Many children have to go to school in San Pedro without the basic proper equipment, we are not in a position to help financially with their school books, which incidentally cost approximately 200+ euros per child per year, but we are in a position to help by supplying the fundamental tools for education.  The committee has decided to use cash from the “Tonne of money” to equip those children, and with the help of the parents associations we will be able to identify those most in need when they re-start school in September.

One of the English teachers in Los Pinos primary school has sent this note of appreciation to the ADAPT School Monitors’ Project:

“In the last several years we have had the good fortune of working with the different volunteers from the ADAPT Association.

Their presence in the classroom has given us the opportunity to work with aspects of the English language that would normally be impossible without the aid of a native speaker.

Not only have they helped us work on proper English pronunciation and phrasing, but their presence has also introduced the students to a new culture (food, traditions, sports, festivities, music …) awakening a curiosity to learn more about the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.

Furthermore we would like to emphasize the importance of the connection created between the students and our volunteers over the course of these years.  The students have grown to love them !

Finally, we the teachers would like to thank our volunteers for taking time out of their day to help us, showing us how we can improve our English, and keeping us sane on the days where the workload was just too much !

Thank you so much for your help. 

Your kindness and hard work does not go unrecognized.

Bilingual Program Coordinator at CBM  Los Pinos”

This is a brilliant endorsement of what our School Monitors are quietly doing for the Spanish Community, week in, week out. We are always seeking new Volunteers as School Monitors, so if you have some spare time in the week and would like to take part, please contact Nicky and/or Eithne at our monthly meetings or email secretaryadapt@outlook.com.

Eithne & Nicky

“My name is Laura. I come from England. I now live here in Spain. I would like to visit you in
school every week, in your English class, to speak to you and help you with your English school
books”.
This is how I introduced myself to a class of 8 year olds four and a half years ago, on my first day as an
‘ADAPT’ School Monitor. I stayed with this class for three years until they left for secondary school. I got to work with them and to know them all.
As a school monitor you need no teaching experience, just a love of what you’re doing and making learning
English fun. The school books used are varied in content including sections on spies (as in 007) and food (as in trifle).
The day we worked on the spy section, 006 and 008 were invented with child
spies dressing up. 006 wore a blue jacket, a black hat and carried a map. 008 wore a red jacket,
blue gloves, and carried a folded newspaper. For the food section, we brought one trifle in to the
school and another was made in front of the class so the students could see how easy it was to make.
At the end of the lesson the children sampled the trifles with much approval and requests for more !
These are just two examples of the fun I have had with very grateful children who love to hear an
English voice and to interact with you. The joy I feel when, for example, I am out shopping in Eroski
and a child runs up to me to say hello and introduce their family to me IN ENGLISH, is indescribable.
Having done four years in Los Pinos school in San Pedro, I am now at a new school in Lo Pagan and
I’m thoroughly enjoying it. The children soak up information like little sponges and are longing to
speak English.