School of thought

As the school year comes to an end I can't help but reflect on my experiences in the schools.  Everyone's perspectives on experiences are influenced by their prior experiences in a similar context or lack of prior experiences in a similar context.  Upon reflection of my experiences at IES San Adrian I can't help but compare these experiences with my own middle/high school experiences, my teaching experiences at various middle/high schools in Wisconsin, and my educational studies at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

IES San Adrian

Things that wouldn't fly in the United States: (please comment if you have had contradicting experiences or something to add.)

1.  Teachers going to student's rooms.  In Spain, the teachers are the ones who move from class to class.  They travel from classroom to classroom every hour.  Some of you might think that this is no big deal, but to head into a hostile, unknown situation is a terror to most teachers.  As teachers, the one thing that we have over our students in the United States is our room.  Our ability to create a learning environment that the students will enter into feeling as though it is not their room but ours, gives us control over the start of the class.  Hence, we are at an advantage in this category in a profession in which our authority seems to be diminishing by the second.

2.  Having class for 50 minutes, 3 times a week.  It was hard to teach all that I needed to teach in 5 hours a week as it was, but only 3 hours a week would make life much more difficult.

3.  Teachers put their names on a list and get jobs based on their list number.  Basically, you have to be willing to work where they decide to place you (within a certain radius).  It's not like the United States where you can apply to which ever school you want.

4.  No school athletic teams nor extracurricular activities.  Kids go to school at 8:30 and leave no later than 4:10.  If they play sports, they play on club teams with their neighborhoods.  Certain schools might have a drama club or a school blog, but a rare occurrence.

5.  On a first name basis.  It might just be me, but I feel as though I command a lot more respect when my students have to call me "Mr. Bardwell".  However, in Spain, students call teachers by their first names.



Basic Spanish:
De nada: Thank you (of nothing)

Advanced Spanish:
conformarse con : to settle for

Basque:
Nor zara zu? : Who are you?

British (Scottish dialect) English:
Wee : Little