The wifi’s much better if you sit at the front of the library, it seems!

1. Pride of place today to English Teacher – a memoir by John Drew, described by John as

a compilation of portraits and anecdotes shading into autobiographical memoir recording what it was like to be a student and teacher of English Literature in various parts of the world between Canada and China in the late 20th century… PDF below.

People often talk loosely of inimitable style. John’s is. Here’s a sample:

I must confess to a bias. Over the years I have had various jobs that might qualify me for the title of man of letters: journalist, postman and, yes, English teacher. But, as the latter, I too have never been altogether comfortable with the idea of literature as a subject or a discipline. Keats once bemoaned that reducing all to rule and line was to unweave a rainbow.

Keats’s perfect complement, Shelley, who unlike him never did load every rift with ore, suggested the analyzing faculty was not sufficient for creating or understanding poetry. When a scholar with such a forensic mind as A.E. Housman, noted for his ability to restore lacunae in texts by the Roman poet Manilius, wanted to write poetry of his own he resorted to a pint of beer to dull the cutting edge of his mind.

2. By way of follow up to the piece about Peter Gray’s views on parenting yesterday, here’s How Not to Screw up Your Kids by psychologist and parenting expert Dr Maryhan, intended for “parents, grandparents, educators, and anyone else who wants to be part of a movement to raise confident children who grow up believing in themselves”. One of The Guardian’s top five podcasts for parents https://open.spotify.com/show/0FODMv29UzdFZYRvI1zdfM

Try this episode with Sam Wass from the University of East London, Why Your Child can’t Concentrate: Focus, Distraction and ADHD, If you’ve ever wondered why your child can spend 40 minutes talking about Minecraft but can’t concentrate for four minutes on homework https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GeNH24BszANs1DqWcVBTs

3. This month’s free IATEFL webinar is at 15:00 UK time this Saturday, 1^st August: Boosting Non-Native Students’ Confidence in Pronunciation Through AI-Assisted Teaching with Patricia Ibiapina https://www.iatefl.org/event-details/#/?id=848

In an increasingly globalized world, effective pronunciation is key to confident communication in English. This webinar explores how AI-assisted teaching can empower non-native students to improve their pronunciation, fostering both accuracy and confidence. Participants will discover innovative strategies that integrate AI tools into language learning, offering personalized feedback and adaptive support tailored to individual needs.

4. The History of Libraries from William Whyte from Oxford University https://youtu.be/r3GKoMBRHqc “takes us on a journey from the earliest libraries (i.e., a box) through to gleaming 21st-century symbols of learning. Along the way, he explains why damp-proofing shouldn’t involve sources of ignition and why jealousy may have inspired Europe’s great libraries”.

5. Imitation Game by Evan Gorelick is his account for The New York Times of how chatbots “navigate the gray areas – it feels like everyone’s talking to chatbots these days. The questions we’re bringing them are getting more personal, and a lot less black and white” https://tinyurl.com/29tvcenn

6. And, finally, some short holiday reading from The Conversation, The ten best short novels under 150 pages – chosen by experts https://theconversation.com/the-ten-best-short-novels-under-150-pages-chosen-by-experts-284253 Chosen by experts, mark you, rather than a bloke I met in the pub last night!