Badger Blogging Blitz: Day 4

A few weeks ago I saw on a LinkedIn group that some UW-Madison alumni would be blogging every day for a week about their lives as English teachers in South Korea.  It was called "Badger Blogging Blitz."  This week I'm doing the same, but blogging about my days as an auxiliar de conversación in Madrid. 

Well, the purpose of my BBB is to show what it's like to work as an English auxiliar de conversación in Madrid.  But today I didn't go to my Mon/Thurs. school, so I'll try to keep the post short.  

Why didn't I go?  On Monday, the teacher told me that the students had a field trip this Thursday so they wouldn't be here for class.  She followed with her usual ambiguous, "Entonces si no quieres venir... *shrug*" (so if you don't want to come... *shrug*).  If it were earlier in the year, I might have still showed up Thursday morning and sat in the library for four hours.  But I know the teacher doesn't really care, and I know that I put in my time outside of class preparing things for the students.  The fact that I was feeling sick and needed extra sleep also played into my decision.

So I slept in then did lots of errands today.  My Tues/Weds school always pays me in cash, and last time they paid in 100 euro bills instead of 50s.  This morning I took two of them to the bank to get smaller bills for this weekend's tournament.  Then I took some photos to get printed.

A photo-printing place near my apartment

Next I stopped at the huge chino in my neighborhood for a few items.  It was a really nice day, with a high of 31 (= 87.8 F), so I walked all the way to the grocery store that's next to my Tues/Weds school.  Yes, I saw students on the way to and from said grocery store.  I got home between 14.30-15.00 and had hot soup for lunch.  Then I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom before I had to leave for Natalie and Ellie's private class at 17.00.

At 19.00 I went to pick up the photos I had ordered this morning.  The rest of the night I'll be packing for tomorrow, memorizing plays, and finishing preparations for classes next week.  Tomorrow morning I'm leaving at 10am for a beach tournament in Calafell (southwest of Barcelona) this weekend.  I'll be playing with a team from Granada, since they were lacking girls (I think that with me, we're three girls total).

Before I jump to the questions, I'd like to note that one week from today, my friend Chad will be IN MADRID!  He'll be staying with me for two weeks.  Next week will be here before I know it, and seeing him in Madrid will probably feel surreal (as it did when my mother and grandma visited two years ago).  I'll make him post as a guest blogger, no worries.  And without further ado, Day 4's questions:

Questions - Day 4

1. How has this experience changed you?
It's made me appreciate the public education I received in Wisconsin even more than I did before.  My year as a student here in the Complutense University of Madrid made me appreciate UW-Madison, but teaching in the public schools this year turned my attention back to my middle and high school years.  Yes, there are many changes that still need to be made to the U.S.'s public education system, but in comparison, I feel lucky to have received U.S. public education growing up.

It's also made me seriously consider becoming a "real" teacher in the future.  The dynamic between the teacher and auxiliar was sometimes awkward this year, but I feel like if I had total control over the class I could really enjoy being a teacher.

2. What will you tell your kids about Spain in 20 years?
I'll just link them to the blog ; )