This testimonial is a personal learning journey of a participant in the Implementation Journey by Teach For All and Enseña por Colombia. In the project, university students become Fellows of the programme, taking a two-year placement in the countryside of Colombia to learn and implement social-emotional skills with their teacher colleagues, students and the wider community. Researchers at Teach For All iterate the innovation based on the results.
Name: Angie Botero
Role: Regional Coordinator, Enseña por Colombia
Location: Medellín, Rionegro, and Envigado
Number of fellows under supervision: 9
Expectations and Goals for the Programme
Why did you decide to join Enseña por Colombia in your current role?
I feel that this is the role I enjoy the most within the organisation because I remain connected to the classroom. While I’m not directly teaching, I still visit Fellows and have an impact in a different way by supporting the teachers I work with.
I also believe this role allows for a broader impact, as I support leaders in their classrooms. Additionally, I love sharing my own experiences; how I went through the process of being a Fellow myself so that they can see that it is possible and that they can achieve great things.
This role is dynamic because it’s not just about visiting and supporting the Fellows. I constantly interact with different areas of the organisation, which I find fascinating.
Also, building relationships with various school stakeholders—headteachers, coordinators, and other teachers—makes the work even more interesting.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Going back into classrooms, seeing teachers in action—sometimes I even feel like stepping in myself, but I can’t because I’m in a different role!
It’s exciting to observe the learning process from this perspective. For example, I support a Fellow who teaches at the same school where I was once a teacher. Seeing the progress of students from this new role is fascinating, and I enjoy offering guidance.
I also love understanding the different dynamics within each school; each one has its own methodologies and ways of doing things.
Do you think the development of socio-emotional skills is important for both learning and teaching? Why?
Absolutely. I often reflect on my own education as a child, there was no emotional connection with teachers; everything was purely academic.
Recently, during training sessions, a new Fellows asked, “If a student doesn’t listen to me, what should I do?”
My response was: “You need to connect with them in a different way, not through authority, but by understanding them, learning what’s happening with them, and fostering their leadership as well.”
So, I completely agree that socio-emotional skills are essential for how students learn and how they engage with teachers in the classroom.
Do social-emotional skills impact your specific responsibilities in your role?
Yes, totally, because I see my Fellows as my students. If I don’t establish empathy, if I don’t guide them in decision-making and leadership, a lot is lost.
My relationship with them can’t just be about providing feedback and then leaving. I make an effort to understand their context: where they live, if they’re alone, how they’re doing in their environment.
Holistic support creates a significant impact on the Fellows' learning curve and their relationship with me as a coordinator. And this, in turn, affects their students.
For example, if I give feedback without empathy, a Fellow might perceive it as negative criticism rather than a learning opportunity. That frustration could then be carried into their classroom, impacting their students.
As coordinators, we must understand how to develop socio-emotional skills – both in our Fellows and in ourselves.
Implementation of the Innovation
How would you describe your experience implementing the socio-emotional skills module?
I led the training sessions alongside Joyce, so I played a significant role in the process. This gave me a deeper understanding of these skills and their components.
Teaching about social-emotional skills gave me a great advantage—I learned how to integrate and adapt them into our existing training and support structures for Fellows. I was also able to incorporate them into evaluation tools such as rubrics.
However, one challenge was that our training for coordinators was too brief. It would have been beneficial to delve deeper into these competencies, making them easier for everyone to implement.
Another challenge was providing differentiated support for Fellows; some got the training for socio-emotional skills, while others not. I often felt that if all Fellows received this training, they might handle certain situations differently.
Lessons Learned
What has been your biggest challenge in implementing the socio-emotional skills module?
Helping Fellows integrate socio-emotional learning into their lessons instead of seeing it as something separate. It took a lot of feedback and reinforcement because at first, they struggled with this concept. I had to guide them step by step, saying:
“Let’s build this together so it doesn’t feel disconnected.”
Some would only implement socio-emotional strategies when they knew I was coming to observe. I had to be firm in reinforcing the importance of genuine integration.
This required consistent support to ensure effective implementation. Another challenge was that some Fellows who weren’t part of the socio-emotional programme wanted to be included.
How did you overcome these challenges?
I had many conversations about the research behind the programme, explaining its purpose and goals. Usually, Year 1 Fellows were the ones requesting participation. I assured them that they could join in Year 2, once they had a stronger foundation.
I also encouraged peer support among Fellows.
We organised an in-person gathering, where those who were part of the programme could share experiences with others. This created connections, fostering empathy and assertive communication among them.
Take-Aways from the Implementation Journey
What has been so far your greatest accomplishment from this process?
By my final classroom observations, I no longer needed to ask which socio-emotional skills were being worked on. Fellows automatically included them in their lessons.
For example, an English teacher who initially conducted socio-emotional activities in Spanish had transitioned to integrating them in English, fully aligning them with the day’s lesson.
Another success was seeing teachers adapt their activities for different grade levels.
One Fellow conducted a socio-emotional exercise with Year 7 students and later modified it for Year 3, adjusting the instructions to suit younger learners.
This was incredibly rewarding—showing that teachers don’t need to use hundreds of different strategies.
If they consciously apply just one, it can gradually develop students’ socio-emotional skills.
What have you gained from this programme?
A lot. Having been a Fellow myself, and now working as a coordinator, I have learned so much. I’ve developed organisational skills, adaptability, resilience, and a deep appreciation for diversity. I’ve realised that we are where we need to be, where the programme needs us at any given moment.
I’m originally from Ibagué, but I’m now based in Medellín. I started here as a Fellow, and now I’ve stayed on as a coordinator. It’s rewarding to let things flow, give your best, and then see the incredible results.
Even though I’m no longer a teacher, I still visit students once a month, and that in itself is fulfilling.
What is one key takeaway from the socio-emotional skills programme?
One of my favourite activities is simply asking: “How are you feeling today?”
This programme taught me that there are so many emotions we don’t recognise or understand. Sometimes, we experience emotions but lack the vocabulary to express them. It made me realise that many students, and even Fellows, struggle to articulate their emotions, often just saying “I’m fine” or “I’m not okay.”
Following and naming emotions can create powerful change.
If you could start again, what would you do differently?
I would focus on deepening the training, especially around practical examples. Providing model lesson plans and classroom demonstrations would make it easier for teachers to integrate socio-emotional skills without needing extra time.
