- February 11, 2022
“I will always cherish the incredible experience I had through the GTL-Spain program. During my four weeks in Barcelona, I loved teaching, exploring the city, and spending time with new friends and family."
Through the Global Teaching Labs program, Emily inspired high school students as she found her own inspiration in Barcelona.
Teaching to inspire
Emily taught math and technology classes to the students of Bachillerato and ESO. She worked closely with the teachers of these subjects to develop lesson plans and hands-on activities to provide enjoyable and interactive classes for the students. Emily’s main objective while teaching at the school was to inspire the students to love math and technology at least a little more than they had before. From talking with students and watching their growth over the month, she believes this objective was successful for many students and was very happy with the outcome.
Emily enjoyed conversations with students about American culture, university life, careers in engineering, and many other subjects they were curious about. While she shared her own insights and perspective, she learned so much from them in return. Students valued the opportunity to practice their English while speaking with Emily, and she enjoyed practicing her Spanish with them as well.
Life outside of work
Emily immediately felt at home in Barcelona – on her first day in the city, she celebrated Three Kings’ Day with her host family. Throughout the month, Emily continued to learn so much about the culture in Barcelona. She loved trying new foods every day and quickly adjusted to the Spanish meal times. She shared a meal every day with a different group of students or teachers after school, and she loved getting to meet so many people during this time. On the weekends and after school, Emily loved exploring the city with her host family and new friends. She especially enjoyed the sun and warm weather of Barcelona compared to the cold Boston winter. It was an incredible and eye-opening experience to live in a new city for a month and be immersed in a new culture.
Discovering her passion
Through this experience, Emily discovered her passion for teaching and inspiring students in the STEM fields. She hopes to continue teaching and incorporate it into her future career. She is so grateful for the generosity of the high school, her host family, and everyone who made her experience so memorable. She will always treasure the experiences and new friendships she made in Barcelona. This experience has been a highlight of her time at MIT and she highly recommends that other students participate. The GTL program allowed her to share her love of science and engineering with high school students while experiencing life in Spain, and she could not imagine spending her January any other way.