This past Wednesday children went back to school in Cataluña (the province where we live). They looked a lot like American school children as they set off in their new clothes with their new backpacks. I don't know a lot about the school system, but I know their schedule is very different than what we are used to in the States. They begin school at 8:30 or 9:00 (depending on their grade level) and go until about 1:30, when they break for lunch and go home. They return at 3:00 or 3:30 and stay until about 5:00 p.m. If they are in Instituto (which would be 7th-10th grades for us), their day runs from about 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mandatory education finishes at age 16 here. If they are going on to college, then they spend 2 more years taking college prep courses before they apply to and take entry examinations for the college they would like to attend and the major they are pursuing. They can't just apply to a university and decide later on their course of study. If they don't test well, academically as well as in regard to aptitude for their field of study, the admissions staff can deny their application. It puts a lot of pressure on an 18 year old who may not be sure about what they want to do "when they grow up."
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Back to School
This past Wednesday children went back to school in Cataluña (the province where we live). They looked a lot like American school children as they set off in their new clothes with their new backpacks. I don't know a lot about the school system, but I know their schedule is very different than what we are used to in the States. They begin school at 8:30 or 9:00 (depending on their grade level) and go until about 1:30, when they break for lunch and go home. They return at 3:00 or 3:30 and stay until about 5:00 p.m. If they are in Instituto (which would be 7th-10th grades for us), their day runs from about 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mandatory education finishes at age 16 here. If they are going on to college, then they spend 2 more years taking college prep courses before they apply to and take entry examinations for the college they would like to attend and the major they are pursuing. They can't just apply to a university and decide later on their course of study. If they don't test well, academically as well as in regard to aptitude for their field of study, the admissions staff can deny their application. It puts a lot of pressure on an 18 year old who may not be sure about what they want to do "when they grow up."
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