This week there has been a drop in temperatures: cool winds from the north are blowing across the north coast of Cornwall. It feels like Autumn is already here. This cool air has come as a surprise. We have not had a particularly warm summer, typically we experience low 20s from April to October, but this year’s weather has been more changeable. These recent cooler temperatures are still a surprise.
We are an English language school in St Agnes. We operate all year round, but we tend to be a little busier in the summer. We have 3 classrooms, we limit our numbers to 6 learners per class – but in summer – there are weeks when we’re full. I’ve noticed how strange it is that the cool weather has suddenly made things feel like summer has ended. Those of our clients who are here at the moment have been positive about the temperatures – they have simply worn a pullover, or have worn trousers. After all, the English weather has a reputation. I expect warm winds from the south to reappear again; I really hope they reappear next week.
It’s difficult sometimes to recognise the rhythm of things. Our professional lives, our careers, maintaining a household, being a parent, can sometimes overwhelm. A busy life can sometimes feel too busy to even have a discernible rhythm. We all have our obligations, and we have our ‘To Do’ lists. Sometimes it can feel like everything is happening at once.
When our clients arrive here in St Agnes, our job is to create space for them so that they can re-acknowledge that there is a calmer rhythm available. Our function as a school is of course to teach, but it is also to create an environment which is akin to returning to something simpler: an easier programme of experience – morning English lessons, afternoon walking or art and culture tours. Our programmes are focused on our clients improving their English. And our focus is also about taking care, so that our clients can unwind and connect again to learning language. Learning takes time – and space. There should be space in our lives where we can be calm, and concentrate on improving ourselves. Modern life sometimes makes that difficult. At Skool we believe that the best English language learning happens when we are relaxed, when we are more comfortable. We do our best to create those conditions here – away from the crowd, in this beautiful and wild context of St Agnes, Cornwall.
I’m feeling the rhythms of life quite keenly now. When we moved to Cornwall 16 years ago, that first Autumn was a little chilly too. As I look outside today, it feels like just the same kind of weather. We had moved from London, from a busy street, near a busy train station, and then suddenly we found ourselves here. We rented a little old cottage (with terrible insulation) next to a field. The quiet and calm was such a shock. It is particularly memorable to me now because shortly after arriving, we bought our first dog, Duke. It was our dream: to have a cottage and a pup. Duke was a Border Collie, and we had bought him from the dairy farm in Port Isaac (just up the road) for £90. His parents were in charge of protecting the cattle, and his first few weeks were spent in a little square box in a cattle shed. He was a beautiful dog, and we miss him very much – he died in June.
I lost family in May this year too, and though grief and the pain of loss runs deeply, these circumstances are a part of our lives. Work, union, love, death, and change are beats in the rhythm of life. Our English courses are not a meditation on these things, but we do sometimes touch on these experiences; and often we talk about work, relationships, and our views about the world. What is the point in learning abstract ideas that are not relevant for work, or for relationships, or for life? We need vocabulary for these things too. Busyness and change has been the rhythm of this year. And throughout, there have many fun and stimulating conversations – and these have been very special indeed.
10 days ago we bought our new puppy home – Lenny (we English love our dogs). He is a mix of Greyster (a nordic sled dog: Greyhound crossed with a German Pointer), and Hungarian Vizzla. He is a black as night, has adorable eyes, and enormous paws. He is going to be huge. As you can imagine, we are currently finding half-chewed items around the house. I’m doing my best to safeguard my wife’s favourite shoes. But I’m also in love again with a little pup. It is a familiar sensation, but also quite strange. Our children are growing up too, they are becoming strong independent individuals with ideas and passions, likes and dislikes: they are living their own rhythms.
An English language course in the UK should be useful. It should enable you to improve. Courses abroad should give you time away from your busy life – so that you can take the time and space to focus. We think that an English course should also give you the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the countryside, to watch in wonder at the rhythm and power of the sea, particularly if you visit Skool Cornwall in St Agnes. Our offer of English with Walking, English with Arts and Culture, and English with Water Sports have their rhythms too. We want our clients to experience the positive, open, safe, and calm environment that we create here, so that they might feel relaxed enough to learn, and confident enough to make mistakes. This confidence we believe holds the secret to language learning. It is important to find the rhythm.
Like to know more about our courses English with Walking, English with Arts and Culture, or English with Water Sports?