I was born in a family of teachers. My mother ran a kindergarten, my father was a Primary School teacher. I was only a teenager when, during my summer holidays, I used to help Mum and Dad teach little kids how to read and write, and do Maths. As soon as I learned English at my Dad’s private practice I started teaching English myself to teenagers. We sang songs and learned the lyrics, practised every day English dialogues, or told stories. Kids loved their “speaking” lessons!

My interest in British language and culture grew when I lived in Kew Gardens (London) while preparing my tests to become an English teacher for Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas de Andalucía (Languages Schools which belong to the Andalucian Government). British culture became an issue and still is nowadays when I am spending Christmas with my extended family in London as I am writing this.

In 1993 I passed the test and joined Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas (EOIs) in Ronda, Málaga. Twenty five years later I can say I have experienced being Head of English, Head of Studies, Head of Administration, Deputy Headmistress and Headmistress at different EOIs in the whole of the Andalucian region. Sharing work with many many colleagues from all over Spain, and abroad.

From Day One I showed an interest in Emotional Intelligence attending courses that developed techniques and strategies which would engage students to the learning of English as L2 through emotionally intelligent activities. A section is devoted in this blog to these emotional intelligence in the classroom. More recently I became acquainted with Mindfulness practices which led me to do online courses on Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence together. This took me to where I am at the moment: postgraduate masters on PINEP by the University of Málaga (Spain). PINEP meaning Self-awareness as a tool for managing your emotions.

This blog is born as a tool, basically, for students of English to learn how to handle stress while they are doing their final speaking tests in English (Level B1 CEF). By doing Mindfulness practices and becoming more aware of their own emotions under stress together with the development of emotional skills my very intention to help students succeed in their exams.

I will be offering emotional intelligence activities for the classroom, which have proven successful with my students. I will also offer Mindfulness practices that students can do in the classroom before or as a training for the oral exams. However, these Mindfulness practices have a wider effect on people as the students themselves have admitted after their classroom practices.