When Teaching is Rewarding...

...As it is at the moment, it makes me really happy that I am moving to Spain next month, to teach! The class that I currently have every morning, are over from China and staying at a summer school in Milton Keynes. It is so much fun to teach them English! I love how creative and intelligent these students are - half of them want to grow up to become doctors or engineers. It is inspiring and refreshing... But also extremely exhausting!

I am truly awful at getting up ridiculously early for the commute. I swear it's making my Starbucks addiction worst...

So sorry that I haven't been updating my blog as much as I should have, or visiting yours, I'm crazy busy with all the marking, planning and trying to continue learning Spanish. I plan to write many comments this weekend!

I found this cool quote here:




I imagine this is quite hard to do, but oh so rewarding when you do! I shall have to put my all into my teaching work, because even just one, inspired student would be worth the extra effort!

The Future

I am intrigued by new technical and scientific advancements in civilisation. The United Arab Emirates are currently building a new city just outside of Abu Dhabi, called Masdar City, and it's so futuristic, 100% carbon neutral, and cars are not allowed inside. Building is underway, and a large part of the city is under a huge dome to protect from the intense heat. It looks so cool, check it out:







Then there are the electric cars that have recently taken the US by storm. Although the Nissan Leaf is a more popular model, electric cars are becoming more prevalent each year, with the designs more futuristic:





Also moving forward, New York City has just become the first major city to ban smoking outside. This is a great idea, as I am sick of walking along, stuck behind someone smoking, with their smoke blowing directly into my face. And the smell of the recently smoking on public transport? Mints do not help your breath. I am fervently hoping that London will step up and follow New York's example. We did with banning smoking inside pubs and restaurants, although it is deplorable how far behind we are in comparison to the likes of the US.

This country is stuck in a rut, and seems intent on digging itself further in.

Education is one interest of mine, especially since I am in the EFL industry, and aim one day to open my own school with Michael. I have become more and more disillusioned with how backwards our education system is becoming, particularly since the Conservatives came into power, and Michael Gove started having his own insidious way. The Baccalaureate weaning out creativeness and the funding cuts to new technology in schools are prime examples.

Michael and I are intrigued by schools of the future, and how using new scientific and psychological data can improve ways of teaching, as we understand more and more how children learn. Using technology and being more innovative in schools can optimise children's learning, and create more intelligent, healthy children who love to learn.

Isn't this a more inspiring atmosphere....







than this?






I think the video that Michael posted up on the evolution (or lack thereof) of education here:  http://michaelbrothwood.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-absolutely-love-message-that-this.html sums the differences up perfectly!