I guess because I'm now a freelancer, "Downton Abbey" always reminded me of the pleasures of working with a group - in a newsroom or, especially, at a school. At the English Language College in Warsaw we teachers also took our breaks at a long wooden table in a nondescript room before rushing off to serve our grateful students. The range of personalities was worthy of any Masterpiece Theater series, yet we shared not only the same task, but a respect and an affection for each other that were demonstrated on holidays like Christmas. Freelancing gives you freedom, as the name suggests, and independence, but it deprives you of the incomparable feeling of togetherness.
