The Linguist

28 The Linguist Vol/61 No/2 2022 thelinguist.uberflip.com OPINION & COMMENT Students also have assigned seats. Despite it being a secondary school, they stay in one classroom for almost all subjects to limit the number of children in the corridors and minimise how often students in different classes cross paths. Each student has their own desk and on the rare occasion they need to swap, both desks are fully disinfected first. Classes continue even when attendance is low due to Covid cases. When students need to isolate, they engage with classes online, despite considerable technical issues. At one point, the teacher even led classes from their computer at home after testing positive for Covid, which was definitely an odd experience. Attendance within my classes has fluctuated and at one point we had just eight out of 30 students in the classroom. For several weeks, we had between one and five students joining online, while some children missed multiple consecutive weeks as they needed to isolate with infected family members and later tested positive themselves. This has all become the new normal for me, and the thought of not wearing masks at school feels very foreign. I'm writing this just as Boris Johnson announced that the legal obligation to self-isolate with a positive Covid test will end in the UK – a step we still seem very far from in Madrid! I have had conversations with the other language assistants about what school would be like if the need to wear a mask is retracted – I would probably have to relearn all of my students' names because I've never seen the bottom halves of their faces before! Gemma settles into her job as a language assistant and gets used to Spanish schools' approach to the pandemic GEMMA MCBAIN Third year interrupted Gemma McBain is in her third year of a German and Spanish BA at the University of Southampton. TL Working at a school in Spain has shown me quite how different a response Spanish schools have had to the pandemic. I work in a suburb on the outskirts of Madrid at a bilingual secondary school where students can opt to study six subjects in English. I am one of six English language assistants helping in some of these classes, taking out small groups for speaking practice, reading texts aloud so the students can hear correct pronunciation, and delivering classes about how festivities are celebrated in our home countries. There is also a French language assistant for the classes delivered in French. It has been a very gratifying experience thus far, but there are many aspects of Spanish schooling which are different to the UK, and it was an adjustment to get used to the way of doing things here – the least of which has been their methods for controlling the virus. One of the first differences I noticed was the high level of compliance to Covid-related rules. When I arrived, the requirement to wear masks outside had just been revoked, but most people continued to wear them. This pattern continued after masks became compulsory outdoors again during the spike in Omicron cases around Christmas. It seemed strange to me, as people would go running with masks on and students are instructed to keep them on during PE lessons, which is contrary to guidance issued by the UK government. In January, I would wear my mask all day, from the moment I left my flat at 8am to when I got back in the evening at around 5pm. This is all done without thought or complaint. As staff, we are given FFP2 masks as they are considered to offer more protection. TEACHING COMMUNITY Gemma (2nd l) with four of the other English language assistants who work at her school in the Madrid suburb of Rivas-Vaciamadrid

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