It was a kick: Jill Biden, educator and wife of the U.S. vice president, visited Ciudadela de Pavas Elementary School on Monday.

Nick Coté | Tico Times

As her husband and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spent the morning speaking with Central American heads of state, Jill Biden opted for third graders.

Biden, who has a doctorate in education and background as an English-as-a-second-language teacher, visited the Ciudadela de Pavas Elementary School Monday morning, where she was greeted by more than 150 children waving small U.S. and Costa Rican flags.

“I feel right at home in this school,” Biden told the gathered children, whose school in the western San José neighborhood of Pavas lacks both a playground and a gymnasium.

The school's director, Nuria Campos, thanked Biden, and a fourth grader, Juan Gabriel Solano, who read a short speech in Spanish highlighting the school's poor conditions and asking for a donation to build a gymnasium.

Biden then went to observe a third grade English class, asking in English the age of one boy, who counted to nine.

The school is part of Costa Rica Multilingüe, an Arias administration initiative that works to promote English in Tico public and private schools.

Courtney O'Donnell, Biden's communications director, said the former teacher requested the visit, which is her first to a foreign school since her husband was sworn in as vice president in January. Though she was in Chile the day before, schools there were closed because it was a weekend, so instead she visited the home of famed poet Pablo Neruda.

“She loves being in a classroom,” O'Donnell said. “It was important to her.”

Biden was accompanied by Caroline Cianchette, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Peter Cianchette, embassy staff and Secret Service officials.

The visit to the elementary school was coordinated by the U.S. Embassy, located only a few blocks from the school. The embassy has been working with the elementary school since 2007, putting on art and music workshops as a way to teach the children English, as well as donating materials to build a roof over the outdoor breezeway where Biden was greeted.

Tico Times reporter Holly Sonneland contributed to this report.