I teach English to Spanish children who attend Spanish state schools. I work in an after school club where children come for extra tuition, homework help etc. The Spanish system is very academic so it is not unusual for children to receive extra help for some if not most of the main subjects. They range in age from four to twelve and they begin studying English in school from aged six officially sometimes younger. The school which most of them attend has a significant amount of expat children but not an excessive amount. I estimate that in every class there are on average two British children.
Considering they start learning English at a reasonably young age compared to countries such as the UK their spoken English is generally very poor. For example, it is not unusual for me to ask an eleven year old “How old are you?” and they shrug their shoulders and look at me with a blank face. I am from the Home Counties and I have a very standard, neutral accent.
They realise that it is important to learn English, their parents remind them often enough. They are aware that the English language will increase their opportunities in the future. So, there is a positive attitude towards language learning with regards to English anyway, as opposed to French which many seem to consider a secondary, almost pointless subject.
Unfortunately, aside from my lesson time they have no opportunity to speak English. Often, their teacher’s teaching style does not allow it or the teacher’s own level of English is insufficient. I find it sad that the presence of native English speaking children is overlooked. In fact, they can be regarded as an annoyance as opposed to a learning tool in the classroom.
I was teaching the other day when one of the eleven year old children commented that at last the English teacher had banned the British children from the English lessons as they were an annoyance. I asked what he meant by annoying and he said that they keep chatting during the English lessons. I can only guess that they are bored so instead of using them as a learning tool almost like a teaching assistant to check pronunciation etc, the narrow minded teacher threw them out of the class.
I asked the children what they thought and they were happy to be rid of them. They then went on to criticise these children saying that they couldn't even speak Spanish properly. They commented that one had been in school for a year and that she pulled stupid faces and shook when the teachers spoke to her. I detected disdain for these British children as opposed to sympathy for their discomfort. Of course, all children can be cruel, often unintentionally. I then suggested that they put themselves in the shoes of these children i.e how would they like if tomorrow their parents decided to uproot them, take them to the UK and put them in a school in the UK. However, they really couldn't empathise and continued to express their bad feeling about these children. I won’t repeat all of their comments.
This got me thinking that something isn’t working here and what will be the outcome of all this? Can I go so far as to say that some children may be emotionally effected for life as a result of this? I wonder if their parents are even aware that their child’s Spanish is so limited that he or she squirms in their seat when spoken to.
What I also cannot understand is that everyone is so keen to learn English and paying me for lessons as though there weren’t any other English speakers around when ironically their most ideal teachers are sat alongside them in the classroom but there is something blocking this from happening. Who is to blame here? Or is it a case of both parties i.e the Spanish and the British not wanting to meet somewhere in the middle.
It cannot be denied that when children are young their ideas are moulded by their primary educators i.e their parents. Perhaps, the fact that their television in only in English and have very little concept of Spanish culture or social life is a huge barrier to their children being able to access school and everything that goes alongside it fully. How can they expect their children to slot into Spanish society? I think it is a lot more complex than they realise and it actually makes me think that those who put their children in the International system are kinder. I should point out here that my own children are in the Spanish state system!
So, evidently it is not a simple case of putting your children in and hoping for the best. There are a lot of underlying issues that need to be brought to a head. I feel that some parents bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best telling themselves that their child seems happy enough going off to school in the morning. Have they thought that perhaps, the child is too frightened or embarrassed to complain!
For more information about children in schools in Spain you can read Susan's excellent ebook: A Guide To Schools and Education in Spain.