U.S. vs. Spain Education

Differences between American and Spanish School Systems

1. Spanish school begins at 9:00AM and ends at 5:00PM. 

2. Students walk to school with family members, nannies, or alone.

3. Lunch is over an hour, some students go home to eat.

4. Teachers get breakfast and lunch for free! The food is AMAZING!

5. Students stay in one class all day and teachers move almost every hour.

6. Students have subjects alternating in English, Catalan, and Spanish.

7. Classroom management is drastically different. Students are very talkative during instruction, but still on task.

8. Students wear uniforms. The dress code is very strict.

9. Students are separated by gender in classes. Boys and girls do not interact except for recess and lunch time. 

10. Church plays a major role in the school, students practice communion during class time and pray at certain points during the day.

11. School is open to the public. Doors are open, windows and hallways are unlocked and open, so anyone can see or go into classrooms. 

12. Students are very advanced. They are learning 2, 3, or 4 languages at once while also learning math, science, art, and music while practicing different languages.

13. There are 6 types of teachers in the building, some teachers fit one, both or multiple. There are nursery teachers (2 years old to 4 years old), primary teachers (K-5th), secondary teachers (6th-12th), Catalan teachers, Spanish teachers, and English teachers. 

14. Different subjects are taught in different languages. For example, in the 3rd grade, Science, Social Studies, and English are taught in English, but Math is taught in Spanish, and Catalan is taught in Catalan. 

Similarities between American and Spanish School Systems

1. Teachers work hard to ensure their students succeed. They are overworked and underpaid. 

2. Students have time set aside throughout the week for planning with other teachers, in this case English teachers discuss curriculum. 

3. Students love recess and physical education.

4. Classes are typically about 25 to 30 students. 

5. Students and staff dress up for special holidays, similar to spirit week in the states!