As mentioned I work in both the high school and the middle school. However, I work in two different high schools: a scientific high school and a classic high school.
Think of high school more like university. Students have to decide which high school to go to after middle school. There are a few types of high school that students can decided between, including vocational. Students go to high school for five years.
Scientific high school seems a little like American high schools. Subjects like foreign languages/cultures (usually Latin, English, and French), the sciences (biology, physics, chemistry), math, art, Italian language/literature, and history and geography seem to be the norm. This type of school is supposed to give students the skills to go to university.
When I observed the English literature class here, the students were talking about Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, and sonnets. (Just a few weeks ago, I was teaching my Indiana students about sonnets. Weird moment.) The students sat in a circle and held a discussion with the teacher.
Classic high school is a little different. I've heard someone describe it as "posh." The focus for classic high school centers more on literature and language. Ancient Greek, Latin, and English are common; Spanish and French, a little less so. Italian language/literature is necessary; classes like history and philosophy are not but can still be taken. This type of school will allow students to go to any type of university, including law.
When I observed the English literature class here, the students were learning about Dante. They had gone on a history walk to Sienna last walk and were talking about it now. This class seemed more like a college lecture. The student desks all faced the front where the teacher stood. Sometimes they read and answered questions, but much of the time was just the teacher talking. According to the teacher though, the students are usually more chatty; apparently they were intimidated by me. Ha.
My (not) problem: When I switch from the middle school to the scientific high school, there's really not a problem. These schools are separated by half a block; when I have to go from one to another in five minutes, it's fine.
However, the middle school to the classic high school is about a fifteen minute walk. Thankfully, the teachers I'm working with understand this. Some days, the teachers I work with can drive me. Other days, I have to walk from one school to the other. The teachers know I have only five minutes on certain days to do this and so understand I will be a few minutes late. Thankfully, I have honed my ability to get from one distant place to another distant place in under fifteen minutes for the last four years.
Cheese Moment of the Day: I've been in Italian supermarkets before. It's a place where people sell food, so it's not as if it's a huge change or anything. I just want to say: I love that moment when half of an aisle is cheese and half of that is just fresh mozzarella. Mmm. Cheeeeese.
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