Most Italian students have studied British English and have learned that a British lift is an American elevator, a British garden is an American yard and a British queue (great Scrabble word) is an American line. But for some reason they've taken a fancy to Webster's third definition of smart, 'stylish or elegant in dress or appearance' (British) and haven't learned the first definition, 'intelligent' (American). Maybe it's because they're Italian, where being stylish or elegant in dress or appearance is what really matters. If I taught English in another country they might understand that smart phones were intelligent and not stylish.
Now that Covid and smart working have become universal (or so I thought) I'm hopeful that the word smart will take on a new meaning. (Not a new meaning, but rather definition number one). All of my students use the word differently. For example....when I have smartworking, when I'm in smart working and when I'm on smart working. I correct them and say it doesn't need a preposition, but the truth is I'm not sure how to use the word. So, I turned to my fellow Americans. These are the responses from a Sales Representative, a Portfolio Manager and an ex-Office Manager of a premier news magazine (in other words, they ain' t dumb).
"Need more info on smart working, not sure what you're asking."
"Smart working? Doesn't ring a bell."
"Haven't heard that before."
Those answers came from people that have been working from home throughout the pandemic and they call what they're doing 'Working From Home.' So much for my fellow Americans, I returned to my friend Google. I searched 'Chicago smart working' and the words never appeared together. 'Smart working LA' produced an article about Italy. It was 'smart working London' where I found the connection.
It seems the British, who once waited in a queue for the lift are now at home in their gardens smart working (and hopefully playing Scrabble). But where does that leave me...an American in Italy that won't accept students if they don't agree to anti-Covid, open-air lessons in the YARDen? If I say I'm working from home, my Italian friends think it means I'm doing housework. And if I tell my American friends I'm smart working they don't get it. So I decided I needed a word of my own and I picked smart living.
How do you describe outside English lessons that may include frost and fog at dawn, sunshine at noon or ski coats and candles in the evening? It feels more like smart playing than smart working. I considered calling it Lessons in Wonderland, but that sounds like I only teach kids. And as much as the kids love coming once a week, it's the adults that have pleasantly surprised me. In a land where 40 degrees fahrenheit is cold and people protect themselves from all old wives' tales regarding health, it's hard to believe students are unobligatorily drawn to my cast iron stove for English lessons.
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| 6:30 a.m. the day before Halloween |
Italians are famous for LA BELLA VITA, as long as it involves good food and wine, smart clothes and all other things sensible. I'm trying to show them LA really BELLA VITA which includes lying on the ground with no blanket, walking in the moonlight with no flashlight and feeling a cool breeze with no scarf.
I'm not a Portfolio Manager (I'm not even sure what that is). I'm a Smart Living Manager. My services are included in English lessons at no extra cost. Sign up soon. When the pandemic has passed I'm expecting a queue.
