Typical Day Teaching at Escolapios

            I don’t go to Escolapios for a full day, but rather go twice per week to teach a lesson to a class.  That being said, I don’t get the full experience of the school, as I am the one teaching for the class period.  However, my SP helps with management and explanations if needed.

            I arrive to the school a couple of minutes early in order to avoid trying to walk to the classroom during the passing period, where the hallways are very crowded with kids changing classes.  I am there (usually waiting in the hallway while my SP finishes with the previous class) as the kids arrive.  We chat in a mix of English and Spanish (they want to practice their English but sometimes need some help).  The most often topic chosen by the kids is soccer.  Sevilla has two professional soccer teams (Sevilla and Betis), and about half the kids support one while the other half supports the other.  While the kids get settled at their desks, I go to the computer to pull-up my presentation.  Spanish culture, especially in Andalucía, is overall very social.  The kids don’t stop a conversation they might have been having in the hallway just because they sit across the room from each other, but rather continue to shout across the room.

            My SP starts the class by saying “Good morning, students.”  She has a very loud voice that can bellow over their conversations.  The students then cease their conversations and reply “Good morning, teacher.”  They also say good morning to me.  My SP does any housekeeping with the class that needs to be done (including homework assignments, exam dates, events coming up, etc.).  She then introduces the topic that I am going to present about (past tense, Easter in the U.S, music, etc.) and I take over. 

            One main difference between classrooms in the U.S. and my experience in Spain is that there is no differentiation.  Everyone gets the same presentation, the same homework, the same tests.  Everyone is held to the same standards: they are supposed to copy down the notes from my presentation to their portfolio and answer questions when they are asked.  There also appears to be no special accommodations to account for students in the class with disabilities, such as use of technology, that is often seen in the American classroom. 

            That being said, I try to differentiate within my presentations by having students do a mix of talking, listening, and writing.  I try to put as many visual cues (through color coding and images) as well as videos, questions, examples, and more to convey the concepts to all students.  For example, in a presentation about music, I included YouTube videos of artists playing the style.  For example, I included Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World” in the section about jazz.

            The highlight of my experience has been seeing the kids’ effort and engagement into learning English.  They try to say everything in English, but sometimes get stuck on a word.  They are very curious about the United States, as for many of them, it’s a foreign concept.  In addition, the Spanish classroom is overall more laid back than the American classroom.  That being said, I can diverge from my lesson in order to engage in their interests, something that might not be as easily doable in the U.S. with the pressure of standardized tests.

            However, adjusting to the laid-back atmosphere has been one of my biggest challenges while abroad, and even more-so in teaching.  The students call out, talk with each other, and make jokes all during the lesson.  This is all acceptable in the Spanish classroom- as collaboration is emphasized.  That was the biggest cultural adjustment that I had to make teaching in Spain.  In fact, the first few lessons I didn’t know what I was doing.  I knew the information I was presenting, but I felt like I was surrounded by chaos.  I had no idea how to manage the classroom.  My SP usually bellows “A ver!” when I start losing control (essentially a way of getting attention meaning “pay attention!”).  That brings the kids back to focus.  That being said, it feels much more authoritarian than trying to redirect kids’ attention that is typical in the United States.