Miss Melanie ha sido entrevistada por nuestro equipo de reporteras de la sección de entrevistas de nuestro periódico Mr. Pasteur. El equipo formado por Carmen Moreno, Sofía Villalba, Lucía Sanchez de 6º y Patricia Palomo y María Rodríguez de 1º ESO, han sido las encargadas del diseño y desarrollo de la entrevista con la ayuda de Miss Beatriz, coordinadora del proyecto de Bilingüismo del colegio.
Entrevista a Miss Melanie por nuestro equipo de reporteras.
El equipo de reporteras del Colegio Pasteur formado por Carmen Moreno, Sofía Villalba, Lucía Sanchez de 6º y Patricia Palomo y María Rodríguez de 1º ESO, ha entrevistado a Miss Melanie, nuestra auxiliar de conversación. Aquí tenemos un resumen y la entrevista realizada por nuestro equipo.
Hemos entrevistado a Miss Melanie, nuestra auxiliar de conversación en este curso, y ha sido realmente divertido, nos hemos reído mucho con lo que nos ha contado. La hemos entrevistado para que todos la podamos conocer algo mejor. Como la entrevista ha sido en inglés, os hemos escrito un pequeño resumen en español de lo que nos ha contado.
Miss Melanie es de Cornwall, un lugar al sur de Inglaterra con playas llenas de turistas ingleses en verano. Melanie estudió Baile en la Universidad de Coventry y más tarde se sacó el PGCE, el título de profesorado en Inglaterra. Ahora está estudiando TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Nos cuenta que sus padres se mudaron a España hace unos años y por ello decidió venir aquí como auxiliar de conversación. Todos los alumnos estamos encantados con sus clases, practicamos conversación mediante debates y juegos. Melanie piensa que nuestro nivel de inglés es muy alto y nos anima a estudiar idiomas porque así nos podemos comunicar con otras personas. También nos ha hablado de lo que le gusta hacer en su tiempo libre: cantar, bailar y ver películas. Aquí os dejamos la entrevista en inglés y un reportaje fotográfico de la misma.
Q. Good morning Miss Melanie! Before starting the interview, we would like to say that we are really pleased to have you here in our school and we are really enjoying your lessons. Having said that, let’s start with the interview. From which part of England are you from?
A. I am from a part of England called Cornwall.
Q. What can you tell us about Cornwall?
A. Cornwall is a county in the South West of England. It is known for its unique Cornish heritage and beautiful coasts. English tourists flock to Cornwall every summer to visit the six mile long beaches. Due to England’s wet weather, most of Cornwall is lush green.
Q. What did you study at university?
A. I studied BA Dance Making and Performance at Coventry University. I then studied my PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education) at Cornwall College – which has also given me 1/3 of a Masters Degree, which I will one day complete. The PGCE means I am a qualified teacher. I am now studying my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
Q. Why did you decide to come to Spain to work as a language assistant?
A. By accident; I was researching Education jobs in Spain as I have decided to live here near my parents and I saw it on google.
Q. Are you enjoying the job so far?
A. It is very different to what I am used to, as the learners are a lot younger, but this opens up lots of fun games and activities that I can do.
Q. What is the thing you like the most about being a language assistant?
A. It brings me great joy to see the learning process and to witness when the learners ‘click’ and to see them flourish.
Q. What kind of activities are you doing with the students?
A. I am doing a vast range of activities with the learners – ones which help to increase their vocabulary, to create correct sentence structure, and to ensure correct pronunciation and increase the fluency and confidence of speaking. I think that learning should be fun, and it helps the students to remember their lessons. Therefore I incorporate a lot of games in my sessions.
Q. What do you think of the level of our students?
A. In England learners do not begin to study a second language until the age of twelve. Because of this, our second language is at a very low level. Spain, including Colegio Pasteur, however, start their language learning at a very young age (I work with “Infantil” also). Young minds have the great capability to absorb and retain information quickly. Therefore, the English level of the students at Colegio Pasteur is very high. I was happily surprised, and the learners strive to further improve their skills which, for me is refreshing.
Q. Did you know Spain before coming here as a language assistant?
A. I have visited Spain for holidays before starting at Colegio Pasteur, and have worked with Spanish students wanting to improve their English language as a summer camp in the Pyrenees. I like the Spanish weather and the overall welcoming, happy family-orientated culture. I think it is beautiful. A lovely outlook on life.
Q. Did you study any foreign languages when you were at school in England? How was it?
A. I studied GCSE German at secondary school. I thoroughly enjoyed German and wanted to continue my studies to a higher level – but I chose performing arts instead. Because I was a high achiever, I was made to do Spanish for a month as well which was nice because it is easier for the English to learn than German (or French), but I began writing my sentences 1/3 English, 1/3 German and 1/3 Spanish so I decided to just focus on my English and German rather than jeopardize my grades for one extra GCSE.
Q. What do you think about learning languages?
A. I think learning languages and starting at a young age is really important. I wish England would adopt the Spanish way of language learning. It is extremely useful when looking for employment, it opens up a new network of communication and it will come in handy when you travel the world.
Q. What do you like to do in your spare time?
A. In my spare time I like to sing, dance, do ashtanga yoga, zumba, listen to music, watch films (you are never too old for a good old Disney film!) and presently I am teaching myself Spanish, in the hope to obtain an A at GSCE Spanish by next year.