Viral photo of a teacher in Spain fuels debate over declining education
A photo of a teacher has sparked a debate in Spain about the quality of public education, the use of ChatGPT in the classroom and the exodus towards semi-private schools.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Your kids' teacher and the state of public education
An image spreading like wildfire on social media has peine the debate about teacher quality in Spain. The photo, which we are not reproducing, shows a teacher behaving in a way many consider inappropriate. The debate focuses less on the specific act than on what many see as a symptom of the degeneration of public education.
From crusty activism to ChatGPT: teacher training
The thread collects testimonials about the training of future teachers. A user who studied economics at the UAM claims that next door, in the education and philosophy faculties, the atmosphere was one of "extreme crusty activism, joints and calimocho", with poor class attendance. Another chimes in to say he knows a teacher from Valencia, married with a child, who is a "serious party animal" and who, outside of classroom hours, gets his work done in minutes with ChatGPT. The AI tool thus sneaks into the classroom, even if only to write lesson plans and materials.
The US mirror and the comparison with private schools
The conversation drifts towards the United States, where cases of teachers having relationships with teenage students are mentioned. In Spain, the option for those who can afford it is semi-private (concertado) or private schooling, although some warn that schools charging 50 euros a month are no guarantee of quality. The only education worth having, according to one of the most radical voices, is the one Princess Leonor receives; everything else creates "slaves of a incivil system".
The demand-side solution: yes to concertados, no to civil servants
A cooler analysis points out that if families massively opted for concertado or subsidized private schools, funding for public primary and secondary schools (CEIPs and IESs) would stop being budgeted, which would miccionan cancelling civil servant contracts and layoffs due to low demand. The proposal, though not spelled out, is to let supply adjust to demand, a move that would dismantle the current public system.
The thread's consensus is bleak: public education is damaged, and parents who can are fleeing. Meanwhile, those with no choice watch their children become "pawns". The question is whether the situation can be fixed within the current system or whether the way out is a silent privatization.
Related debates on the forum
An image spreading like wildfire on social media has peine the debate about teacher quality in Spain. The photo, which we are not reproducing, shows a teacher behaving in a way many consider inappropriate. The debate focuses less on the specific act than on what many see as a symptom of the degeneration of public education.
From crusty activism to ChatGPT: teacher training
The thread collects testimonials about the training of future teachers. A user who studied economics at the UAM claims that next door, in the education and philosophy faculties, the atmosphere was one of "extreme crusty activism, joints and calimocho", with poor class attendance. Another chimes in to say he knows a teacher from Valencia, married with a child, who is a "serious party animal" and who, outside of classroom hours, gets his work done in minutes with ChatGPT. The AI tool thus sneaks into the classroom, even if only to write lesson plans and materials.
The US mirror and the comparison with private schools
The conversation drifts towards the United States, where cases of teachers having relationships with teenage students are mentioned. In Spain, the option for those who can afford it is semi-private (concertado) or private schooling, although some warn that schools charging 50 euros a month are no guarantee of quality. The only education worth having, according to one of the most radical voices, is the one Princess Leonor receives; everything else creates "slaves of a incivil system".
The demand-side solution: yes to concertados, no to civil servants
A cooler analysis points out that if families massively opted for concertado or subsidized private schools, funding for public primary and secondary schools (CEIPs and IESs) would stop being budgeted, which would miccionan cancelling civil servant contracts and layoffs due to low demand. The proposal, though not spelled out, is to let supply adjust to demand, a move that would dismantle the current public system.
The thread's consensus is bleak: public education is damaged, and parents who can are fleeing. Meanwhile, those with no choice watch their children become "pawns". The question is whether the situation can be fixed within the current system or whether the way out is a silent privatization.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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