You say tomato...

Many people are familiar with the saying, "you say tomato, I say tomato (with British accent). You say potato I saw potato (with British accent)." This phrase signifies that while British and Americans pronounce words differently, no pasa nada...they mean the same thing . Since British English, rather than American English is what is taught in the Spanish Education System, I have learned that it is not only pronunciation that differentiates us from our Mother country. There are actually many words and phrases that my American mind can simply not comprehend/accept. Take one of my first days in 4th grade for example. The lesson was on the classroom and objects in the classroom. The vocabulary consisted of: sharpener, pencil, pen, pencil case etc. One of the activities was for me to hold up pictures of classroom objects and for the students to name all of the items.

Me: What do you see in the picture?
Student: Ruler, book, pencil, rubber.
Me: (my eyes pop out of their sockets) I'm sorry? rubber?
Head Teacher: (whispers) Alex, rubber means eraser.
Me: (what the *****?!?!?) Oh right of course...you know that rubber means something different in America right?
Head Teacher: (giggly) I know, but that's what we say here!

So for the rest of the class I listened to 11yr-olds talk about rubbers and pencils. I'm sorry but I think in the raaaare case they want to eventually study or work in the United States they should also be taught the word "eraser."

There are some other funny words that I have learned and started to get used to hearing on a regular basis in my English classes, but the real kicker has to be the grammatical phrase they use to describe someone or some thing. Here are some typical phrases I would use to describe someone:

She has brown eyes
He has blonde hair
She has a sick body
He doesn't have the best attitude
She has the best clothes

Since we teach British English, instead of saying, "She has..." we have to teach "She's got..."

She's got brown eyes
He's got blonde hair
She's got a sick body
He hasn't got the best attitude
She's got the best clothes

Even though in some cases I could definitely substitute "got" for "has," other times it just sounds flat out wrong. "She hasn't got a rubber..." did that sentence just come out of my mouth!?

The Spanish Educational System

Today we had Dr. Christian Abelló Contesse from the University of Seville come talk to us about the Spanish educational system so we can understand how different it is from the American system. Here is some of the information he gave us that I think is very interesting:

Spanish vs. American

Grado = Bachelor’s Degree

Bachillerato = Senior High School ( 10th-12th grade)

Enseñanza secundaria obligatoria (eso) = Junior High School (7th-9th grade)

Enseñanza primaria = Elementary School (1st-6th grade)

The Grading System:

Spanish vs. American

10 (Sobresaliente)= Honors (A+)

9 (Sobresaliente)= Superior (A)

8 (Notable)= Very good (A-/B+)

7 (Notable)= Pass (C)

5 (Aprobado)= Pass (D)

0-4( Suspenso)= Fail (F)

NP= Incomplete

Practical differences between both school systems ( in high school):

There were over 20 differences he gave us, but these are the ones that stood out the most to me

1. The total number of required subjects in Spanish high schools is usually 9 or 10
2. Class size is generally around 30 (i.e. 27-32)
3. Most teachers move around from classroom to another while students stay in the same classroom
4. Most students are satisfied to get passing grades (ex. 5.5, 6.0)
5. Students are never graded on a curve, but rather against an abstract standard of expected performance (this means the highest grade is the expected grade the teacher has for a class if no one gets an A, too bad)
6. Compulsory foreign-language teaching (often English) starts at the age at 5 (or earlier) in preschool
7. One foriegn language (e.g. English) is required while a second (e.g. French) is optional
8. The school day is divided into six 55-min periods. There is only one 30-minute break
9. There is no study hall period. Students do not have lunch at school but at home ( around 3pm)
10. Integration is very strong; students with special needs may attend either special-education of regular schools
11. Students with special needs who attend regular schools have both regular and special-education classes

I found many aspects of the spanish educational system admirable, such as the foreign language requirement at such a young age. However, other things such as the students remaining in one classroom all day while the teachers come to them I know would make me go stir crazy. I also know at least in my high school students worked to get A's and would never settle for a passing grade (a "C" or "D"). Especially in college, most of my classes were graded on a curve. In addition, I think that there policy towards special education is interesting and definitely not a priority ( compared to New York, I can't speak for the rest of the country). I know from my mom and several of my friends who are doing Teach For America that the Department of Education has made major strides towards special education programs in public schools. I have heard of one school in New York called The Ideal School that is for students with special needs and students without special needs, thereby stressing the importance of integration. I am very excited to start teaching and see some of these differences first hand.