Category Archives: Blogging

Drive safely

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I work with teenagers, lots of whom are learning to drive and who come to me, delighted to say they have passed their driving test. I am also a mum of teenagers who have their driving licence or who are learning to drive. I am also mum to the victim of a road accident. Thankfully it was not with lasting physical effects and there was absolutely no question of alcohol being involved. The mental scars have remained though – perhaps with the mum more than with the victim !!!

This video below is gruesome and I apologize in advance for the graphic nature if I offend anyone. However, this seems to me an ideal opportunity to hit a message home to my students. Drive safely. Never drink and drive. Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking. I am sure all your parents would prefer a “Can you pick me up, please ?” phone-call to a “There’s been an accident” knock at the door, even at four o’clock in the morning.

http://www.thisblewmymind.com/the-most-powerful-drunk-driving-ad-ever/#LI5AXDQgkkYlgxzi.01

Holiday clean-up

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As lessons will be coming to an end in the coming fortnight, I shall be starting my big clean-up on this blog. It will be three years old soon and needs a bit of a tidy-up. If you find it is off-line, do not worry. it is only because it is being given a make-over and it will be back, sparkly and new in September.

Almost there !!!

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As I open up the front page of my blog today, I see the number of hits is 44,982. That means that in just 18 more hits, I will have reached 45,000 hits on my humble little blog. I am truly gobsmacked (and anyone who knows me will know that it takes a lot to render me speechless !!!). This blog venture began about seven years ago, when I created my first googlesite to be able to share mp3 files with my students to prolong their listening work out of the classroom and to stop me from having to copy onto USB flashdrives countless times. How things have moved on !! In that time, I have moved over to wordpress and I have even become a “dotcom” in my own right !! It was reported back to me recently that some teachers think I am mad to have created this blog. “Elle est folle” were the exact words. I believe they were referring to the sheer size of the blog today and the quantity of resources that are contained herein. I like to tell myself they weren’t referring to my mental state !!! This blog has actually existed in its current form since July 4th 2012, so it is fast approaching its 3rd birthday. Of course, over the course of those three years, it has grown and grown and will continue to grow. It didn’t start immediately in its current form, of course. It was a much smaller and less ambitious proposition then.

To everyone who visits me here, I thank you wholeheartedly for your support. I hope you continue to find useful stuff here and also on my sister blogs, on Funology, on British pronunciation and on general musings about teaching and teacher training.

So, hold on your hats for when we reach 45,000 !!!

45000

What do you think ?

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… of my new cover image ? It was custom designed for me by one of my 1ère students, FG, who will, I know, recognize his work. He spends a lot of time drawing and so I asked him to create a design for my blog. Here you can see it. We negotiated the fact that he wouldn’t make it too gory, no skulls, no blood , no death and destruction – he has done a good job and this is my way of publicly thanking him for his time and effort. I really appreciate it. And to the whole class where I am form tutor, I haven’t forgotten that I have some debts to pay before Christmas :

kinder bueno

No chicken nuggets

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I have changed my header image from Fish and Chips to English Breakfast. The reason for this is simple – some of my Terminale students (I will not name them here, but they will know who they are) thought that the fish actually looked like chicken. They thought it was chicken nuggets. And with me triumphant about the arrival of our first egg from our hens, the thought of transforming my hens into chicken nuggets was just too much for me to bear. So, change of plan and now we have English Breakfast and a lovely way to consume those lovely eggs !!

A change of image

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A “relooking” for my header image today as I celebrate 25,000+ hits on my humble little blog. Very excited to have passed the mark, as it was an objective I had fixed myself and kapow, here it is – been there, done that !!

I have chosen to deviate from the image of the Hampshire coastline and to go for fish and chips. There is a reason for this. I have never been a huge fan of fish and chips in recent years. It was always our Saturday night treat after swimming club as kids and they were, of course, wrapped up in newspaper. But I was somehow never able to re-create the same images as an adult. Fish was nice but could have done without the batter – and the chips, well, I guess I have developed more of a taste for allumette-style French fries these days. HOWEVER on our recent trip to England, we discovered a lovely old-fashioned pub in the heart of Chichester and their fish and chips were divine !!!

So, thanks to all who come regularly from all over the world. The list is impressive. Welcome to any new people and please keep on coming !!

The new school year begins here

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The new school year has begun. 2014-2015 will bring its share of fun and surprises. Welcome to all my new students, young and old, to my blog. You will need to visit these pages very regularly, so save me in your favourites !!! Take some time to have a look around, find things that interest you and that will be useful to you. But above all, take a moment to read, understand and reflect on my quote of the day.

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Summer time

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The time for the big switch off is fast approaching as July comes to a close. You may remember a recent post about decorating and turning out of my study. Well, it is now done and virtually finished. I am now writing from a magnificent 3 metre long desk with more space than I know what to do with (not for long !!), the tidiest bookshelves in the history of mankind and a cool, subtle colour palette of cream and macaroon-coffee (well, that is what it said on the tin !!).20140730_163702[1]20140730_163641[1] It smells clean and fresh and will be awaiting my return from our family break by the pool. Three weeks of work, on and off – but an immense sense of satisfaction now that it is completed.

Work will be resuming in my new study after the summer break. For the moment, it can remain all tidy and beautifully neat – for the time being.

Happy summer holidays to everyone. Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the chill-time and the relaxation, enjoy the big switch off which is almost upon us !!

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