On Saturday I went to the garden centre to join a group making a Christmas arrangement. I love doing these things, it's the one time I feel truly immersed in what I'm doing, in the moment, in the flow. It's an ideal situation, losing yourself among the pine needles and cones, deciding if gold is… Continue reading The joys of learning!
Author: englishthatgrows
I have been living in Italy for a long time and I'm grateful for all the opportunities this beautiful, varied country has offered, especially art and music....oh! and food too. I also work here, doing the most exciting job possible (for a people-person like me) I teach English. New people, new ideas ,new methods to investigate,what more could anyone ask for!
The joys of Teaching!
One of the many delights of teaching is when your students suddenly start formulating their own theories on learning, particulary if they are notions which you had been trying to get across to them perhaps even months ago. This happened to me yesterday when one of my students who has always hated anything that approaches… Continue reading The joys of Teaching!
Long time, no see
I haven't written anything for some time now. I've been busy at work and at play. It seems to me that I discover new things about teaching every week, students are getting more and more involved in their own learning, and for most of them, during, or after a hard day's work, it's no easy… Continue reading Long time, no see
Music and traffic
This Friday the traffic was so bad I didn't even manage to get to the auditorium in time. I only just arrived in time for the second half, after the interval. I believe there had been an accident on one of the roads leading into Milan. The problem is, that once you are on the… Continue reading Music and traffic
Great music
Great music again last Friday at LaVerdi, this time Verdi's Requiem. They perform it every year around Remembrance day and it's fascinating to compare how you remember last year's version with the one you are hearing now .You compare the interpretation of the conductor, the choir's performance, whether you thought last year's soloists were better… Continue reading Great music
Strike!
The consequences of Friday's (always Friday) strike, was that I had to go to Milan pretty early, which of course meant window shopping one of the most dangerous occupations that exist! I decided to walk from Duomo to Largo Mahler where the Milan Auditorium stands and I'm glad I did because it was a lovely… Continue reading Strike!
October
We are having a wonderful October here in Northern Italy. I KNOW I'm supposed to say it's unseasonably hot, worry about global warming and so on...but I just want to let up for a moment or two and enjoy the sun, the garden sounds and smells. We never seem to be" in the moment". I'm… Continue reading October
Time flies
Oh dear, it's Friday already and I still haven't told you about this week's music! Last Friday I was too tired to drag myself down (up?) to Milan but when I saw we had Haydn (Funeral symphony) and Rossini's Stabat Mater....well you can be tired any time you want, but a concert is a concert!… Continue reading Time flies
Falling in love!
Every time I start a lesson with a new class.....it's like falling in love! It's so exciting to walk into that room and see the expectant faces! And I KNOW what they are thinking. "Will this be the time I really manage to get to grips with this language,?"
English that grows 