First impressions from Kieran Lobo

 It's been a month since I started working as an auxiliar at IES Itaca. My initial impressions of the school have been generally positive — all teachers and have been welcoming and have made it a point to introduce themselves to me. 

I currently assist the English, History & Geography, and Physical Education classes. I have the freedom to design some aspects of the curriculum and implement my own ideas. The teachers make sure I interact well with the students, as they realize the importance of the kids listening and learning from a native speaker. The bilingual coordinator has also been very helpful with all the administrative work. 

The students — especially 1º eso and 2º eso — were quite excited by the new auxiliar and always try to have a conversation with me. I particularly enjoy the English classes, as I have the most freedom to decide what the students do and can implement a variety of activities.

Zach's First Impressions

 First Impressions of IES Itaca. How I feel about my time here after 4 months 

My first impression of IES Itaca was that everyone was very welcoming, kind, and full of energy. I was impressed by Itaca in many ways. I was impressed with how they integrated technology into the curriculum. I imagine this transition from textbooks to ebooks and e-learning has been difficult for other schools, especially if they were influenced to make a change due to the pandemic. But IES Itaca seems well integrated already and the students already have a comfortability with the system. The students and the teachers communicate and exchange homework via google classroom and the students already understand how to find and use resources online to complete tasks and find information. I believe this curriculum will greatly benefit the students as education moves more digital in the coming years.

The students are generally very nice and respectful to me. The teachers in the English program have a very high level, which is not something I experienced at my last school. The teachers and I have a great relationship at school and I always feel like my input is respected and valued. One downside to the school, in general, is its lack of adequate facilities. There are not enough classes for the number of students and for a school that relies primarily on wifi and technology to function, often the wifi is down and the computers and projectors are not working. All in all, I am very happy with my experience at IES Itaca this year.

This is me, Zach

This is me, Zach!

Hi, my name is Zach. I am 24 years old. I'm originally from Sacramento, California in the United States. I have been living and working in Spain for the program Auxiliares de Conversación for a year and a half. I enjoy traveling and learning languages. Working as an English assistant in Spain has been a fantastic opportunity for me to grow and learn about the world beyond the United States. In my free time, I like to try new activities with friends or strangers. I enjoy eating good food, sightseeing, or playing any kind of outdoor sports. Although I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology, I have become more interested in education and teaching since I moved to Spain. I believe teachers can have a big impact when they care and are passionate about their work. 

Catherine Louise Deans

 The course 2021-2022 was Catherine Louise Deans' year as our auxiliar. She came from the other side of the globe, from Australia, from Melbourne, Victoria State. She spent only 5 months with us because the year 2022 was a complex one.

We had been assigned 2 other auxiliares to come into our IES ïtaca in October but they both renounced during the summer and in September, (I won't write here their names, but one was American and the other one was British) And surprisingly and luckily, in January we welcomed Cate. She did her best in spite of paperwork, homesickness, and some loneliness. And she was always ready for a good conversation with anyone willing to chat. She left Spain to continue knowing about the European culture, Sweden, France, ...