Introductions

Hello readers! My name is Karmen Peterson, or Ms. K, and I am a senior Primary Grades Education and Intervention dual major at Ashland University. These past few years have been eye-opening and beautiful experiences one after another. Teaching and working with students bring me more joy than I could ever put into words. Every time I enter a new classroom, I feel eager and ready to learn alongside my students. While my aspiration to become a teacher is still new, I have no doubt that this is what I am meant to do with my life!

So far, I have done my field placements at the Mansfield City Schools district as well as Crestline. I myself actually attended and graduated from the Mansfield City Schools district. Once I arrive in Spain, I will have worked in five classrooms learning various teaching techniques, curriculum, classroom management, and more. I look forward to what else I will learn and how I will grow from this cultural/educational experience.

I am creating this blog because I will be doing half of my student teaching in Ourense, Spain in March. Ourense is a smaller city in the Northwestern portion of Spain sitting only a couple of hours above Portugal. It is known for its heritage and thermal springs. I am beyond excited to explore and learn so much in my time there. Traveling is something that I have always been interested in doing ever since I was little. Growing up I did a lot of state traveling and have been to twelve different states. I took a trip to Canada two years ago and in May of 2024 I went on a trip to Italy with AU.

The reason I decided to teach abroad, specifically in Spain, has to do with my love for traveling but it also has a majority to do with my elementary education. From kindergarten to sixth grade, I went to a Spanish immersion school where I was fully immersed in the language and culture. Almost all of my teachers were from either Madrid or Barcelona and because of this Spain has always been on the top of my traveling list. So, I thought how better of a way to cross it off my list than to basically do what my teachers did and go to another country to teach and learn. When I heard about the COST program and saw that Spain was an option, I knew this is what I had to do.

I have never been so excited yet nervous to embark on a journey as I am with this one. However, this tells me that this is an experience that I will never forget and will probably shape me as a person. I expect to grow as a teacher and person as well as learn so many new things about Spain, myself, education, and teaching. I cannot wait to write all about my time in Ourense. Below is a picture from my first time in Europe during my time in Italy.

Thank you for reading!!