Bell End News

So another summer at the Leys comes to an end, having got through the final course show with no technical problems this time around. It's been good, although not as great as last year.  It ended on a good note, with some great performances from the kids and my class' effort went down well.  The whole course show was of a much higher standard this time around, with teachers having learned what works and what doesn't work on stage.

The highlight for me was the second course when the film project resulted in a worthy contender for 'how-to-do-a-project-which-results-in-a-tangible-outcome' award.  However, the final course has produced an interesting, and funny news-based contender in itself.. with the punny 'Bell End News' airing to much amusement.  Some interesting dancing and miming, gymnastics and 'time travel' related movies, topped off with '(I've had) The Time Of My Life' as a rousing finale.  Little Saudi Arabian kid, Annan Ibrahim received the Frank Bell Prize.  I met Annan's father the following day as he was collected from the site.

Now I get five full weeks off before travelling to Riyadh for one month's work at King Saud University.  Five weeks holiday, of which I probably only need the first few. However, it will be a chance to read up about the country I am about to experience and to get physically and mentally prepared. 

The send off from the Leys was managed, with few emotions.  It is a job after all, albeit an intense one.  Most of the staff seemed to relax on the final night, throwing caution to the wind, letting their hair down etc etc.. even, in one case, spraining their knee.  The van arrived around midday, was loaded with all the stuff, and people departed.

The Leys Pt 2

It's the end of the fourth week at the Leys.  This has been the difficult middle section, just as it was last year, but the one that I knew was always going to be more stressful.  I chose to this year's film in the 3rd/4th weeks, knowing that it was possible as long as I prepared for it and had the right set of students.  It was a sluggish start, but they soon came round to the idea of making a film, which was chosen from a selection of 5 proposed ideas across two classes.  'Bad Romance' was aired at the Course Show on Monday, setting the standard for the rest of the presentations, to great acclaim.  Some teachers just don't know how to prepare a video presentation... they overlook the technical issues and forget that the microphone is usually built into the camcorder and so you can't film students far away and expect them to be heard!  Subtitles also help!

As a general thought, I must agree with some of the complacency and slackness recently of some staff expressed in meetings, although last minute changes to study tours don't help.  I did recently get to visit Wimbledon Centre Court for the first time, however.

In addition to making the film, I have also been teaching a study option class in the afternoon (which replaced horse riding) but I have been very casual about the extra lesson.  


Last Friday the Bell staff put on a drama tour in the rain... where the kids were duped into walking round Cambridge meeting staff dressed up as historial Cambridge characters... I was going to play Stephen Hawking and position myself next to Corpus (Christi) Clock... but it was deemed inappropriate and, although I had a synthesised voice, my laptop would have got very wet.. and I might have got arrested, too.


It is difficult to keep tabs on the outside world when you do this job.  The residential nature of the work keeps it all quite insular and it is enough just to keep yourself together and not make any serious mistakes.   I don't think that is likely and I am enjoying it again, like I did last summer.  I have had to be a little bit selfish at times, but only for the good of my own class and the ever present need to impress.  I thrive in conditions like this and it makes the inbetween boredom of unemployment more so by comparison. 


I have applied to work in Saudi Arabia for just one month (22 Sep - 21 Oct) because the pay is excellent.  However, I have had no comeback from HR since we had a meeting about it 7 days ago.  My application has been received but my passport waits with me, waiting to be copied.  I think the chances are 50-50 at best and I won't be heartbroken if I don't go.  I've had some serious advice given to me about it.. Most have tried to put me off, but I do thrive on a new challenge, and I couldn't think of a more culturally challenging country to work in than Saudi.  Anyway, we shall see if my 'continuing TEFL travels' are spiced up or whether I play it safe and go back to Bedgebury for the Autumn Explorer.

I have received a speeding ticket for doing 36mph in a 30 zone whilst on duty, driving the minibus... and today (Tuesday) I drive the same minibus down to Heathrow, taking 7 Brazilian girls to the airport.  

Anyway, 2 weeks left of the summer school.  Have to keep my energy levels up.. everyone is tired but you have to keep going and remember that you are dealing with kids who are visiting England and a Bell course for the very first time and each have their expectations.

The Leys pt1

I'm nearly 2 weeks into my 6 week summer stint at the Leys.  I am definitely pacing myself more than last time. I haven't quite got the same buzz as last year.  It still pretty good, however, and I certainly enjoy being here.  Only about 25% of the staff were here last year.. mostly on the teaching or houseparent side.  It seems a slightly better team but things have still been going wrong.  It is inevtiable that some organisation is let down by complacency - what I mean is that there are some tried and tested Bell activities which work and others which need more impromptu planning.  Sometimes, just an occasional misunderstanding about the time of a west end show can lead to a big problem, when all planning goes down the pan.  I have been teaching a B1 class of 14 students, made up of 8 different nationalities - Brazilian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, German and Spanish.  I chose 'the mind' for their project and my lessons have been loosely psychological, including a lot of 'memory' related stuff.  We all go into Cambridge on Saturday to interview 100 people about their memory.  Before that, we will do an adpated 'murder mystery' in which one of the students is a murderer but doesn't know and everyone has to work out who killed my fellow teacher, Daniella.  


It's most generously gorgeous weather, with just a bit of rain during the kids trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon.  I haven't left Cambridge yet, with the small exception of a shuttle run to Stansted on the first arrivals day.  I have also offered to drive the minibus to Cottenham for the 17 horse riders.  


The highlight so far has probably been having 60 or so kids packed out in my classroom watching the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Holland.  It wasn't meant to be that way, but an ill-conceived idea to show the screen outside, projected onto a cricket white screen meant that at kick-off the match wasn't being shown as promised.  Several teachers had to open up their classrooms and allow excitable, sweaty teens in for live streaming on the internet.  The right result prevailed and we just about managed to watch the whole game, including extra time and the winning goal before 'toro toro' exercises on the cricket pitch and off to house meetings.

The oddest thing so far, apart from very odd students, is the sudden departure of one of the teachers.  Without going into detail,  because I don't have all the facts and because this is public, one member of staff with a long history of working for Bell during the summer has been asked to leave.  I will just say that I am saddened by this as I class the person as a friend and a good laugh.. but I guess their behaviour, which hasn't changed, was no longer being tolerated. 


I haven't made any plans about what to do after the Leys finishes (18 August) but I am toying with one idea which will take me far away to a new, challenging land for a short time... I don't want to say exactly where otherwise it might worry some people... suffice to say, it would be with Bell.