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Education

Weekend roundup

by dianaburrell on January 10, 2009

Few mourn US embassy relocation — “Now all is set to change, as the embassy prepares to shut up shop in central London and move to a brand-new building – in somewhat less salubrious surroundings on the south bank of the river Thames.” (BBC News)
Do WAGS make good role models? – “Lizzie Cundy, the wife of former Chelsea Player Jason Cundy, and Caroline Jordan, headmistress of St George’s school in Ascot, discuss whether WAGs make good role models for schoolgirls.” (BBC News)
Britain’s lonely high flier — “A resurgent Rolls-Royce has become the most powerful symbol of British manufacturing. Its success may be hard to replicate, especially in difficult times.” An exceptionally interesting article. (The Economist)
Old time ads — “Nostalgic commercials and brands are being revived as advertisers seek to tap into recession-ridden Britons’ urge for security, predictability and reassurance.” Interesting slide show of some classic British ad campaigns. (Financial Times)
She’s married to one of the country’s sexiest actors – so why does Emma Thompson think British men are retarded? — “The Oscar-winning actress compares her husband to a clam because he’s so hopeless at opening up — like all his ‘emotionally autistic’ countrymen.” If I had to pick a celebrity to be my friend, I’d pick Emma. (The Daily Mail)
Blagojevich, the Iambic Anglophile — “Impeached, indicted and feeling alone, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has found some unlikely friends: Dead British poets.” May I suggest a little Robert Browning? “I give the fight up: let there be an end, a privacy, an obscure nook for me. I want to be forgotten even by God.” (the New York Times)
Kate’s no lady in waiting — A video from CBS’s Early Show about Kate Middleton’s 27th birthday and will Will or won’t Will pop the question soon?

British international schools growing in popularity worldwide

by dianaburrell on October 24, 2008

According to story in yesterday’s Independent, over 1,200 British international schools were opened last year worldwide, most noticeably in Asia. I did a bit of poking around, and it looks like there are five British schools in the U.S. (including one I knew about here in Boston), with plans to open 15 more over the next few years.

I have a few friends who’ve graduated from international schools abroad. They’re all amazingly bright people … multilingual, culturally savvy, and inquisitive. I don’t know if I’d go so far to send my son to a British school here in the U.S., as cool as an idea that is, but we’ve thought about sending him to the German International School in nearby Allston once he finishes his elementary program at our local Montessori school. We speak some German at home, the we being my husband and the two au pairs we’ve had. Being that I’m painfully monolingual and because I’m the resident Anglophile, I stick with English.

I’m curious to research what the growth is in American international schools compared to British. Do British schools get a better reception abroad given how unpopular the U.S. is right now in the world? If you were or are living abroad, would you/do you send your child to an international school? What’s your opinion of this type of education?

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Indians want American accents, not English

by dianaburrell on October 13, 2008

At one English language school in Mumbai, India, half the students want to speak English with an American accent, not British, reports the Agence France-Presse today. Interesting that one quoted source, a professor of English at the University of Mumbai, suggests the growing popularity of American English may be another way of breaking away from his country’s colonial past with Britain. I’m guessing, though, that the huge numbers of Indians working for U.S. companies in India and abroad drive this desire to sound American.

Love the quote from the 24-year-old computer worker in Mumbai who says speaking English with an American accent gives him, “a boost with the girls.”

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