U.S. student teacher visits Iribó School

Iribó School had the pleasure of hosting U.S. student, Ms. Hope Goes during 8 weeks between August and September 2019. Ms. Goes is a senior at the University of Wisconsin, and came to Costa Rica to complete part of her practicum for her degree in Elementary Education. She became part of our staff, teaching Conversational English in primary school. Our students enjoyed her lessons and getting to know her. We wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Please read below the sweet letter she recently sent us.

To Iribo Staff:
Hello all!
I am back in the United States and still recovering from my time in Costa Rica. I’ve had a week to reflect on my experience and I wanted to share a few words of appreciation for a fantastic experience. From the moment I stepped foot onto the school, I was welcomed with kindness and generosity. Each one of you introduced yourself, smiled at me, and made me feel very welcome. I’ve never been at a school, in the United States, Europe, or otherwise, where I felt so comfortable from the very beginning.
Throughout the two months I was at Iribo, I learned so much about teaching- more than I thought I would. I really learned what it means to be «patient»- something I’ve never been good at. I was so impressed with each of the teachers I worked with and those I observed. It’s easy to say that the staff of Iribo goes «above and beyond» in all that they do. I’ve never seen such dedicated and hardworking teachers before, and I’ve been in a LOT of elementary schools throughout my college degree.
Even while I was sick, everyone was so kind, checked in on me, and helped me with whatever I needed. That was really nice. Being sick in a foreign country (where you don’t know the language) is definitely an…. interesting… experience. I am so thankful for each of you.
I really enjoyed the lunch provided by Iribo and the staff that works in the cafeteria were especially kind. I have about 3 more months left of teaching where I will teach in a 1st grade classroom every day until I graduate from my University in December.
Thank you all so much for your kindness. See you in 3 years!
Hope Goes