Similarities and Differences: Spain and American Schools

           Through my experience teaching in Spain I have seen many similarities and many differences between the schools, the class, the students, and the teachers.  The first similarity I’ve seen has to do with the kids.  The kids that I am working with are overall very similar to the kids I’ve taught back in the U.S.  They are interested in who I am, like Harry Potter and “Star Wars,” like to play sports, and are silly with each other.  This past Thursday, I was talking about Walt Disney and had a collage on the screen of some of the many Disney movies.  The kids got really excited talking about what ones they have seen, which ones are their favorite, etc.  Overall, they are happy and it is evident that they enjoy learning new things.  Despite the many cultural differences between the American students I have been with and these students, fundamentally they are very similar.  A fifth grader is a fifth grader whether in Spain or in the United States.

            In addition, the overall school layout is very similar to the United States.  Escolopios School is ages 3 through 18 (grade 12), but is broken into smaller schools.  There is a preschool for ages 3 and 4, then primary school for ages 5-12, and then secondary school for the rest.  Each class that I work with has roughly 25 students, which is the same as the classes that I’ve been in back in the U.S.  When I arrive, I check into the main office, much like I do in the U.S.  Walking through the hall to get to the classroom, I am surrounded by children’s artwork.  In one section, the walls are decorated with an SEL activity that students did.  They had to illustrate a cut-out of themselves and write the things that they value about themselves.  For example, “Me gusta jugar con mi hermano” (I like to play with my brother) or “Yo soy amable” (I am nice) or “Siempre estoy feliz” (I am always happy).  The students sit in desks that are grouped together in clusters, much like the classrooms are set up in the United States.  Bells signal the start and end of classes, and the kids quickly transition from one class to the next.  In the U.S., kids aren’t necessarily switching classes in elementary school, but still have that aspect of transition. 

            However, there are some noticeable cultural differences between the American and Spanish classrooms.  First, everything is less formal and more relaxed.  This applies for teacher-student interactions as well as child expectations.  The students call my SP “teacher.”  For example, when my SP greets the class, they reply with “Good morning, teacher.”  They also refer to me by my first name.  This region in Spain does not run on a strict time clock at all, and that is seen in how the class is run.  This morning, my SP came in to class after the second bell rang (I’m there for her first class of the day on Tuesdays).  I was just about to go ask a teacher in the next room when she came in.  This happens more often than in the American classroom, but really took me for a twist on my first day at the school.  The person who walked me up to the classroom to show me where it was was unconcerned about leaving me with a room full of fifth graders.  Granted, my SP has never come in more than two minutes after the bell rings, but it shows that the school overall has a more laid back attitude about time.  For students, they are expected to do their work and pay attention.

            Another difference is the structure of the lessons.  At BC, we focus a lot on student engagement, rather than lecturing.  In Spain, it is evident that the lessons are much more lecture-based with some worksheet practice.  Although my SP has been enthusiastic about letting me do more interactive activities with the students, the students often need a lot of help understanding what they are supposed to do.  For example, when working with vocabulary for “professions” last Thursday, I had the students do the 4 corners activity.  I asked them “Who would you like to interview?” and gave them options.  Each option had an assigned corner of the classroom, and students had to move to the corner that corresponded with their response.  The kids were very confused about the idea of moving from their desks in the middle of the lesson, and took a lot of coaching (in English and Spanish) until they understood the activity.  This, combined with the work that I see on the board, shows that they don’t do those types of activities often.