Verónica, our assistant teacher

Cooperative writing by Class 3C

Veronica was our assistant teacher this year. She is leaving us next June, so our class decided to make her an interview.

Hometow (Irene) She was born in Toronto, the same city where she lives now. When I asked her what it was like, she said that it was a nice, beautiful and big city but that it had changed a lot over the years. She had lived there all her life, except for a few years. She told me that she had lived 4 years in Waterloo, 2 years in France and 1 year in Spain. She explained to me that she hasn’t got family in Toronto anymore, but that she still has a lot of friends there. When I asked her about her best memory of Toronto, she answered that it was when she was 12 years old and she had been able to go from the outskirts to the center of Toronto with total freedom.

Childhood (Gabriel) First I  asked what Veronica  did when she was a child and she had told me that she liked  to spend time with animals and she liked  to read a lot.  Then I   asked her if she went out with her friends a lot and she told me that she hadn't had  too many friends.   She had lived in a neighborhood where almost all the children  were older than her  so she spent time playing with her imaginary friends.

Finally I  asked if Veronica  had any idols and she told me that she hadn't.

Primary School (Alejandro) I started by asking Veronica if she enjoyed primary school. She  answered that she hadn’t liked  it. She told me that it was a small school, in that school they didn’t have a lunchroom .Also they didn’t have many extracurricular  activities. She said  that she had to ride  a bus to go there, also that she had few friends. Later I asked her what was her favourite subject and she replied  that her favourite was English  because she liked to speak it. She told me that she got along well  with her teachers. Finally she said that she had good marks in school.

Secondary School (Victor Hugo) I started the interview with Veronica by asking   what  her high school was called.  She said that it was called  Runnymede Collegiate Institute.  , I asked her  where it was  located and she answered that it was located 20 minutes away from her house in Toronto (walking). In addition we talk about her favourite subject.  , She said that it was English and finally I asked her  “what was your high school like ?”. , “It was fun,big but not to big, with a pool and tennis court “ she said.

Further education (Sofía) When it was my turn, I first asked her what she had done after she finished secondary school. She answered that first  she had started working at a summer camp for kids of all ages (from little kids to  teenagers), as a swimming instructor. She also told me that after that summer, she had attended  the University of Waterloo  for 5 years. Finally, I ask her how she had felt at  university , and she said that it was exciting because she had freedom, but she had been very far from home and she had also been a bit disappointed because it hadn’t been like in the movies, it had been all very normal.

Travels (Isaac) First, I asked what countries  Verónica had traveled to, and she answered that she had traveled to countries like Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Mexico, US, England, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Holland.

Later, I wanted to know what country she had liked the least and the most, so, Verónica said that the one she liked the most was France, for the food and the architecture, and the one that she liked the least was none.

In the end I asked  her  which country she would like to travel to in the future and she exclaimed that she would like to visit Italy.

Hobbies (Ioel) First, I asked about  her hobbies and she answered that her hobbies were  reading and cooking. After  that I ask  when her hobbies had  started and she answered that when she was young her  classmates  lived far from her home and she entertained herself by reading books.   She had started cooking when she moved away from home. Lastly   I asked Verónica If she still  reads or cooks nowadays and she told me that she reads  books and she cooks in her house whenever she has free time.

Finally she told  me that  children nowadays do not read books and prefer watching  TV or playing video games and these things are less healthy  than reading books. I agreed with that idea.

Interests (Enrique) First, I asked about  her interests and she answered that she liked watching films, reading books and cooking. After that I asked her about what kind of films she liked and she said that she liked all kinds of films except she didn't like  horror films. She also  said that she would see more documentaries but she found them very boring and when she watched TV is for entertainment . Then, I asked her what books she liked and she said that she liked  fantasy books and fiction.  .

Finally, I asked  her if she liked art and she told me that she was not very interested in art but that she liked  photography a lot because in the past she had studied photography.

Previous jobs (Sara) I started by asking what she had  done before becoming a teacher.  She answered that she had been working as a government worker.I also asked her if she had liked that job  and she said that she did, at first,  but that she had gotten bored and she had wanted to leave  it.Then I asked her why had she decided to become a teacher and she answered  that she had answered  an advert to come  to Spain and teach English. It was risky but she had done it. Finally, I asked her if she liked working as a  teacher and  she told me that she liked it sometimes.She didn't like it when the students  didn't listen to her.

 Spain (Pablo) First, I asked Veronica what she thought of  Spain and she answered that Spain is a very calm country. Next, I asked  what she thought about the people in Spain, and she said to me that the people in Spain are  very pleasant, happy and friendly. Then , I asked  which she prefers  Spanish mountains or  beaches, and she answered that she prefers the mountains.

And finally, I asked Veronica what  she likes best about  Palencia, and she told  me that the best thing about  Palencia is that she can ride her bicycle everywhere.   

Plans (Sergio) First, I asked Veronica what were her plans for the following year, and she answered that she would be spending the summer in Ontario. Then, I asked her if she was planning to stay at  Jorge Manrique and she answered that she would come back in  September as a language assistant for another year. Finally, I asked her what were her plans for the future and she answered me that she didn’t know exactly but she wanted to return to Europe and she wanted to visit some countries like France.  

 Teaching Experience (Manuel)  First, I asked Veronica what she thought of  the students at  Jorge Manrique High school. She told me that we were very noisy and we spoke a lot during class. Later I asked her if she was happy here, teaching us. She said that some days she was happy and others not so happy. Finally, I asked her if she had taught  before. I was shocked. She told me that she had never taught  before. Our whole class  thought she was a teacher!