Saying goodbye to Annie, our Language Assistant from Taiwan

As the school year comes to an end, we would like to thank our language assistant from Taiwan, Annie, for her time and efforts with our students this school year. 

Below, she shares her own reflections on her experience within our school community; we appreciate her dedication and wish her the very best of success in the next steps of her career.

"Thank you, amazing teachers and students at Javeriana!  It has been a lovely year.  You all made me feel welcomed since day one and all the interactions, conversations I had with each one of you are all truly special to me.  I learned so much about teaching vocational school students as well as various cultures and traditions.  

I love all the fun activities we had in classes and getting to know how creative and engaging you are.  Every week, seeing your presentations and participating in class games together were something I always looked forward to. 

Besides my regular 10 classes of students throughout the year, I was fortunate enough to have a job interview lesson with students from Nursing Assistants and Dietetics departments. It wasn´t enough time to get to know you all but I appreciated you making the effort and I especially loved all the personal stories!

I hope all students have enjoyed learning English this year and continue to learn in the school years ahead also outside of classrooms.  

I wish all teachers and students the very best and see you around! "

Annie Cheng

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Language and cultural learning

By Annie Cheng

I was fortunate enough to have lived in 2 countries for very long periods of time before moving to Madrid.  Because of this experience, I know the challenge of learning a new language. 

Language and culture go hand in hand, wherever you learn a new language, you are also learning new cultures.  

English is spoken in many countries around the world, the most important thing about learning it is to take advantage of your fabulous international community in Madrid.  You will likely encounter people from England, USA, the Philippines, Ireland, India, Canada… that speak fluent English.  Speak to them whenever you can, ask questions about their family, their country… It is a good opportunity to learn not only the language but also another country.  You will get to hear different accents and different words they use, which is the fun part of learning a new language.  

You can also participate in language exchange meetups or other English meetups such as game night, trivia… There are plenty of these activities you can find on social media, which are generally fun and safe ( usually at a bar or cafe ).  You get to meet new people too.  Joining a sports team or activity group with many international participants that meet regularly is also a good way.

Another suggestion is to watch movies, series in their original language. Many of you have Netflix or access to some streaming services and instead of watching shows in Spanish dubbed versions, try a funny British series in English and you will soon learn to appreciate its humor.  

The same goes for reading books in English or joining a book club.  You can start with easier books, or books you have already read in Spanish therefore familiar with the story.  

Of course, the best way to learn is to travel but it might not be easy for everyone.  If you are able to plan that for your near future, try to go for a longer period of time so you get to immerse in the culture and learn the language faster.  

You will likely see improvements very soon if you put some time and effort into learning English.  

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We welcome our new assistant Annie

We welcome our new assistant Annie! We really hope you have a great school year with us. Here there is a message from her:

"Hola Escuela Profesional Javeriana, 

My name is Annie Cheng and I am your new language assistant.  I am from San Francisco, California, where I lived for half of my life before moving to Madrid in 2023.  I am originally from Taiwan, where the famous bubble tea is from.  

I moved to Madrid with my 2 kids who are currently in secondary school.  During my free time, I love to travel, explore new places in Madrid, going to concerts, watch football matches and hang out with friends.  I am enjoying my first 3 weeks working at this school so far, meeting amazing teachers and students.  I can't wait to learn more about you!

Annie"

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See you soon, Jenny!

 

After two wonderful years, it's time to say goodbye to Jenny, our BEDA language assistant. Thank you for your kindness, energy, big smile, and all the unforgettable memories we've shared. We’ll miss you, but we know great things are waiting for you. Wishing you all the luck and happiness in the world on your next adventure!

With love,

Your Escuela Profesional Javeriana family ✨✨

Jenny's message for everyone: (don't miss it, it includes the recipy of her delicious Coconut Macaroons!)

Two amazing years full of great memories!
Thank you Javeriana for two wonderful years. I had such a great time working with awesome people and really enjoyed all the fun activities we did in class. I hope the students had just as much fun as I did!

A big thank-you to all the fantastic teachers I worked with, your support and guidance made the classes way more fun. I’m really going to miss you all, but I’m sure we’ll bump into each other around Madrid!

I will always treasure the experiences and knowledge I gained while working here. I wish all the students and teachers the very best in everything ahead.

Thanks so much for the sweet messages. I’ll definitely keep them forever.

P.S. Philippines Coconut Macaroons! 
Feeling snacky? Mix 2 packs of shredded coconut, 1 can of condensed milk, 2–3 eggs (your call!), 1/4 cup of butter, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and about 1/4 cup of sugar (more if you're feeling sweet). Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15 minutes or until they’re golden and smell amazing.

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From Philippines to Madrid: our assistant Jenny

Hello everyone, I'm Jenny , originally from the Philippines and now proud to call Spain my home for the past three years. My journey in education started at Angeles University Foundation, where I earned my bachelor's degree in Teaching. 

In my free time, I'm an avid reader, a fitness enthusiast, and I enjoy delving into the world of documentaries. Just like many of my students, I have a passion for learning foreign languages. I can hold conversations in Mandarin, and I'm currently on a journey to master Spanish.

This year, my goal is to help all of you excel in English while making our learning journey a fun and exciting one. Let's embark on this school year together, and I can't wait to see how much we can achieve!

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Keep in touch, Andrea!

The end of the School year is approaching and that means we have to say good bye to Andrea, our language assistant from The States. It has been a wonderful experience having her at the EP Javeriana and a great help.

This is a message from her:

“This year has been a really great experience for me! I want to thank all the students and teachers  for always making me feel welcome at the school. This year has really gone by fast and I can’t believe the school year is already over. I have never taught at a vocational training school, and I feel like I gained a lot of experience. It was cool to see all the different projects the students did in class and I enjoyed hearing about their studies.

It was really fun for me to have primary school at the beginning of the week, and then come to EPJ to do fun activities and have conversations. I hope that they enjoyed all the games and activities we did together and were able to practice their English in a fun way. I appreciate all the effort they made to participate and get involved in the games. Hope to see everyone again soon!”

 

Good luck with all your plans, Andrea, and keep in touch!

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We welcome Andrea

This year we welcome our new assistant Andrea. She comes from The States and will be in our classes every Thursday, motivating us to speak English and learn about other cultures. Thank you for all your help!!  

Hello, I am Andrea. I am 25 years old. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. My family is from Barranquilla, Colombia. I studied at Georgia State University. My major was Linguistics and my minor was in Psychology. I graduated in 2019 and moved to Madrid a few months after. I have been in Madrid for 3 years now and I absolutely love it. I have traveled all around Spain and Madrid is still my favorite city. I love to explore new cities, try new foods and hang out with friends. I love listening to music and going to concerts. I love Atlanta rap, reggaeton, pop, house and techno. I love binge watching shows on netflix and always love having something new to watch. 

My goal for this year is to have engaging classes and help students feel more confident having conversations in English. I hope I can help students be successful in their future careers!

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We welcome Julian, our new language assistant

This is Julian, our new assistant from the BEDA Programme. We are so happy he joins our team this year. He will help us to practise our English and learn from other cultures. Welcome Julian!

Hello all! I'm Julian, this year's new English assistant.  I've been very excited to be starting at the school this year, and having met many of the students already I think this is going to be a fun (and definitely an interesting year. Introductions are not my strong suite, but I will give it a go for you:   I'm form the United States, and have lived in quite a few places there, but mostly I grew up in Colorado and Alaska. This is my fifth or sixth year in Spain (non consecutive) and my eight year of being a language assistant or teaching English abroad. I suppose you could say that I like to travel, but it's really an excuse for me to practice my real passion (photography) in new and interesting places. When I'm not doing that or working I'm usually found wandering around Madrid, casually gaming, trying to read, or struggling through the one or two songs I've (just barely) taught myself on the guitar. 

I've been told to include a picture for you, which was harder than it sounds since there is one end of a camera I try to avoid.

 Looking forward to the year with all of you!

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Job interview prep: Can you tell us about yourself?

Job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience for everyone, that’s why it’s important to prepare, prepare, prepare! This month, we prepared answers for a very common question that is simple, yet surprisingly complex. “Can you tell us about yourself?” is a question that is almost always asked in an interview, yet often is answered with too much, or too little information.

A “hack” to this question is a simple formula. Think of “Present + Past + Future”.

●     [Present] Introduce yourself by stating your full name and any current job, education, activity.

●     [Past] Talk about anything you have done in the past! It can be your past schooling, classes, activities.

●     [Future] Talk about your goals and dreams for the future. They can be short or long-term goals.

The answer to this question is commonly referred to as an “elevator pitch”. Imagine you are stepping into an elevator and someone asks you to tell them about yourself. You only have from floor 0 to floor 20 to answer this question. That’s only about 30 seconds, so you have to make it count!

Here is an example of my “elevator pitch” about myself:

Preparing your answer to this question will help you nail it when you are asked in an interview. It can also help you think about how you will apply your skills and experience to your new position in the future!

Here you can watch some of the student's videos from the International Trade 1 class. The first one is by Kelly Araújo:

   

This second video is by Pablo Serrano:

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More recommendations to learn English having fun

Alix Ruggiero, our language assistant, sends us some more recommendations from NYC of apps to have fun and learn English. Why don't you try them?

"Hello everyone! I hope you all have been doing well during this time. I wanted  to share some recommendations for apps and websites that can keep your mind, body and soul entertained and at ease during this time.

If you want to feel like you’re traveling... Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture is an amazing way to feel like you are traveling the world from the comfort of your own home. Visit world-renowned museums, churches, and landmarks, view masterpieces, listen to culture classes and more!

If you want to stay active... Down Dog

Down Dog is a great app that offers yoga, barre, and high intensity trainings that you can do anywhere. You have access to expert trainers that can guide you through each workout.

If you want to calm your mind down...  Headspace

Headspace is an excellent guided meditation app that helps you relax, calm your mind, and think positive thoughts.

If you want some inspiration… Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day is a good way to get a daily dose of inspiration and some vocabulary practice all in one!

If you want to have fun with your friends... Houseparty

Houseparty is a really cool way to video chat with a few friends at a time and has games and activities built into the app for maximum fun!

If you want to learn to make something delicious... Project Foodie
Project Foodie is a recipe app to help you create delicious chef-inspired meals with experts guiding you step-by-step through the process."

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Alix, #EPJwelcomesyou

We introduce you to Alix Ruggiero, our new BEDA Language Assistant from The States. Welcome to our School! 

"Hello! My name is Alix Ruggiero and I grew up in Staten Island, New York where my parents, two younger sisters and beloved dog still live. I studied Communications at Rutgers University in New Jersey and after, I worked in Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility at an insurance company and law firm in NYC. I am incredibly passionate about teaching, learning from my students and exchanging cultures. I look forward to a great year of learning and fun!"

                                                     

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Our English Corner receives the first prize!!

We are so excited to find out that The English Corner EPJ was awarded with the 1st prize on the third edition of the Vocational and Education Training blogs competition. Congratulations as well to the other finalists, great job! :)  #EUVocationalSkills 

For us it is a really important recognition of our work, especially because it was organized by the Escuelas Javerianas were there is a long tradition of bloggers. Thank you!!

Marta Santamaría and I (Sara Sacristán) wanted to also thank everybody that participates on the blog sharing their experiences since 2009; The English Corner EPJ would not be possible without you: our assistants, teachers in charge of the Erasmus Programme, and all the students that share their work and recommendations to learn English... 

THANK YOU ALL!!  We hope to continue sharing on the https://theenglishcornerepj.blogspot.com.

And remember: IT'S ALWAYS BETTER WITH YOU...

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Ameen stays with us!

Hello everyone! My name is Ameen, and I am from Miami, Florida. This is my third year living in Madrid, and my second year as a Language Assistant at Javerianas. I loved my last year here, and am very happy to be back and to see both new and familiar faces. As some of you already know, I like to use my time in class to motivate students to speak as much as possible in English by organizing fun and engaging activities about topics we are all interested in. I look forward to getting to know the new students I am working with this year, and tailoring my activities to match their interests and personal goals. Looking forward to a great year!

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Welcome Ameen!

This year we have a new assistant at our School, his name is Ameen and we feel very lucky to have him in our classes. This is his message to the EP Javeriana:

"Hi everyone! My name is Ameen and I am an English teacher from Miami, Florida. This is my second year living in Madrid and I absolutely love it here. I like cooking, reading, and watching old movies. When I teach, I like to give students the chance to speak as much as possible. I hope the activities that I bring to your class are interesting and relatable, and I am very open to your feedback. I want students to feel comfortable talking to me about anything (in English of course), because I think personal, informal conversations are the best way to practice. These conversations also help me get to know you, so I can tailor my teaching to your interests and needs."

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Thank you Cooper!!

Cooper Wilson, from Michigan (USA), was our language assistant this School Year. It has been a pleasure working with him and now, after this intense year, we share lots of memories: our Magic Show at Halloween, the Saint Francis Xavier show, the delicious Christmas cookies he cooked for us, our Solidarity Breakfasts, all the critical thinking activities in the classes, our Business is fun projects, the 3 minute presentations, our Second Year student Graduation…

If you want to find out about what we do in the EP Javeriana, in this video, Cooper tells us about his experience here in really fluent Spanish.

 

Cooper, thank you for your enthusiasm, involvement and work. We will always remember you!!

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Hello Escuela Profesional Javeriana

My name is Cooper Wilson. I am the new conversation assistant. I am 27 years old.  Currently, I am studying for a master's degree in teaching English and Spanish at New York University in Madrid.  I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.  My family has lived there since the 1860s (which is a long time for the US).  Michigan is a state that looks like a hand in the north of the US.  I lived in Spain in 2011-2012 and I am very excited to be back. In college, I studied Spanish and Japanese.  In the past, I have worked as a Spanish-English medical interpreter, a paralegal, and many jobs related to education. I am a proud uncle with a two-year old nephew.  I’m interested in teaching languages for professional application, so I am really excited to work at a professional school!  Outside of work, I like theater, love to cook (because I love eat), and like dancing. I’m looking forward to getting to know all the faculty, staff, and students of the Escuela Profesional Javeriana!

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Escuela Profesional Javeriana in the III JORNADA FP ECM

The Escuela Profesional Javeriana was invited to participate in the III Jornada FP ECM  to present our Bilingual Project in vocational training. Thank you for this opportunity Escuelas Católicas Madrid!

It was a great experience were we could share our project: the implementation of the European Programmes in our School, the adaptation of the BEDA Programme to Vocational Training and our innovation programmes: Apps for Good and Business is fun.

Do you want to learn more? Watch our video then!

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A new flag for Madrid

In the Escuela Profesional Javeriana we decided to redesign the Flag of the City of Madrid with our assistant Claire Magee. We followed the following steps:

1. We wached the video by Roman Mars on TED Talks to find out about the rules of flag design

2. Following the 5 principles of flag design, each group of students worked on three different possibilities 

3. They chose the best one to present to the class and explained the symbolism of the design and colours.

4. Each class voted the best design to show on the English Corner

Coming soon the winning flag designs for the City of Madrid...

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Claire, our new assistant from The States

This is Claire, our new assistant from Philadelphia, USA

"Hello Escuela Profesional Javeriana!

My name is Claire Magee and I am your new language assistant.  I am from Philadelphia, a city in the Northeast of the United States.  Three generations ago, my family came from Ireland, and this is why I have an Irish name.  My hobbies include traveling, playing music, snowboarding, and many others.  I attended the University of Delaware for Philosophy and Spanish Literature.  After University, I moved to Spain, as it is one of my favorite places in the world.  I have lived in Madrid for three years and I look forward to many more.  I am so excited to get to know everyone, so if you see me around school feel free to stop me for a chat!"

Welcome to our school, Claire!!

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Kirstyn Wyatt's experience at EP Javeriana

Kirstyn Wyatt our Assistant this schoolyear, decided to go back to The States to become a Spanish Teacher there. It has been a pleasure working with her at our school and we wish her the best for her new career. 

Farewell  party in one of the classrooms:

This is what she thinks about her experience in EP Javeriana:

"This year at EPJ has been a wonderful new experience. I've never taught in a vocational setting, but the staff and students have welcomed me with open arms. I've grown a lot as a teacher in my time here.
I've enjoyed working on creative collaborative projects with all the classes. We have created restaurants, made videos, played games, laughed, and even taken a trip around the entire world together! The students here seemed to really enjoy our time together as well. They have made so much progress in English since we first met. I'm proud of all the hard work they've done to improve!
It has been very interesting to see how they reacted to project-based learning. Each class has a different dynamic. There have been ups and downs, but they rose to the occasion more often than not.
Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of the English department at EPJ.
I hope to continue working with you all in the future!"

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