Last week at Brooklands

This past week was my last week at Brooklands, and safe to say there were tears welling up in my eyes Friday when I was leaving. I loved getting to see and observe how every grade operates at the school, and to see how all the kids interact with each other and with me. It was hard to leave all the wonderful students and teachers that I met over the past three weeks, but I am so thankful for this opportunity that I have been given!

As for this blog post - I want to address and talk about cultural differences within the school and the learning community.

From what I have noticed, first and foremost, students are very formal with their teachers. They respect them, and teachers do not joke around when it comes to disrespect. The students always refer to them as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Sir. They are always smart enough to refer to their teacher by the given name, and the relationship is very professional between the student and teacher. But, on the other hand, the teachers care very deeply for these students. They want to make sure everything is okay at home, and try to help students any way they can.

In relation to schools overall, most students go to the public or the state schools, rather than private schools. Public schools are a major factor in England’s education. And students at the public/state schools, follow a national curriculum. This means all students in the entire country of England – are on the same page when it comes to learning.

The positivity and focus that goes into education is definitely something to recognize over here. Students start school at 4/5 and this is called ‘reception’ (instead of pre-k). These students will (most likely) know how to read and write before they enter year one (kindergarten). They put a high focus on this age to set up their foundational skills before they officially start school, which I think is very important. In reception, students work on letters, sounds, and numbers before Kindergarten. They have already been working on basic addition, subtraction, and division – which is way ahead from what our students are doing back home.

Students and teachers here really cultivate a positive and caring learning environment within the schools. Teachers talk to parents every morning/afternoon and can discuss concerns and/or achievements that their child has earned. Subsequently, students are very eager to learn, and school is very important focus to them, no matter what age. From what I have observed, there are fewer interventions in English schools rather than U.S. schools, and most students are able to pick up material fairly quickly – which is a positive for both the teacher and the students.

In relation to the environmental culture, students are very aware of the geographic area they live in and their community’s strength. They teach about their community starting in reception. The students talk about Long Eaton, what importance Long Eaton has in relation to work, resources, and living conditions they are immersed in. It is a very tight-knit culture, but everyone is welcoming, and the people here have been nothing but kind and accepting to us in every single way!

But, I cannot believe it has already been almost a month that I have been here. My time at Brooklands and in Derbyshire has been nothing short of amazing. I have loved every minute of this experience, and I know it has impacted my outlook on my teaching!