As their trimester-long linguistic and cultural immersion program comes to a close, three students reflect on the Proctor en Segovia experience and describe this longstanding off-campus program in their own words.

Three times a year, Proctor’s Board of Trustees, a dedicated group of 30 volunteers who guide Proctor’s long-term vision and sustainability, meet to discuss budgets, learn about issues impacting the school, and plug into the Proctor community. 

Proctor en Segovia students travel south today to begin their second week-long excursion of their term abroad. They traversed the meseta of Castilla La Mancha and the Sierra Morena mountain range before arriving in Córdoba in the region of Andalucía. There they will study Andalucian culture and history firsthand.

Before leaving Segovia, instead of a traditional written reflection, students recorded this seven-minute video reflection on student life outside of the classroom in Segovia and living with a Spanish host family. They also take us on a quick tour of the Plaza Mayor and the Proctor en Segovia academic center.

While Segovia is the home base for Proctor’s linguistic and cultural program in Spain, students travel on week-long excursions to at least two of Spain’s distinct regions. On the road, classroom learning about history, art history, and culture is made visible. Enjoy these student reflections their recent excursion to País Vasco (The Basque Country).

A group of ten Proctor students live and learn in Segovia, Spain during all three academic terms. They learn the Spanish language and culture through immersion in life with a Segovian host family. Academic class curriculum takes full advantage of place-based, experiential learning, both in Segovia province (Castilla y León) and while traveling to at least two distinct regions per term. In this first post of the spring 2022 term, Proctor en Segovia students reflect on one of the quintessential elements of any culture, cuisine and culinary traditions. Read on for a mouth-watering account of what their Segovia host families have been preparing during their first week and a half studying abroad.

We feel more fragile than we did two years ago. We worry our children are more fragile, too; their childhood upended by a global pandemic, school interrupted, screens trying in vain to replace the human interaction that we know fuels their soul. And yet, as we step into the bright light of a post-pandemic world, squinting our eyes against the flood of “how it was before”, we must realize it is through challenge that our children are strengthened. 

During an interview with a potential consultant to help guide Proctor through an upcoming strategic visioning process, a group of faculty and staff representatives asked the consultant how she would describe Proctor's educational model. Her reply resonated with us: “I’ve witnessed that Proctor has an entirely unique vision of how we all should ‘do school’.” We happen to wholeheartedly agree. 

In this final post of the winter 21-22 term, Proctor en Segovia students write about just how much their perception of the world, their place in it, and themselves changed over the course of just one trimester abroad, in Segovia, Spain. They reflect on personal growth, forming deep relationships with strangers, and developing a sense of place while far from home.