An American mom living in Spain has revealed the stark differences between the two countries – including the educational contrasts and why people often mistake her husband for her brother.
Emily Sanchez is a mother of three who once lived in the US and worked as a teacher.
Now living in Spain, she regularly documents her daily life and shares the various differences that will shock Americans.
In a slew of viral videos, Emily revealed how the stark contrasts between the two countries changed the lives of both her and her child.
Emily Sanchez is an American mother of three who has exposed the differences between the countries
Go to college! The education system is much stricter and students call their teachers by their first names
The mother started by sharing the differences within the education system.
In one excerpt, she discussed the different education systems, school practices, and more.
Emily started by describing how grades are determined in Spain versus in Europe, or at what age your child starts school.
‘In Spain it is therefore per calendar year. In the US it is per school year.
“In the US, for example, if you want to start kindergarten, you generally have to be five years old before September or October. Unlike in Spain, where you go to school in the calendar year in which you turn five,’ she explained.
Then Emily talked about ‘all the different kinds of schools in Spain’.
“(There’s) infantil, public infantil, Concertado, that’s half private, half public, there’s full public, full private, there’s a bunch of different options you can choose from and, depending on where you live, go to a public school there is no need to go,” she explained.
In one excerpt, she discussed the different education systems, school practices, and more
She then discussed the different forms of communication within schools, especially when it comes to teachers and parents.
She said that as a teacher in the US she “emailed parents all the time,” but in Spain most parents and teachers don’t communicate directly or that often.
In addition to the age at which students enter school, the different educational institutions and the way parents and teachers communicate, the mother said that the level of work in Spain also differs from that in the US.
“It’s much stricter in terms of what kids have to learn each year, compared to what I experienced in the US,” she added.
She also revealed that children call teachers by their first names and that nurseries bathe your babies before you pick them up.
Keep that last name! Women don’t take their husbands’ surnames in Spain – and if you do, it could look like you’re RELATED
In another video, she revealed that married women don’t take their husbands’ surnames
In another video, she revealed that married women don’t take their husbands’ surnames.
She noted that because of this, people often think her husband is her brother because they share a last name.
According to National newsIs it customary in Spain for women to keep their names when they get married.
However, when they tie the knot and have a child, they tend to take the first of each of their surnames to give to their child.
In 1981, Spain instituted a rule that allowed children to decide whether they wanted their father’s or mother’s surname to come first once they turned 18.