From Madrid to Woodstock

New math teacher Luis Villanueva comes all the way from Madrid, Spain. He moved here with his two kids and wife in July.

“I think everyone welcomed me pretty good and made me feel like I belong here right away,” Villanueva said of his initial experience at WUHS.

This is his 13th year teaching and he is excited to be teaching here at Woodstock. He teaches geometry and algebra. In Spain, he taught geometry but a lot more in-depth than here as it incorporated architecture and arts & technology. He very much enjoys geometry and architecture.

Villanueva’s wife is from Charleston, NH, so they would visit here over the summers and for holidays. They enjoyed New Hampshire and decided to move here. They felt like they needed a change from city life to country life.

There are many differences in teaching here rather than in Spain.

“In Spain, teachers go to the classes, so the groups of students are used to working together. That's good if they know how, but on the other hand could be a hard class to work with. Here they come to you, so you have a little break to prepare for the new class but sometimes it is the only moment where some friends see each other, so they try to play,” he said.

Villanueva says his biggest challenge is the language difference, particularly with masks and an accent. However he is managing well and students report they are enjoying his class.