Life in a Spanish Classroom

Studying after school

At New Trier High School in Winnetka, I’ve been accustomed to a grade size of 1,000 students, but this year at my school in Madrid, my grade consists of only 38 classmates. These small grade sizes aren’t unusual in Spain, for many schools here are K-12 with roughly two classes of 20 students per grade. Another drastic difference is the irregularity of the daily school schedule for juniors and seniors, with varying class times (45, 50, 55 min.) and dismissal times (1:45, 2:15, 5:00). Consequently, all subjects do not meet daily, and on several occasions, I have stayed up late finishing that last bit of homework only to discover the next day, I don't even have that subject!

Coming in Late

Although classes end with a bell, they do not start with a bell. Despite the schedule, each class actually begins when the teacher enters and closes the door, even if it may be a minute before offical start time. The other day, Paloma and Cris weren’t back in time from break and were on the wrong side of the door when it shut. Unfortunately, they had to sit in the hallway for the entire hour and miss class. I can't believe how strict the teachers are regarding being late. The daily dash to each class reminds me of trying to arrive at the theater before Act I starts and the closing of the doors.

Teaching

When the teacher enters class, students have to stand up until they are told to sit down by the teacher. Not being used to this, I have experienced quite a few embarrassing instances when I didn’t realize the teacher had walked in and I continued working on my homework. In one case, I heard a cough, looked up and the teacher was right there staring at me, so I jumped up out of my seat scattering my papers and books which flew off the desk drawing even more attention to me. Uhg!

Lecture is the primary instruction style here. Working on problems or questions in small groups is not part of the program. Students listen and watch the teachers present and solve problems on the board by themselves for the entire period.

Sometimes, instruction involves the teacher reading the textbook outloud, skipping over a few words here and there. It is challenging to follow along, so I look over at what my classmates are doing, which is highlighting the exact words that the teacher repeats from the text. At the end of an hour, six textbook pages are covered with 70% yellow highlighting. Back in the U.S., I'm used to reading assignments as homework and highlighting only key points.

Classroom participation

This leads me to my next point about lack of discussion and participation in class. A few weeks ago, representatives from a prominent university in Spain spoke to our grade about academic life and class instruction. When the professor stressed the importance of class discussion, which is worth 15% of a student's grade, the room literally gasped, “¿¿Que??” Yes, my classmates are strangers to the idea that contribution to classroom discussion could ever effect their grades. They are only familiar wtih teachers talking at you and not with you to internalize, absorb and gain deeper understanding of the presented material and concepts.

Running laps for KW

Off to class!

 

School courtyard with fountain