Il nostro blog 

Questa settimana le temperature sono scese: venti freschi provenienti da nord soffiano lungo la costa settentrionale della Cornovaglia. Sembra quasi che l’autunno sia già arrivato. Quest’aria fresca è stata una sorpresa. Non abbiamo avuto un’estate particolarmente calda; di solito, da aprile a ottobre le temperature si aggirano intorno ai 20 °C, ma quest’anno il tempo è stato più variabile. Queste recenti temperature più fresche sono comunque una sorpresa.

Può essere piuttosto sconcertante usare l'inglese in modi che sembrano del tutto inappropriati. Quando diciamo che qualcosa è «stunning», intendiamo dire che è visivamente attraente; è un sinonimo di «bello».

Over the last 5 years, there have been 30 sightings of Humpback Whales off our Cornish coast, with at least one recorded incident of spectacular breaching (leaping from the water). There are often sightings of Fin Whales too.

For those of you who have already learned English with us, you might have remembered my interest (and obsession) with Philip Larkin. If you remember, then it’s likely that we studied his poem ‘The Trees’. With each coming spring the poem is on my mind.

Weather in Cornwall is not as unpredictable as you’d think: we get all the weather, but seldom snow. This week, however, on the last day of November, snow returned. For us it was a complete surprise. Imagine the entire Cornish population staring at up at the clouds in awe, and you’ll get a little closer to our collective amazement.

The first of many daffodils in St Agnes makes its appearance in late January. It is the first colour after the subdued winter, when hedgerows are green and brown, but for the occasional Red Campion that peeks out from the murk.

In a world of giant corporations and the pervasive influence of technology on our lives, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to escape the gravity of mainstream macro culture. According to the zeitgeist of 21st century capitalism, progress is synonymous with expansion; always more, always bigger.

The pandemic has revealed so much about our behaviour, and has brought sharply brought into focus our metal wellbeing, and how we do business. In 2019 more than £4.2 billion was spent in the UK on language learning alone – we’re an industry that carries with it a great weight of responsibility, not to mention carbon.

At Skool, as providers of language courses and cultural experiences, we are fortunate enough to benefit from the mutually enriching exchange of ideas and experiences across cultures. This is why we exist as a business, and because learning is never a one-sided process, we gain just as much from the relationships we make in the act of teaching as the language skills our tutees develop with us.