Thursday, March 21, 2013

As Others See

Noi and I have spent a goodly highly enjoyable portion of the last couple of days entertaining old friends from England. It's been fascinating seeing this Far Place through their eyes - a reminder that there's much to praise here. They crossed paths with a few of our students on Wednesday and were highly impressed, noting how lovely the kids are. And that's a truth it's easy to lose sight of encountering them on a day-to-day basis, but a truth is what it is.

It was also enlightening to get David's take on his many years of teaching in England. (He's been retired for some twenty years now after a very full career.) I suppose his views might be characterised as resolutely old-fashioned, being based on a firm grip of human behaviour inter-laced with a lot of common sense. Somewhere along the line these virtues have been misplaced. That's the world I see myself belonging to, I suppose. I don't think there's too much of it left.

3 comments:

Trebuchet said...

I recently had visitors from Nottingham who were here on a short trip to examine our system. It was a very short trip, but they managed to visit a neighbourhood primary school, a mid-tier JC, and A Certain School with a clock tower along the Long Road by the canal.

Which put me in mind of you, and warm regards for your good health and that of the Missus. I am sorry I've not been keeping in touch! :) Do drop by some day, there is even a fish-and-chip shop downstairs from my workplace.

Brian Connor said...

And I heartily reciprocate those warm regards to you and yours.

Just checked out your workplace and very fine it all looks. I thought you were up to something and this really sounds like quite something.

Would love to drop by and eat some chips soon. Will be in touch when the madness of my work-life at A Certain School eases a little - which I'm hoping won't be long.

The Hierophant said...

This exchange left me smiling. The thought of the two of you at a chippy is inexplicably hilarious. Wish I could be there, good sirs.