One of Na’atik’s principal goals is opening up a world of career opportunities to local and Indigenous students. Part of this mission is ensuring that Na’atik offers high quality jobs to the Felipe Carrillo Puerto community and provides career development support to older students and early-career team members. We are proud that our Maya Youth English Program is now led by a former student, Erick Chuc Santos, who acts as an inspiration for other students who are drawn to a career in education.

This year we have welcomed a second former local student, Priscila, to the team. We were delighted that Priscila decided to undertake the placement portion of her English Teaching degree here at Na’atik, bringing her personal experiences and energy to our wonderful group of teachers. She took a brief break from lesson prep to talk to us about her Na’atik journey.

Hi, I am Priscila and I am 22 years old. While I was born up north in Cancun I have lived for most of my life here in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. When I was younger I learned English here at Na’atik, and I am now studying for a degree in  English Teaching at the Instituto Educativo FCP here in town. 

How old were you when you started taking classes at Na’atik?

It was back in 2010, when the school was still very new, so I must have been around 8 years old. I took classes for about 5 years in total.

Did you speak any English when you joined the school?

I didn’t speak much English at all, just a few words. But I did learn quickly. The process of learning at a steady pace with two classes every week helped me a lot. It also helped a lot with my main school as I always got great grades because of what I learned at Na’atik.

Did you have a lot of different teachers?

I did have a few teachers, yes, both from Mexico and from the US. My very first teacher was Yareni, who I now get to work with here at the school, which I really love. I also really liked Laura, one of my teachers from the US. Both of them gave really fun and interactive classes, which were very different from the style of classes I was getting in my normal school. They were much more dynamic in contrast to just copying things down from the board.

What was your favorite part of the classes?

I think it was that they were so engaging and different from what I was used to. I enjoyed the variety of games and group tasks that made learning an active process. It really opened my eyes to how good teaching can be. I also loved the activities that Na’atik offered outside the classroom. Halloween was always amazing, and I loved the trips. We did a scavenger hunt in Playa del Carmen where we had to find visitors from different countries and ask them questions in English. It was really fun and challenging. It made learning real. I really want to apply this kind of learning in my classrooms.

Was there any part of your classes or learning English in general that you found hard?

I wouldn’t say I found any part particularly hard, other than perhaps that I have always found writing in English to be a lot more difficult than reading, speaking or listening.

What made you decide to study English Teaching?

It appealed to me for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, I have always loved languages and I thought that learning to teach English would help me take my English to the next level, giving me a deeper understanding of grammar and some of the complex parts of the language. I also wanted to put into practice a lot of what I had seen in the classrooms at Na’atik.

Why did you choose to do your teaching placement at Na’atik?

I had always wanted to come back here and teach, but I actually started first with a placement at a local school. I didn’t really enjoy that experience so much as the teaching style and requirements were very restrictive and I felt quite limited. Coming to Na’atik felt like the right choice for me, and here I have a lot more freedom to teach students in a way that engages them and makes them interested in English. I also really like the time Na’atik gives me for preparation so that I can give the best classes possible. I also get to work with a team of teachers from all over the world, getting advice and guidance from them.

Do you think you will continue teaching English in Carrillo long term?

I might, I would like to. I am also very interested in translation work as a possible career, maybe alongside teaching, and there are not so many opportunities for that kind of work here. I also would like to travel a bit, so my plans might change. For now I am enjoying teaching, so I will have to wait and see.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Priscila. It is great to have you on the team and to see you inspiring the next generation of English teachers!

To read more about our local education program, and how immersion experiences, online classes and donations help us to give local students access to opportunities that will help them create their own futures, check out our Impact page.  

The opportunity to interact with our local students is a fantastic addition to our MaS language immersion program, which already offers unparalleled cultural and linguistic immersion. To inquire about reserving your immersion experience and making this the year you master Spanish or Yucatec Maya, contact the team on MaS@naatikmexico.org.