Back to School Around the World

It's always interesting to compare education around the world, from how students get to school to what they eat at school.  Originally from this article, here are a few photos from the first day of school from around the world.

Children play at school in Toribio, department of Cauca, Colombia, on Aug. 29. Colombia began its first day of peace with the country’s largest insurgency after a ceasefire went into effect, ending 52 years of warfare. (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

Fourteen out of fifteen sets of twins, from the Inverclyde area, pose for a photograph in Clyde Square in Greenock, Scotland, ahead of their first day at school, Aug. 15. Pictured are, back row left to right, Emma and Grace McEleny, Fraser and Nathan McGrath, Jackson and Elizabeth Reid, Brooke and Skye Smith, and Andrew and Thomas Stewart. Middle row left to right, Charlotte and Morgan Goyal, Orlagh and Niamh Keen, Charlie and Olivia Lyne and Olivia and Rhogen McCurry. Front row left to right, Craig and Stuart Arthur, Caragh and Sophie Doig, Jude and Luca Donnachie, Jessica and Lauren Egan and Max and Nyah Glover. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Pupils at the “Tamra HaEmek” elementary school wait for the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett, on the first day of the school year, in the Arab Israeli town of Tamra, Israel Sept. 1. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Ukrainian children from cadet’s lyceum attend the first day of school, which marks the traditional start of the academic year in Kiev, Ukraine, Sept. 1. September 1st is The Day of Knowledge marking the beginning of every school year in Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/EPA)

Students wish themselves good luck during a ceremony marking the first day back to class at Lycee National school in the Petion-Ville suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sept. 5. Half of Lycee’s students didn’t return to school. Those students’ parents complained they can’t afford the tuition, uniforms or school supplies. (Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press)

Palestinian schoolgirls sit in front of a mural on the first day of a new school year, at a United Nations-run school in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Aug. 28. The mural reads, “Freedom of movement is my right.” (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Children attend the Kurulen Primary school in Vuwani, Limpopo, after it opened its doors for the fist time in three months on Aug. 4, with only a few students pitching up for the first day of school. Kurulen Primary school, was one of the 25 schools that was set alight during the recent violent protests. (Mujahid Safodien/AFP/Getty Images)

Refugee schoolchildren attend a lesson on the first day of the new school year at one of the UNRWA schools at a Palestinian refugee camp al Wehdat, in Amman, Jordan, Sept 1. (Muhammad Hamed/Reuters)

Create a new blog post in your Spanish Blog Portfolio, title it the same as this blog post, and answer 2 of the following questions in complete sentences based on these images.

• How do the images of these schools compare to the first day of your school day?
• Select one of the images and explain current events happening in that country right now. How might those current events affect education?
• Select one of the images and research about school in that country. When is the school year? How many years of education is typical in that country?
• Select 3 photos and describe the outfits you see students wear. Do they have uniforms? If not, does it look like the clothes they are wearing are part of a dress code?

Learning About the World Through Photos

Photography is one of my hobbies, and I love taking photos of my travels. (Click here to see photos of my recent trip to Spain or here for photos from my previous international adventures.

Recently I have come across some amazing photo series about life in different parts of the world that taught me a lot.

Here is a series of photos taken of a couple who are living out of a truck in Mexico.

Here is a series of photos taken of a circus school in Cuba.

Here is a series of photos that show how much different items would cost in Venezuela right now.

Here is a series of photos that show people at their jobs around the world.

Hot Tamale Activities - Complete one or more of these activities as a advanced/Hot Tamale blog post. Title your post the title of this blog post.

• Which series of photos did you like the most and why?
• Select a series of photos and link to the website on your blog post and describe the series. What did you learn about the country that these photos were taken? What surprised you the most about what you see in the photos? What questions are raised based on the photos?
• Find another set of photos of a Hispanic place and include a link to the website and give an overview of what the photos series is about. Why did you select these photos?