American vs. Spanish Primary Schools

As the teaching continues and I begin to get a feel for leading a classroom full of eight year olds, I thought it would make my stories easier to understand by comparing our system of public, primary education to that of Spain.

Class Structure: In the U.S. the classes have lesson plans, teachers prepare ahead of time how they are going to relate the class material to their students; In Spain the teachers do not prepare…at all. The class is taught directly out of the book as well. If you do not answer word for word what the book says (even though they are being grammatically correct, answer the question correctly, etc.) you are wrong.

Class Etiquette: While Spain has the same rules as most United States schools (raise your hand to talk, share, respect others, no hitting, etc.); however, the enforcement of said rules is a lot more laid back here. Hitting is common practice, teachers are called on a first name basis, teachers look the other way with cursing amongst the children, and there are few consequences for behavior that deter a child from repeating his/her actions.

Recess: Certain schools are outlawing dodgeball and other games that single kids out in the United States, if things continue we will usurp France on the biggest pussy power rankings. There is one courtyard in my school. The kids have a two-hour minimally supervised break. All hell breaks loose. Where are the teachers? Enjoying a three-course meal of course. And the kids? Locked, literally locked in the courtyard with very nominal supervision. And if you think rules didn’t apply in the classroom, you have never tried to cross said courtyard to get to the staff cafeteria.

Punctuality/Schedule: As you might have ascertained by now, the rules at school are very arbitrary. For one, there is no time allocated in between classes for the students to move in between classrooms. By the time the students are settled in their next classroom, ten minutes of the forty-five minute period have passed. They are also recipients of a very Spanish schedule. The teachers, of course, need a forty-five minute coffee break and two hours for lunch. Almost three hours of their seven hour day are dedicated to running around a courtyard.

You may be thinking, there are definitely unruly public schools in the United States; however, my school caters to an upper middle class neighborhood. The students are great, the problem is, because English is a difficult language to learn, they have no drive to comprehending it. I am learning a lot about myself throughout the process as well, lessons that I am sure will stick with me for a long time after this experience is done (as well as some great stories to retell later).