University Study Abroad at the Cloud Forest School

The Four Months that I spent at Escuela Creativa gave me long-term friendships and an excellent opportunity to see my field of Education in a whole new light. I was exposed to Montessori principles, invited to contribute my Arts Education background, and developed deep relationships with the kids, home stay, staff, and incredible natural environment, Plus, I learned Spanish! I learned about the Children's International Rainforest, was guided by a powerful mentor, and found a real sense of community throughout all of my experience. I strongly recommend it!

I loved working in the first grade classroom at the school this past spring. I learned so much about environmental education, bilingualism, best practices for reading, writing, and math, and how to manage a classroom positively. The staff and faculty at the school are so welcoming. The other interns and I would often find ourselves hanging out with them on a Friday or Saturday night for fun. I really enjoyed living with my host family and they did a great job making me feel like just another sister/daughter in their family. Overall, I could not have had a better experience. I miss my students, the staff at the school, and my host family very, very much.

I am so happy to be a part of this program - as a student interested both in teaching and the fields of Education and Sociology at the research level, my time here has given me the freedom and support to push myself to grow in both of these areas. I have been lucky to be paired with an awesome mentor teacher to learn from, and we work together from 8 - 4 during the school day. For me, this partnership has given me just the right amount of pressure to plan my own lessons and unit, and take responsibility in the classroom gradually, learning a ton but not being too overwhelmed. Monteverde is a close-knit community in an absolutely breathtaking setting, and there is definitely an opportunity for social life outside of the program - but you have to go looking for it! Learning and improving your Spanish, especially with the month at a language institute offered for the first month of the program, is a huge boost to getting more involved in the community and making friends. This program is hard work, but worth it - it pushes you to be more independent and outgoing in achieving your goals.

I have had an amazing experience and learned so much. I have been working as an assistant teacher in the 2nd grade, where the teacher has taken so much time to really teach me. Everyone has been excellent about helping me to get what I need out of the experience. I work every day from 8:00-4:00, helping in the classroom, teaching certain lessons like spelling and writing, leading certain parts of the day like morning circle, and planning. It has been hard work and I have been tired a lot, but it has been such a valuable experience. Monteverde is also a wonderful place to live--it is so beautiful, and there are lots of fun outdoor activities to do.