On Thursday, Ingrid (my host mom) invited me to her school to give a little presentation to her students on what my daily life in the USA is like. In Spain and most European countries compulsory school ends at 16, then students can study for two years during their Baccalaureate to prepare for University. The class I spoke to was in their last year of compulsory school, so around 15-16 years old. I gave my presentation and they asked me some questions like, “Do you really have prom?” or “Is your school like High School Musical?” Most of their questions were based off of the different American movies and television shows they’ve seen.

The biggest differences I saw compared to my high school experience were:

–Dress Code: It’s non existent. I saw 12 year old girls basically wearing sports bras to class and more butt cheeks than I care to say. Of course there were a lot of girls/boys wearing normals clothes, but wow is all I can say. 

–Behavior: So right now I am finishing my Master’s in Secondary Education (Grades 7-12), and behavior is a big concern when my teaching is observed. In the halls, students are super loud, bouncing around, and some sucking face with each other. It all goes. I know there are definitely schools back home like that, but still noteworthy. In the classroom, the students are also more vocal and work in groups. They are extremely loud, but when you walk around, they are actually getting their work done. Also, when Ingrid calls attention to the class, they listen and participate. Students also call teachers by their first names!

-Cell phones: My biggest pet peeve in teaching is watching half the class with glazed eyes on their phones. In this school if your alarm goes off or even if you’re checking the time, your cell is immediately taken away, held for 48 hours, and your parents have to pick it up. No warnings or chance. This happens the first time.

-Food/Breaks: I explained before how different the eating schedule is here and that applies to school as well. They eat breakfast beforehand, have a snack around 10:00am, which consists of a sandwich with chips or something, and then when they’re done with school, they have lunch at home. 

My kids have lunch at 1:30 at their grandparents, return to school at 3, and then finish the day at 4:30.

Now that I have given my presentation, the students will create one about Catalonia, their traditions, food, activities, etc. On Wednesday and Thursday, I will go to the kid’s school to give a presentation to the younger students, then on Friday I will return back to Ingrid’s school to listen to presentations created for me. 

I am glad that I am seeing a different side of education in another country. Since I wanted to teach abroad after I graduate it was definitely helpful to see how schools outside of the USA run. Another big difference for teachers here is that when they graduate from their program, they are guaranteed a job in Spain. That means they get their degree and know they will have a classroom that year since the government assigns them. This is a HUGE difference since getting a job back at home not that easy in general and education is difficult as well. 

I’ll do my weekend update tomorrow, which will feature some pictures from Girona. If you are ever in Spain you must go to Girona!