Modern language teaching needs more passion

I had to go to my French tutor. It was boring, but not nearly as boring as French lessons at school. I think it’s because of the way the teachers teach. Nowadays I love languages. They’re almost like a hobby for me: sometimes I do a few lessons on Duolingo, not necessarily with a viewContinue reading “Modern language teaching needs more passion”

My experience at a girls’ school…

I remember I once read an article written by someone who went to the same school as I did. It was essentially championing single-sex education, especially girls’ schools. I remember a lot of the things she described, like the constant “Was it full of lesbians?” question from outsiders. I have seen the inflatable man-doll thatContinue reading “My experience at a girls’ school…”

The most exciting journal entries ever

I can’t remember what happened today like on Wednesday. I am writing this on the 24th. Though I can’t write about the real today because I won’t have anything to write about on Saturday. I’ll just have to leave Friday because I’ve tried to remember what we’ve been doing but I can’t. Entries like theseContinue reading “The most exciting journal entries ever”

The most important day of the year

Last year, in June, we had an enormous 13th birthday party that included canapes, a meal, presents and a three-tier birthday cake complete with candles and icing. We dressed up (my dad wore the Hawaiian shirt he sets aside for such occasions) and sat at the large table in the conservatory; the one reserved forContinue reading “The most important day of the year”

‘We went swimming today at school. It was hell.’ – aged 9

School swimming was indeed like being banished to an outer circle of Hell sometimes. Sometime before my generation, the adult world apparently decided that children are helpless morons who will happily and willingly drown if not forced to wear what was essentially a full body suit of inflatables to step into a couple of feetContinue reading “‘We went swimming today at school. It was hell.’ – aged 9”

ELEANORA; OR, A TALE REGRETTABLY TRUE

LETTER II The Rev. Joseph Harlowe to Mrs. Marjorie Waldgrave Dear Madam, Your letter sent me into convulsions of the greatest confusion when I receiv’d it this morning. The Duke has a daughter, a new young lady for the Palace! The Mother perish’d! That wicked woman shall, alas, be remembered fondly in death by allContinue reading “ELEANORA; OR, A TALE REGRETTABLY TRUE”

Thursday, 14th April 2022

In retrospect, I think I started to feel different from other people at nursery school. The adults were like characters out of Alice in Wonderland: uncompromising, and full of bizarre, enigmatic statements and demands. One of my abiding memories is of being constantly told not to ‘answer back to the teacher’. All I can rememberContinue reading “Thursday, 14th April 2022”