Overall, I had a really positive experience teaching in Villanueva, Colombia during March of 2024. The highlights were the highly motivated students (especially the teens!), the opportunities to get to know students and their families at lunches and other activities, and the social mission of the school for Venezuelan kids. More details below--I
… read more am trying to include all that I wish I had known prior to coming and upon arrival.
The campuses: There are 3 campuses --one called Cristales, one called Casa Nicolo, and one in Villaluz. Cristales and Casa Nicolo both primarily serve elementary-aged children, with the difference being that all the kids at Casa Nicolo are Venezuelans who can't access normal Colombian public schools. At Cristales, the majority of the kids are Colombians. At Villaluz, all of the students I taught were middle school aged and above, extending up to adults (staff). The Villaluz campus is where the volunteers live, while the Casa Nicolo campus is accessible by bike (there is a shared bike among the volunteers) and Cristales is reached by school bus that picks volunteers up from Villaluz and brings them back around lunchtime.
The schedule: I worked a little over 20 hours a week, divided up between the campuses. I spent a day a week at each of the elementary campuses, and three days a week (two mornings and one afternoon) at Villaluz. My schedule was consolidated into blocks for the most part, so I would generally work from 8-12 and then have the entire afternoon off (or from 2-6 and have the morning off). The staff was willing to take my needs into consideration when making the schedule. My schedule also included two hours a week of Spanish classes provided by Teacher Hermes.
The teaching: My experiences teaching varied across the campuses. At Villaluz, I was teaching academic writing with a focus on test preparation (Cambridge exams and IELTS). The classes were extremely structured, with students having previously received an essay prompt that they wrote a response to and brought to each class. We would pull their work up on a screen and correct it together, answering any questions as we went. I really enjoyed this and saw a lot of progress in their writing over the month that I was there. These students ranged in level from A2-C2, but most of my classes were B2 and above. The kids in these groups were VERY motivated and an absolute joy to teach. At Cristales, the day was divided into hour-long class blocks, and during each hour-long block I would have half of a class, usually around 5-7 kids. The small group size was great and made it very manageable. However, most of the groups I taught at Cristales had beginner-level English and the only resource that the school provides to plan classes around for this group is a spiral-bound book of basic test prep activities, as well as a couple of vocabulary lists. I think it would be helpful for the school to consider providing a more structured curriculum or a textbook that volunteers could work from to plan units and activities, because many of the things in the spiral-bound book were things that the kids had either a) already done, or b) not dynamic enough to fill an hour. I used the themes in the spiral-bound book as a jumping off point, but I ended up finding all of the teaching material and activities that I used online, from various ESL teaching websites. (The school does have a printer that volunteers can use.) The hardest campus to teach at is Casa Nicolo--the kids are great, but the schedule is the least structured and I would often have the groups there for 2-2.5 hours at a stretch, which is a very long time to try and hold the attention of younger kids in a foreign language. I did have some prior ESL teaching experience and it was helpful to me, especially from a lesson planning perspective--the classes are just you on your own with the kids from day one, so planning and preparation went a long way. That being said, this could also be a great place to gain some independent teaching experience for those who are looking for it, because you really do get to do your own thing.
The town: Villanueva was a really nice place to stay, although it is very, very hot. The neighborhood around the school is peaceful, perfect for walking and jogging, and there is a river close by that can (sort of) be walked to and swam in. In town there's a good variety of stores, large supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, a movie theater, parks, a market, etc. I was able to find everything I needed in Villanueva without issue, and the town is SUPER friendly--cashiers in stores would chat with me, asking where I was from and about my experience there, and I felt really welcomed everywhere I went. There is a nice ecological park on the edge of town with swimming, and a lot of pools that are open on the weekends. It felt extremely safe and I had no concerns walking by myself in the day or at night.
Meals: Lunches were provided during the week, and on the days I taught at Cristales I was served breakfast there as well. On the days you teach at Cristales or Casa Nicolo, lunch is provided by the cook at Cristales. The meal was usually a rice-based dish with a soup of some kind or lentils, etc. Twice a week, students and their families would take me either out to eat at a restaurant, or to eat at their homes--this was a nice chance to get to know the students better and to speak Spanish with their families. Breakfasts and dinners were generally independent. The school bought us a huge quantity of fresh fruit and eggs, and occasionally asked if we needed other groceries... but I didn't really understand the arrangement and so typically bought my own groceries. The kitchen is adequate, with a stove, fridge, and basic cooking utensils/pots/pans, although the condition of the pots/pans leaves something to be desired.
The accommodation: There are two rooms at the Villaluz campus. The upstairs room is by the kitchen, and can host a single volunteer (with attached bathroom). The downstairs room has bunk beds and a single bed, so technically could fit three people, although it is very small (and also has an attached bathroom). I stayed in the downstairs room, which I shared with another volunteer. However, the bedroom's only window faces a wall, so the airflow is not good and with the heat it was often difficult for me to sleep at night, even with fans. The mattresses are also not in the best condition. There is a washing machine that volunteers can use at the school. A challenge that I encountered was the lack of good spaces to work at--there are obviously plenty of desks out in the school area, but there were students around from early in the morning until late at night. It would have been nice to have a desk/study area for volunteers to use.
Language: I did speak decent Spanish upon arrival and I think that made my stay easier, although you could certainly manage without it, especially teaching the older students--they have excellent English. With the younger kids, Spanish is definitely an asset. Outside of the school, nobody in the town really speaks any English, but people are patient and helpful and I'm sure you could get by. The Spanish classes I was given at the school were geared towards advanced students and focused on translation, which I found interesting and challenging.
Overall, I found the school community very warm and welcoming and I met some incredibly kind people during my time in Villanueva. People went out of their way to include us--a student's family invited us to a quinceanera one weekend, and another weekend we were taken to some hot springs by a student and her family. The older students are a dream to teach, and the younger students are sweet and affectionate, making the overall teaching experience fun and rewarding. I would recommend this Workaway to anyone who has or wants to gain experience teaching independently, who wants to experience life in a rural part of Colombia, and who is looking to be part of a close-knit community during their stay.
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