They are capable of so much more than we give them credit for.
2 Comments
Nancy Chicola
4/1/2019 08:38:33 pm
Molly,
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Wendy Paterson
4/1/2019 10:01:04 pm
Molly:
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AuthorWhile studying abroad in Europe as an undergrad, I became infected with an ailment that makes one eternally propelled to discover and explore cultures other than their own. Many call it the "travel bug," and fortunately for me it is incurable. Archives
May 2019
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