Student Immersion Opportunities EduEspaña - Spanish Program for High School Students in Spain
*Pre-enrollment Deadline, March 2009
Spanish Language and Literature Programs at CEELE accredited schools in Spain to prepare students for the AP Spanish Exams, Summer 2009. Click here for more information.
WILD – Weekend Immersed in Language Development
Sponsored by the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers Co-sponsored byThe Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Click here for more information.
Teacher Immersion Opportunities Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program
The JFMF Teacher Program allows distinguished primary and secondary school teachers in the U.S. travel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations. Click here for pdf of press release and application.
IREX International Travel Grant for US Teachers
Under the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA), IREX and the U.S. Department of State announce a competition for U.S. middle and high school teachers to participate in a 2 week professional exchange program, Spring 2010. Click here for pdf flyer.
Spanish Summer Institutes
The National Capital Language Resource Center in Washington, DC is hosting a week of Spanish Professional Development Seminars at a discount price. Click here to visit the website.
Stories From Abroad
2006 Embassy of Spain Scholarship Recipient, Sherry Latham
On July 1st I boarded the plane in Atlanta headed for Madrid, Spain. I took the two-hour train ride from the train station in Madrid, Charmartín, to Salamanca in order to attend The University of Salamanca Curso de lengua y cultura españolas para professors de español. I was very excited about returning to Salamanca because I had studied there for a month in the summer of 2003. I was given the choice for several locations in Spain to study, but I chose to return to Salamanca because I felt that the courses in Salamanca would be the most helpful to me in my career.
I arrived at the dorm Sunday afternoon. The orientation meeting was that evening with our tutor, Sonsoles. She gave our group books and a schedule for classes. The schedule listed tours and extra classes that we could pay to attend. Three excursions were included in the cost of classes. Sonsoles would meet with our group periodically after classes to deliver theatre tickets, excursion tickets, and to inform our class about receptions and meetings. We were also given meal tickets to use in the dorm cafeteria; however, my new friends and I loved to eat away from the dorm to enjoy the tapas.
My classes began at 9:00 a.m. and lasted until 1:15 in the afternoon. I decided to take an extra Flamenco dance class at 4:30 in the afternoon, so my daily siesta was often cut short. I attended a performance of Ay Carmela and a concert by Buika, a singer from Andalusia, at the open-air venue El Fonseca.
The other Spanish teachers and I tried to speak Spanish everyday, with the occasional switch to English to clarify or just because we were exhausted. The daily schedule was very rigorous, with hardly a free moment. Weekends were packed with excursions to Madrid, Toledo, or Andalusia.
I learned so much about the Spanish culture. The teachers were very knowledgeable, entertaining, and helpful. They made the classes very enjoyable. From Charro, we learned the origin of names about the Royal Family, how to choose a wine, and about the different regions of Spain, including the stereotypes of Spain. Charro was very animated and made the class a lot of fun!
Not only did I receive an education, but I also enjoyed the Spanish cuisine. My Spanish diet consisted mostly of jamon iberico, manchego cheese, chorizo, bread, and Nutella. The last day the group of people that I met in classes enjoyed churros y chocolate together in the popular chocolotería, Valor.
By attending the studies offered at The University of Salamanca “Curso de Lengua y Cultura Españolas Para Profesores de Español,” I was able to interact with teachers from Seattle, Chicago, California, Nashville, Atlanta, and other states. My classmates were very interesting because of their diverse backgrounds. However, we all have one thing in common. We love Spain!