David Bergner’s story begins with a leaky roof. In his room, where the water seeps in, the paint is beginning to bubble up and separate from the wall. But that does not get Bergner down. He is here for experiences of all kind. He made his way to Madrid from Austin, Texas by way of a program recently initiated by the Spanish Ministry of Education. After applying, being accepted and sending in hordes of notarized documents, he arrived in Madrid with a student visa, which allows him to legally teach. The program was designed to introduce more native speakers of English into Spanish elementary schools. Whereas most teachers of English shy away from teaching children, he entered into the commitment specifically for this reason. But he knew what he was getting himself into, más o menos.
Bergner graduated from the University of Austin-Texas with a degree in Radio and T.V. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles and set himself up with an agent. After two years, he still did not mesh with Hollywood’s fool or be fooled mentality so he sought something new. From Buenos Aires, Argentina a friend reminded the disenchanted Bergner that he could stay with him and see if Argentine culture might ignite something in him. “I’ve invested so much in Spanish, so I wanted to use it,†he says. Bergner’s Spanish skills are good, and he found that knowing the language afforded him the opportunity to get more out of his experience. His money ran out, and he returned home four months later to pursue a career in language education so he could give others the same satisfaction.
He began training to teach at a bilingual school in Austin. He studied the vocabulary and teaching methods for every subject. For two years he taught in classrooms where students came in with all sorts of delinquency issues from homes where Spanish ruled. At times kids did challenge Bergner. That’s when he employed The Look. “You know The Look,†he grins, while throwing a scary, wide-eyed, stone-faced stare across the room. “You give the kids The Look in the States, and they just know,†he says. “Here, it does not register,†he says. Bergner finds the student-teacher interaction to be radically different in Spain.
The Spanish Ministry places American graduates all over the country and classrooms and groups do vary. “The government here did a good job of getting us settled in and organizing our work schedules,†Bergner says. “But I am used to a very different [academic] structure.â€
After a 50-minute bus ride north from Plaza de Castilla, he arrives at the public school around 9 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. “I get there before anybody—students and teachers. The teachers usually come in about the same time as the kids… there is very little at-school prep.†Whether they are prepping at home or not, their methodology contrasts completely with Bergner’s. He relies on his naturally animated manner of speech in the classroom. “You can point to a picture or an object or tell a story and use key words in their language,†he says. “A lot of it is nonverbal,†he says. His colleagues prefer that “I read and they translate into Spanish, which I can do...there is no effortâ€
There are opportunities in private schools too, especially if one wants to teach children and has experience. He now teaches at a private elementary for three hours on each of Monday and Wednesday and holds private sessions with the children of two different families in the evenings. Additionally, he has a deal with the small academy closer to the center: he teaches English classes a few hours a week in exchange for free Spanish classes. His skills, energy, and legal status are a hot commodity in an industry inundated with recently certified TEFL graduates with little actual hands-on class time.
In regard to TEFL programs, they are “money making scams,†says Bergner. The major advantage is to “get to know the names of verb tenses and participles, but I don’t think [the course] is necessary,†he adds. Madrid seems to have embraced Bergner as an experienced teacher, but Bergner is not so sure about Madrid. The architecture appeals to him the most, when he has time to look at it. His travel time every day adds up quickly; he spends more time on a bus than he would like. After he deals with his slowly mildewing bedroom he thinks he will be happier. For now he is seeking out quiet cafes and bars where he can go and swap stories about the highs and lows of the Madrid public transport system.
By Vannesa Ann Harris. Courtesy of
MAP Languages 
