An Approach to Teaching Humour
by Kirstie Jackson Wilms
Read MoreHello and welcome to Issue 51 of the International House Journal!
It’s around this time of year that most IH schools are at their busiest. For some, the academic year has already begun; for me, the start is only a few days away. It’s arguably not the time to be reading a journal, no matter how interesting it is, but serendipitously there are some excellent articles in this issue that will prove immediately useful to teachers overwhelmed with work. James Savery offers timely guidance on how to make the most of your classroom - be sure to read it before your desks are nailed to the floor. Nick Michelioudakis and Chris Richards look, respectively, at happiness and motivation in the classroom, and Sandy Millin offers some invaluable advice on improving your materials writing - so you can really get the year off to a good start.
When the work begins to cool off, and I’m sure it will (right…?), come back to us and read through some of the Issue’s other highlights. I heartily recommend Jez Barchus’s wrestling-infused call-to-arms (never was an expression more apt) - I agree with him that it’s high time that more of our schools, within the IH network and without, started working together. The industry survived the pandemic, which is rapidly receding into the rearview mirror, but we need to be ready for the next disruption - and working together will mean improved chances of survival for everybody.
To all of our readers, I wish you the very best. Have another great year, and remember - if something really interesting happens, write about it, and you just might see your own name in the next issue!
Christopher Walker, September 2023