From Amidst the Dreaming Spires

Where? I hear you ask. Why, Oxford of course!

Here is where you’ll find an insight into my summer school adventures in England. specifically I am teaching English as a Foreign Language at a school based in St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University. Yeah! I know, right? I teach at Oxford University – well sort of LOL!

mmoxford

It’s nowhere near as glamorous as it sounds and is actually the hardest work of the year..the change of scenery is lovely but combine that with a rolling intake, writing your own course on the hoof, activities, evening duties (watching kids watch T.V., dance, handing out badminton racquets and my favourite: buildings and gardens = smoking and snogging patrol!) not to mention the weekend excursions and of course, learning new students names every week ¡…well it all takes its toll.

If like me you are here for the long haul – all eight weeks – it gets tougher every week to find the energy levels required for effective teaching and to be honest, sometimes we don’t. we just can’t.

Nevertheless it is good fun, good company (the teachers are a terrific bunch) and we do have a laugh. Importantly it is very well organised and that, I can promise you, makes a huge difference to teachers’ morale!

So, to begin with here are some photos of St. Hugh’s so you can see the terrible circumstances under which I am forced to earn my crust!

Follow me through the summer weeks with a peek into the Teachers Room, the drama (in and out of Drama Club), photos from our excursions and the pressure-releasing cigarette breaks, quite literally, in the bike sheds!

Oh, and please whilst here, don’t mention “The Other Place”!! 🙂