El colegio School Life

Priya va al instituto a las ocho y media con uniforme. Las clases empiezan a las nueve y terminan a las tres y media. Tiene seis clases cada dia con un recreo y el almuerzo.

Priya arrives at school every day at half past eight in the morning. She wears the school uniform: a white shirt, a navy blue jumper and a grey skirt. Classes start at nine o'clock sharp and finish at half past three in the afternoon. Every day she has six lessons of fifty minutes, with a twenty minute break in mid morning and an hour for lunch. Priya says: I like my timetable because I have very varied lessons, it is not boring. Her friend Carlos, who studies at a school in Madrid, has a similar timetable but starts a little later, at half past eight too but finishes at two in the afternoon.

A Priya le encantan las matematicas y la biologia. No le gusta la historia porque hay que memorizar fechas. A Carlos le encanta el arte y la musica pero odia las matematicas.

When Carlos asks Priya what her favourite subjects are, she answers without hesitating: I love maths and science, especially biology, because I like understanding how the human body works. I also like English because the teacher makes the lessons very dynamic. However, I really do not like history at all, I find it a bit boring because you have to memorise a lot of dates. Carlos says he loves art and music, because he can be creative, but he hates maths because he finds it very difficult. Priya replies: It is interesting, everyone has different tastes. The important thing is to find what you are passionate about.

La profesora favorita de Priya se llama la senora Gupta, que es estricta pero justa. El profesor de matematicas da muchos deberes. El profesor de arte de Carlos se llama don Alberto y es muy simpatico.

Priya has a science teacher called Mrs Gupta. She is very strict but also very fair, and explains things very patiently. Priya says: Mrs Gupta is my favourite teacher because she does interesting experiments in class and never gets annoyed if you ask a question. She also has a maths teacher called Mr Rao, who is very nice but gives a lot of homework every day. At Carlos's school in Madrid, there is an art teacher called Mr Alberto, who always wears colourful clothes and encourages students to experiment with different materials. Carlos says: Mr Alberto is a bit eccentric but his classes are the best of the week.

El horario de Priya cambia cada dia. Los miercoles tiene deporte toda la manana y es su dia favorito. Hace los deberes el sabado y descansa el domingo.

Priya's timetable changes every day of the week. On Mondays she has maths first thing, then science, English, PE and in the afternoon art and IT. On Tuesdays she has history, geography, Hindi, maths again and music. Priya explains: Wednesdays are my favourite days because we have sport all morning, we play volleyball or basketball in the gym. Thursdays and Fridays are similar to Mondays, with more science and maths classes. There are no lessons at weekends, and Priya uses the time to do her homework on Saturday morning and rest on Sunday. She says the timetable is demanding but she likes the variety of subjects each day.

Priya come en el comedor del instituto con arroz y verduras. Durante el recreo, sale al patio con sus amigas para hablar y descansar. Carlos juega al futbol en el patio de su instituto.

At lunchtime, Priya goes to the school canteen with her friends. The canteen serves hot food every day, usually rice, vegetables and sometimes chicken or fish. Priya says: The canteen food is not bad, but I prefer it when I bring a sandwich from home. During break, students go out to the yard to talk, play football or simply rest before the next lesson. Priya and her friends usually sit under a big tree to chat about lessons and upcoming exams. Carlos, at his school in Madrid, also has a big yard where he plays football with his classmates during the mid morning break.

Priya quiere estudiar medicina y Carlos quiere hacer algo de arte o diseno. Los dos piensan que el colegio les ayuda a descubrir sus intereses aunque hay muchos examenes.

At the end of the school year, Priya and Carlos talk about what they want to study in the future. Priya says: I think I want to study medicine at university, that is why I like science so much. I need to get good grades in biology and chemistry. Carlos replies: I am not sure yet, but I would like to do something related to art or design. Both agree that school helps them discover their interests and talents, although it is not always easy with so many exams and so much homework. Priya concludes: Despite the difficulties, I think school is an important stage that prepares us for life. Carlos adds: Totally agree, although sometimes we miss the holidays.