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Kelly McGovern Dr. Hilarie Welsh EDU Portfolio February 19, 2013 What has been the most valuable learning experience at Loras in relation to the Loras dispositions, discipline specific skills, and your future goals? When I was accepted into college, Loras was one of my top three choices. I chose Loras for being a liberal arts college, which I saw as beneficial in growing as a well-rounded person, and the academic scholarship I received, which would allow me to study abroad in Spain to complete my Spanish major. My education of the Spanish language and its people have engaged me in active learning and equipped me with critical and reflective thinking skills. Spending a semester abroad in Spain has been the most valuable learning experience through Loras in relation to the Loras dispositions, discipline specific skills, and future goals. Throughout my experience in Spain, I encountered many instances where I was placed outside of my comfort zone which in turn caused me to spend a significant amount of time reflecting about my experiences each and every day. When arriving in Spain, I could barely communicate. The accent was different and it took a while to become accustomed to it. I did not know our Loras group very well in the beginning. I was living in a foreign land and with a new family that I would grow to love. In the spring of my sophomore year, I was one of the youngest in our group of ten who left for four months to study abroad in Santiago de Compostela where barely, if any, English was spoken. While in Spain we took a variety of classes including grammar, language, dialects, and culture. Outside of class, I spent numerous hours talking with my host family and investing extra time in learning the language. Spain provided me with the perfect opportunity to focus the majority of my time and energy on improving my Spanish skills: writing, listening, reading, and most important for me, speaking. Every week I would participate in cultural events whether they were watching a movie in Spanish with all the international students, going out for coffee or tapas to practice speaking Spanish, or experiencing other cultural activities like learning traditional dances of Spain or attending a cooking class that taught us how to make popular dishes home to Spain. On top of

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classes and activities, I held an internship at a local school called Compaa de Maria where math was taught in Spanish. I assisted the teacher as well as tutoring a few students in math every week for two hours, speaking only in their native language (Spanish). Furthermore, I volunteered at a daycare for older people with dementia and led brain and memory exercises as well as physical stretches. My semester in Spain immersed me in its culture, engaged me in its language, and presented me with opportunities to learn outside my comfort zone. My experiences in Spain taught me to be a reflective and critical thinker as well as be an active learner. While in Spain, I attended weekly intercambios where people from all over the world were invited to converse in other languages. Some wanted to practice their English with me and some had no knowledge of the English language which presented me with the perfect opportunity to practice my Spanish skills. I started spending time with those who did not speak English and learned how to get to know someone in a different way. Our conversations consisted of learning about each others cultures in order to get to know each other. Naturally, this prompted me to started making comparisons and thinking about how cultural differences play a role in how I act and think every day. Every day, especially during lunch, I would engage in conversation with my host family and talk about the differences between the U.S and Spain. Conversations consisted of social habits, government, politics, culture, family values, etc. Before I traveled to Spain, I did not think that the United States of America had a culture because it consists of many cultures; in other words, its a m elting pot. However, by the time I left, I had realized that the U.S. has its own culture even though it may not have ancient buildings like in Europe or as much history as other parts of the world. The work ethic of the American people, the values, the society, and the government all play critical roles in determining a countrys culture. Simple mannerisms in how we greet people, social gestures, and personal space all depend on the culture. Thus, active learning did not solely reside in the classroom, but also while I was out with friends talking and spending time with my host family. My semester in Spain drastically improved my knowledge and understanding in the Spanish language, as well as culture. I learned to appreciate other cultures and those who are different from me. Not only did I learn about the culture of Spain, but I learned about the

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cultures of my friends from around the world: Japan, Brazil, France, Germany, and Italy to name a few. I learned to understand people by how they grew up culturally, their values, and nonetheless their personality. Since I began student teaching in a Spanish classroom, I have become to realize the impact that Spain has made on my life and my education. Students ask great questions and sometimes they are sophisticated, but nonetheless, I am able to answer them confidently and correctly. If I had not studied in Spain, I would not currently be student teaching Spanish nor have any desire to continue with my Spanish education due to a lack of confidence in my abilities and knowledge of the language and culture. Most importantly, my semester in Spain gave me the confidence I needed to continue my education in Spanish. Prior to Spain, I had wanted to continue with my studies of math and receive my PhD in math while working as a teachers assistant at a larger university. Upon arriving home from Spain, I have been searching for work opportunities in a Spanish-speaking country. I truly fell in love with the Spanish language while living in Spain. Every day I spend teaching it, I grow to love it even more. My dream job is either to teach math at a bilingual school or to teach English as a second language in a Spanish-speaking country. In fact, I just submitted an application for the latter of the two last week. If I had never gone to Spain, I would not have continued with my Spanish education, would not be able to communicate proficiently in Spanish, nor would I currently be student teaching in a Spanish classroom. The four months I spent studying in Spain made me realize how passionate I am about teaching and that with hard work you can do anything. I have never been so passionate or excited about something until studying abroad in Spain. My short four months spent in Spain have provided me with a unique experience that I am grateful for everyday especially as I student teach in the Spanish classroom. I learned how to think reflectively and be an active learner, both of which I encourage in my classroom. While in Spain, I fell in love with the Spanish language, culture, and its people who have inspired me to apply to teach abroad in a Spanish-speaking country to further my education in the Spanish language. For the first time in my life, I have found something that makes me truly happy. Since this life-altering experience, I have been researching different programs for teaching abroad in order to find my way back to Spain or another Spanish-speaking country. My dream

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job is to teach either math or English in a Spanish-speaking country. Today coincidently, the program that I applied for accepted me to receive certification to teach English abroad and to teach in the south of Spain. This is what I have been working towards since the day I came home from Spain. I want to continue to learn and enjoy all that Spain has to offer culturally, linguistically, and educationally. My passion in life is teaching and helping others. I fell in love with Spanish while studying in Spain, but since Ive been teaching it, Ive come to love it even more. I want to speak Spanish fluently and learn about other cultures. When I eventually move home to Chicago after a few years of teaching abroad, I would like to be able to have realia (relics) in my classroom, to share experiences and photos with my students, and most importantly, to have an even better understanding of the Spanish language. The best way for me to achieve my goals is to teach abroad in Spain right after graduation and I am fortunate to have been presented this unbelievable experience that will provide me with my dream of pursuing my chosen profession while expanding my knowledge of the Spanish language. Luckily for me, this dream is becoming a reality all because of a four month trip to Spain my sophomore year.

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Artifacts onthe following pages

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Un resumen de mi vida en Espaa

Una experiencia de la vida

Llegu a Santiago con una mente abierta y con las ganas de aprender la lengua de espaol y experimentar la vida espaola. Al principio, fue difcil para m para acostumbrarme a mi vida nueva en Espaa. Ya no poda usar ingls sino espaol para mi modo principal de comunicacin. Este fue lo ms difcil para m. Adems, la hora durante el da para comer es diferente y el almuerzo es la comida ms grande (en lugar de nuestra cena). Me haba dado cuenta de que haba muchas cosas diferentes cuando llegu. Mi nuevo estilo de vivir ha cambiado. Siempre he tenido un respeto y entendimiento para otros a pesar de quienes son. Sin embargo, ahora tengo mucho ms. Es muy interesante para conocer otras personas del mundo y como su mundo es muy diferente del el mo. Me gusta aprender culturas diferentes y conocer otras personas. Siempre entiendo algo nuevo. Es diferente cuando conoces a alguien de tu pas quien habla la misma lengua. Voy a echar de menos conocer a otras personas as. Al llegar a Santiago, no crea que los Estados Unidos tuvieran una propia cultura porque es un pas de inmigrantes de varios pases. Es obvio que un estereotipo de los Estados Unidos es que la gente come hamburguesas, pero aprend que aunque hay culturas varias diferentes, hay una cultura americana tambin. Hay una manera de pensar y hacer cosas en Amrica. El estilo de vida es diferente, el modo de estilo, la comida, y las tradiciones de varias culturas para nuestras das de fiestas y como celebramos son diferentes. Adems, entrar un pas que habla 4 lenguas (tiene 4 lenguas oficiales) fue extrao pero muy genial. Aprender un poco gallego fue divertido. Como estaba viviendo en otro mundo, aprend a apreciar culturas varias de una manera diferente porque no slo estaba aprendiendo sobre ellas de libros sino que estaba viviendo en esta cultura espaola y experimentando. Antes de llegar a Espaa, he hecho una lista de cosas que
querra hacer en Espaa y mis miedos. En total, he logrado muchas de las cosas en mi lista. Yo recuerdo mis primeras semanas aqu. Estaba muy nerviosa. Me gustaba Santiago desde al

principio pero el primer mes fue difcil porque haba muchas cosas que no poda entender y el tiempo haca frio entonces pas mucho tiempo en casa pero no con mi familia porque fue muy frustrante comunicar con ellos y viceversa. Estaba afuera de mi zona de comodidad. Despus de un mes y acostumbrarme cosas mejoraron. Sin embargo, despus de 3 meses algo pas y de repente espaol me parece mucho fcil para entender y comunicar. Trat lo mejor que poda. Me llev 3 meses para estar cmoda con todo y por fin clase fue mucho mejor y divertida y cosas as.

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A m me encanta el estilo de vida en Espaa. La gente est en las calles, en los parques, en los cafs disfrutando el tiempo con sus amigos. Tienen el tiempo para pasar con sus amigos y no siempre hay una prisa para hacer cosas. Este es por qu creo que la gente de Espaa tiene una mejor calidad de vida y tiene un aspecto ms joven que las personas de la misma edad en los Estados Unidos. Adems, me gusta mucho la vida de la noche aqu. El ambiente de Santiago es muy bueno y me encanta. Una cosa interesante que yo vi en la semana pasada fueron las procesiones. Para m es muy raro y nunca pasara en los Estados Unidos. La separacin de gobierno y religin son completamente separadas. (No quiero hablar de detalles.) Me parece que los dos pases ver el tema de libertad diferentemente. Aunque los Estados Unidos es conocido ser el pas de libertad, veo con ojos diferentes ahora. Los nios crecen y estn expuestos a cosas diferentes. Despus de asistir mi empresa y experimentar cmo funciona el sistema de educacin y cmo el ambiente en la clase es muy diferente que una clase tpica en los Estados Unidos. Mi mejor logro del semestre adems de aprender y entender la lengua de espaol y mejor mi forma de hablar fue aprendiendo como estar yo misma. Es fcil estar ti misma cuando puedo comunicar en tu propia lengua y no hay una barrera de lengua, pero estar ti misma cuando ests rodeado por una lengua extraa creo que es excelente. Aprend cosas de la gramtica, la lengua, y la cultura, pero tambin sobre yo misma y qu tipo de persona soy yo. El curso de composicin fue ms o menos fcil (pues la material) pero fue una clase que tena que trabajar porque hablamos mucho en clase y eso fue los ms difcil para m. Saba que cuando estara cmoda en esta clase, estara contenta con todo. La clase me ayud mucho con eso. Me gustaba el porfolio cada semana. Al principio no me gustaba porque no tena ni idea lo que escribir y cosas as y fue difcil para decir lo que quera. Sin embargo, en realidad, me gusta escribir sobre mi vida en Espaa y es ms fcil ahora. Me creo que el porfolio me ayud muchsimo con mi forma de escribir. Esperaba que mi porfolio fuera un poco ms organizado y que hubiera incluido otras cosas tambin pero estoy muy contenta con lo que he hecho. Trabajaba mucho y aprend mucho. No slo sobre lengua, cultura, y Espaa pero sobre yo misma tambin. Al pensar de mi semestre en Santiago este semestre pasado, no lamento nada. Quizs que yo hablase ms y ms a menudo pero aparte de eso, no hay nada. Fue una vez en una experiencia de mi vida. Mi corazn est en Espaa. Santiago de Compostela fue la mejor ciudad en que poda estudiar espaol. Si hubiera ingls como hubiera en Madrid o Barcelona, yo nunca habra aprendido tanto como yo habra aprendido durante los 4 meses pasados. No poda pedir una familia mejor tampoco. Viva con la mejor cocinera y me encantaba conocer y hablar con ellos. Voy a echar de menos la gente que conoc aqu! Las lgrimas ha empezadopero algn da voy a regresar a Espaa.

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