The things I've been thinking about recently...

School things...

1. Course books. They are often dull, repetitive and designed to fit students into the publishers' vision of a "level". In my heart, I also believe they suffocate some teachers, who end up doing nothing more than following the printed instructions.
   
2. The walls. As part of our relaunch (the new name will be revealed soon), we have decided to add a splash of colour to the walls of each classroom.
   
3. Expectations. Rob, Alejandra and I have been discussing student expectations over this busy summer. What exactly do you / they want? Our responsibility is to satisfy these expectations... but are they always reasonable? It's a very interesting debate and part of the process of always trying to improve the service we offer.

Non-school things...

1. Words. Benjamin is now 18 months old and is using more and more words. He celebrates each new one with a great big smile. I've never seen anything more amazing. His favourite is saying "bye-bye" to everyone and everything.
   
2. Books. My tube and bus journey to and from work has been a pleasure the last couple of weeks as I've been reading Graham Greene's The Heart of the Matter. Set in West Africa during the second world war, it is a painful story of honesty, religion and love. Very interesting.
   
3. Taking life seriously. I think a lot about this. I worry about the school. About Ben. About everything. I need to remind myself to enjoy it all!

Stuart