School's Out

It's June 16th, and we've finally finished school. Monday we return to pick up our grades and fun. The week's been pretty interesting, but more on that later. I was able to bring my pocket camera and finally snap a few pictures of the school. The classes. The desks. The chalkboards.

The place where we spend the majority of our time while on exchange.

The following classroom would win my vote for "most lively" if there was a competition.

It's our economy room.

FRONT.

The portable laptop, speakers, and I'm confused as to where the screen went. There IS a projector in this room. Amazing.



Back of room. There's a door at the front and the back.



Coat hangers and... a closet? These always confused me.



BACK.
Even though the bullitens are from last year,
this classroom has a chalkboard in the back of the room as well..



So that's the economy room. The next classroom is my 'science' class. It's also the music room, and the closest thing we have to a 'theater'...



Complete with a projector, you can even see our stage, too.



The biggest room in the school...I think.
And yes, there are a few left-handed desks for all you lefties as well.



So there's our school...more or less. I've posted pictures of the outside on another post back in the first few months of the year somewhere. Even all the way out here in Alicante, we have the EXACT same chairs and desks as we had in Madrid. They are famous or something... because nearly all the students I've talked with has them.



Hello, Spain. Land of people that tend to has this sort of 'pensamiento' that American schools are dangerous, and kids bring guns and keep them in their lockers. That we have metal detectors when we enter the school. But what's this here? A hook to keep your backpack hanging? That seems a lot more danguerous, having everything right at your side...
Since we don't have lockers, (or metal detectors) we bring our backpacks with us everywhere. And yes, you have to be aware of pickpockers even in school.



It really comes down to a few things. The United States is known for the number of people-gun ratio. And how easy it is to own one, in comparison to other countries. The second topic, is the government. Our government dishes out tons of money to our schools. Here in Spain, not so much. So the result is the difference.

I've had quite a few interesting conversations with my host parents, teachers, and students. There's a lot of things that cause a 'domino effect' in the school system. For example. The gate that surrounds the school- you have to get someone to open it for you. And sometimes, the secretary doesn't open it. Therefore, kids jump the fence, and sneak in and out. If they arrive late to class, they aren't allowed in. So many don't even come to begin with. But if you don't have a gate? Many think that no one would come to school, and only the kids who were really focused on their studies would come. Personally I think it would reduce stress to get into college... as there wouldn't be so much competition. And that those who don't want to study, won't. But here force is viewed as the answer. Force the kids to go to school, to keep them off the streets. That usually results in kids just...not coming at all. It's something that Spain is trying to fix at the moment.

Spain is in a crisis, more so than most of Europe- from what I've heard. There were a few newspaper articles talking about how this particular area of Spain has grown drastically in population- but there is no money to build more schools. Therefore, schools are croweded. A lot of students. My host mother told me the reason why they had to get rid of a few 'elective-like' classes was to use the rooms for the normal classes.

She also mentioned of how of course there is no work. Hence, crisis.

Let me explain.

Kids here finish their optional 11th and 12th grade, take a test, and hope to get into college. In the United States it's a competition to get to the really good colleges, away from home, right? Here it's a competition to go to the nearest college, in order to live at home. So, that gives you an idea of college students in Spain. They still live with their parents, and after..

There 'is no work' as the unemployment rate is about 20%. In the United States? 9%.

So it's very uncommon for students under (from what I can tell) 25 to work. To save money, they stay at home, and go to the local college.

Back to the school.

Teachers. My personal opinion is that 90% of them hate their job. They don't show up to class, aren't organized, and don't have any interest in helping students after class. I remember times they even made fun of students for not understanding. Things that wouldn't be accepted in my high school back in the states.

But there's no work. So if they leave their job, they have nowhere to go.

So the economic situation greatly influences the school, the atmosphere, and later the mentality of it all. It explains why there are no substitute teachers, school sports, or even school books. We have to buy our own books.

Books.

Let me make a quick note. Fahrenheit 451 was a book I read in 10th grade for English. It's based around the idea that all books are illegal. Here in the library, there are books. Not many, but some. They are locked up behind glass, and I've never even seen people use them.

A few random things. Let me add that graffitti on desks isn't removed- no matter what is written. It gets a bit disturbing. A reminder that this school does have the privledge of having toilet paper. However, you must go to the secretary to get some before entering the bathroom. Movies- movies are movies. The teacher asks if someone (for example) has a movie "with psycopaths", someone says yes, and brings it in. I don't know what movie it was in psycology, but it would not have been allowed under any condition in any high school in the United States whatsoever. I realized that we never even had to sign a permission slip to watch it.

Cultural Differences. We "americanos" are 'known' for having a sheltered life.

There are some things that are really weird at first. Really weird. But then it just becomes part of 'life.' And then we look back at our own culture and wonder- what? As not one or the other has the right to be "correct." They are just differences. And the circumstances influence how it's all different.

Cultural differences. What our world is made of.


I've learned a lot here.

-mb