Alumni Trio Adapts to Teaching in Madrid, Pandemic Style

When quarantine began in March 2020, Chloe Morton ’19 decided to improvise, creating virtual scavenger hunts to engage her middle and high school-aged students.

It’s a typical assignment in the age of COVID-19. But she also had to add English subtitles. After all, she is teaching in Spain.

One third of each graduating class at the University of Mary Washington studies abroad, so it’s no wonder that some decide to move overseas after graduation. Three 2019 alums – Morton, Thomas Peterson and Cara Wissinger – are among several Mary Washington graduates who have moved to Madrid to teach after participating in UMW’s study abroad program with Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao during college.

Teaching abroad in a global pandemic is no easy task. Here – in a Q&A – these recent UMW graduates share how they’re navigating life in a foreign country, thanks to skills they honed and support they received at Mary Washington.

Chloe Morton, chemistry and psychology major

When did you first study abroad?
I attended Universidad de Deusto in 2016 and enjoyed Spain so much that I returned the following summer to work as an au pair for my host family.

What inspired you to teach in Madrid?
I wanted to become fluent in Spanish. At first, I taught in a more remote area in Granada, but mostly older English-speaking expats lived there. In Madrid, I interact with more Spanish speakers who are my age. I was teaching at a secondary school at the beginning of the pandemic, but now I work in a primary school as a language assistant for English, natural science and social science classes.

What’s it like teaching abroad during a worldwide pandemic?
When we switched to online teaching, I made videos to engage my students. We’re social distancing now that we’re back in school, but that can be challenging with young children.

How do you spend your free time?
I learned to cook multiple dishes during quarantine. I often visit parks and go to intercambios, a group to practice my Spanish skills, as well as open mic nights to hear Spanish poets and singers.

A chemistry and psychology major at UMW, Chloe Morton moved to Madrid to teach English after her 2019 graduation. She hopes living and working abroad will help her become fluent in Spanish.

Chloe Morton (fifth from left), seen here in summer 2017 with fellow UMW students, spent a summer studying abroad at the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao while attending UMW. She’s now working in a primary school as a language assistant for English, natural science and social science classes.

Chloe Morton (front row, second from right) with her host family from her study abroad experience in Bilbao; she returned the following summer to serve as an au pair for the family.

Thomas Peterson, international affairs and Spanish major

What classes or professors inspired you to go abroad?
[Director of UMW’s Center for International Education] Jose Sainz encouraged me to study and work abroad. After taking Professor of Spanish Betsy Lewis’ service-learning class, I decided to get a certificate so I could teach ESL.

What grade do you teach?
I work for a bilingual high school, helping students with English writing and speaking skills in all subjects. I also teach them about American cultural traditions like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m not able to travel because of COVID-19, so I hope to stay in Madrid for an extra year and then teach in Italy.

How did UMW prepare you for a life and career abroad?
My liberal arts education made me familiar with the subjects my students are taking. And UMW’s Spanish professors were outstanding; I speak the language really well because of them.

2019 alum Thomas Peterson moved to Madrid to teach English after graduating from Mary Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and international affairs.

Thomas Peterson (back row, fourth from left) with his UMW classmates in front of a replica of Picasso’s “Guernica” in Guernica, Spain, while attending the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao in 2017.

Though he misses traveling through Spain, Peterson said he still enjoys socially distanced activities while living in Madrid, like this performance of orchestral music from films like “Harry Potter” and “Jurassic Park.”

Cara Wissinger, historic preservation major, Spanish and museum studies minor

When did you first study abroad?
I first went to Spain in summer 2017 and lived with a host family. As a museum studies minor, I was lucky to live on the same street as the Guggenheim, in the heart of Bilbao.

What inspired you to teach in Madrid?
I wanted to go back to Spain and learned about several programs in which native English speakers can become language and cultural assistants. I’m now teaching children age 3 through second grade in a bilingual school.

What’s it like being in a foreign country during a pandemic?
Life feels somewhat normal, except for having to wear a mask. I feel safer here than at home with my parents, who are older and more vulnerable to the virus.

How did UMW prepare you for a life and career abroad?
Mary Washington’s small class sizes gave me the ability to feel heard by my professors, and that’s what I want to give my students. UMW also taught me how to be flexible, which is a useful skill in any profession, especially during a pandemic.

Cara Wissinger majored in historic preservation and minored in Spanish and museum studies while at UMW. After studying abroad, she decided to return to Spain when she learned about programs in which native English speakers can become language and cultural assistants in schools in Spain.

Cara Wissinger hikes at Mirador de los Poetas, in Cercedilla, Madrid, where she now lives after graduating from UMW in 2019.

In non-COVID times, one in three Mary Washington students volunteers, interns, conducts research or joins a faculty-led trip or other UMW-approved experience outside the United States, according to Center for International Education Director Jose Sainz. Visit the Center or call (540) 654-1434 for more information.