Miguel Recio's interview

Miguel Recio is one of the most popular figures when it comes to the small English-speaking community of Olmedo. He has lived in several countries around the world. Now he has settled down in our village and teaches English. Some of his students are also students at IES Alfonso VI and even some highschool teachers are his students as well. We cannot deny that he has a very critical opinion on how English is taught and the level of English of Olmedo’s students, but this is changing for the better and he is contributing to this change. 

 This interview has been recorded and transcribed by some of Bachillerato students at IES Alfonso VI. 

Miguel, you have had a very interesting life. You have been living in several countries. How long have you been teaching English in Olmedo? 

Well, actually, I`ve been teaching seven years roughly since I came back from Bangkok, Thailand, although it wasn`t easy.  

Tell us something about your childhood.  

When I lived in Hamburg, Germany, I used to teach a doctor in Mathematics, he wanted to travel with his wife by bicycle around Cuba during the summer for three months. 

Tell us an anecdote that you remember about your life in England. 

I was teaching a former Liverpool and Milan footballer. His son’s name was Milan.  

What other jobs did you have apart from being a teacher? 

My first jobs always were... and I mean always was doing the washing up in England, Paris, Hamburg and so on, pretty tough, on the other hand. 

What hobbies have you got and why? 

Well, first of all, I like working out, in the gym, tennis as well, playing basketball and so on despite being quite busy, it is always nice to play sports, enjoy yourself and have a good time. 

What advises would you give to people who want to learn English without the help of a teacher? 

 If I were them, I would pack everything and spend quite a few years in England even if they don’t fancy the idea. 

What are the difficulties and the strengths that your students have when learning English? 

Myself, I believe that they don’t learn English properly at school, they learn how to do a quiz in English. 

Do you think that people in Olmedo have got a good level of English? 

I reckon that the level of English in this village is terrible, to be honest with you, I don´t blame the teachers they teach what they have been told, however, it should improve grammatically somehow.