A Spanish teacher at a small charter school in Pennsylvania, Nancy P. is no stranger to traveling with students. Years ago, before she partnered with EF, she took her students to Spain to help them foster an appreciation for a different culture and practice their Spanish language skills. But then an accident involving a student on tour made her apprehensive about traveling with students, and it wasn’t until she discovered EF that she regained her confidence in leading tours.
Nancy has always recognized the value of traveling with her students. As a language teacher, she’s seen the impact that immersing her students in the culture of the language they’re learning can have. But while leading a tour with a different company, she had a very negative experience, which had an instantaneous impact on her. “Not only did I stop traveling, I didn’t go back to Spain—and I’d probably been to Spain 18 times before that. I love Spain, and I just couldn’t go back.” It took two former students to help her overcome her fear.
“Two of my graduates moved to Spain and teach for the Spanish government. They asked me to come and visit, and I decided it was time.” When she told her current students about her trip, they pleaded with her to take them abroad—and that was when she picked up an EF catalog.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to do it.’ And talk about the planets aligning. [My Tour Consultant] Ally picked up the phone and she was a powerhouse of positivity. She told me, ‘We can make it work. We can do this. You had a terrible experience but that will never happen again.’ I had to do this trip, and it was amazing.”
Ally took care of all the details for Nancy, from helping her plan the parent meeting to walking her through the online components of tour planning. “Having traveled with other companies and then with EF, there’s no comparison in attention to detail. EF is such a finely-tuned machine that nothing is overlooked. There are so many opportunities you wouldn’t get if you traveled on your own, because everything’s scheduled and has worked time and time again.”
There was also the issue of safety, which, due to her last student travel experience, was top priority. “What other company brings their Group Leaders on a specialized tour that concentrates on safety? The fact that they train us first is so empowering. EF is so well-versed on the issues of safety I felt so supported while on tour. And the 24/7 Tour Director? Perfect!”
Her advice for teachers considering traveling with EF? “It completely reignited me. Don’t be afraid and don’t wait.”
Topics:
Educator profile, Spain
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