Picture this. Twenty-five little children are scampering and laughing through the halls on their way to the classroom. They all jam into the doorway at one time; cheeks rosy and red from running so fast. They yell “Good morning!” and are ecstatic to see their teacher. Most educators would love to experience this feeling.
Jonathan Hostetler, a secondary mathematics education major and Spanish minor, experienced something similar when he traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to student teach at a local Christian elementary school in the summer of 2005. The principal of the school in Colombia conducted a presentation at Jonathan’s church, where he was able to use his connections to get in contact with her. He expressed interest in her school and decided to travel to Colombia to student teach for five weeks. He taught English and Mathematics as well as constructed lesson plans for each age level. The age levels ranged from three to ten years old. He stayed with the principal at her apartment and was able to tour the city and become extremely familiar with the Spanish culture.
Jonathan chose to embark on this journey to improve his Spanish speaking skills, get some teaching experience as well as become immersed in the Spanish culture. His favorite part of the trip, besides the cultural experience and meeting new people, was the fruit. There were so many different varieties and they all tasted so good! He woke up to fresh squeezed juice every morning. What a life! His least favorite part of the trip was an unpleasant encounter with the military police in Bogotá. He was traveling on a bus one day when an armored car pulled them over, searched them and all their belongings while carrying machine guns. He wasn’t scared, but had never experienced something like that before.
Overall, Jonathan had a great experience. He got to improve his Spanish speaking skills and learn a tremendous amount about the Spanish culture. After this experience, he has decided that he doesn’t want to teach elementary school, but he definitely wants to teach high school. He says that he “went down there thinking I would give so much to the students and the school, but they really gave me more than I could ever imagine.”
