HOLLY ’ S BOOK CLUB
Minimum effort for maximum results !
Family model making
LOCKDOWN ACTIVITIES
By Maria Melchionne - Italy
A cosy and welcoming kitchen , complete with coffee , tea and every kind of biscuit is my first memory of the book club run by Holly Garret . I had been living in the UK for eight months but having two young children , I hadn ’ t got any chance to start learning English . I hadn ’ t even had the opportunity to attend any of the coffee mornings or lunches usually organized amongst the wives in order to become familiar both with new people and with the language .
I was feeling disoriented and confused in a new country , incapable of understanding and being understood , when one day , one of my Italian friends suggested that I should join Holly ’ s book club . Although I had always enjoyed reading , at the beginning I was terrified because I thought I would never be able to talk about English books … in English .
Little did I know how friendly , warm and sympathetic Holly was , and I soon found out that she had experienced something very similar to me , having lived in Germany for a while , struggling with the language . From then on , every Thursday morning I spent a pleasant hour and a half with three or four other ladies coming from all over the world , eager to learn as much as I was .
There are a few rules . After choosing the book together , you read some chapters and there are different groups , depending on your language skills . Each participant is given a principal role that changes every week : summariser , culture collector , word master , connections finder and so on . However , everyone can participate in the discussion and Holly moderates so as to avoid confusion and guarantee that everyone plays their part in the debate . Of course , sometimes , especially at the beginning , I couldn ’ t find the right words to say what I meant , but I never felt awkward because Holly encourages you to speak in a more and more confident way . If needed , grammar explanations are given and every new rule or idiomatic expression are always contextualized and used in real discussion . This way , with a bit of effort , I started developing faith in myself and the courage to speak out here and in other situations .
The sudden outbreak of Covid19 brought the book club session to an end . How could I give up ? During the first two weeks I felt a sense of bewilderment and loss , together with the growing apprehension . Then , Holly told us that she intended to try and have an online book club . Despite my dislike of technology , I felt overjoyed at the idea of not losing the opportunity to keep in touch with my friends and share impressions , senses , reactions and memories while talking about literature . However , nobody knew what the outcome of the whole situation would be .
The result was brilliant ! Even though in-person communication has an undeniably more immediate effect , I have to admit that we also managed to establish a good connection between us remotely and a year on I have been reading wonderful masterpieces of English literature that otherwise I wouldn ’ t ever read . I strongly recommend that you try at least one session of Holly ’ s book club : not only do you get the chance to improve your English , but you also have the opportunity to get to know new people you will finally meet in person , once restrictions are eased .
Holly Garrett is a British teacher of English as a Foreign Language . She is CELTA qualified and has taught in Germany and Britain ( including at ARRC ) for over eight years .
Brigitte learning a new skill – woodturning
Pizza making – Family pizza making night
Snowy walks – Exploring the local area
Recreating famous art paintings – The girl with the pearl earring
Building towers
DIY dodgy haircuts at home
Snowman building on the patch
Learning English doesn ’ t have to be in a classroom with a coursebook . It can also be a social get-together at the kitchen table ( or on Zoom ) with friends , drinking coffee and chatting about sexy Mr Darcy , funny Bridget Jones , or poor Jane Eyre . If this might be interesting for you , text Holly on 07496 325729 . Bookclub costs £ 10 per week , including the book .
Austin keeping home school learning interesting
ARRC Social Club the imjin SPRING 2021
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