Learn Spanish Travel Spanish Blog

 

     We’re each going to do a separate review on this page, since we are at very different levels, have different classes, teachers, etc. We’re only going to use the first names of teachers we like. The others will remain nameless. Also, Sherry is going to do a separate blog page on Guanajuato, since she hasn’t been able to get any blogging done. It’s more difficult than you would imagine. It takes about an hour to do a page and put any thought into it. We do it on a Works sheet and then transfer it later. Transferring pictures takes forever to download, and that’s why there aren’t many pictures – no time. I’ll add them later. A full day of class, homework, exploring, eating, doesn’t leave a lot of time.

 

Bill’s Review of Academia Falcon, Guanajuato Mexico:

There were things I liked about Falcon. Each day we get a quesadilla athe the cafeteria during break. That’s good. The office was very helpful in giving you information you need about town. They helped us find a place to get bus tickets, etc.

The school grounds are under construction (although we never actually saw anyone doing any constructing). It was pretty messy and not very attractive. The rooms were adequate, but small. Small is good, for small class size, but with four students sitting around a central table, there wasn’t room for our folders. Not much they can do about that, I suppose.

My main complaint was with the teaching staff, and since I only had three teachers, of which one was good, one was fair and the other …. well, wasn’t, I can’t really say it’s the “teaching staff”. Let’s say, a couple of teachers.

Start with the good one. Edith. Conversation Class. I really liked her. She kept the conversation going, asked tough questions, supplied the words we needed (and wrote them down so that you could see them – a big help) so that the conversation didn’t get too bogged down. Remember, this is a beginner’s class, so we don’t have that much vocabulary. Anyway, I liked Edith.

The other conversation teacher was so-so. Now, she seemed not to be feeling well, so I’m going to cut her some slack.

The worst was in my two grammar classes. Both were taught by the same guy. He seemed depressed. He also gave the school orientation on Monday evening, which was lame. Anyway, he didn’t really teach. We would open our book to a lesson, he would read what it said to do, we’d do it, he’d walk around, check it, correct it (without much explanation), and that’s pretty much it. It’s the same thing he did for orientation. He handed out different orientation sheets from the school and would have students read them (and that’s it).

One teacher doesn’t make a bad school, but there was no enthusiasm here. I’ve only been to one other immersion school, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but most people working here just seemed to be reporting for a job. The students are here because they are enthused about something. A school with a malaise could sure dampen that enthusiasm. And this is not an enthusiastic school.

And I just didn’t learn much. It was nice to review some of the material, but everything that we did in the grammar classes I could have gotten on my own from Rosetta Stone or Spanish For Dummies. What I did learn, I learned in Edith’s Conversation Class.

Would I recommend Academia Falcon? No. Sorry. Find a school down near El Centro.

 

Sherry’s Review of Academia Falcon, Guanajuato Mexico:

 

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