tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428841094562870191.post370617225628791310..comments2018-05-07T02:39:54.788-04:00Comments on BC: International Student Teachers: Promoting Equality and Social JusticeColleen Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581702695782746285noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5428841094562870191.post-72822757391682511702014-12-21T02:12:51.066-04:002014-12-21T02:12:51.066-04:00Lauren, it's impressive that you were able to ...Lauren, it's impressive that you were able to build connections with your students despite the language barrier. I have also found my language struggles have helped me understand better. I am leaning Spanish, and can hold a basic conversation, but found myself floundering in many situations. For example, to get to my school placement is a 25 minute drive from where I have class in the morning, so a man named Adrian(who works at the school) picks me up. Adrian only speaks Romanian and Spanish. I was nervous that my Spanish wasn't going to be adequate enough and that a semester of long, silent car rides awaited me. These car rides ended up being one of my favorite things about my experience in Madrid and taught me to appreciate the necessity for patience. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that Adrian let me struggle through my thoughts, that he didn't mind waiting for me to find the words to express the idea, or else helping me figure it out. Having the patience to guide students to discovering answers is an important skill, I think, for any teacher. For me those car rides were as valuable to me as the time I spent in the classroom. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07654842446429255009noreply@blogger.com