Hoover Middle Welcomes Student Teachers from Chile

For the first half of February, Hoover Middle School is proud to host six college student teachers and a professor from Chile. This opportunity, in partnership with Buffalo State University’s IPDP (International Professional Development Partnerships) program, is giving these future teachers the chance to observe classroom instruction, learn about our curriculum, and experience what a typical school day is like.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” student teacher Pau Ligarte said. “There’s so many differences between attending school here in the U.S. and attending school in Chile and it’s amazing to see a lot of things we’re not used to seeing.”

Ligarte (23), Isi Quezada (20), Pau Leyton (20), Javito Galindo (27), Benji Palma (21), and Pancho Godov (23) will spend two weeks in the Buffalo area as they shadow teachers and experience American education first-hand. They are all students at the Universidad San Sebastián and are studying to teach English.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for us,” Quezada said. “This is what we want to do for the rest of our lives and I can’t think of a better way to see how things are done.”

The student teachers will be spending time shadowing several Hoover Middle: Mrs. Maze, Mrs. Contino, Mrs. DePasquale, Mr. Marcinelli, Mrs. Dettbarn, Mr. O’Connor, Mrs. Pilato, Mrs. Stevens and Mrs. Corigliano. Having the opportunity to host student teachers is extremely beneficial for both Hoover students and staff members.

“The visit is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the strong teaching and learning happening at Hoover, while fostering global connections and professional collaboration,” Hoover Middle Principal Dean Johnson said. “We extend a special thank you to Mr. Marcinelli for facilitating this opportunity and helping make this international learning experience possible!”

For these student teachers, it was an eye-opening experience to see just how different learning is in U.S. schools compared to those back home. Things like amenities, personal style in classrooms, and large space surprised them the most.

“I couldn’t believe they had a pool,” laughed Leyton. “You don’t see those in public schools in Chile. Some of the private schools have them but it’s pretty rare, especially in the south.”

“It was surprising to see the walls decorated,” said Galindo. “In Chile, teachers are discouraged from putting things on the walls because the classroom is just a room. The students stay there and the teachers go from room to room instead of how you do things here. It’s cool to see so many materials hand-picked by the teacher.”

“The space they have is so large,” added Quezada. “Our classrooms are so cramped. It’s just desks in a row and students sitting at them. You guys have carpets and chairs and couches – so many places for the kids to sit and learn. I like that a lot.”

But one of the biggest things that stood out to them was the way our students absorbed the material. In Chile, the day surrounds the teacher teacher talking in front of a class while the students listen. Here, they’ve seen the students raise their hands and have meaningful conversations – especially with cell phones not at their disposal during the school day.

“There’s so much engagement, it’s surprising. They’re all so respectful and I’m not used to seeing students listen so much. They’re usually on their phones watching Tik Tok videos,” laughed Palma and Godov. “There’s so many activities for them to do. It’s one quick lesson and then you do something new shortly after. I like that a lot because back home it’s usually just one lesson a day. There’s so much more to learn and absorb here during the day.”

Aside from shadowing teachers across the greater Buffalo area, the students will have the chance to see local sites and eat local cuisine. The students head back to Chile on February 14^th.