Simon Cooper

Although my time at Golden Gate was short – just seven months – as with everyone else who has passed through its doors (gate), a little bit of the school rubbed off on me. From playing live (or maybe, merely, while alive) with the Golden Gators to summer camps to my diverse leisure time pursuits of plying myself with Tyskie and rolada, my time in Tarnowskie Góry holds some of the fondest memories of my life. /p>

Despite the giddy excitement of being in a new country and the challenge of teaching English for the first time, slipping into life at both school and around town was made easy by Rafał and Anna and the other teachers. The students were a pleasure to teach. It felt like they really wanted to be there, full of life and a zest for learning. Most of them…

It seemed that most people in Tarnowskie Góry – and beyond – had a connection to Golden Gate. Everyone spoke fondly of the school. It felt like more than a language school really, as the kids got to learn sports, music and art while on winter and summer camps. There was a unique spirit about the place that I’ve not found in any of the schools I’ve worked in since.

I’ve always felt like I left Tarnowskie Góry sooner than I should have, and I’m really grateful to have had the chance to return to help out on summer camps in 2010 and 2011 and to meet some of the other native teachers. I hope I can come back again one day as the school continues to grow.

Ultimately, it seems you can take the person out of Golden Gate but not Golden Gate out of the person. That’s part of the school’s legacy. Not a bad achievement for a thirty year-old.