The reason why I love "Mystery of the Abbey" as the beginning of the course is that it helps students to start speaking the language from the first moment and, unlike usual introductory activities, it makes them see that they can actually communicate well enough to achieve something: in this case to solve the mystery.

September, the month in my life when I face a bunch of disillusioned teenagers who haven't met me yet but they already don't feel like learning English (or they already did meet me and decided to suffer yet another year with yours truly) - rings a bell? Do you remember being a student and doing one of the most terrifying things in the classroom: sharing stuff about oneself?