Rambling: Education in Spain

Well, as anyone who's ever met me can suspect, I've been very interested in learning about education in Spain.  I was warned early on that it's 'very strict, and not at all like American schools."  Hmm.  Here's what I've seen so far:

Spain in General

• Tons of kiddos have rolling backpacks.  This kind: 
• Public universities costs $650 - $1300 a year. OMG. (Masters can be up to $2,000 a year, private schools can be up to $16,000 - still a lot better than the 2010 average of $32,000 for a private school in the US).
• The hot thing here is bilingual English/Spanish or French/Spanish schools.  It seems like they all teach language arts and math in Spanish, then English and science in the other language (because 'math is complicated they should learn it in their own language'). The British Council seems to be providing a lot of support (for Adult English classes as well) and their website amazes me - does America have any official program to help others learn English? (Although the British English is weird to me - has she got trousers? instead of does she have pants?) 
• I notice a huge lack of emphasis on Social Studies. 
• The school buses (which are like awesome coach buses) have not only a driver, but a sweet woman who monitors the kids and helps them load and unload and says hi to the parents. I got weird looks when I said that most buses don't have that in the US - 'well then what happens if something happens while the driver is busy?' My first thought was that a lot less teasing would happen on US buses if we had more bus monitors, but then I remembered this video.... 
• I was told that "Spanish tests aren't like in America - here there are a lot of essays. You have to know every detail and every date of everything, so the students spend a lot of time memorizing. It's not like in America where you learn big concepts, which seems better."  
• I think all schools here, public or private, have religion class along with all the other specials. Weird. A teacher told me, 'I thinnk they're able to opt out,' but it seems like no one does. 
• In the optional second half of high school (modeled after the UK's A-level system, which I love), students must take Philosophy.  How cool is that.
• In 2009, Spain ranked 26 in reading, 28 in math, and 28 in science (the US ranked 14, 25, and 17).  P.S. when searching for the rankings I came across an animated video about how rankings are determined - you can watch it here.  The sections on what PISA looks for, at 3:20, and global trends across results, at 6:55, were really interesting!

Visiting a School

• The classrooms are TINY!  I saw all the first-fourth grade rooms in a school, and they had just enough room for a whiteboard, the teacher's desk and storage, and the desks to be in a row.  No one had a rug or meeting area, a library or bookshelf area, or tables for small groups or centers.  I got the impression that no one minded this, since they don't work in centers or pull small groups for instruction... can't say I heard the word 'differentiation' while I was there (I was a big fan of the windows, though).
• The lunch schedule astounded me - everyone has an hour for lunch (the food seemed healthier than in American schools - shocking), THEN the kids have an hour of selected activities while the teachers LEAVE FOR COFFEE.  FOR AN HOUR.  I can't imagine American teachers' reaction if they actually got to sit and enjoy their food, and have coffee.  The kids alternate days of longer recess and activities like chess or tennis, taught by a few teachers making extra money. It's like afterschool activities, but in the middle of the day. 
• "Should I have the kids call me Ms. Lewis? Or Señora Lewis?" "Ohh, no, we don't do that here in Spain.  They call us by our first names. Or just teacher."  WHA?? I'm undecided if I like this or not yet...
• This was a private bilingual school, and all of the English teachers I met were Spaniards but had spent at least 1 year teaching in the US or UK.  Cool.  I hear that most English teachers in the public schools are Spaniards who don't know English well.
• The kids have gym and music twice a week, but no art until high school - a teacher told me "technically we're supposed to teach it along with the core subjects, but you know..." 
•  Ok I'm all about the cheek-kiss here, but I didn't realize I would do it while meeting the secretary.  Or principal. 
• I didn't see any aids, parapros, assistants, parent volunteers, or support staff for kids at all.

Things about Chica's School (the 8th grader) 

• She seems to have a lot of homework and studying every day, which I guess is better than the opposite.
• She says that there's a lot of pressure to have good grades, because if not you're looked down on.  I can see this being more beneficial that the 'studying makes you a nerd' attitude in the US, EXCEPT that it applies to teachers too. "The teachers will think you're either smart or not, and not ever think about the fact that some kids just excel more in some subjects than other subjects."
• They don't have a cafeteria in their building and don't eat lunch at school, just a snack.  So, she eats lunch when she comes home - 2pm some days, 3pm other days.  I would be starving! 
• They go on awesome field trips!  A 3-day skiing trip in December, a WEEK in a PARIS HIGH SCHOOL in the spring.
• She has English class an hour a day, but I kept hearing about how it's a joke since the teacher doesn't know English well.  Sure enough, I helped her study for a test recently and found at least 8 mistakes on the study guide (Thanksgiving is NOT the 2nd Thursday of November, you cannot use the word livery to describe music, it is not spelled harbur).  Also, what she was studying seemed stupid - these kids need to practice basic grammar and conversation, not memorize how to spell pilgrim just because it's November! I also kept correcting chica for using she to describe everyone, even boys, and she finally said "well my teacher only uses she for everyone!"

Things about Chiquita's School (the 2nd grader)

• She has the same teacher as last year, since it's common for teachers to 'loop' with their kids.  I had a looping teacher when growing up and am a huge fan!  
• Recently I helped her study for a test then asked how she scored. She looked at me weird and said she won't get her score back. Her mom told me they don't give kids their scores back until their older, "maybe to not make them feel bad." The parents just receive a list of scores in Nov or Dec. I asked how parents know how to support their kids then, and she said she guesses that teachers just talk with parents of kids who aren't doing well.  This goes against EVERYTHING I've learned about assessment, metacognition, and empowering kids to take charge of their learning!
• She always writes in cursive - not sure if this is just her school or all of Spain's schools.
• She's verrrrrrry careful to write neatly and keep her papers wrinkle-free, as she says she'll get in trouble otherwise.
• Lately, she's been talking about how she hates school and wants to transfer or move to another country.  The reasons are really starting to frustrate me, so I'll write more in another post.