A Day Out in Barnsley...

At The Civic in Barnsley

During our lessons, Irene’s confidence in speaking and listening to English improved considerably and, on one memorable occasion, she enthusiastically announced that – when left entirely on her own in the office - she had successfully negotiated a telephone call.

As an English teacher, I also learned a lot from our lessons. Having had an extended period of time, in which to get to know Irene and her interests and to discuss her strengths and weaknesses with the English language, I was able to devise a schedule of work that suited her exact needs.

Football

Our last day out started at Sheffield railway station at 10.30. Although Raul had also been invited, Irene mumbled something about not being ready on time and so we both shrugged our shoulders and got on the train. 

We were both surprised to discover that the train was full of football supporters at this time of day, but this just added to the experience of being in South Yorkshire.

Picasso in Barnsley

Barnsley, like Doncaster, is a bustling market town with historic connections to the coal mining industry and without obvious tourist attractions. The main commercial centre is dominated by ugly concrete buildings; however, walking up the hill past the old Town Hall, there are some really interesting things to see – especially if you take a few diversions along the way and spend enough time to look up and around.

Returning to Sheffield railway station, our lessons ended and we gave each other the customary hugs and kisses in the Spanish way. The best thing that I can say is that I looked forward to each lesson as though I was meeting a good friend and I felt sad when saying “goodbye” to Irene - but that is another story...