Isabel and Eric in front of a map of his homeland
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Isabel and Eric in front of a map of his homeland |
Hi, my name is Eric Cates. I come from a small town in the United States called Cashmere. It's located in the center of Washington State, near the Pacific Ocean and the Canadian border. I received a grant from the Fulbright Program to teach English at IES Avenida de los Toreros during the 2007-2008 school year.
At the school, I mainly work with the bilingual groups in Year 1 and Year 2 of the ESO. Sometimes I work with students individually to help them practice their English in conversation, or to correct their homework assignments. Other times I assist the teacher in classroom activities or lead the class in a special project. For example, my students have sent pen-pal letters to a school in my hometown, have created their own menus in English, and have written and illustrated their own stories. In Year 2 of the ESO, I teach the students about U.S. history every two weeks in their History and Geography class.
The biggest project that I led was called "Global Classrooms". I prepared 22 students from Year 2 and Year 4 of the ESO for the Model United Nations Conference in Madrid. The students learned about the UN system, a specific country in the UN, a global problem, and UN debating procedures. On the day of the conference (February 15th), these students acted as delegates from various countries, debating and collaborating with students from 11 other high schools in Madrid. One student from IES Avenida de los Toreros was selected to attend the international Model UN Conference in Chicago.
Throughout the year, I have enjoyed accompanying students and teachers on trips in Spain and beyond. For example, I went with my Year 1 students to interview tourists at the Prado Museum and in Toledo. I also traveled with a group of students to Segóbriga to see the Roman ruins and watch a Greek comedy. Finally, I was very fortunate to join Isabel Marcitllach and some Year 4 students on a weeklong trip to Liverpool, England. We attended classes at a British high school, explored the city, and visited other sites in the area.
I have loved working at IES Avenida de los Toreros, and I know that I'm going to miss you all when I return to the United States at the end of June. I plan to use the knowledge and experience I've gained in Spain to teach Spanish and English in the United States. And I expect to return to your magnificent country and see you all again - hopefully soon!
Best wishes,
Eric
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