All of the things you can only learn from teaching abroad

Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs a person can have, especially when it is done in more than one country. Teaching abroad is not only eye-opening in terms of another country’s culture, but it is rewarding.

In order to get a better insight into the life of a teacher abroad, I asked Michelle Menacho, an aspiring Spanish teacher currently attending Wheaton College, how her experience abroad changed her.

She has teaching experience is both the U.S. and Peru, and says that her time in Peru taught her the value of educating others both academically and socially, while simultaneously helping her to appreciate the many privileges she had while growing up in the United States.

When did you go to Peru and how were you able to find this opportunity?

I went to teach in Peru two summers ago. My mom’s friend, who used to teach with my mom in Peru, found this opportunity for me. Her friend’s daughter was an English teacher at the school I was lucky enough to get a position at.

Was there a specific program you were able to teach through?

No, there was no program. The school, called Newton College, allowed me to be an assistant teacher since I was offering to volunteer there. Wheaton College awarded me with a stipend to use abroad in order to make all the expenses.

It was through my own initiative that I was able to have this opportunity. I applied for the stipend after telling Wheaton what I planned to do with the money.

What was your motivation for wanting to teach in Peru?

I really wanted to see what it would be like to teach abroad. I’m from Peru but was born here in the States, and I wanted to observe Peruvian culture up close. I wanted to see how schools there thought children should be raised and taught.

My parents told me stories about how in the past, Peru’s schools used physical force to reprimand the students. They would use big rulers to hit the students and it often left bruises on them.

I was curious to know if this practice still occurred today and if it did, how a teaching method like this would shape the way students learn. My parents, unfortunately, experienced the ruler first-hand. Fortunately, while teaching, I found that teachers today do not hit their students.

How did you help out in the classroom?

I was an assistant teacher so I got to help in the classroom and teach a few times, but I was mainly a translator. I helped six teachers in the Primary School with the IB Primary Years Programme curriculum. This curriculum did multiple things for the children. Students were able to study 2 languages, learn 6 different subjects, and it ultimately helped them to appreciate education more both through an academic and creative lens.

I assisted the teachers by teaching various subjects through both English and Spanish. I helped third graders learn both languages, conducted small group discussions with them and helped them with assessments. I also prepared some classroom materials and chaperoned field trips.

What was it like working with the children?

It was amazing. They were very timid at first, but they started opening up to me as soon as I started interacting with them and telling jokes. They welcomed me with so many hugs afterwards. The entire experience really increased my interest in education.

Plus, I was able to make so many friends with the 120 eight to nine year olds that I had the pleasure of working with. It was most definitely an unforgettable experience, and I truly miss receiving daily hugs from those little munchkins.

One of my fondest memories was when a shy girl who I had worked with since day one became so confident and proud in her spoken English. I encouraged her to speak to me in English only if she wanted to learn more about the U.S., which she was crazy about.

I also loved seeing the students’ reactions when I told them that being bilingual can get you far in life, because it’s a characteristic that is needed for literally any job. They all realized how important it was for them to learn the English language because I explained to them that I got the chance to work with them only because I was bilingual, and it allowed me to travel outside of my home country.

How was working with children in Peru different from working with children in America?

The biggest difference was language, of course. I mainly had to use Spanish in order to explain what I was teaching in English. In the U.S, if I wanted to explain something in Spanish, I had to think in English because that’s the language that was mostly used within classrooms. So, it was harder for me to think in Spanish because I’m used to always thinking in English. Confusing, right?

However, I also noticed students from Peru interact with their teachers a bit differently. They ask for more physical touch, like hugs. Here in the States, teachers aren’t allowed to touch their students because it’s seen as inappropriate. It’s only appropriate if the students initiate a hug.

What were some your favorite moments?

I loved just walking into each classroom and hearing everyone greet me by saying “Ms. Michelle is here!” Some students would even get up from their desks and give me a big hug and ask me to sit next to them. They thought it was really cool that I was from the U.S, so they would ask me so many questions about my country. A lot of their questions were based on how America is portrayed in the media.

I remember one time, while reading a book about the United States in English with a female student, she asked me if all schools in the U.S. had “pretty cheerleaders, nerdy students, band geeks and good-looking athletes.”

I responded by saying that most depictions of the U.S. are exaggerated in order to grab other’s attention.

Was there anything that shocked you while living in Peru?

When I first traveled to Peru, I believe I was about 11 and I experienced huge culture shock because of the conditions that children were living in. However, I was even more shocked to realize that a lot of this is still happening today, even while I was teaching there.

There were children living on the street and surviving by selling candy to strangers. Some kids would even do circus tricks in front of stopped traffic in order to earn some change to buy food for the day.

Peru really changed my way of thinking and made me appreciate what I have back at home in the U.S.

What did you learn while teaching at Newton College?

I learned various teaching methods because I was an assistant teacher to six different teachers and each one had their own way of getting children engaged, which was interesting to observe.

However, I also learned that I am more approachable than I thought I was. I had a student tell me that my smile let him know that I was friendly and willing to help him with his class work. I love smiling and I learned that if I smiled and was a little silly sometimes, students would learn that it is okay to be silly too and that school doesn’t have to be such a serious environment.

What advice would you offer to an aspiring teacher?

I would tell them that teaching is one of the most inspiring and influential jobs out there because you are in charge of shaping the individuals that will make up the future.

It’s really important to put a lot of enthusiasm into teaching so that everything you teach gets cherished and passed down to the following generations.