Tell us a bit more about yourself: What do you do now? How long have you been teaching?
I am Sonia, a Primary Education teacher, specialist in Physical Education in the Community of Madrid since 2015.

In addition, I also have a degree in Sports Science, and I am currently continuing my education. This year I am a tutor in 3rd grade and a specialist in EF in 1st grade.

What made you decide to become a teacher? What do you like most about your job?
I have always loved to play at being a teacher, it was clear to me from an early age. In addition, I loved PE classes and sport in general. So, it was the perfect combination.

I love my job in general, seeing my students happy when they come to school, observing how they learn and improve every day and me with them.

We see that you work with ICT tools in your classes, what do you like the most about them and how did you discover Additio?
ICT tools in the classroom are a motivating element for students as well as a facilitating tool for teachers.

In my first year as a teacher I used the calculator a lot and looked for other alternatives, so I switched to Excel. But it still wasn’t enough, and thanks to a colleague I discovered Additio, and that was 3 years ago and I haven’t stopped using it.

How do you organise your day-to-day lessons? What do you always keep in mind when planning your lessons?
In general, I like them to research, think and draw their own conclusions. It is essential to ask them questions to drive their learning.

Another of the most important things is movement, as well as active breaks. We also use both online and physical games to review and reinforce content, as well as to work on concentration.

“Without emotion and movement, there is no learning”.

What is your favorite feature of Additio that you couldn’t live without and why?
I love the ease of creating rubrics and being able to evaluate with them. But above all, I think it is a perfect combination of different ways to evaluate/grade (numerical marks, averages, smiley faces, positives, rubrics…).

If you could give advice to a teacher who is just starting to work in the classroom, what would you say?
To come into the classroom with a smile on their face and listen to their students, to put themselves on their level and give them confidence; I think that would be the best advice.

During this time of pandemic, what is making it most difficult for students to learn?
Well, I could say any new content, since some students have to be absent due to certain measures dictated to us and when they return to the classroom they have to pick up the pace again. But as the following year they reinforce and extend almost all the content, perhaps it is not of vital importance.

What I do consider fundamental and worrying is the difficulty of transmitting their emotions and feelings. We have already spent two years with half our faces covered, both among peers (pupils) and adults, and this makes it very difficult when it comes to learning; to know what emotion we are transmitting and therefore for them to learn them. In addition to the psychological pressure that the situation entails, as we can see from the high demand for mental health care for children and adolescents.

Therefore, as teachers, we must help our students, and a happy school day is a determining factor for their overall good health.