Saludos de Mr Dave Warbis, Head of Spanish de Lytchett Minster School

Tal y como está previsto, este sábado, en medio de una buena ola de calor, nuestros socios ingleses del instituto Lytchett Minster School llegarán a Mancha Real para realizar una visita de una semana. 

Mr Dave Warbis, profesor de lengua española acompañante de las alumnas visitantes, nos ha enviado el siguiente texto en el que explica sus motivos para visitarnos y su relación con nuestra tierra.

Como coordinador de este proyecto, quiero dar las gracias a Mr Dave Warbis ya que sin su tiempo, sin su esfuerzo -allí en LMS los profesores también tienen que luchar contra el papeleo- y sin su buena disposición, este proyecto Erasmus+ no habría podido ponerse en marcha.

Gracias, Dave.

Merece la pena saborearlo. 

'In May 2019, I was lucky enough to be invited, at the last minute, to visit Jaén as part of a pan-European Comenius project, which linked my school (Lytchett Minster School) with the IES Las Fuentezuelas and schools in Hungary and France. I had already lived in Seville for six months as a student, and had made several subsequent visits to Seville and Córdoba. Both are cities which I love and where I was made to feel very welcome, although I had never been to Jaén before. The trip was an enormous success, and after the final stage of the project, in which the other schools visited Lytchett Minster, I felt it very important not to lose contact with the Spanish school and with the many friends I had made in Jaén.

Despite Don Manuel Molina Porlán changing schools at the end of the project, we continued to develop our links with the school in Spain. In particular, I wanted as many of my pupils as possible to have the chance to talk to real Spanish students of their age, and so we organised an after-school session once a week, in which English and Spanish students would practise prepared questions using Skype. Because of the time difference between England and Spain, this involved the Spanish students coming back into school at 5 o’clock, but despite that, it was a wonderful success, and the following year our results in the A-level (the equivalent of the Bachillerato) oral exam were the best they had ever been. I am hugely grateful to the Spanish students and staff for their goodwill and kindness in setting up this venture.

When Don Manuel arrived at the IES Sierra Mágina, it was the perfect opportunity to continue our links. We regularly exchange letters between groups of students, in which pupils from both countries practise the language which they are studying in their lessons. I have also had the opportunity to organise the visits of several Spanish teachers to my school, both from the IES Sierra Mágina and the IES las Fuentezuelas, as well as accommodating them with my family. The best way to learn a foreign language is to spend time in the country, and, if possible, stay with friends who speak the language one is learning. To be immersed in another language for all one’s waking hours is a rare but immensely valuable experience.

Mr Dave Warbis, segundo por la izquierda.

In June, our Year 12 students (1º del Bachillerato) have to do a week of work experience, in which they visit local companies and practise skills which they may need in later life. When I was asked by two of my students, Fiona Thorpe and Chloe Cole, what they could do for the week which would involve them using their languages, I wondered whether there was a possibility of them spending time in a Spanish school. I tentatively, somewhat nervously, discussed with Don Manuel whether such a thing would be possible. Fortunately, despite the considerable amount of work involved, he is as keen as I am to continue to develop the links between our two schools, and equally fortunately, the answer was “Yes”.

We arrive on June 17^th for a week, and I thank most sincerely the two Spanish families who, out of pure kindness, have agreed to host our two girls. We are looking forward with eager anticipation to our visit, although the girls are a little nervous about having to speak nothing but Spanish for a week! Jaén is a wonderful area, one I have grown to love, and to visit it will be the experience of a lifetime for Fiona and Chloe. My most sincere thanks also go to the staff of the IES Sierra Mágina, who have welcomed us so warmly into their lessons, but particularly to D. Manuel Molina Porlán and Doña María José Catena García, who I know have worked tirelessly in preparing our visit, as well as Don Ernesto Medina Rincón, for his kindness and support in welcoming us into his school. I look forward to seeing as many old friends as possible during my stay, as well as making some new ones!

Dave Warbis.