We have already seen several false dawns in our relationship with the ongoing pandemic. But across society, in people’s homes, in conversations over coffee with colleagues, and on TV interviews, there seems to be a realisation and acceptance that  COVID-19 will not be going away any time soon, and that we need to learn to live with the disease. Here in the English Department we are taking some tentative steps towards recovering some sort of normality through several ventures, including a return to some pre-pandemic activities, and starting some new ones.

Starting with our oldest pupils, in Bachillerato, there is a definite revival in interest in studying at foreign universities. A number of our 2021 graduates have in fact started studying degree courses in the UK, and reflecting this renewed interest, this year’s Bachillerato groups attended an online presentation by Dr. Martin Hyde, who offers a service to help Spanish students complete their application process to the British university system. Martin had already helped Santa María students with this prior to the pandemic, so it was good to have him back.

You may remember that our school participated in the British English Olympics (BEO) for a couple of years before the pandemic. This year we have a group of nine second and third-year secondary pupils who will be taking part in the virtual “B+” programme. This is an online programme featuring the traditional BEO events – presentations, debate, and drama, for example – in which the best teams from around the world will be invited to the finals in London in the summer.

Now we would like to tell you about several initiatives that we are planning alongside our friends at Saint Peter School, in Massachusetts (USA), for a range of year groups from fifth-year primary to second secondary. Firstly, this April we are planning to proceed with the exchange visit for two of our second year secondary pupils with two of their eighth grade American counterparts, for the first time since the unfortunate cancellation, for obvious reasons, in 2020.

Not only are we hoping to be able to go ahead with the exchange this year, but we have also laid the foundations for contact among younger pupils. Starting in fifth grade we are reviving the ancient custom of letter writing, believed to have been started by Queen Atossa of Persia in around 500 BC. However, technology has changed our lives and students don’t usually write letters any longer. So, why this project? On one hand, it develops their curiosity and makes them more willing to learn: get a map, ask questions and learn a bit more by themselves. On the other hand, they should be aware of their own culture in order to be able to transmit it.

Our contact at Saint Peter School is Patricia Carazo, a former Nuestra Señora Santa María pupil. Here she tells us a little about her philosophy and experience.

Why do you think this kind of activities can help our students? In what way?

“Anytime we are able to expose our students to new cultures, introducing them to a variety of people and new places they will be able to see beyond the classroom and will get inspired to learn and grow. Getting to know students of the same age from a different country will get them intrigued on learning more about them. Our goal is to get them to know each other so when it is time to coordinate the International Exchange the students already will know each other. Traveling to another country will help them develop independence, leadership, and maturity. This educational travel will help students truly experience new cultures through personal interactions and inspiring moments as active participants.”

Can you compare your experience as a teacher of Spanish as a second language with the way you learnt English?

“I have fond memories of Nuestra Señora Santa Maria school growing up and thanks to their English classes I was able to start smoothly when I moved to the United States. Now that I teach Spanish at an American school I aim to inspire my students the same way I was inspired at Santa Maria. Classes at both schools have the same strong foundations and they are really similar in teaching basics. Saint Peter School is a smaller school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but it has the same loving community of parents and teachers!”

We started the pen-pal project in October and we are also hoping to link up on a video call sometime later this year, despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic and the different time zones. We are sure we will achieve our goal and this friendship will go on, hopefully culminating in more exchanges in the years to come!

Gareth Collins y Ana López (Dpto. de Inglés). Colegio Nuestra Señora Santa María. Colegio privado de educación mixta personalizada desde los 2 años hasta la universidad. Zona Conde Orgaz y Arturo Soría. Ronda de Sobradiel, 80. 28043. Madrid.