Spanish teaching student Sarah Steimle went to Spain to get teaching experience, but she left having gained so much more.
When most people visit Madrid, Spain, they might attend a Real Madrid football game, visit the historic thoroughfare Calle de Alcalá, watch flamenco dancers perform, or enjoy a show at a bull-fighting arena. However, when Sarah Steimle (Spanish teaching ’25) visited Madrid, she spent her time doing something a little different: teaching English to Spanish children at a school in the suburbs of the city. Through her experience working and living in Spain, Steimle came to understand the transformative power of cultural immersion for academic—and personal—development.
Heartfelt Learning
For six months, Steimle lived in Spain and taught English to children, their ages ranging from three to 12 years old. In the classroom, she utilized the Spanish she learned at BYU and on her mission in Houston, Texas, to teach these students English, which represented a complete reversal of her career goals. However, as an aspiring high school or university Spanish teacher, Steimle says she’s glad for the change of pace she experienced while teaching English to a younger demographic: “Working with kids was really transformative, just because they give you so much love. [They] just have the biggest hearts. Kids teach you how to love and how to love first, even when the other person literally hasn’t done anything.” She recalls how she would receive hugs, thank-you notes, and encouraging words from the children, all of which made her want to become a better teacher.
Outside of her time teaching English, Steimle ensured that she made the most of her time in Spain. Between her travels to different cities in Spain and different countries in Europe, Steimle connected with the locals, regularly volunteered at a nearby soup kitchen, and prioritized going to church and participating in the nearby branch. “Even with all of the beauty of the cities and the really good food we had,” she says, “the people and the students I met, and the relationships I had with them, were the most special [to me].”
Steimle describes several instances where she fostered authentic connections with the people around her: the children she taught, the men and women who volunteered with her, the old man she passed every week on the way home from church, and the university students she lived with. This demonstrated to Steimle the importance of connecting with the people who make the culture what it is. “I really appreciated being able to kind of go undercover into Spain and get to know the kids, the teachers, and the people,” she says. “It really feels like [you’re] a part of Spain and a part of their lives.”
Kids teach you how to love and how to love first, even when the other person literally hasn’t done anything.
Bringing Spain Home
Now back in the US, Steimle looks forward to using the experiences and knowledge she gained from her time teaching English in Spain to aid in her future Spanish-teaching career. She understands the value of learning through experiences and wants to transplant that enthusiasm she felt into the hearts and minds of her future students by telling them stories of her time abroad, showing them the photos she took, and teaching them real-life Spanish language principles that she learned as she spoke with Spaniards. She says, “I [want to] encourage them to also go and make those relationships with other people and really step into other cultures.” Steimle wants her approach to teaching to highlight the importance of cultural and linguistic open-mindedness, and she wants her students to not only learn Spanish but to also develop a genuine appreciation for the diverse cultures where the language is spoken.
Despite all the difficulties that went along with her experience, Steimle remains adamant that Spain was exactly where she needed to be. “I think focusing on connecting with people and letting yourself be different than who you’ve been in the past [is important]. You have to be open to change.” Thanks to her experience in Spain, Steimle wants to explore more options abroad, such as getting a master’s degree in Spanish education or working professionally as a second-language teacher.
To learn more about the program Steimle participated in, visit the NALCAP website.
