h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Following the excellent examples of martine, moo and others, have decided to take the plunge and start a journal. Have got today and tomorrow off work (office very quiet, boring even, at the moment), so this gives me a bit of time to play with too.

This morning went with a friend to buy her new bathroom curtains - to be paid for by the insurance company as she had a fire in her bathroom. Luckily they caught it before it spread to the rest of the house! Then we went for coffee chez another mutual friend whom we haven't seen for some time.

This afternoon I've been doing some homework for my Spanish evening class tonight. I'm dreading it. We've just had a two-week break - it's an AS-level class in a local sixth form college - and I took the opportunity to jot down some of my thoughts about the teaching and send them to the teacher by email. I did my best to formulate it as positively and constructively as possible, but she has taken it very badly, so I'm not really looking forward to seeing her!

The main problem is that she talks *all* the time, and doesn't give us enough 'thinking space'. For example, she starts the tape for a listening exercise, and then repeats the instructions while the tape is playing!!! She also code-switches all the time, i.e. changes between Spanish and English in mid-sentence. Her husband is British, so she probably does this at home and I don't think she can help it, but it is extremely irritating.

Trouble is, it was quite an expensive class and we had to pay upfront at the beginning of the year, so there are still about 8 weeks to go.

Oh well - I'll report back tomorrow ... watch this space!

Annie - is it Hills Rd or Long Rd - because I went to school at Long Rd in the days when it was the Camrbidgeshire High School for Girls.

Prue

I can imagine your frustration. I think it's quite common among teachers of Spanish (especially natives) to mix the two languages. She hasn't learnt the great art of keeping silent until one of the class can't bear it any more and starts talking... Mind you it's something you have to relearn on a regular basis.

In Maeve Binchy's Evening Class, you have a description of a near-perfect adult language class, very focused on everyday things, not at all like the French tradition!

Hi Prue

It's Hills Road - a bit nearer for me than Long Road. I live between Mill Road and the Grafton Centre, so it takes me about 15 mins by bike to get to the class - an extra bit of exercise once a week!

Did you live in Cambridge then?

Annie

Thanks for your sympathy martine. I don't know that one by Maeve Binchy, although I have enjoyed some of her other books - will look out for it.

I've just got back from the class, and I have to say that it was much better tonight, probably because there were only six of us there, so the activities were much more 'conversational'. And I stayed on for a few minutes at the end and think I have made my peace with Dolores - for the time being anyway!

Of course teachers are a nightmare to have as students. When I was teaching at Eurocentres we used to get a class list at the beginning of each month, and I always dreaded seeing 'teacher' among the occupations, because you just *know* they are going to be observing you all the time!

More about this tomorrow perhaps!

Annie - I lived out in the styx - in a village called West Wratting. The bus journey used to take 45 minutes each way, and was an education in itself - as you can imagine.

Cambridge was a superb place to go to school. As a girls' school in the days when Newnham, Girton, and New Hall were the only colleges to admit women, there was a shortage of young women in the town, so the Sixth Form was a lot of fun. Now, I wonder why I didn't get better A level results?

I sang in choirs, played in orchestras and, looking back in an old diary, I see that I played in a windband being set up by an undergraduate David Monroe (who virtually rediscovered early music).

The University hosted The Brit Assoc for Advancement in Science conference in my lower 6 year - and we were all given free tickets for anything we wanted to go to - by the University.

Although I eventually went to London University, my husband, and two daughers did the Cambridge thing - and one now lives in Trumpington.

There are also town connections - in the shape of 18th and 19th C ancestors who were cheesemongers on Peas Hill, and a farmer, whose statue graced the corn exchange for many years (now at Babraham).

Happy Days.

Best wishes

Prue

PS Still haven't forgiven the town planners for ruining Petty Cury!

Ah, that crime had already been perpetrated by the time I arrived in Cambridge for the first time in the late 80s.

I used to be a big fan of David Munrow and the Early Music Consort. I see from Wikipedia that he died in 1976 - I remember at the time thinking what a waste it was.

I also went to London University (UCL), but I'm pretty settled here now. I like the fact that Cambridge is a very manageable size, but also within easy reach of London - not that I go there very often, now that I've stopped commuting!