People are leaving. It’s sad, in case you didn’t know. It’s sad because you might not see people ever again and, even if you do, they might be changed beyond recognition. Or you might be. It might turn out your friendship was ephemeral and ethereal and it crumbles when you don’t live in the same…
We all know about Englipedia, right? I mean, we’ve all been here for at least eleven months at this point, so I can’t imagine I’m popping anyone’s monocle by talking about it. If you didn’t know about it until now…good for you, I guess? Welcome to the cheaters’ table. Except is it cheating? I…
The Englishman surprised his co-workers and the BOE by requesting a second year. Most of them had judged him a “One-r†(as they called those who couldn’t bear to be away from their homeland for more than a twelvemonth), with his illiteracy, frequent bouts of culture shock and general lack of guile. But he…
Education is arbitrary: what we learn is arbitrary; how we learn is arbitrary; whether we learn is arbitrary. This was something I suspected as a student and have had fully confirmed for me while on the other side of the chalk board. To put forward a very obvious example, there’s the seating plan. Quite…
The first time the Englishman climbed Mt. Rokko, he was in a foul mood. The day had been hot– unbearably so– and now people he didn’t even know and wasn’t sure he liked were forcing him, via social pressure, to climb a mountain. He hadn’t spoken to anyone on the way up, partly to…
There was a change to the morning routine when Henry suddenly looked up from his porridge one day and said to his husband Frank, “Your mother still hasn’t seen Sam.†Frank didn’t look back from trying to aim mushed banana into his son’s mouth, “She sees him all the time. Here comes the aeroplane, 
I’m not a student, that much is certain; but I’m also not really a teacher. I’m like Gollum– technically not part of either side, useful to both if controlled correctly, but too unpleasant to keep on long-term and liable to dance weirdly when he gets his way. The No-Man’s-Land nature of my job became…
She picked the worst time to tell him, when they’d just finished. They were lying, side by side but not touching, sweaty and sore but almost happy. He reached over her and grabbed his cigarettes from the mantel, pulling a lighter from under his pillow. He only smoked when he was afterglowing. Or drinking….
 Much like Buffy before me, I’ve decided to split my Graduation episode in two. Also, to bring a stake to school.  At time of writing (about three weeks before time of publishing, if you’re interested, which I know you’re not), I have just finished watching my third year JHS students graduate. I…