1 00:00:00,820 --> 00:00:04,219 How are you integrated in the working groups in your school? 2 00:00:09,730 --> 00:00:16,489 So I find myself jumping between departments, again, to talk to teachers, to get to know them, 3 00:00:16,890 --> 00:00:19,629 and also because I work within a wide range of departments. 4 00:00:19,969 --> 00:00:22,809 I work with English, History, and Biology classes. 5 00:00:23,750 --> 00:00:30,510 With the working groups in the younger years in primary, the students sit at desks of about four, 6 00:00:30,510 --> 00:00:37,049 And so usually when they're doing an activity, I'll stand up and walk around, make sure everyone's doing OK. 7 00:00:37,890 --> 00:00:46,689 And it's important to always be moving around and giving all the children help with whatever they need. 8 00:00:47,289 --> 00:00:55,090 And to make sure that especially the weaker ones are understanding what's needed. 9 00:00:55,570 --> 00:00:59,329 And because the classes are quite big, sometimes children do get a bit lost. 10 00:00:59,329 --> 00:01:03,829 and especially in a bilingual primary school there are some children who really struggle 11 00:01:03,829 --> 00:01:08,769 and they're learning science in English and so it's important to sort of sit down with them 12 00:01:08,769 --> 00:01:14,409 and the ones who haven't even started and know who will need extra help that's really what you're 13 00:01:14,409 --> 00:01:21,269 there for. If you happen to have mentioned that you have a particular interest in one area or 14 00:01:21,269 --> 00:01:28,090 you have expertise in an area that wasn't that they weren't aware of before and perhaps a teacher 15 00:01:28,090 --> 00:01:31,909 will come up to you and go, oh, I hear you like drama, or I hear you're into music. 16 00:01:32,230 --> 00:01:33,650 I'll be looking maybe for some help. 17 00:01:37,170 --> 00:01:40,409 With respect to education in your country of origin, 18 00:01:41,049 --> 00:01:45,629 are there any differences regarding dress code or body language in the classroom? 19 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:56,799 I find students are, when they see you, they open up, they say hello, 20 00:01:57,219 --> 00:02:00,500 they talk to you, they have a smile on their face more than, 21 00:02:01,519 --> 00:02:04,959 I hope I'm not doing down Irish students, because they're brilliant as well, 22 00:02:04,959 --> 00:02:14,199 But I find the Spanish students present a very positive outlook to me in general, a sunny disposition to go with the climate. 23 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:22,219 One of the main differences, which I noticed straight away, is the dress code. 24 00:02:22,580 --> 00:02:31,080 The dress code is quite different for teachers back home, where you may be used to teachers being in shirts and ties and very formal attire. 25 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:40,080 Here it's more casual. It's not scruffy by any means, it's just perhaps more informal, more relaxed. 26 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:47,080 And that's also the same with the children. The school uniform, there is not a strict school uniform. 27 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,080 Children can wear what they want. It's a more relaxed and formal setting. 28 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:57,080 For example, at my school, teachers are called on a first name basis by students. 29 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,860 students and I think that's in a lot of ways reflected in the student body language. There 30 00:03:02,860 --> 00:03:08,599 isn't this terse tenseness held by students while sitting in the classroom. They're very 31 00:03:08,599 --> 00:03:12,080 comfortable with their peers, they're comfortable with themselves and they're comfortable with the 32 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,819 teacher and that reflects in their body attitude and so I think it's important to recognize that 33 00:03:16,819 --> 00:03:21,479 it doesn't mean they're not paying attention, it doesn't mean that they're bored, it's just how 34 00:03:21,479 --> 00:03:30,280 carry themselves in spain actually my school it's a bit more of a casual dress code and than in the 35 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:38,360 uk i mean don't go in in your gym clothes but you don't have to worry about wearing a pencil skirt 36 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:46,280 or it's just a sort of smart casual and i've actually gave myself a uniform of black jeans 37 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,280 and to talk throughout the year. It's easy. 38 00:03:50,280 --> 00:04:01,240 How would you compare the relationship between teachers and students in class, 39 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:06,240 in your country of origin, with what you have observed in Madrid schools? 40 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:17,329 I think without the strict, rigid lines of what is a teacher separating what is a student, 41 00:04:17,329 --> 00:04:22,329 it allows students more freedom to express their opinions without fear of reprimand 42 00:04:22,329 --> 00:04:24,329 or saying the wrong thing. 43 00:04:24,329 --> 00:04:29,050 One thing I really like about, one of the things I really like about the relationship 44 00:04:29,050 --> 00:04:35,529 between teachers and students in Spain is that it's so much more warm and friendly than 45 00:04:35,529 --> 00:04:38,029 that of the relationship back home. 46 00:04:38,029 --> 00:04:44,430 Everything is a little bit more informal for a start and I think that is clearly something 47 00:04:44,430 --> 00:04:50,089 consciously put in place by the school authorities and by the teachers themselves. 48 00:04:50,089 --> 00:04:57,009 I suspect that the logic behind that would be that if you treat somebody more on the 49 00:04:57,009 --> 00:05:04,269 same level as you, more like an equal, you engender more respect for each other and therefore 50 00:05:04,269 --> 00:05:11,250 you know you're working together as opposed to a top down type approach you know. 51 00:05:11,250 --> 00:05:17,649 You will see the head teachers in the school, the authorities in the school speaking and 52 00:05:17,649 --> 00:05:23,589 having a laugh and a joke with any student of any age and yeah it really 53 00:05:23,589 --> 00:05:29,930 feels that there's a genuine mutual respect there.