Unlike back home, there is a bigger power divide between students and their teachers, so it is more rare for a student to ask their teacher a question. And students never talk back to the adult in charge.
I learned in class that if a student asks a teacher a question that the teacher might not know the answer to, the teacher is more likely to tell a false answer and lie instead of telling the students that they do not know the answer and then going to look it up. This was super-interesting to me because in my experience with teachers in the United States, they are always happy to learn alongside their students.
Unlike in the United States, in Spain people celebrate siesta which is a nap or rest time in the afternoon. Most stores and places of work close between noon and 2 - 3 P.M. This includes the primary schools in Spain. Students usually are picked up by their parents to go home for a couple hours for lunch and a break, then they return to school where they stay until around 5 P.M. For students with parents who do not have the option for siesta, they are allowed to stay at the school. Personally, I am a big fan of thisidea of a mid-afternoon rest. I would have loved to have a siesta when I was in grade school!
While there are a lot of differences (pros and cons) between Spanish and American schools, I really value my experiences in American public school, and I am sure my Spanish friends would say the same thing about their primary school.
