Spanish kids are little brunette chaos agents about to be unleashed on the wider world.  This is never more visible than watching them interact with their European peers. The school I am in has “Erasmus programs” which are these little mini exchange programs that the EU pays for. A class of kids from another European comes and stays with a Spanish family for 10 days. Teachers are also exchanged in the program. The school I’m working at also has many bilingual programs. This means that the kids can take their classes primarily in English, German, French or Spanish. As such, this school Erasmus programs are mostly done between French and German schools. So on any given day you can see little French kids in scarves explaining to Spanish students how Pate is much better in France as well as, 16 years old German boys explaining to their Spanish peers that they can already buy beer in Germany and that “das is gewd.”

As a part of this program the school takes the foreign teachers and kids on little field trips and one day they asked if I wanted to go with some German and Spanish students to see an old Spanish church. I agreed and after we went on a guided tour the teachers told the students that they had 30 minutes to roam around the church on their own and that everyone had to meet by the front doors at 12:00. This resulted in 20 small brunette Spanish blobs running in all different directions. The German kids on the other hand walked calmly around the church in small groups and at 11:55 they all sat down in the church pews and at 12:00 o’clock sharp they all got up in unison and walked to the church doors. On seeing this one of the Spanish teachers remarked that the German students seem more disciplined.  

Written June 3, 2026

However, in spite of the constant yelling, throwing things and never raising their hands Spanish kids are super nice and friendly. Almost every kid I’ve taught greets me every time I see them by yelling “HELLLOOO TEACHERRR KEEEYYTTOOONN, HOWWWW ARE YOU?!” As well, since Segovia is a smaller city this means that all meals or walks around town come with groups of teenagers yelling across the restaurant “HELLO TEACHER KEATON!” and  “TEACHER KEATON, we’re not in class say something in Spanish.” Many of the young Spaniards have also taken a liking to hockey. When I first started a few of the teachers asked me to prepare a small presentation on Canada for their classes so that the kids could become familiar with my culture. Accordingly, I prepared a presentation mainly consisting of hockey fights and hits. Many classes quickly erupted once the fighting started. One class enjoyed the hockey fighting so much that they plead to me before every class to watch “even just one hockey fight.” Spanish kids are also hilarious and want to literally know everything about you. They have trouble holding back their curiosity and in of my first classes before I had chance to even say a word one young Spanish boy yelled from the back of the class “Do you like our Jam!? (He meant Spanish ham, as in Spanish jamon which his spelled with a J but pronounced liked the English H)!? My answer “I sure do.”