The Heart of England I

Planet Pot

In some ways, my last experience with the English Experience was a step backwards, as far as the development of my teaching skills were concerned, because I was unable to develop the project that I had started the year before. With the field trips too, I was bored with York and the Royal Armouries in Leeds, as well as with some other activities, and I felt that good ideas fell on deaf ears. 

Following an interview here in Sheffield, I was appointed as one of three teachers for a group of summer school students from Tenerifé and Gran Canaria, in the Canary Isles, as well as a joint leader of the field trips. As my colleague, Michael, had taken it upon himself to organise the students, I was happy enough to take a back seat, except on our many coach trips, where I always struck up a good conversation with the driver.  

Peak Cavern in Derbyshire

On this occasion, we were not accompanied by any native Spanish speakers but, with Gabriella, Martin and Lewis on hand to help out with general ushering and with the sports, we all moved along nicely. However, taking the lead on our first excursion, I made a great mistake when I expressed loudly... andiamo! and not ¡vámonos! 

Planet Pot

Unlike previous itineraries that were pretty much set in stone, with the Heart of England summer school, there was much more flexibility and, working with Maggie and Flis, the English co-ordinators, a few more new activities were added to a typical afternoon schedule for sports and leisure, and we offered a choice in some of these.

Having been coming to Sheffield, Rotherham and Nottingham for over 30 years, day trips to places like York, Cambridge, Alton Towers and Liverpool football club were firm fixtures in the itinerary but we also spent an afternoon at the Rother Valley Country Park and at Planet Pot. One thing that pleased me was that I was given the opportunity to plan and organise a new afternoon trip to Lincoln.

Rother Valley Country Park

Scott Engering

Canarians at the Liverpool Waterfront