Day in day out, Spanish students face up to seven hours of academics each weekday, limiting their time for extracurricular and relaxation.
The majority of students attend state schools because it is cheaper. Additionally, parents opt for these schools in some cases to immerse their child in a system that focuses more on Spanish culture.
According to students who recently graduated, they were not too well prepared because not a lot of the school subjects are seen in university. They also weren’t prepared well with regard to exams. Oral exams are common in most subjects, and there are written exams only at the end of each month. Also, some students said, with regard to extracurricular, most students do volunteer work once per week and sports 2-3 times a week.
All this being said, contrary to how schools commonly are in America, public school in spain is harder due to the independence the teachers give. Private school teachers are commonly said to help you with every step of school.
While there are upsides to going to state school, it brings along a negative stressful environment for learning. The schools have become increasingly difficult in order to prove the students are valid candidates for universities. Also, since these schools welcome the majority of people applying, there is an overwhelming amount of students. This makes it near impossible for teachers to teach adequately, leading to worse exam grades.
With an already tough learning environment, the common teaching style in Spain, lecturing, increases the difficulty. This form of teaching is not very engaging, especially with larger class sizes, making it harder for students to engage and learn properly.
Oral Exams are the most common way of testing with written exams being a monthly occasion.
After students turn 16, they have the choice to move on to “Bachillerato”, an extra two years of high school, to be able to go on to University. This is very similar to the “A levels” in the UK or AP courses in the U.S. On top of the tough learning environment, there are high stakes depending on the exams at the end of the year in order to earn their Bachillerato certificate.
These dictate whether or not a student is ready to move on from high school whereas in America final exams are only a part of the dictating narrative to move on to Universities. The stress that comes with knowing one exam determines your future is an incredible amount to take on as a high school student.
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Education in Spain: could
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A typical classroom in Spain. Image Courtesy of CCO Creative Commons. No attribution required.
Lacking extracurricular classes, schools in Spain are loaded with only academic classes all day, making it a difficult and draining environment for students. Their school system, however, is still similar to the ones American students have learned to know over the years.
All in all, Spanish high school comes with it's stressful aspects making those last four years of school an enduring experience.
The Charger, December 2017
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