The best day that I have had in education did not happen in a classroom. I was in Madrid, Spain with a group of 35 high school students and 5 chaperones. We were on an 8 day long trip traveling through the beautiful regions of Spain. We were fortunate enough to have access to museums, famous landmarks, and delicious restaurants to experience as much of what the country has to offer in a short amount of time.
My absolute favorite part of the trip was when we attended a cooking class. In the class, we learned how to prepare several different traditional Spanish dishes such as paella, the famous Spanish tortilla, churros, among other things. While the food was delicious, the experience of making the food was the truly memorable part.
When we walked into the kitchen, there were several chefs ready to teach us about the food of their country. They spoke all in Spanish during the entire class. My students were of quite a wide range of Spanish abilities but they made it so that everyone understood what was being asked of them. The pure joy that exuded from everyone in that room is something that cannot be described. I remember vividly standing back and taking in the moment as I watched my students experience using their Spanish skills and knowledge of the culture in an authentic way. I remember thinking: This is what it's all about! This is the goal!
While we ate, the students couldn't help themselves from beaming with pride as they consumed food that they had worked hard to prepare. Combining my two passions of travelling and teaching into one was truly a dream come true and the best day(s) in education that I have had thus far in my career.
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