A Chilean Reflection on a Gringa by Mariela Gonzalez Poblete

Hi! I´m Mariela, and I am an English teacher at Colegio Concepción San Pedro.  I teach 5th, 6th, and 8th graders.  I want to start by saying that it´s been a wonderful experience to work with some gringas in the LSU Study Abroad in Chile program, especially Mae Condalary.  I would also like to mention Emily Smith, Jacelyn, Gabby, and Allison as well; they have also helped me in many of my classes.  In fact, they have worked in small groups with students, getting involved with Chilean pedagogical strategies used to teach English as a second language.

Mae has told me about the differences between Chilean and American teaching strategies.  Firstly, in Chile, teachers move from one class to another, and the students stay in the same room all day - except in English class, when the class is divided into two separate groups, one basic and one advanced.  Secondly, in Chile the English classes are conducted mostly in English, with a little instruction in Spanish in the basic classes.  In Mae´s opinion, this helps students to pick up English more quickly.  However, in Chile teachers don´t have much time to plan, and every day is scheduled differently, which is very unlike U.S. class schedules.  I think that having a different schedule each day keeps things interesting, and Mae agrees.

In my opinion, as a host teacher, I wish I could have more time outside of school to spend with Mae (my gringa) and show her various cultural monuments and places around Concepción.  It´s been so great to share some experiences with her - I´m going to miss her, and I wish her the best!

Here´s a selfie we took on break.