A day in the life of… ME!

The children of Class Four at Silkstone Primary School in South Yorkshire, England have recently interviewed me to find out what a “typical day” in Spain is like.  I thought their questions were really interesting and have decided to place a copy of the interview here for all to enjoy.  Perhaps this post will give you a little bit of insight into what a typical day in Spain is like (at least what my typical day is like). 

Without further ado, here are the questions and answers: 

1. What time do you arrive at school and what transport do you use?
The first class at school begins at 8:30, but as a teacher I normally arrive around 8:10 or 8:15 in order to prepare for the day.  I do not own a car here, so I get to the school by city bus.  The bus is very inexpensive and very convenient for me – and it beats walking!  Many people here in Spain use public transportation and, in general, I feel as if the public transportation systems here are quite good, especially comparing with what I’m used to in the USA.  I can get anywhere I want to go within the city on a bus. 

2. What time does the school day begin and end?
The school day for the students begins at 8:30 in the morning and ends at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Most of the students at the school where I work live within walking distance and most walk to and from school each day.  There are some, however, who live a little further away from the school and they, like me, take a city bus to get there. 

3. How many children are in your class and how old are they?
I teach English Conversation in a secondary school, which means that I rotate between several different classes of students and see many faces each day.  Generally, my classes have around 15 students in them (some of the larger classes have 20 students).  The students that I teach are in what Spaniards call “Primero de Bachillerato” and “Segundo de Bachillerato.”  That means that most of my students are between 16 and 18 years old.   Those students who complete both “Primero” and “Segundo” will graduate from secondary school and most will go on to study at the university. 

4. Do any of your children speak English as their first language?
No, none of my students speak English as their first language; however, I do have one student who was born in Russia and lived in the USA until she was about five years old.  When she turned five, she and her family moved to Spain and now I have her in my class.  She speaks English very well and with an American accent just like me.  She technically isn’t a native speaker, but because she was so young when she lived in the USA, she speaks as if she were native. 

The rest of my students have all spent much time studying English and, although it is a second language for them, most speak it quite well. 

5. How long is each lesson and how long are the breaks?
Each lesson is fifty minutes long.  Between each fifty minute block there is a five minute break which allows teachers time to move to the next class.  There are also two fifteen minute breaks in the school day – one is at 10:15 and the other at 12:20.  During these longer breaks, the students have the chance to use the restroom and stop by the school café for a snack. 

6. Do children bring their own lunch or does the school provide food for them?
Believe it or not, in Spain children do not eat lunch in the school.  Because most Spaniards eat lunch around 3:00 PM on a typical day and school ends at 2:30, the students have plenty of time to finish school and go home for lunch.  Thus, if you were a student in Spain you would eat lunch with your family after getting home from school. 

In fact, there is no “School Cafeteria” in the school in which I work.  Instead, there is a very small “café” where students can buy doughnuts, juice, milk, coffee, etc. to snack on; however, they do not eat a meal there.  As I mentioned in the last question, most students visit the café during one of the fifteen minute breaks in the school day and they typically buy a small snack there. 

7. What subjects do the children study?
School in Spain is mandatory until the student reaches sixteen years of age.  Until that time, they study many of the same general subjects that any student studies – math, science, literature, history, geography, art, music, religion/ethics, etc.  Later, when students reach the age of sixteen, they can decide if they want to continue school for two more years or if they want to graduate with the education that they already have received. 

If a student decides to continue after age sixteen, he or she has more freedom to choose his or her subjects.  For example, if a student is very interested in Literature, he may choose more literature courses and less math courses.  On the contrary, if a student would like to become a scientist one day, he may choose to take many math and science classes and less literature classes.  This choice usually depends on what the student wants to study later at the university.

8. Do students have to wear a uniform?
I work in a public school which means that in my school, students do not wear a uniform; however, there are many private, religious schools in which students are required to wear a uniform.  Whether a student goes to a public school or a private school is simply a matter of choice – it’s something that each student decides individually with his or her parents. 

Although there are no uniforms at my school, there is a dress code that states that students and teachers must wear respectful, neat clothing at all times. 

9. Is their a religious meeting at the start of the school day?
Since I am in a public school, we do not have any religious meetings at the start of the day.  The students can, however, choose to have religion as a class.  If a student does not wish to study religion, he or she can take a more general ethics class instead of the religion class.  Most students at my school do choose to study religion. 

As I mentioned earlier, there are many private, religious schools in Spain.  The students who attend those schools do have morning religious meetings. 

10. Do children learn to play any instruments in school?
Students do take a music class in school and they learn to interpret short pieces of music and to play a small flute.  At the end of the year, the students who have completed the music class have a “flute concert” for their parents.  This is usually a very special event – the students get dressed up and the parents are always very pleased to see their sons and daughters playing the songs they have rehearsed. 

Many students who like music very much decide to learn to play other instruments; however, they usually learn in a private music academy, not in school.  

11. What do you do during the weekend and on your days off?
Most people in Spain spend their weekends and days off outside, in the street, interacting with others.  For example, one of my favorite weekend activities is to meet with my friends at a coffee shop and spend hours chatting the day away over a cup of coffee.  In fact, I often meet with the other English teachers on the weekends and we love to spend time together on a coffee shop’s outdoor terrace talking over a cup of coffee. 

Here in the city there are also museums for people to visit and plays for people to see.  Many times there are free activities in the main square of the city that people can attend as well.  For example, I have seen concerts in the city’s main square, as well as acrobats and jugglers. 

Also on the weekends there is what Spaniards call a “mercadillo.”  Basically, this is a large, open-air market in which vendors sell all sorts of items from clothing to cook books and everything in between.  I enjoy browsing through the stands at the open air market on the weekends and chatting with the vendors. 

Well, that wraps up the interview and this blog post.  I hope someone has found my answers to the questions interesting.  If you’re another expat who lives in Spain and you have a different take on one of the questions than I do, please leave me a comment below.  Or, if you want a little more information about something I’ve mentioned, leave your question below.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com