13/07/2012 · por Meghan MacRae · Tags: Programa Bilíngue

As I come to the end of my year at Da Vinci, I started thinking about my first weeks here in July 2011.  I had just arrived in Brazil for the first time and I knew very little of the culture and even less of the language.  It is very difficult to be in a new place, far away from everything you know, especially when you have trouble communicating.  When I look back now on how I began to learn the language and become used to the customs and ways of Brazil, I realized that my greatest teachers were my students in Infantil IV.  As I tentatively learned to speak Portuguese from them, I developed a great empathy for difficulties they experience when they are trying to learn English. 

I was lucky enough to follow the students from Infantil IV into First Grade and I was able to witness their wonderful progress over the year.  It is amazing how many of them have gone from shy, timid speakers of only a few words in English to confident bilingual communicators.  As I move on now to my next adventure in Brazil, I will never forget how much I learned from my students and I hope they were able to learn as much from me.  Thank you for the all memories I will take with me and thank you for helping me become, not only a part of the school community, but the Brazilian community as well.