So coming to Spain, I knew the schooling system would be just a little different…
Little did I know, I'd be in for the most pleasant surprise OF MY LIFE!!
Below are my absolute favorite things about the Spanish schooling system! (Seriously people, how am I going to bear leaving this behind?!?!?!?!)
1. No syllabuses!!! Teachers like to keep kids on the edge of their seats in Spain. (life needs a little mystery, am I right??) It's always so exciting to find out you have a midterm one week in advance and have no idea what's going to be on it!
2. Emails are a foreign concept. Teachers have such exciting lives that they never have time to check their emails! How cool that I get to learn from such busy and interesting people! They must be more social than I am, because even I have time to check my email!
3. With multiple choice sections on tests, you get negative points if you get something wrong. Now I know this isn't done in just Spain or Europe, but still, I LOVE IT!! In the real world if you do something wrong, you get punished. So thank you for preparing me for the real world!
4. Communication between teachers is nonexistent. With my business classes, I have one professor who gives the lectures and another who teaches the practical portion of the class. I guess the professors must be practicing their mind-reading skills, because discussion between the two of them is not a thing! (and I can understand why they need the practice because right now their skills are not up to par.) I think it's really great that they're exercising their minds like that. Reminds all the students that we should always be doing the same.
5. Some business class teachers, when you ask them a question, don't answer and tell you that they "don't know and you should figure it out because you're the manager and they're just the teacher." DIRECT QUOTE PEOPLE! I love that they put all the power in my hands and make me think for myself, even if there's no hope of me understanding something without the help of a teacher!
6. Group projects are super fun in Spain. First, there's between 7-9 people in each group! Which means in addition to meeting all those new people, you get to try to coordinate meetings between 9 people from different countries and schedules. I have loved so much figuring out a good time for everyone to meet! (hint: there is NEVER a good time for everyone to meet.) Second, there's no guidance and then all of a sudden you're designing an experiment with 75 people and you have a week to write a 15 page paper! Keeping me on my toes, I love it!
7. Papers are never handed back. "Timely fashion" is not a phrase in Spain. Again, this little element of mystery is just what I need in my life to keep things spicy. I'm so thankful for always wondering about my grades and avoiding a dull life.
8. Spanish students talk throughout the entire class so there's no way to concentrate on what the professor is saying. I love how everyone takes the time to really get to know their classmates, especially during class. This adds a personal element to the school experience! They are so interested in talking to other people that they don't even notice the professor or any other students! Just goes to show how social and outgoing the Spanish people are! How lucky of me to experience it for 4 months!
9. The location of my university… Granted, I can't give all the credit to the schooling system for this one (that would just be too generous of me) but still… It takes an hour for me to get to school in the morning between catching the metro and then hopping on a bus. Good thing I have that time to relax a little before the stress of the day takes its toll on me!
10. Last and most importantly, my absolute favorite thing about the Spanish schooling system is that I will be back to BC within the month and will never have to deal with it again.
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