Most of my old 6th form friends here (in the Swiss Jura mountains) became primary school teachers. Some years ago, I met up with one of them when I was visiting my parents in August, and she said she really dreaded the new school year, teaching 3rd year primary, because she had a HUGE class, and one of them was visually impaired- how am I to cope, she said. So I asked the obvious question, how many. You won't believe it, she replied, 18! I fell about laughing and she was most upset. I told her about classes of 30 in the UK, with non English-speakers, totally inclusion of children with handicaps and special needs- and she would NOT believe me. She said I was being ridiculous, as NOBODY could possibly teach like that.
I invited her to come and visit so she could spend some time in some of our inner city schools and see for herself- but she never took me up on it.
All this to say that English teachers have my utmost admiration and do a truly amazing job (and paid about 1/3 or teachers here..). And that we adapt to the norms around us- somehow.