People often compliment me on the courage and determination it must have taken to move across the ocean. I never quite know how to respond to this, because as far as I'm concerned, moving here was no act of courage at all. It actually would have been a much greater struggle for me to stay put. I moved here, quite simply, to scratch my interminably itchy feet.
I come from a long line of wanderers. You don't have to look far to see it: my family is spread far and wide, and my mother alone has lived across (and holds citizenship in) three countries. Look a little further down my family tree and you'll find explorers, pioneers, Vikings, and conquerors. You'd be hard-pressed to find a European country that isn't somehow involved in my lineage.
I'm also hugely interested in everything relating to human behaviour and the mind. I love travelling to new places because there's very little that excites me more than experiencing, for the first time, where and how a group of people live. But of course, sampling a culture for a few precious days isn't the same as becoming a part of it. Here in London, I'm perfectly placed to be involved in both the breadth and depth of anthropological observation.
Not only am I living in a new country and within easy reach of dozens more, but London itself is a pretty reasonable microcosm of the globe. With over 300 languages regularly spoken here, and nearly 30% of its population having been born outside the UK, London is one of the most multi-cultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. It's impossible to escape the beautiful array of accents, colours, and flavours, and nearly every street and alley I step into in London feels like a different reality. It's mind-boggling just how much diversity there is here.
And that's part of what's making my next move (a much smaller one this time) so exciting. South London is even more multi-ethnic than the city centre, and among the neighbourhood pubs (Hermits Cave! What a brilliant name!) are restaurants specialising in Bengali, Nigerian, Eritrean, and countless other lesser-known cuisines from around the world. Not to mention a highly-rated Spanish tapas bar, so I can get my taste of Spain after all.
Cake: I am having you. And eating you too.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
5 x 15
One of the best things about London is the assortment of neat and quirky events that are always happening around the city. Last night, I had the pleasure of attending 5 x 15 -- an evening of entertainment that features 5 speakers, each telling a 15 minute cross-section of their personal stories or areas of expertise. Somewhat reminiscent of TED talks.
The topics ranged from how to get into Oxford on blind luck, what it's like to grow up with an eccentric gay dad, the reformation of a hardened criminal, a behind-the-scenes peek into a documentary on Peter Mandelson, and the sexual nature of cars. Quite an eclectic mix of subjects, and an equally eclectic mix of personalities.
I think I was most touched by Noel 'Razor' Smith's account of how he turned to a life of crime after having been victimized and harassed by the police. He spent the majority of his adult life in prison, where he taught himself to read and write, and eventually realised he could raise more havoc by writing complaints than he could by punching out the guards. The real turning point, though, was when his son died and he wasn't allowed to attend the funeral. Despite never having done any public speaking before (except "from the witness box at the Old Bailey," he quipped), he had a captivating presence and I didn't want him to stop. Alas, the bell rang and he was cut short. Just to give you an idea of how enraptured I was, the bell apparently rang several times and I never even heard it.
To give the evening a little more texture, there was also a musical interlude. Lulu and the Lampshades were absolutely enchanting. Their creative use of instrumentation, rhythm, and melody sucked me right in.
This little number is their most popular on YouTube. I think I might have preferred some of their other songs, but I love how they've incorporated the cup game here. Their stage rendition was even better, backed by a flute, guitar, and more percussion.
This all took place at Union Chapel, a Gothic church souped up with red stage lights, candles, and strung up number cut-outs. There was even a proper trendy bar upstairs where we hung out with a diverse crowd of hip 20-somethings, middle-aged professionals, and the retired elite during the intermission. A perfectly quirky venue for a perfectly quirky evening. They run these events regularly, and I think I might be hooked.
The topics ranged from how to get into Oxford on blind luck, what it's like to grow up with an eccentric gay dad, the reformation of a hardened criminal, a behind-the-scenes peek into a documentary on Peter Mandelson, and the sexual nature of cars. Quite an eclectic mix of subjects, and an equally eclectic mix of personalities.
I think I was most touched by Noel 'Razor' Smith's account of how he turned to a life of crime after having been victimized and harassed by the police. He spent the majority of his adult life in prison, where he taught himself to read and write, and eventually realised he could raise more havoc by writing complaints than he could by punching out the guards. The real turning point, though, was when his son died and he wasn't allowed to attend the funeral. Despite never having done any public speaking before (except "from the witness box at the Old Bailey," he quipped), he had a captivating presence and I didn't want him to stop. Alas, the bell rang and he was cut short. Just to give you an idea of how enraptured I was, the bell apparently rang several times and I never even heard it.
To give the evening a little more texture, there was also a musical interlude. Lulu and the Lampshades were absolutely enchanting. Their creative use of instrumentation, rhythm, and melody sucked me right in.
This little number is their most popular on YouTube. I think I might have preferred some of their other songs, but I love how they've incorporated the cup game here. Their stage rendition was even better, backed by a flute, guitar, and more percussion.
This all took place at Union Chapel, a Gothic church souped up with red stage lights, candles, and strung up number cut-outs. There was even a proper trendy bar upstairs where we hung out with a diverse crowd of hip 20-somethings, middle-aged professionals, and the retired elite during the intermission. A perfectly quirky venue for a perfectly quirky evening. They run these events regularly, and I think I might be hooked.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
I have a new blog!
I've finally decided to separate my personal and professional blogging. I now have a new blog for musing about all things teaching and learning. Stop by if you're interested, or simply enjoy the fact that you'll never have to endure my rants about education here ever again.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
London in Autumn
From the time I was a small child, I've been told the natural order of autumn leaves is for them to first change colours, then fall to the ground. But in London, this "law" of nature is only obeyed sporadically.
The majority of trees here go directly from green to barren. At first I thought the leaves, once turned, must fall right away... but then I started noticing an abundance of fallen, dried, green leaves. It's messing with my head! And is a little bit sad too; I feel as though I'm missing out on one of the best parts of autumn.
Another of the best parts is Halloween--a holiday mentioned only cautiously and with disdain in this part of the world. Several of my English friends have speculated it's because people here still associate the festival with its controversial past. Others have noted it serves mainly as an excuse for rebellious British youth to make mischief. But I, for one, think it's a crying shame.
That's why I was overjoyed when I was asked to carve a pumpkin with the children at school on Wednesday. I even got to roast the seeds! I was on a high from it the entire day, and I think I might buy another pumpkin and do it all again.
Ironically, despite the lack of qualities that have traditionally reminded me that this is a great season, I'm actually enjoying autumn a lot more than I have in many, many years. I've always found it difficult to enjoy the present when it serves as a constant reminder that the days are getting shorter and colder, and that soon we'll be plunged into the depths of winter (my most despised time of the year). But although my first British winter was hard on me, I think its relatively short lifespan coupled with a long, hot summer (I managed to be in India, Spain, Hawaii, England, and Canada at all the right times to maximize the heat) have made me much readier for winter this time around. We'll see how I feel about it in a month or two, but so far I'm doing ok.
In the meantime, we've arrived at our first break of the school year. I had hoped to spend this time in Italy, but unfortunately circumstances conspired against it. Instead, I'll be messing around with recipes, working on creative projects, and preparing to move. Yes, you read that right, I'm moving next month! Not to Spain, but to Camberwell--a charming area of South London only a 15 minute walk from my school. I'll be living in a lovely Victorian townhouse with four other really cool people. I think it'll be good for me.
The majority of trees here go directly from green to barren. At first I thought the leaves, once turned, must fall right away... but then I started noticing an abundance of fallen, dried, green leaves. It's messing with my head! And is a little bit sad too; I feel as though I'm missing out on one of the best parts of autumn.
Another of the best parts is Halloween--a holiday mentioned only cautiously and with disdain in this part of the world. Several of my English friends have speculated it's because people here still associate the festival with its controversial past. Others have noted it serves mainly as an excuse for rebellious British youth to make mischief. But I, for one, think it's a crying shame.
That's why I was overjoyed when I was asked to carve a pumpkin with the children at school on Wednesday. I even got to roast the seeds! I was on a high from it the entire day, and I think I might buy another pumpkin and do it all again.
Ironically, despite the lack of qualities that have traditionally reminded me that this is a great season, I'm actually enjoying autumn a lot more than I have in many, many years. I've always found it difficult to enjoy the present when it serves as a constant reminder that the days are getting shorter and colder, and that soon we'll be plunged into the depths of winter (my most despised time of the year). But although my first British winter was hard on me, I think its relatively short lifespan coupled with a long, hot summer (I managed to be in India, Spain, Hawaii, England, and Canada at all the right times to maximize the heat) have made me much readier for winter this time around. We'll see how I feel about it in a month or two, but so far I'm doing ok.
In the meantime, we've arrived at our first break of the school year. I had hoped to spend this time in Italy, but unfortunately circumstances conspired against it. Instead, I'll be messing around with recipes, working on creative projects, and preparing to move. Yes, you read that right, I'm moving next month! Not to Spain, but to Camberwell--a charming area of South London only a 15 minute walk from my school. I'll be living in a lovely Victorian townhouse with four other really cool people. I think it'll be good for me.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Special Needs London
When I was little, I delighted in the gifts my parents brought home from their work conferences: pens, paperweights, bags, lanyards, stress balls, and sometimes even toys. I gleefully attended home shows where I scarfed down beer nuts while attempting to convince my parents they needed to buy me a trampoline. And I still have a framed computer-generated image of my aura that I got at a health and wellness show a few years ago. In short, I love conventions.
Today, I attended my very first career-specific exhibition. I was excited. But did Special Needs London live up to my expectations?
I'll be honest, I was looking forward to freebies of the ilk of those given to me as a child. Instead, I came home with an impressive collection of catalogues and brochures (my school will be happy), a demo CD of a literacy computer program, and a cute bookmark. I also wish there'd been more stalls offering information about SEN (special educational needs) rather than businesses trying to sell their wares.
But what about the workshops? I attended two seminars, and while they were certainly the best part of the event and succeeded in getting me thinking, I'm not sure I learned very much from them.
Narrowing the gap - practical ways to raise the achievement of vulnerable learners
There's a lot of talk in the UK about "narrowing the gap" between high and low achievers in schools, but Neil MacKay approached this topic from a different angle: narrowing the gap between a child's ability to think and their ability to present information/ideas or write them down.
Things I especially liked:
- He was clearly a skilled teacher and presenter
- He got us talking to each other, which originally I wasn't keen to do, but quite enjoyed in the end
- I learned that OFSTED considers gifted & talented students to be one of the two most vulnerable groups (yay, people are finally recognising this!)
- He talked about educating the parents about how their children learn and how they can support them, and said that by making the parents less vulnerable, their children become less vulnerable too
- He talked about how our teaching and assessment strategies can create (or eliminate) vulnerabilities in certain children
I didn't like so much that he referred to jargon and acronyms that I'm not familiar with yet and didn't spend much time talking about specific strategies. But I think most of the other attendees, who have more experience with the British education system than I do, understood what he was talking about and could see the applications. I guess I'll just have to do more research.
Not just talking: why children have behavioural, social, and emotional difficulties nowadays
This wasn't what I was expecting it to be, but was interesting in theory nonetheless. It was delivered by speech language therapist Sioban Boyce and was centred on the fact that many children growing up these days have limited exposure to normal human interaction, and therefore never develop important non-verbal communication skills. This lack of non-verbal communication ability leads to confusion and frustration that manifest themselves in behavioural, social, and emotional difficulties. Great stuff.
The trouble was that she was not a very good orator (and was visibly nervous) and she spent the entire hour basically bragging about how her work with these children has impressed people. She didn't really present us with any strategies we can use ourselves, short of sending them to do 1:1 intervention and speaking to them in ways that won't be overwhelming. I would have loved to know more about how she works with these children, not just that it works. She did happily point out, however, that she has books for sale and offers intervention courses. Based on her presentation today (essentially an infomercial that I paid £14.10 to see), I'm wary of giving her any more money for products that may not actually teach me anything.
----
In conclusion, I'm glad I went but I was a little disappointed with what I got out of the experience. I think I might possibly have been spoiled by TED talks.
I did pick up one very important bit of information, though: Angel is a really cool area for shopping. I want to go back there soon, preferably with money.
Today, I attended my very first career-specific exhibition. I was excited. But did Special Needs London live up to my expectations?
I'll be honest, I was looking forward to freebies of the ilk of those given to me as a child. Instead, I came home with an impressive collection of catalogues and brochures (my school will be happy), a demo CD of a literacy computer program, and a cute bookmark. I also wish there'd been more stalls offering information about SEN (special educational needs) rather than businesses trying to sell their wares.
But what about the workshops? I attended two seminars, and while they were certainly the best part of the event and succeeded in getting me thinking, I'm not sure I learned very much from them.
Narrowing the gap - practical ways to raise the achievement of vulnerable learners
There's a lot of talk in the UK about "narrowing the gap" between high and low achievers in schools, but Neil MacKay approached this topic from a different angle: narrowing the gap between a child's ability to think and their ability to present information/ideas or write them down.
Things I especially liked:
- He was clearly a skilled teacher and presenter
- He got us talking to each other, which originally I wasn't keen to do, but quite enjoyed in the end
- I learned that OFSTED considers gifted & talented students to be one of the two most vulnerable groups (yay, people are finally recognising this!)
- He talked about educating the parents about how their children learn and how they can support them, and said that by making the parents less vulnerable, their children become less vulnerable too
- He talked about how our teaching and assessment strategies can create (or eliminate) vulnerabilities in certain children
I didn't like so much that he referred to jargon and acronyms that I'm not familiar with yet and didn't spend much time talking about specific strategies. But I think most of the other attendees, who have more experience with the British education system than I do, understood what he was talking about and could see the applications. I guess I'll just have to do more research.
Not just talking: why children have behavioural, social, and emotional difficulties nowadays
This wasn't what I was expecting it to be, but was interesting in theory nonetheless. It was delivered by speech language therapist Sioban Boyce and was centred on the fact that many children growing up these days have limited exposure to normal human interaction, and therefore never develop important non-verbal communication skills. This lack of non-verbal communication ability leads to confusion and frustration that manifest themselves in behavioural, social, and emotional difficulties. Great stuff.
The trouble was that she was not a very good orator (and was visibly nervous) and she spent the entire hour basically bragging about how her work with these children has impressed people. She didn't really present us with any strategies we can use ourselves, short of sending them to do 1:1 intervention and speaking to them in ways that won't be overwhelming. I would have loved to know more about how she works with these children, not just that it works. She did happily point out, however, that she has books for sale and offers intervention courses. Based on her presentation today (essentially an infomercial that I paid £14.10 to see), I'm wary of giving her any more money for products that may not actually teach me anything.
----
In conclusion, I'm glad I went but I was a little disappointed with what I got out of the experience. I think I might possibly have been spoiled by TED talks.
I did pick up one very important bit of information, though: Angel is a really cool area for shopping. I want to go back there soon, preferably with money.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Yo practico espanol
A couple of weeks ago, my agency presented me with the possibility of going to Madrid for a few months to work as an English tutor. I have no idea whether or not I'll get the job (though I have my fingers very firmly crossed -- I *heart* Madrid!), but I've started (again) to teach myself Spanish just in case. It's something I've been meaning to do for ages, anyway.
I study at least a little bit every day, and I've made noticeable progress, though I'm completely useless unless I can see the words. Castilians speak so quickly and with such a funny accent (my North American ears are more accustomed to Latino Spanish) that I have no idea which words have been said, let alone what they mean. I guess immersion and time are the only answers.
In the meantime, if you have any tips, resource recommendations, or want to teach/practice with me, I'd love to hear about it!
I study at least a little bit every day, and I've made noticeable progress, though I'm completely useless unless I can see the words. Castilians speak so quickly and with such a funny accent (my North American ears are more accustomed to Latino Spanish) that I have no idea which words have been said, let alone what they mean. I guess immersion and time are the only answers.
In the meantime, if you have any tips, resource recommendations, or want to teach/practice with me, I'd love to hear about it!
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