Teacher with Feature

Although "Runaway Bride" is a title of a movie, it explains many cases of nowadays brides. Of course, summer is a season of weddings in Lebanon. You would probably go to at least five weddings in these three months and you would really feel glad when seeing the joy of the bride and the groom. Sometimes, I look deeply and see that some brides are dancing, smiling, and even welcoming visitors in a way that shows their glee. However, the only thing going around their minds "What am I doing her! I need to run away!" The only difference between those brides and "Julia Roberts" is the ability to take a decision. Girls tend to get married just as a way of adhering to the traditions valued by their society. As happy as they seem to be in their weddings, you can precisely capture the difference and the regret one month later. All a girl can do in this society is to finally get married whether she became a bank accountant or an executive director. There is nothin...

When people watch T.V. or pass in their cars by certain road advertisements or boards, they embrace special titles that tame their inner needs of shopping. A major part of an advertisement is spent on coming up with a "Catchy Title" for their boards. "Your change can make a change" is a statement used to urge people to donate. Another example would involve the following statement: "The job of today starts tomorrow" . The previous phrases show how much people are manipulative when using the English language. Marketing and advertising special products tend to move towards using "Manipulated language forms". We can really see that popular faces are put on large boards yet not as intensive as before. Language whether natural or the so called "chat" language is dominating the market of items and products. I hope that we can revive our languages even if we started by using them as ways for selling and marketing. Our language is a major part o...

I hear this word around 200 times a day from my students. Most of the times when I hear this word, I go back to my heart and ask myself "Am I a real teacher?". We all know the common criteria for being a teacher such as content knowledge and good classroom management techniques. However, when the word " Teacher Shaikha" echoes in my ear, I realize that my small students are asking for my power to save me. Have you ever thought why students sometimes get mixed up and call you "MOM?". Children see us as the replacement for their mothers sometimes. The ones you teach give you this responsibility of delivering, managing, and accommodating their emotional states. I get really surprised when I see teachers responding in a rude way to a student's call. As a teacher, I keep asking myself for ways to improve and asses my students' needs as much as possible. " Teacher !!!" isn't just a nickname, it is a quest that you have to rush to fulfill ...

I remember that the most critical period of my life were my "Teenage" years. Quick actions in rebellious moments were the core of my life. I wanted to rebel even against myself. I spent my nights and days seeking the pieces of my scattered personality. No one was there to help or offer a hand because I thought I knew everything back then. When people gave me pieces of advice, I used to ignore them because it was my OWN LIFE and no one had the right to interfere and flip my "fake" peaceful life. The consequences of my decisions became to throw the dust around them as I started shaping my real personality. There was no choice of going back, no possibility and I had to bear everything. Realizing that I am stuck and I might spend my whole life regretting and  living the decisions I made, I decided NOT to regret. Now, the actions that seemed to cost me my whole life seem ridiculous. I just feel , like any teenager moving to adulthood, how silly I was. " Never reg...

How wonderful is it to listen to music and feel the tunes flowing with your emotions? I used to seek  music whenever I felt that I miss something. Music could really freshen my soul. I haven't known before that much about music. People would spend twelve years just to learn how to play the piano!! It is a major equal to learning medicine. I have came to a conclusion that music isn't just about the ready product we listen to. No, it is a continuous process of creating and evolving based on other's work and sometimes coming up with a melody that no one has ever created. You have to be full of abilities in order to try and fail and then try again! psychological studies have shown that a person would outperform himself and others when he is in the highest degrees of frustration and depression. Whether it is sadness or happiness, creating music requires highly sophisticated emotions. Only those people with the saddest experiences can translate their inner confusions into a very ...

I have grown up to the fact that friendship is sacred. No one can interfere between friends and the bond is to be kept forever. I guess that was a "Fairy Tale" because no friendship is as pure as the criteria set for it. No girl is as pure as snow white or as beautiful as Cinderella's soul. My friends were many and I chose those who taught me harsh lessons. I can't move on without stopping at amazing memories that strengthened our bond. However, the only thing I regret is my " dedication" to my friends.  I was there for them in exactly every moment of their lives. The bitter sweet times were plenty but I was the run away every time. I finally realized that I was their shelter whenever the rain was hard on them. When this shelter had no more wings to protect them....They ran away. No one was there to help me regather my pieces and build my self again. I just built myself on the ruins of their Friendship.  Although it kills inside to see their memories from a...

So okay, we went to the AUB and we saw how fancy it is. Was it really fancy or that was just our pre-assumed perspective of it? No one can ever deny how important this university is! However, I hate it when other universities and other students look down at themselves when they are compared with the students of the American University of Beirut. As an English teacher pursuing her TD program, I felt like I was part of the knowledge presented there. I went there maybe expecting to see something unusual yet the topics flashed immediately in my mind. I was capable of analyzing and lecturing sometimes the lecturer about his poster. I admit that the jobs they did were special and took a lot of time but nothing was exceptional. The main reason wasn't because I knew these topics based on a personal effort. My dedicated instructors had taught me this and we even did similar researches concerning the topics. Our university is not less then the AUB. You can tell that from even our accents and...

I really miss sitting around the table or in a certain place without clicking and pecking in our "SMART" phones. It is impossible to see people gathering without chatting. But what kind of chatting? They keep their heads down and their eyes on a glowing screen for sometimes silly reasons. These advances seem to be so tempting but it doesn't mean that we should give up social life for the sake of social media. I feel sorry sometimes when I see people lacking the social skills to a degree that they can only start a conversation through "Whats-app" or any other social media. When using technology and smart phones for beneficial reasons, no harm can happen. Yet, people of different age levels are using this technological revolution as an escape from real life. I miss seeing a child playing in the mud instead of smashing a candy in " Candy Crush". Are smart phones making us smarter or are we losing part of our intelligence? That part that has to do with t...

The issue of whether students learn better when taught by a female or a male teacher has been always an interesting case to study. The question here lies in the relationship between the gender of the teacher and the amount of learning taking place. Do we learn better when taught by a female teacher in a comfortable atmosphere or do we learn more with male teachers based on an old assumption of a higher ability within males? where do you feel you can learn better? In a small research conducted by "ME", I was able of exploring the preferences of students which affects their learning indirectly and sometimes directly. For instance, I have found that some students wouldn't take a certain course because it is taught by a female teacher. It is surprising that girls usually feel that male teachers are more credible and endure reliable sources of information. Both genders usually prefer male teachers when they are at an advanced level of education. They wouldn't take the k...

No one has ever taught you to take a decision! Some people are gifted and have this skill to decide what is right for them. Others turn out to drag themselves into destruction because of a foolish decision made at an angry moment. I believe that people who are able to take "effective" decisions are those who use their brain. Poor decisions come from directions sent from the heart. Whether it is an "effective" or "non-effective" decision, it still takes a a lot of courage to balance between your mind and your heart.  Students should really be able to take decisions starting from the smallest details till they decide on their university major. The skill of calculating all the advantages and disadvantages of a certain event and then deciding on what best suits their interests should be taught either formally or informally. it is really essential to model appropriate decision making in front of the generation you are supposed to raise and guide them through it...

"Translator" would define this word (serendipity) as "coincidence" or an "event taking place by accident". Would this definition be as scientific and logical as the life changes it would bring with it? I believe this word would mean something different to each person who experiences it. Sometimes even logic can't explain the translation of a certain word because it misses the spirit of HUMANS. Some people would finish a major part of their lives because of a certain coincidence while others might start a totally new life because of a certain accident. Serendipity seems to be wonderful when it is directed to the best of our interest. Yet, the question that is to be asked is whether YOU BELIEVE "SERENDIPITY" really exists or not! In other words, is there anything happening just because it is supposed to or is there always a reason behind each event?

As I woke up early in the morning,a certain idea flashed in my tired brain. I was thinking of the tasks that a teacher has to abide by. Yes,as a teacher I never have a break to think, or even reflect on my own teaching unless it is midnight and my pillow is waiting for my news. Regardless of the job requirements of a teacher such as planning, crafting, collecting,correcting, and evaluating students' achievements, a teacher has to be always READY. Ready for monitoring the behavior of her students, ready to adapt to any new situation that would suddenly pop up, ready to listen and smile back,ready to tie a shoelace for her student, ready to measure his body temperature whenever he feels sick,and finally ready to be a MOM before being a teacher. However, you forget all of this when you see a student running to your lap!!!

Many might think that a technology class would do nothing but teach us how to surf more the internet. Aside from getting the chance to blog and share my different writings, I personally feel comfortable while using technology. It is the first time that I learn how to use technology ethically and correctly. What is easier than clicking on google for quick answers of anything in life? By spending time on the requirements of this course, I learnt how to vary my teaching techniques, how to plan a complete lesson online, and how to display students' products in a creative updated way. I believe that all students should experience such a course in order to follow up with all the technological revolutions. It is a way of getting involved with technology as a means for authentic use and not getting addicted to technology as a means of spending time. Of course, we will never know the worth of healthy technology unless we are sick of uselessness.  Use your "technology- time" effect...

Ms.Shaikha: Lilwa (the name of the 3 years old girl) why were you absent dear? Lilwa: The sun hit me so I became sick. Ms. Shaika: And what did you do to the sun? Lilwa: I said to the sun "come" and I hit her back. (laughing) This incident has taught me that it is not only us "adults"that  try to adapt and go down to the level of kids. They also do so and try to sum up to our level of understanding. Teaching lower grades has taught me that the world outside is so cruel. I have spent six months with grade two and three and it is through them that I learned how to be "Innocent" again. As kids, we couldn't wait to grow up and explore that big mystery of the world. Yet, whatever was what we hoped to see, it is NOTHING compared to the world of kids. This small incident and many other incidents drove me back from experience to innocence.   Lilwa 

Maybe they are looked down at, maybe they are not given their rights equally, and maybe women got used to being persecuted by men. Yet, they forgot what they had been given and the talents they were blessed with. No one can deny what women have passed through since the establishment of history. They were put down,raped,killed, imprisoned, and even offended with multiple kinds of violence. Men were able to succeed and reach the highest positions because they were supported by women. I think this is a bliss that most women ignore while they look for gratitude; we care for the show and not for the path we followed while preparing it. As women, and as a survival, cherish what you have, be as logical as men are, and then go looking for what you miss.

Once you ask someone about "Beauty", he would reply that beauty comes within the soul. People would run into this answer but they actually form first impressions about a certain person by analyzing his external appearance. Studies have showed that people are usually attracted to tall persons and deny the friendship of shorter ones at the beginning. Research has gone deeper into analyzing what facial expressions would help their holder in establishing quicker relationships. I was surprised when I read about a study that concluded people with wide pupil of their eyes attract more viewers. Some people would eventually prefer the internal beauty and deny the external one. I believe the problem lies in our definition of beauty and the criteria we follow when judging a person -male or female- as beautiful or not. Who ever said that a fat person does not fit the criteria or a red headed boy is not beautiful? Each one has a special kind of beauty away from any ugly criteria that wo...

I was really thinking of the reasons that would urge someone to tell a joke. Is it because this is his nature? Was he born funny? Or is it just another mask to hide a huge amount of sadness within one's self? Personally, I use jokes and I laugh a lot to hide different raging waves inside my heart. I would respond with a joke sometimes maybe because I want to run away from facing something scary, sad, or even ridiculous. I would also use smiles and jokes in hard situations as a way of breaking the ice between me and an authoritative person. I remember that I once used a joke to compensate my friend at her mother's funeral.Okay! It wasn't in its place but at least I made her smile in my own way. Moreover, I would use a joke to deliver a certain message without embarrassing the one in front of me. Words are words but ,I believe, when they are used in a nice way, they would save us lots of unpleasant remarks. This is my way; I laugh to hide, mask, and to deal with others. I tam...

Disappointments are of different shapes and colors. You can become disappointed from others around you. You can become disappointed from a news you hear or a movie you watch. Yet, the worst kinds of disappointments are those related to yourself; when you really disappoint yourself. Some people would think this is such an exaggeration but trust it is not. Any person who goes to bed at night and replay the events that took place throughout the day will be able to point out the things he had done and disappointed himself by. We often do things for the sake of others and we miss to enjoy the pleasure of it. We give yet we disappoint ourselves by losing what we had given. In many other times, we disappoint ourselves when we are not able to give credit to them as we succeed in something. Many people would work hard and spend more than half of their lives to impress someone or a certain group of people without being able to compliment their own work. My final thoughts to you is to try to imp...

Educ 560 might seem a simple code that would mean nothing to others but a course. While others are thinking of what they should do to pass this course, my major thoughts revolved around the things I can do to my students and how to benefit myself. Each time that I left the class, I thought about how to use the business cards as ice breaking activity for my little students. I have also found a nicer way to publish students' work through posters or newsletters that can show it all at the first glance. And is there a better place to spread your work worldwide than a blog?  Nothing would last in your memory unless you fetch its use in your real life.

As this is my first post on my blog, I am curious to surf into this new technological experience. Technology keeps on getting clearer and wider even when it looks very complicated at the beginning.  I think that posting and getting the chance to share my work with someone who would view it seriously is something more interesting than liking or commenting on Facebook. I hope to enjoy this experience as I expect.