We first began asking ourselves the school question over three years ago. Our daughter was just born and I wanted to keep her at home for a good while yet, but it came up because we were planning to move house. We were thinking of investing in our own place in Lebanon, a place out of town above the heat of Beirut. We even had our eye on a pretty refuge among the parasol pines. Had we pursued that plan, our kids would have ended up in a private school taught in French or possibly English, learning Arabic in the playground.

 

Well, life did its thing and here we are in Spain of all places. When it comes to education, the choices are very different.

 

In Lebanon, where very little government money goes into state education, the standard of state schools was poor enough for us to feel a private school was the best option, both for a good general education, and to support the French language acquisition. Although we hoped for our children to mix with people of all backgrounds, and especially those who were less Europeanised or Americanised through private education, we felt private school was probably the only choice and would make for a smoother return to Europe later on. Also, unlike English, French grammar really requires formal teaching if you want to write well. So we know that if we don’t include that factor during their school years, our kids may grow up bilingual in the oral sense, but not fully “biliterate” (pending much effort on their part as adults – ask me all about it!).

 

Here on the southern coast of Spain, there is a large number of private schools, including many international ones. Most are English, with a large French one too far away to consider. I might have been tempted by the French option, as I always fear it will become the weaker language.

However, the English schools did not really appeal. It could be a very different story if our kids were older. It could be quite cruel to land a 13-year old in full-on Spanish school not speaking any Spanish, depending on their personality. But at 4 years old full immersion shouldn’t be too painful.

 

In fact, linguistically, I think the English schools would actually be unhelpful. English is the one language that we can crank up at no extra effort in the home. We are both native speakers, have plenty of English-speaking friends (nearby) and family (further away). And do I need to mention its global dominance?

 

In addition, the Brits are well known in this area for not integrating. Forming a circle of other non-Spanish speaking friends at a private school won’t do much for our own integration. These schools run on the pattern of British schools, with long days (until 4pm or 5pm instead of 2pm) and similar holiday dates to their UK-based counterparts. Although some wealthy Spanish families send their kids to these places, the schools are intentionally out of sync with local community life in cultural terms, on top of the linguistic gulf.

 

State school, on the other hand, could do something for our kids that we never could: teach them native-level Spanish, along with an insider understanding of Spain. Fortunately I have heard nothing but good things about state school here. Actually, that’s not quite true. I have just taken the negative points and filed them in the box of things I can cope with. All of them so far sound decidedly similar to my experience of French state schools. I spent three years as a language assistant working with kids from 7 to 18 years of age. Both systems seem to have in common vast amounts of homework, a strong focus on written work and long texts, a heavy reliance on textbooks, colossal schoolbags (perhaps a consequence of the above), a preference for “in-the-box” thinking, and lots of shouting by teaching staff.

 

So far, and at this young age, I can still happily put my kids in this context without feeling they will be stifled. For one thing, Spanish primary-age kids round here look anything but stifled. Apart from that, I feel their multicultural home and broader family life, along with travel, will compensate in terms of stimulating, out-of-the-box thinking. Although I may have been obsessing about schools for the past few months, I really feel it’s only a small part of their education. The rest is down to us.

 

This week we should find out if my oldest has got a place at one of the near-by schools, which will transform school from a speculative abstract debate into an altogether more concrete concept, both for me and my three-year old.

 

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”  - Mark Twain