Back to the Start

Why not finishing this academic year's entries with a song? If I don't remember badly, we also started with a song. While I was trying to find one that you might like, I spotted this one by Coldplay, one of the groups I like most and whose lyrics are usually easy to understand, and I thought why not? The title of the song The Scientist. Maybe it's worth a try!

A short break for the holidays and then we will start again. Looking forward to hearing from you. ;-)

Farewell

Hi guys,

This entry isn’t meant to be the last one of this blog this academic year, but in a way, it is a farewell entry and if you go on reading, you’ll find out why.

When I was told I was going to teach at the Official School of Languages in CR nearly a year ago, I felt a bit uneasy even though, previous teachers there had talked wonders of you. At that time, I didn’t know how amazing this experience was about to turn out to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room 4

 This has been our classroom for nearly nine months and this is the way it is now: without you, my pupils. It seems to be eerily silent but I’m completely sure it still keeps your conversations in English, sometimes in Spanish, your constant questions and doubts, your laughter, your nerves and fears before the finals, … all those good and not-so-good moments along the whole academic year.

To tell you the truth, this course has been extraordinarily unusual for me and although some of you would like to do now what Loly (2NA) is trying to do in the photo below, I do think you feel the same as well.

A dissatisfied pupil trying to chain me unseeingly

Regardless of the academic results, which would make this entry sadder, the first thing I want to do is to thank you for having been able to endure me for such a long/short course. MANY THANKS TO YOU ALL. I know it hasn’t been easy!!!

I would also like to thank you for all your presents, some of which I didn’t photograph, although I enjoyed them a lot.

Some of the fun-tastic gifts

Well, let’s bring back some good moments we have lived together!

You gave me a warm welcome by making me feel as if I were at home. Homes which some of you have offered me on different occasions, for example, on that awful snowy day in January, when we anxiously interrupted the class and in a hurry we set off, fearing, as it in the end happened, it would be impossible for me to arrive home that night.

Whether I have succeeded or not, you have given me the opportunity to try to improve my skills as a teacher. Mainly by encouraging you to speak English in class and to use it as many times as you can and as confidently as possible. It is in this point in which you have highly succeeded. You created a very good atmosphere where it was extremely easy to teach, not only because you were eager to learn but also because you were involved in the teaching-learning process. (Pilu from 2NI even bought some markers for the whiteboard …)

You’ve been patient with me, especially in those embarrassing moments when I said “Listen to it!” or “Let’s watch this video” and nothing worked. Ufff! How bad I felt then! At least, everything went right on exam days!!!

You’ve done your homework, participated actively, in class and other extra-curricular activities we have had, such as the ones on Halloween, at Christmas, at Steve’s concert, … you have even used this blog, to some extent. I’m really happy because of that. And do you remember our English-guided tour around Ciudad Rodrigo thanks to Fanny and Rebecca (2NA)? Here’s a photo. (Maybe you’ll miss Manolo and me in it, sorry but I cropped it –you know why.)

Happy tourists

Obviously, it would be impossible to mention all the hilarious moments together. The only thing I can mention is that you made them possible. We’ve laughed our heads off.

As regards our degree of closeness in the class, we can highlight the fact that we have shared our personal reflections as well as our true love stories in that sort of writing competition we had. And don’t forget what a terrifying experience you may live when home alone, a TV set starts turning on and off by itself as it happens to Eva (2NI). It makes my hair stand on end.

Well, I don’t want to bore you with this entry so it’s high time to conclude it …

Thanks for making me not just a better teacher but a better person.

Thanks for teaching me a great amount of new interesting things.

Thanks for all those yummy Friday afternoons we’ve had.

Thanks for those Thursday nights at the karaoke bar improving our singing in English and in Spanish. (I don’t attach photos for these last two extra-curricular activities, ha-ha.)

Thanks for doing my job worth.

Thanks for being the way you are.

It only remains to add “Looking forward to having my summer holiday and then seeing you again … some of you outside school and some of you in our classroom in September. ;-)”

ILY

INSTAGRAM

 Hello again,

After this short break on the blog, it's time to enjoy this entry. It has been created by Vicky, once again, your classmate in the Advanced level. In my opinion, this entry is quite original so you can't miss it. Go on reading and then if you feel like writing a little, leave your comments.

At popular request I am going to share with you my passion for INSTAGRAM. Probably you will say “one more social networking site” but I would like to explain to you why I love it and how amazing it could be, if you are fascinated by photography.

INSTAGRAM was born in 2010, at first, it was designed only for I-phone devices, but later, due to its success, with more than 100 million users, this app was opened to Android in April of 2012.

I set up my profile in 2011, when INSTAGRAM was starting to take off toward stardom. A very good friend of mine, who is an unbelievable photograph-lover, introduced me in the application and gave me some advice about how I could use it. 

The best stuff of INSTAGRAM is that you take the photo with your mobile, you apply some filter and then you load the photo in your profile and share it with everybody, without the necessity of downloading it to your computer and editing it in some programs like photo-shop or similar ones. 

Furthermore, if, in your mobile, you have more photo edition apps compatible with INSTAGRAM you are likely to make wonderful editions very easily. 

Retortillo's Church

My favourite app, the one I usually use, is “Snapseed”. Another gorgeous tool, if you like black and white, is “Noir”. And if you are a fan of fantasy edition, the best app is “Filter Mania”.

When you have decided which photograph you want to share, you can also add a hang tag (#) like in Twitter, in order to get more followers or only to focus your photo toward some particular issue.  I normally create some hangtags such as #igerssalamanca #igerscastillayleon , owing to the fact that I belong to a small group in this huge number of “igers” all around the world.

Nevertheless, I follow people from different countries, like USA, Australia, Turkey, Sweden, France or Italy. And for me, it is great, because when I am watching their photos I feel, for a few moments, as if I were there and I could see what they were looking at. And if something is happening in the world, in a short time, it would appear in INSTAGRAM even before that will get in the news broadcast.

The purists of INSTAGRAM were very annoying and unpleasant when it was sold to Facebook, because they changed the stipulation contract about the photo property.

From my point of view, it isn’t so important, in the moment you share your photo in a social networking site, you lose the control over it.  I like sharing my photos and some special moments that I caught, without expecting a reward only the likes of my followers. But there are people that make business on the internet and I understand them, in case they’d want to sell their photos or get an income, they may be afraid of their rights.

 

CyL Theatre Fair in Ciudad Rodrigo last summer

INSTAGRAM is a social networking site and it has, of course, all the cons of them, but if you enjoy photography you might surf it, I promise you’d have fun with the experience.

My user's name is vickycr74. You can see my gallery whenever you want … And your comment will be welcome.           

Thanks Vicky for this entry, you already know that I follow you and I like your photos, especially the one taken from a roof and your perspective when seeing things and I am becoming a fan of INSTAGRAM.

OK, guys, you have the extraordinary opportunity to have a look at Vicky's photos. I assure you won't be deceived -they're simply great.