School Placement

I am working in a school called Juan Sebastian Elcano in Usera. I love working in the central part of the city. Many of my students take the metro to school, I often end up sitting next to some of my students and their parents on the metro!

Usera is a notoriously diverse area of Madrid, so my students come from very ethnically diverse backgrounds. I think it’s amazing to have a class with such a broad range of family backgrounds. My students are a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Ecuadorian, Bolivian, Romanian, among many others. It’s important for children to grow up around other children who don’t look or speak like them. I was concerned that my students wouldn’t understand my background since I look Asian but speak American English. They have surprised me with their open mindedness, and I credit the location of the school for putting them into contact with such diversity.

The school is relatively small so it has been easy to get to know other staff members, both English speaking and not. Everyone in my experience has been helpful and respectful. Ultimately, the goal in any school is to promote students’ learning, and I’m glad to be working in a school where that has so much focus and priority.