Loved this short piece from you today, Kate! I am a big fan of cities, but live in a place where I am sandwiched between the busy urban surroundings and the Peak District National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty. It always makes me realise that though I claim not to 'like' the quiet of the countryside too much, to have both on the doorstep is a real blessing not to be taken for granted.
(Also, my husband-teacher will attest to the joys and utter exhaustion of school trips!! ; )
"Later that night at the talent show he would perform a solo Frank Sinatra tune, completely off-key, but with the enthusiasm and humble confidence of somebody who writes." Loved that! And this..." landed in one of those magical spots where it’s easy to have both — the city and the countryside" is pure magic, enjoy it!
Such a beautifully reflective piece. I really liked how the students’ impulse to read and write mirrored your own yearning for quiet. You’ve captured that delicate balance between city buzz and natural stillness so well.
Big fan of this short piece, KCW! Absolutely love the line “completely off-key, but with the enthusiasm and humble confidence of somebody who writes.” Reminds me of younger days of being less self conscious and under the influence. Great to hear about where you are at in the world geographically. The idea of students asking to slow down and read rather than run to the next event is refreshing, I wish we could get a bit more of that in the US—I’d like to get more of that in my own life….Thanks again and I need to jump backwards and take a read at the man from Brooklyn, it’s on my radar!
They are always reminding me about things like this! They don’t realize it, but I agree about how refreshing it is. Their motivations are much different.
It might be a while until I finish the Man from Brooklyn…let’s see. Thanks Brian!
Amami is one of those places we would like to visit sooner or later. My wife has even started talking about "taking a sabbatical" from our life in Yokohama and spend some time in a smaller. quiet place - or maybe even abroad, somewhere in Asia.
You seem to have a pretty good bunch of students. How's their English?
That sounds exciting. I guess there are many places you could do that even just in Japan. Some areas of Kyushu as well.
The students are lovely. Their English is good - they are from all over the world and it is an IB school. There are a few local or Korean students who need some support with academic English but they don’t usually take my classes - they are in Japanese or Korean “A” (literature) instead.
Loved this short piece from you today, Kate! I am a big fan of cities, but live in a place where I am sandwiched between the busy urban surroundings and the Peak District National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty. It always makes me realise that though I claim not to 'like' the quiet of the countryside too much, to have both on the doorstep is a real blessing not to be taken for granted.
(Also, my husband-teacher will attest to the joys and utter exhaustion of school trips!! ; )
No reason not to have both worlds, right? Thanks Kate!
"Later that night at the talent show he would perform a solo Frank Sinatra tune, completely off-key, but with the enthusiasm and humble confidence of somebody who writes." Loved that! And this..." landed in one of those magical spots where it’s easy to have both — the city and the countryside" is pure magic, enjoy it!
Thanks Alexander!
Such a beautifully reflective piece. I really liked how the students’ impulse to read and write mirrored your own yearning for quiet. You’ve captured that delicate balance between city buzz and natural stillness so well.
Thanks Jon! Yeah sometimes we think an energy is our own and then we see we’re not alone. Especially with students, eh?
That’s so true, you can feel that energy in places for sure and it can impact your own.
Big fan of this short piece, KCW! Absolutely love the line “completely off-key, but with the enthusiasm and humble confidence of somebody who writes.” Reminds me of younger days of being less self conscious and under the influence. Great to hear about where you are at in the world geographically. The idea of students asking to slow down and read rather than run to the next event is refreshing, I wish we could get a bit more of that in the US—I’d like to get more of that in my own life….Thanks again and I need to jump backwards and take a read at the man from Brooklyn, it’s on my radar!
They are always reminding me about things like this! They don’t realize it, but I agree about how refreshing it is. Their motivations are much different.
It might be a while until I finish the Man from Brooklyn…let’s see. Thanks Brian!
Amami is one of those places we would like to visit sooner or later. My wife has even started talking about "taking a sabbatical" from our life in Yokohama and spend some time in a smaller. quiet place - or maybe even abroad, somewhere in Asia.
You seem to have a pretty good bunch of students. How's their English?
That sounds exciting. I guess there are many places you could do that even just in Japan. Some areas of Kyushu as well.
The students are lovely. Their English is good - they are from all over the world and it is an IB school. There are a few local or Korean students who need some support with academic English but they don’t usually take my classes - they are in Japanese or Korean “A” (literature) instead.
Thanks Gianni!
It looks like you got lucky with your students. What are you teaching, exactly?
International baccalaureate English and head of language and literature. I’ve taught in the IB system a long time and really like its ethos.
"The flâneurism of fall" - I like the phrase, Kate!
The best time to flâneur, right?