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Poetry for families for Saint Patrick's Day!

At this time of year, on the Feast of Saint Patrick, we should be celebrating everything which is good about our country. My favourites are: our family ties, our incredible contribution to literature and our relish for and resilience to the absurdities of life. Everyone will have their own memories and recollections of growing up in Ireland; running along a beach in the rain and returning home to the scent of the peat fire and warmth. For me, this poem encapsulates our childhood joys and dreams and the experiences I hope to pass on. For children or the diaspora who are living outside Ireland, read this for your parents or grandparents and share in their memories and love of our land. Irish Children - An Dara-Leabhar (Gaelic League) Happy Irish children, In your home below, Sheltered when the rain falls, Safe from winter's snow. Sing your songs of gladness In your grand old speech, Climb the sunny hillside, Race along the beach. Nowhere greener pastures, Nowhere bro

Concert Rage in Hong Kong - What is happening to our society?

Air rage.. road rage.. and now concert rage?  Last night I attended the wonderful first night of the  43rd Hong Kong Arts Festival . The Arts Festival is an annual treat during which we have the opportunity to experience masterly and challenging performances from the worlds' most talented artists. Last night's performance by  Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden  was exquisite. The programme opened with Strauss's Metamorphosen, a poignant reflection on war and a memorial for a world destroyed during the bombing of Europe in World War Two about which the composer wrote:  “2000 years of cultural evolution had met its doom, and irreplaceable monuments of architecture and works of art were destroyed by a criminal soldiery.” A phenomenal opportunity and an evening which generated reflection on man's ability to create and destory? Yes.. but not provoked by Strauss's music.  In the dying moments of the Metamorphosen, an over-enthusiastic member of the a

Hurrah! A first place in the HKSMSA. How we did it

I had a wonderful piece of news from one of my students today: she had won first place in one of the poetry reading categories of the HK Schools Speech festival. Here are some of the reasons why: 1: She knew her poem. This sounds basic but it is easy to forget words under stress unless you know them back to front, inside out and upside down! Choose a poem which offers you scope. 2: We talked about the meaning of the poem. Unless you understand the theme and story of the poem, it is almost impossible to convey the meaning. 3: We worked and worked to add variety of pace, pitch and volume. A poem is a conversation between the poet and the audience which is interpreted by the reader. Make your listeners want to happen by adding colour. Most importantly, she practiced! A lot. A wonderful student who worked incredibly hard and received an excellent reward. Even if you don't win, entering the competition with the three key steps in mind will ensure that you have learned a va

How to ace the HK Schools' Speech Festival (HKSMSA)

We have had a few requests for lessons at Brandon this week which have reminded me that the HK Schools' Speech Festival is on the horizon again! I did my first speech festival a LONG time ago but the general concept hasn't changed. Here are a few things to be thinking about: Classes - there are so many options to consider. I particularly like teaching Bible Speaking as I feel that, to excel in this area, the speaker really needs to understand the verses in question. The HKSMSA website has the syllabus up already:  Have a look here for the different classes Get the right piece! It sounds obvious but last year at Brandon Learning Centre, we had five students who came in with incorrect versions of their poems. The source of the poem is specified in the HKSMSA syllabus. If you choose prose reading classes, you will also need to get hold of a copy of the book. Memorisation - once you have your piece, the first step is to understand the texts. The second step is to memorise i

Reflections on a life: The Spoon River Anthology

The Spoon River Anthology is a fascinating collection of poems by Edgar Lee Masters. The conceit is simple; the poet moves through a graveyard and the lives and regrets of villagers are told in poetic form. Each poem has a clear voice and the interplay between the characters is fascinating. Amongst the most moving poems for me is that of George Grey. The narrator speaks of the anguish caused by his lack of engagement. Fear of failure or hurt holds us back and can prevent us from realising our potential and achieving happiness. Any enterprise we undertake will have the potential to go wrong but it is from our mistakes and experiences that we achieve actualisation. George Grey - from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters I have studied many times   The marble which was chiseled for me—   A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.   In truth it pictures not my destination   But my life.       For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;   Sorrow kn

Common Entrance - the fun starts now!

For all of our Brandon (and non-Brandon!) students who are about to start their Common Entrance exams, some last minute advice: 1: Take a deep breath, panic will only make you feel overwhelmed 2: The night before your exam, pack your pencil case. Don't forget that you will need calculators for some non-maths exams, including biology. 3: Review your notes. Put your books away and relax by reading. Don't be tempted to go online, computer games will only stimulate your brain and prevent rest. Get a good night's sleep. 4: Before the exam, review your notes again, take a deep breath. Off you go! 5: During the exam, draw a line through mistakes rather than using Tippex and remember to show your workings. Good luck!

The imperfection of perfection - reading to children

I have just acquired a copy of Muriel Young's 1967 recording of Jellyco the Magic Budgerigar. I had the record as a child and have always wanted to hear it again. The story is simple but magic lies in the sound or Mrs Young's voice. The spoken word has a power of its own. Even over the hiss of a record, you can hear every word clearly and become enmeshed in the world of the story. I was fortunate, as a child my parents read to me daily and I grew up listening to Radio 4 ( www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 ) Research has formed links between reading to children and their emotional, health and academic development. You don't have to be a Shakespearean actor to create a special relationship between your family and books. Try the following: 1: Go to a quiet area of the house 2: Make sure that you will not be disturbed or distracted 3: Throw yourself into the world of the book: use voices, change your pace to create excitement 4: Have fun!  If you are looking for ideas, UK charity

Fight the Stupids! (and support independent bookshops)

I have just finished listened to a fascinating interview with Timur Vermes on BBC Radio 4's Frontrow programme (the heaven of getting Radio 4 wherever you are!) His book, Look Who's Back , a satirical novel in which Adolf Hitler returns and is stunned by the modern world, is definitely one I will be reading. One of the interesting points which arose from the interview was that his publisher had suggested that the language of the book was too complex and that it should be simplified. The gist of Mr Vermes's response was: there are some jokes in there but why shouldn't readers have to work to get to them? New Orleans is particularly rich in independent book sellers and the slogan of one, Maple Street Book Store is "Fight the Stupids!" In a world filled with reality television which reduces our humanity and creates caricatures which convey of the worst of the human condition, it is wonderful to know that there are people fighting against the tide of ignorance!

Spring has Sprung!

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"Aprile is the cruelest month" according to Chaucer who had clearly never spent March in Louisiana battling the howling winds! Today, however, all the misery is forgotten as spring appears to be making a guest appearance after a weekend of truly miserable rain (I volunteered for Hogs for the Cause www.hogsforthecause.org  which degenerated into a mud bath within minutes of opening. Fortunately the turnout was incredibly good and the barbecue was nectar of the gods. I spent a wonderful morning discussing Chinese culture with the bright students of Isidore Newman School http://www.newmanschool.org/home  and emerged into brilliant sunlight which made me think of the last lines of ee cumming's poem "if i have made, my lady, intricate" which sum up the creeping of delight into the psyche; if i have made, my lady, intricate if i have made, my lady, intricate imperfect various things chiefly which wrong your eyes(frailer than most deep dreams are

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - celebrate with a poem

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Parades... green rivers... flashing shamrocks... Saint Patrick's day is unrecognisable today!   New Orleans becomes Irish! I am in New Orleans which is packed with people wearing green. It is wonderful to see people celebrating Ireland and the diaspora. Rather than buying the Made in China Leprechaun's hat, how about reviving the Irish custom of entertaining family and friends with a dance, a song or a poem? The following is the first stanza of The Exile's Return , by John Locke which tells the story of an exile returning from Texas after longing for his homeland for so long. The entire poem is eight stanzas long and does teeter on the Plastic Paddy territory but St Pat's is a day to be as sentimental as you like! Read proudly and remember the generations who gave up so much for us. The Exile's Return Glory to God, but there it is- The dawn on the hills of Ireland! God's angels lifting the night's black veil From the fair, sweet face of my s

Managing your revision or study

As I try to finish my thesis, I am reminded of all my poor study habits! Including: Procrastinating Overworking when I am on form resulting in exhaustion  Distraction... jumping from one topic to another All the above are common experiences. I suggest the following remedies! Get on with it. You know you have to start! The arranging of your desk/books/papers isn't really preventing you from studying. Try to work in blocks with some flexibility. Give yourself breaks. Run around the room to get the blood flowing. Add exercise/eating/time out into your study plan.  Create a study guide. As you think of new topics, write them in and schedule them within your existing plan. That way, you are acknowledging that there may be something you need to also study but you are not neglecting existing work.  If your plan is too rigid, you will find sticking to it challenging. If you do get behind, rework your plan, don't panic and try to cram everything in. Most importantly; be r