Kristin Sarboukh May 15th-30th, 2012 Spain Comparison Essay

Special Education in Spain VS America In order for somebody to be a good teacher, I believe that they need to be culturally diverse. This is why I chose to go on this trip to Spain so I could be exposed to how education is implemented in another part of the world. I came to find out that there are many things that Spain does that are similar to America, but there are also many things that are different. These differences are what cause such cultural diversity. There are many similarities between the two styles of education. One of the biggest similarities is the laws that the countries have set in place. Both Spain and the United States have similar laws regarding inclusion such as each student having and individual education plan (IEP), providing free and appropriate public education (FAPE), having multiple teachers in the classroom (the general education teacher and the special education teacher), differentiated instruction, and much more. Spain also uses some of the same tactics we use here in America to prepare students for the world. Many of the schools we visited had a job skills section to their school. In this area, the students were either training to live a life on their own by learning adaptive skills such as making their bed, using the bathroom, cooking food, setting the table, doing the laundry, etc. or they were learning what it would be like to hold a job and navigate their way through the city. We have the same type of transition here in America where students begin to learn how to take care of themselves in the real world. I have seen rooms in the Mercer County Special Services School where they have the equipment to teach their students the same

adaptive skills. These are only some of the related services both Spain and America have in common. They also have different resources in the school such as physical therapist, occupational therapists, speech therapists, child study teams, and much more. All of these different resources are found in both countries and have helped kids tremendously. Besides the similar laws, equipment, and professional available in both Spain and the United States, there are also similarities in resources and training for professionals. In Spain, they use a behavioral reward system like we do here in America. We saw this in one school when we were talking to some of the students. One student said that when she behaves, her reward is that she gets to go into the younger childrens classroom and work with them as a reward. This is because when she grows up, she said she want to be a teacher. Therefore, allowing her to work with the younger grades is a very effective reward. They also use the same picture system that is used in America. This is used to get children to identify pictures with words, learn site words, and help them understand the daily school schedule. To make the classroom as effective as possible, the desks are set up in the U shape model that many teachers in America have adopted for their classroom. As for these teachers and other professionals in the school, they need to go through the same type of professional development as teachers in our country. The public school teachers are also paid more than the private and the private/charter schools share many of the same beliefs as the schools here in the United States. With all of these similarities between the two countries, there are also many differences. Spain has many different ways of implementing or not implementing education that we do not do here in America. One of the biggest things that Spain does not do is that school do not abide by the inclusion laws that have been made. The schools we visited explained to us that many teachers will simply take a child with disabilities, put them in the back of the classroom,

and give them a coloring book for the day. As long as the child is in school, fed, and taken care of, no parent says anything. In America, if this happened to even one child, the school would be sued in a heartbeat. This is why Spain has such weak inclusion whereas Americas inclusion is strong and pushed. Because of the way teacher treat included student, many parents prefer exclusion. There is also a benefit to exclusion because if a child with a disability is in an exclusion school, they are able to stay in the school system until they are 21 years old. However, if they are in an inclusion school, they much graduate at age 16 like every other student. In America, regardless of whether a child is in an exclusion or inclusion school, they are able to stay in school until they are 21 years old. These age differences may be because of the differences in how education is actually set up. In America, we have different levels: elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. In Spain, there are many different levels of education and much more complex, ending in high school at age 16. While the actual structure of education is different, it is not the only thing. There is also a huge different in the types of teacher and how they behave, teach, and discipline. In Spain, we visited many schools where the teachers where white coats. This is never seen in America and we got many different answers as to why they do this. Some say because it is to distinguish the difference between teachers and other professionals and students. Others said it is like a badge of superiority. But I think the most disturbing reasoning we got was that they use it because the students could possibly drool on the teachers. This is so demeaning to the students and does not take place in America anywhere that I have seen besides maybe a hospital. Also, some of the teacher in Spain use physical discipline as a form of dealing with the students. In one school we visited, a teacher grabbed a boy by the back pack and he flew back into her because he was walking ahead of the group when he wasnt supposed to. This would never be

tolerated in America. Even the slightest touch of a student would get a teacher in a lot of trouble. Another thing the teachers so is create their own text books and posters for the classroom. When we visited the Downs Syndrome school, some of the boys showed us the book they are using to learn English. The teachers created it and wrote everything phonetically for them with many pictures and anything else that would help them learn the language. These teachers also created the colorful fun posters all around the room. The teachers not only used the artwork for their classrooms but also incorporated it in a therapeutic manor. Students created most of the artwork in the halls and performed in school plays. My dream has been to incorporate theatre and the arts into the lives of kids with disabilities as a way of expression and a way to escape and forget about their disability for a little while. Seeing this done is Spain gives me hope that maybe I can fulfill my dream here in America. We are not nearly as in tune with the arts and I think it can offer so much to all kinds of students, especially those with disabilities who may have more trouble expressing themselves. While there are so many similarities and differences between education in Spain and education in America, there is no real right or wrong way to educate students. I have seen some ways that worked very well and some ways that did not work as well. While education is education, the way one goes about implementing that may not be the same. Before this trip, I was very closed off to one way of doing things. I only saw the American perspective and nothing else. However, to be a teacher, you need to be aware of place all around the world because you may one day have students from there. This trip has really opened my eyes and has made me want to visit many other places and see how education is done all over the world. I think everyone everywhere would benefit from learning how different countries do the same thing. It would broaden our horizons and help everyone do things in the most productive manor. This

experience has not only made me a better teacher, but also a better person. I am so thankful to have gone on this trip and I plan on taking the new knowledge I have gained and implement it into the future career as an educator.