De-escalation reflections by III Spanish teachers

In today’s post we would like to share with you what the online classes have been like during the period of confinement for our team of teachers at the III.

As for everyone, the arrival of the State of Alarm shocked and upset us in many aspects, since we were deprived of the freedom to which we are accustomed to and we literally had to learn and approach everything in an entirely new way which made it even more difficult.

We have just entered phase 3, the arrival of summer, the return to “normality” and resuming the face-to-face classes taking the appropriate hygiene measures. In this post we shall talk about our experiences during this unusual period with an emphasis on the positive values of each individual and as a group.

Meet the III Spanish Department team in San Pedro, Nueva Andalucía and Marbella:

JULIO – Director

It has been a challenge to change the way we work, organize and prepare classes. Working with new technologies involves a learning curve that in many cases can be quite an uphill struggle. Once implemented and mastered, online teaching enriches classes considerably as multimedia resources are much more interesting and enjoyable for students of all ages.

NATI -Head of the Spanish Department and teacher at III Marbella

If we focus on the meaning of the Spanish word docente, it derives from Latin for teaching.  However, in our case it’s not just teaching a language, it is to transmit a culture, to discover a country. During the quarantine our classes have been a window, an escape from the reality that surrounded us and a form of contact with the outside world. We have been a friendly face for students with whom we have shared emotions and dreams, and which will be fulfilled when this is over.

A different teaching method without direct contact- at first with doubts about the new system that we have overcome with team work.

TRINI -teacher at III San Pedro

Online classes during the quarantine period have been special because of the exceptional situation we were experiencing. There have been two realities at the same time. On the one hand, if we look at the Spanish Course book, on unit 25 we study the verb deber– meaning that I must or should have the moral duty to approach the future with a positive attitude; tener que– meaning that I must or should do things with optimism and positively; hay que meaning that we must or should help each other to ensure that things work out.

On the other hand, during the online classes personal bonds have been created and shared feelings, fears, emotions, sadness and laughter with my students. We will all remember these moments not only for the academic contribution, but also for all that we have shared.

MANUELA – teacher at III San Pedro

At the beginning the situation affected me negatively; I didn’t know how cope with teaching online and missed the direct contact with my students. However it has also helped me to improve as a teacher because I have managed to acquire new teaching techniques and most importantly now I feel that direct contact with them is possible even though it has been through a screen.

RUTH – teacher at III San Pedro

For me, working from home has enabled me to be aware that in the worst possible moments there are millions of personal resources at my disposal that I had never used before, and also millions of online resources that have enabled me to teach my classes with the same quality as a face-to-face one. I have learned to combine work and personal life in a confined space. And I thank my students for their presence, good humour and effort, as they have helped me make this time more bearable and more humane.

JOSE -Teacher at III Nueva Andalucia and San Pedro

In general I would highlight the enormous amount of new material that I have used and the emotion of the classes during this period of confinement. However, my great challenge has certainly been the live programs on Instagram that have enabled me to leave my comfort zone and develop further as a teacher.

• Ruth and Jose have livened up Monday and Wednesday evenings with a live programme on Instagram which ends this afternoon at 7 p.m.

They have taught diverse topics ranging from culture, colloquial expressions and idioms to literature and films. We are sorry to see the end of such an entertaining and spontaneous programme.

SONIA -Professor of the III Nueva Andalucía

For me, the CONFINEMENT has turned out to be a transitional stage to experience both personal and professional growth and development.

As positive aspects, I’d like to point out the joint individual abilities between the students and the teacher to facilitate the development of the class. I express my admiration for their great interest and empathy to study in an online learning environment, which has been new for some and familiar to others.

On the negative side, I’d say the difficulty in dealing with emotions due to students’ different sociocultural backgrounds and the teacher’s non-digital disconnection.

ANA – teacher at III Nueva Andalucía and San Pedro

Hello! I’m Ana, Spanish teacher at the III for 6 years. These last three months have been a challenge for us but among all we have managed to do a job great.

From my experience I have to say that the first few weeks were difficult both personally and professionally, but after those initial days everything started to fall into place. My students are great so I can only say that this new working method has proved to be very positive.

Greetings to all the blog readers!

PILAR – teacher at III San Pedro and Marbella.

This great challenge we have faced has brought me many positive things regarding online teaching. I have students who come from far away and have had to stay here without being able to see their families. I feel that they’ve seen me as their ‘aunti’ with whom they have shared their fears, their joys, and sometimes their intimacies. I am really grateful for that!!

MARIELA – teacher at III Nueva Andalucía and Marbella.

My experience has been good because you have to adapt to all the changes that we face,  but I sincerely prefer my face-to-face classes and being close to the students. That’s why I hope to get back to a normal situation, however different it might be- and that’s what we have already started doing!

ALMUDENA – Professor of iii San Pedro

Online classes during the confinement period turned out to be very enjoyable because of the amount of online resources available to us, and thanks to this students did not miss the face-to-face classes. I have literally ‘reinvented’ my classes which meant spending more time on preparation. However, this enabled me to discover another type of methodology that I had no knowledge of- how to approach students through a screen. I really liked this professional stage in which I have learned a lot both personally and professionally.

To conclude I have to thank the director, my colleagues and our wonderful head of department for all the union, support and interest that they have shown during these months.

Thanks to all III students for their loyalty and to the readers of the blog!!

See you in the next post!!