What Schools in Spain Do Right

I’ve taught in Spain for six years and I can’t help but compare my experience with schools in the US. And, let me tell you, they are vastly different.

I’ve worked in six different schools from the southern coast to the northern coast and in the center. To be honest, I do have my issues with some of the Spanish teaching styles and educational models. But, for what Spanish schools lack, they more than make up for in allowing their kids to be, wait for it… kids.

There’s a lot we can learn from that very sentence right there. If I could take out my magic wand and make the world bend to my wishes, I would choose a teaching style somewhere between the US and Spain.

Because, while, the US does a fantastic job of implementing classroom management techniques -we make the most of every second of the day. And we foster critical thinking skills in every activity we plan. There’s only so much we can do when we’re bogged down by standardized testing, state standards that are not developmentally appropriate, and a culture of lawsuits (and because of that, never-ending paperwork and documentation).

I’m not gonna say none of that exists in Spain. That would be an outright lie. But, it’s not as magnified and soul crushing as it is for us Americans. And there’s a lot we can learn about what schools in Spain do right.

What Schools in Spain Do Right — The playground outside one of the many schools I’ve worked at in Spain.

1. Kids spend more time outdoors.

Recess, lunch, before school, after school. And it’s never taken away.

Before school starts, students are allowed (and encouraged) to play in the patio before heading inside with their class. Parents walk their children to school, and while they chat, their kids get to run free. Once that morning bell rings, students run straight to their homeroom teacher and line up, ready to start the day.

Recess, or recreo, is another thirty minute free for all (in a good way) before heading inside for the rest of morning classes.

After lunch, students are sent outside to play again.

Then, to finish up the day, after school mirrors that before-school melee of chatting parents and playing kids.

I taught at a school in the US, that had no official recess. Students were permitted to go to the playground if they finished their thirty-minute lunch early AND one of the cafeteria monitors was available to take them outside. I taught 1st grade. Let that sink in.

2. Kids of all grades share the same spaces.

Remember all that outdoor time we just went through? Typically, several grades are outside at the same time sharing and playing in the same space.

Now, there is a division between infantil (3-5 year olds) and primaria (1st through 6th grade), who usually have their own playgrounds. Additionally, secundaria (7th to 10th grade) and bachillerato (11th and 12th grade) typically go out at a later time.

Back in the States, recess (and lunch) are restricted to one grade at a time. In some cases, there is a strict class-by-class rotation schedule.

Yes, it may seem chaotic to have all of elementary outside or eating lunch at the same time. But it’s doable. Spanish students are simply trusted to navigate the same (sometimes, cramped) spaces.

3. It’s OK (though not encouraged) if students aren’t supervised 24/7.

I wish I could tell you that every teacher sees every student interaction every single minute of every day. But, that’s just not realistic. In the US, it creates a sense of anxiety amongst teachers that not being able to witness an event opens them up to a law suit. In Spain, teachers have a little more breathing room to be human.

4. Kids have more downtime in between classes.

And I mean, uncontrolled downtime. Spanish teachers (even in elementary) switch classes, while the students stay in the same room all day. During that change, students have unscheduled time to do what they want.

Do I think all teachers like it that way? No. But, it does give kids the chance to unwind. Meanwhile, in the US, even downtime is scheduled.

5. There’s a bit more roughhousing.

That bit of downtime and all that outdoor time, certainly opens schools up to a bit more roughhousing. Now, I don’t mean violence, I don’t mean kids getting hurt, and I certainly don’t mean bullying. What I do mean, is kids innocently getting rough and tumble and getting their wiggles out.

6. Teachers aren’t self contained.

Because one person planning five subjects a day, five days a week is overwhelming. The end.

7. Classroom time is simplified.

I saw very little of small reading groups, book clubs, writers workshops, or center time. And yet students are still reading in 1st grade, multiplying three digit numbers in 3rd, and becoming successful learners. I didn’t see any major gaps when observing students in Spain versus the US. Spanish students seemed to still be on par with their American counterparts.

Spanish teachers are also incredibly hard-working, but their lessons have fewer components. Teachers are able to plan quicker, leave school at the end of the day, and live life a smidge less overwhelmed.

8. Kids are responsible for their learning.

If a student doesn’t bring paper and pencil to school for the umpteenth time, or they don’t take notes in class again, the responsibility falls on them. Because, and I’ll say this louder for the people in the back: no one, not even a teacher, can force someone to do something they don’t want to do.

Sometimes kids just don’t want to be at school. Instead of putting pressure on the teacher, and making it seem like it’s their failing, lets’s recognize it for what it really is. The student is responsible for their own learning. Period.

Teaching in Spain has helped me see the joy in teaching and the wonders of kids being allowed to be kids. Yes, there are cons to every educational system around the world. But if we can see what they’re doing right, we are more than able to tweak our own teaching practices for the better.