As one of Daniel's students in this summer school, I finished with mixed feelings, because Daniel was a stunning teacher but, at the same time, a part of me was angry because I discovered the genius in Daniel too late. I realised too late that he was a genius, and that pissed me off. And to make things worse, I've read his book (A Classroom in Kyiv), and that feeling of meeting a genius too late increased. Thanks for everything, and sorry for nothing, Daniel.
Wow, this is an incredible comment…thank you for the kind words 🤗
But…’genius’?! That’s going wayyyyyyyy too far, you flatter me way too much 😂
Glad you enjoyed my book, and now for the fun part…I have a strong suspicion I know who you are but the name ‘Agila’ is baffling me. Should I guess or can you tell me? 😉
Oh how I love these stories about those 'little darlings'!
Also, the format of daily notes (and making them both Notes and posts/articles), like a little notebook, works exceptionally well here. I confess I'm already thinking of how I could steal this idea 😅
Thank you Elina! Such lovely words and little darlings is right, they are all absolutely adorable sweethearts 😂
In one of those online geography games I was referring to, btw, one of the cities pictured was Helsinki. I played it in three different classes. In one class, a girl said “how are we supposed to know, we’re Italian!”; in another a girl said “Helsinki? Where is Helsinki?” (she was also Italian); in the third, a boy (Catalan) deliberated carefully and said “The architecture looks Nordic, or Scandinavian” and he was considering Helsinki, Tallinn and Oslo before saying Malmö, and when the answer was revealed he was like ‘of course, of course, now I recognise it!’ I couldn’t wait to share this with you!
I have seen someone compile their notes into a post format - the super popular Daniel Piper (Serious Literary Author) does this from time to time, but it’s a nice easy post to throw together when time is tight. Go ahead, steal it, I already have!
Haha, it's definitely not the first or the last time the existence of a place called Helsinki comes as a surprise 😂 I guess it goes to the same box as the surprise that not everyone eats pasta every day 🤭
Just catching up with this now - six hours a day over six days of this is exhausting!!!!! Anyone who thinks otherwise has clearly never had to teach teenagers 🫠 I was desperately hoping #3 was actually true. I might steal this joke for my first class in the new term - the chances of any of my students understanding it are so slim I might just get away with it….
It is exhausting but the days do fly by, which might be a good thing, sometimes it feels like life disappears too fast during these gigs.
I have used that #3 joke many times, but I’d never dare during an observation - I’m reckless and do many inappropriate things in the classroom, but even I have my limits. I push the boundaries of acceptable humour all the time!
Yes! In all seriousness, an ability to grasp humour - lousy or otherwise - is the sign of a good language learner. Sarcasm as well. The best students in my experience at least appreciate humour and sarcasm and try to understand them.
Totally. I miss that level of engagement because I mostly work with low level learners these days (like those ones you describe in your painful lesson) and I do love those groups but the only ‘jokes’ I can do are more like slapstick. I attribute my rapidly aging face down the fact that I’m constantly grimacing and contorting my features during lessons to emphasise some point or other. 🤡
Haha, I’m exactly the same with my face, and with lower levels I not so secretly love using mimes and drama to illustrate vocabulary - when a student asks what ‘angry’ means, I salivate at the prospect of destroying the classroom and shouting at the class in the hopes they’ll never forget it. ‘Brave’ is another fun one - I nearly got into trouble once when I pretended to be a soldier, running around the classroom with an imaginary rifle screaming ‘I’m not afraid to die you mother f***ers!’ and throwing myself against the wall. Problem is, the wall was made of glass and this was all witnessed by my director of studies!
Reading this brought back memories of the time when, aged 15, I spent a couple of weeks at an English language summer school in Edinburgh. Looking forward to part 2.
Hand on heart as soon as I read Day 3 I thought that's the one. I just don't believe an observer wouldn't be charmed by your classroom shenanigans. 😂
I've missed most of these in Notes so I'm really glad you're doing this round-up here. I hope the second half is/has been filled with eager and engaged students who appreciate all your jokes. And I also hope you're getting more rest now that the World Cup is over.
Please don’t tell me Francisco (?) DePoopi is a made up name. As someone who organizes summer schools as part of their day job, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your notes, many of which have confirmed what I also believe to be true about summer programs.
Funnily, my Italian surname translates as ‘stench’ so whenever the kids hear it, they start giggling. Maybe this is why I enjoy toilet humour so much, it’s a genetic thing.
I was dying to ask if the feedback was real 😅I love a diary, thank you for sharing this neat roundup - I only saw some of the Notes. I did feel a little exhausted reading it - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week sounds really draining. I think I told you I did three days teaching in April and needed to spend the weekend on the sofa after. Hats off to you! The teachers sound just as interesting as the classes too, hope to read more about them after the next stint...
I could dish plenty of dirt on the teachers, although most of it is more on the serious side. Like, how do teachers with such impenetrable accents actually teach their classes? This one baffles me - there’s one teacher here who always requests higher levels but the students can barely understand her.
I didn’t want to share the actual feedback, it was boring (and positive, I’m too self-deprecating and can’t share nonsense like that!)
Once you get used to this routine, it’s slightly less draining than it sounds. It helps that it’s a short-term thing - 3-4 weeks of this, at this intensity, is just about manageable, but year round would kill me. The time also flies by (for me, not them!) in the classroom.
I’m so impressed that teachers can keep up that schedule day after day, in front of kids the whole time. I do the occasional author visit at schools and if I have to do 2 presentations in the same day, I’m worn out.
At least it sounds like you’re having fun with it. The bit about trying to convince your students to get their plundered artifacts from the museum made me laugh.
Are you just in the UK for the summer? Or are you living there now?
If this were a year-round gig, I’d never make it. The occasional weeklong teaching assignments I do in Austria are also draining but they’re also short-term.
I’m just here for July. I did this last summer as well. Decent pay overall and fun some of the time.
That sounds exhausting! And yes, those geese are terrifying. My dog has a bad habit of trying to chase birds, so she did the same the first time she was close to a goose in a park in London, let's just say that did not go well.
It sounds like (barely!) controlled mayhem! 🤣 But I like your attitude in letting them happily chatter away. It must be really satisfying, knowing that they're learning without feeling the slog.
And as for the geese - they're bloody terrifying, aren't they? There used to be some seriously arsey swans on the river as well. I have no idea why north-east Essex's waterfowl are so bad-tempered.
Fun fact: a tank regiment was stationed at Wivenhoe House during the war and Churchill went to visit. And during the 1980s miners' strike, some of the miners who picketed Wivenhoe's port were put up by students.
These are terrific fun facts, I definitely didn’t know this.
The geese are nasty creatures, they must sense my disdain, but I certainly haven’t wronged them in any way.
I read Straight Man by Richard Russo not long ago, it’s a campus novel (university) and the main character threatens to kill a goose in protest, I’m considering doing the same (just threatening, not actually doing it!)
I now understand why I'm encountering hoards of Italian and Spanish speaking (=shouting) teenagers everywhere in Dublin - they must be in summer school here too. I don’t know how you endure it 😌
It isn’t easy. In the class is bad enough. But then at mealtimes, with loads of them jabbering away and doing their ridiculous bottle flip challenges, the noise is unbearable. I either skip meals in the canteen (they’re pretty bad) or go much later when most of the turds have left.
A lot more going backstage than you'd expect. Interesting perspective. In any case, you sound like a memorable English teacher. I'm sure some of your students will one day remember you with fondness. :)
Positive reinforcement does very little for us non native English speakers. Just tell me I'm shite and I'll see to be less shite. But if you keep saying my English is just fine, like most natives did for years, then don't be surprised when you hear me say Greenwich 😂
While I don’t want to shatter their confidence, certain things have to be said. I always ask them their reasons for learning English before dishing out honest criticism. If they need it for exam purposes and are seeking a C1+ level, then I’ll be harsh. But if it’s for other reasons, I’ll be a bit gentler while making it clear what they need to fix.
The Italian teenagers - I remember them being the hardest part to teach the year I did TEFL too. English was the worst too. They were all nice enough tho. Who do think will win the game tonight ? Seems the whole of England wants Spain to win
As one of Daniel's students in this summer school, I finished with mixed feelings, because Daniel was a stunning teacher but, at the same time, a part of me was angry because I discovered the genius in Daniel too late. I realised too late that he was a genius, and that pissed me off. And to make things worse, I've read his book (A Classroom in Kyiv), and that feeling of meeting a genius too late increased. Thanks for everything, and sorry for nothing, Daniel.
Wow, this is an incredible comment…thank you for the kind words 🤗
But…’genius’?! That’s going wayyyyyyyy too far, you flatter me way too much 😂
Glad you enjoyed my book, and now for the fun part…I have a strong suspicion I know who you are but the name ‘Agila’ is baffling me. Should I guess or can you tell me? 😉
Way better than an apple! :o)
Oh how I love these stories about those 'little darlings'!
Also, the format of daily notes (and making them both Notes and posts/articles), like a little notebook, works exceptionally well here. I confess I'm already thinking of how I could steal this idea 😅
Thank you Elina! Such lovely words and little darlings is right, they are all absolutely adorable sweethearts 😂
In one of those online geography games I was referring to, btw, one of the cities pictured was Helsinki. I played it in three different classes. In one class, a girl said “how are we supposed to know, we’re Italian!”; in another a girl said “Helsinki? Where is Helsinki?” (she was also Italian); in the third, a boy (Catalan) deliberated carefully and said “The architecture looks Nordic, or Scandinavian” and he was considering Helsinki, Tallinn and Oslo before saying Malmö, and when the answer was revealed he was like ‘of course, of course, now I recognise it!’ I couldn’t wait to share this with you!
I have seen someone compile their notes into a post format - the super popular Daniel Piper (Serious Literary Author) does this from time to time, but it’s a nice easy post to throw together when time is tight. Go ahead, steal it, I already have!
Haha, it's definitely not the first or the last time the existence of a place called Helsinki comes as a surprise 😂 I guess it goes to the same box as the surprise that not everyone eats pasta every day 🤭
Just catching up with this now - six hours a day over six days of this is exhausting!!!!! Anyone who thinks otherwise has clearly never had to teach teenagers 🫠 I was desperately hoping #3 was actually true. I might steal this joke for my first class in the new term - the chances of any of my students understanding it are so slim I might just get away with it….
It is exhausting but the days do fly by, which might be a good thing, sometimes it feels like life disappears too fast during these gigs.
I have used that #3 joke many times, but I’d never dare during an observation - I’m reckless and do many inappropriate things in the classroom, but even I have my limits. I push the boundaries of acceptable humour all the time!
Give it a go, see if they get it 😁
🤣 - it could be the new gauge for whether a student gets to level up from elementary to pre-int.
Yes! In all seriousness, an ability to grasp humour - lousy or otherwise - is the sign of a good language learner. Sarcasm as well. The best students in my experience at least appreciate humour and sarcasm and try to understand them.
Totally. I miss that level of engagement because I mostly work with low level learners these days (like those ones you describe in your painful lesson) and I do love those groups but the only ‘jokes’ I can do are more like slapstick. I attribute my rapidly aging face down the fact that I’m constantly grimacing and contorting my features during lessons to emphasise some point or other. 🤡
Haha, I’m exactly the same with my face, and with lower levels I not so secretly love using mimes and drama to illustrate vocabulary - when a student asks what ‘angry’ means, I salivate at the prospect of destroying the classroom and shouting at the class in the hopes they’ll never forget it. ‘Brave’ is another fun one - I nearly got into trouble once when I pretended to be a soldier, running around the classroom with an imaginary rifle screaming ‘I’m not afraid to die you mother f***ers!’ and throwing myself against the wall. Problem is, the wall was made of glass and this was all witnessed by my director of studies!
Reading this brought back memories of the time when, aged 15, I spent a couple of weeks at an English language summer school in Edinburgh. Looking forward to part 2.
Hand on heart as soon as I read Day 3 I thought that's the one. I just don't believe an observer wouldn't be charmed by your classroom shenanigans. 😂
I've missed most of these in Notes so I'm really glad you're doing this round-up here. I hope the second half is/has been filled with eager and engaged students who appreciate all your jokes. And I also hope you're getting more rest now that the World Cup is over.
Some of my shenanigans do test the boundaries of appropriacy and good taste, and I’ve been known to get myself into a few pickles over the years.
As much as I’m disappointed the WC is over, the upside is more rest, that’s for sure. It takes a lot out of you, physically and emotionally.
Did you really not replace your breakfast? 🤦🏻♀️🤣🤣
I really didn’t. I stubbornly refused. I grabbed an apple and tangerine and that was it.
I was starving an hour later. Serves me right!
Crazy 🤪
Please don’t tell me Francisco (?) DePoopi is a made up name. As someone who organizes summer schools as part of their day job, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your notes, many of which have confirmed what I also believe to be true about summer programs.
I’m afraid to report that…
(I wish it were a real name!)
Funnily, my Italian surname translates as ‘stench’ so whenever the kids hear it, they start giggling. Maybe this is why I enjoy toilet humour so much, it’s a genetic thing.
That is fitting. I have no idea what my last name means, but I enjoy toilet humor just the same.
I was dying to ask if the feedback was real 😅I love a diary, thank you for sharing this neat roundup - I only saw some of the Notes. I did feel a little exhausted reading it - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week sounds really draining. I think I told you I did three days teaching in April and needed to spend the weekend on the sofa after. Hats off to you! The teachers sound just as interesting as the classes too, hope to read more about them after the next stint...
I could dish plenty of dirt on the teachers, although most of it is more on the serious side. Like, how do teachers with such impenetrable accents actually teach their classes? This one baffles me - there’s one teacher here who always requests higher levels but the students can barely understand her.
I didn’t want to share the actual feedback, it was boring (and positive, I’m too self-deprecating and can’t share nonsense like that!)
Once you get used to this routine, it’s slightly less draining than it sounds. It helps that it’s a short-term thing - 3-4 weeks of this, at this intensity, is just about manageable, but year round would kill me. The time also flies by (for me, not them!) in the classroom.
Good luck with the next stint and good luck understanding your colleague's accent 🤭
I’m so impressed that teachers can keep up that schedule day after day, in front of kids the whole time. I do the occasional author visit at schools and if I have to do 2 presentations in the same day, I’m worn out.
At least it sounds like you’re having fun with it. The bit about trying to convince your students to get their plundered artifacts from the museum made me laugh.
Are you just in the UK for the summer? Or are you living there now?
If this were a year-round gig, I’d never make it. The occasional weeklong teaching assignments I do in Austria are also draining but they’re also short-term.
I’m just here for July. I did this last summer as well. Decent pay overall and fun some of the time.
That sounds exhausting! And yes, those geese are terrifying. My dog has a bad habit of trying to chase birds, so she did the same the first time she was close to a goose in a park in London, let's just say that did not go well.
It sounds like (barely!) controlled mayhem! 🤣 But I like your attitude in letting them happily chatter away. It must be really satisfying, knowing that they're learning without feeling the slog.
And as for the geese - they're bloody terrifying, aren't they? There used to be some seriously arsey swans on the river as well. I have no idea why north-east Essex's waterfowl are so bad-tempered.
Fun fact: a tank regiment was stationed at Wivenhoe House during the war and Churchill went to visit. And during the 1980s miners' strike, some of the miners who picketed Wivenhoe's port were put up by students.
These are terrific fun facts, I definitely didn’t know this.
The geese are nasty creatures, they must sense my disdain, but I certainly haven’t wronged them in any way.
I read Straight Man by Richard Russo not long ago, it’s a campus novel (university) and the main character threatens to kill a goose in protest, I’m considering doing the same (just threatening, not actually doing it!)
Those geese have got it coming to 'em!
I now understand why I'm encountering hoards of Italian and Spanish speaking (=shouting) teenagers everywhere in Dublin - they must be in summer school here too. I don’t know how you endure it 😌
It isn’t easy. In the class is bad enough. But then at mealtimes, with loads of them jabbering away and doing their ridiculous bottle flip challenges, the noise is unbearable. I either skip meals in the canteen (they’re pretty bad) or go much later when most of the turds have left.
A lot more going backstage than you'd expect. Interesting perspective. In any case, you sound like a memorable English teacher. I'm sure some of your students will one day remember you with fondness. :)
And plenty will remember me with utter contempt 😂
You’ll forget them by then. Only memorize the good ones.
Positive reinforcement does very little for us non native English speakers. Just tell me I'm shite and I'll see to be less shite. But if you keep saying my English is just fine, like most natives did for years, then don't be surprised when you hear me say Greenwich 😂
While I don’t want to shatter their confidence, certain things have to be said. I always ask them their reasons for learning English before dishing out honest criticism. If they need it for exam purposes and are seeking a C1+ level, then I’ll be harsh. But if it’s for other reasons, I’ll be a bit gentler while making it clear what they need to fix.
Fair enough, and you don't want to demotivate kids either.
The Italian teenagers - I remember them being the hardest part to teach the year I did TEFL too. English was the worst too. They were all nice enough tho. Who do think will win the game tonight ? Seems the whole of England wants Spain to win
Their English is, comparatively, rather poor, especially the pronunciation. Most of them are great fun though.
I think and hope Spain will win, but…what do I know? (ha!)
Geese
Nasty bastards