Anastasia

Sunsets

Today marks the end of classes for the school year 2012-2013 but the school year hasn't come to an end yet. Next week, all classes will have to take final exams which are compulsory and free of charge. So, as you may realise, it's been a hectic week at work. I had to prepare the final exam papers, teach in the afternoon and do office work in the morning.. Then in June, I have some extra classes for the students who have enrolled to Cambridge ESOL Examinations in addition to marking exam papers, issuing results and completing the Final Reports which will be sent to my students by the end of June. 

Sunset in Larnaca

Alkis also has a lot of work these days and we hardly see each other during the day. But after a long day at work, we often go for a walk at the beach and contemplate the sunset. The sunset in Larnaca takes my breath away. It helps me relax and look forward to yet another new day - it's the promise of the dawn.  I guess sunsets are magical regardless of where you live.  They are inspiring and can reduce stress to a great extent. Sunrises can be just as inspiring and relaxing if you can get up at the crack of dawn! 

 

The Aim of Education

Students will not succeed in life if they don't develop the important skills which they will need to help them take part in all areas of life. In addition to academic skills, another aim of education should be to develop the ability to choose from the large amount of information that bombards them every day. Showing awareness and an understanding of ethnic differences will certainly help them and they should try to be as ethical as possible.

Encouraging our young learners to develop and support  their own viewpoint on education will evetually make them aware of their own potential so that they can develop their own intellectual growth and important personal skills such as the ability to contribute to a group in teamwork. As Bill Beattie said: " The aim of education should be to teach us how to think, rather than what to think - to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves rather than to load the memory with thoughts of other men."

What matters most in education is not only the accumulation of knowledge but the development of the young learner's thinking.

September

Mazotos

We are already in mid September, however it still feels like summer in Cyprus. It's got 35*C (95F) inland right now and 33*C (91F) on the coast. This is no surprise. In my part of the world, September has always been..... the fourth summer month!  This is why it is so hard for all primary and high school students to get up at 6:30 am and get ready for the first day at school after the summer break! Primary school here starts at 7:30 am and finishes at 1:10 pm. High school starts at 7:45 am and finishes at 1:30 pm. Soon after school, most children  take up English, French or German, piano, swimming, football, computer, taekwodo or ballet lessons at private schools.  Lessons at my school start a bit later - on September 17.  I am looking forward to meeting my students and beginning together a new school year.

As you may realise, September is for me that time of year when- regardless of the weather - I go back to work and get ready for the new school year.  However, this year, September is also the time when I'm going back to the beach and swimming in the sea. Because of some health issues (angioplasty), I wasn't able to swim at all during my summer break. I now wish the hot weather continues till the end of October!

What's September like in your part of the world?

End of School Year 2011-2012

So, another school year has come to an end. Funny how I feel sad and already look forward to the new school year beginning in September. I guess this is not normal but I know in my heart of hearts that I'm going to miss my kids for the next two and a half months. I've been jam-packed with work lately, having to mark exam papers, type Final Reports in addition to extra classes for the students who enrolled to the Cambridge ESOL Examinations. English Today.my online course of English as a second language - will be breaking up for the summer soon.

I still can't believe I'm on holiday for the next two months. All I know is that I'm going to make the most of my summer break. I'm going to read books, that's for sure and, perhaps, publish my book on T.S.Eliot on TypePad. Considering that during the school year I work from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, I'm certainly going to hang out with my girl friends for a coffee at Finicoudes, go out with Alkis more often, cook his favourite dishes , such as Beef Stroganov. And I'm going to take a holiday, as always somewhere in the Greek Isles. I can't imagine spending a summer holiday anywhere else. I've been fascinated by the Greek Islands since I was a little girl and to this day I still think they are magical.  

I'll love you and leave you with one of my most favourite songs. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Free Time is a Luxury These Days

Here I am relaxing at home after a hectic week at work. It's that time of year again when esl exams are round the corner in addition to preparing school exams and organising the new school-year 2012-2013. I was a bit under the weather today and please pray I don't get that nasty virus which has been around recently. The weather has been playing up again! We had some warm, sunny days end of April which gave way to a cloudy and rainy early May while today temps went up to 26C! Honestly, I don't know what to wear! See why I hate spring? Wearing jeans and T-shirts plus a jacket seems to be the best  option while looking forward to our long, hot summer. My summer break starts on June 23 - not that far - so I can dream of my summer holiday in July and plan it with Alkis. I dream of unspoilt beaches and lazy days in the sun, secluded coves and ....astakomakaronada  (lobster pasta) by the sea. But right now,  I'll love you and leave you and go back to marking my students' IGCSE Mock Examination.

 

October

The view from the terrace as seen through the lenses of my new Blackberry Bold 9780 Smartphone

Despite the drop in temperatures, we are still having warm sunny days and wondering whether Autumn will eventually come our way.  While our beaches are still packed with tourists enjoying summer in October, I wish I could feel the crisp autumnal air and hear the crunch and rustle of leaves with every step I make. But as I was having breakfast outside, I could only feel the cool sea breeze urging me to go for a swim. However tempting, I chased this thought away and got ready for work. Gone are the lazy summer days when I went to the beach almost every day. October  marks the beginning of first term tests and a generally hectic time at work.  Alkis and I are planning a long weekend away at the end of October, though -  hopefully a pleasant autumn break to look forward to. 

Folders, Subfolders and Other Organisational Issues

It seems that my biological clock hasn't been set to summer-break-time yet, so I got up at 6:00 this morning, as I always do on Saturdays when I work. After a hearty breakfast taken on the veranda with Alkis, Alkis went to work and I was left to decide what to do with the rest of the day.

I decided to spend the day at the beach, but I suddenly remembered my long-forgotten "Things-to-Organise" list in My Documents. I opened the file and here's what I found:

THINGS TO ORGANISE  BEFORE SEPTEMBER 2011

• My Pictures
• My Documents
• File Manager on TypePad
• Categories on TypePad
• My Videos
• My Bookcase – dvds and books
• Kitchen cupboards
• Wardrobe(s) and Shoes
• Drawers in my study
• The wires in my study
• Drawers in general
• Store  Buttons and sewing stuff in ONE box
• My printed photos (must get a new paper photo album)
• My paper-oriented electronic diary
• Store shoe polish in ONE drawer
• Store keys in a box.
• Organise my beauty stuff in categories – eye shadows / eye pencils / nail polish etc

However good I am at organisational issues at the workplace, I'm rather negligent, in this respect, when it comes to organising my home computer and the house in general. I'm not trying to make excuses, but this happens because of the bulk of work during the school year. At work, everything is in the right place and I never have to hunt for it. If you could see my computer at the office, you would be impressed by my organisational skills in file management. Often one click is enough to find in a flash specific documents, students' files, homework assignments, absentee lists, teaching material, audio and video files, test / exam results and many more - all updated without delay. I've never taken up computer lessons - I sometimes wish I had - but learned the basics by clicking on Help or by asking questions online.

I am well aware that we should never postpone for tomorrow what we can do today. So I finally abandoned my plans for the beach today, printed my list and got down to work. To begin with, I set myself the task of organising My Pictures. I have more than 10,000 photos on my computer and, although I created a folder per upload, I came up with more than 150 folders. More often than not, it took me ages to locate a certain photo - I often forgot where I had put it! Today, it took me only 2 hours to create folders and subfolders in such a way that I can now locate a photo...by the pricking of my thumbs!

Next task: My Documents. I partly organised my documents as you can see in the photo below, but I know I can do better! Any ideas are more than welcome.

Then I moved on to the File Manager on TypePad. It is in such a terrible mess that it will take me days to organise it properly. I guess most of you know perfectly well how to organise your File Manager, but assuming that some others might be new on TypePad or computer illiterate like myself, here's how to organise your File Manager efficiently as explained in TypePad for Dummies by Melanie Nelson and Shannon Lowe. This is by no means a sponsored post as I have purchased their book and found it extremely helpful.

A. To Create a Folder

• Go to the File Manager (in Library)
• Click in the textbox under Create a New Folder (in the right sidebar)
• Click the Create button.

B. To Create a Subfolder

• Click the folder you'd like to open.
• Click in the textbox under create a new folder.
• Type the name of the new folder.
• Click the Create button and you are done.

Having finished with the computer, I noticed that many of my books and dvds were lying all over the room. I had a coffee break, took a deep breath and ..tidied up the shelves of my bookcase.

Carrying my precious list, I went into the kitchen to organise my cupboards. As you can see, the cupboard with the glasses looks neat and tidy, but I made a mental note to re-arrange the glasses according to utility - a kind of ..."folders" and "subfolders" . For instance: wine glasses / red wine glasses / white wine glasses, then water glasses / juice glasses / soft drinks glasses and so on. See what I mean? I do hope I won't break any in the process!

Finally, I organised my wardrobe and one of the two places where I store my shoes. I put sandals and summer shoes on the lower shelf, so that I can reach them more easily and winter shoes on the upper shelf. But , to be honest, I envy my friend Bing's immaculate organisation of her wardrobe as described in her post Mission Organization and Surprise No2 . It was this post that reminded me of my "Things-to-Organise" list!

Most of the items of my "Things-to-Organise" list still remain unchecked. But I hope to check them all by the end of August - such as the drawers in my study  and the kitchen cupboard where I am supposed to keep pans, cake tins and various pots and dishes. I guess I'll need some kind of "folders" and "subfolders" in this area as well.

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS MIGHT CAUSE SEVERE SHOCK TO WELL-ORGANISED PEOPLE.

Are you organised or disorganised? Do you know where everything is in your house or do you need to hunt for it in order to locate it?

If you are in doubt take the following quiz and find out!

Are You Organized or Disorganized?

 

P.S ~  It's not like me to write such long posts. Hope you enjoyed it, anyway!

Work and Leisure

All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy but it certainly doesn't make me a dull girl! I've often shared my thoughts about my work and how much I enjoy working with children even though they are occasionally trying my patience!  It's that time of year again when work is more important than leisure as school exams are round the corner. The IGCSE Reading and Writing exam was last Thursday, the Listening test is next Friday followed by final exams at my school, FCE on June 4 and Pitman for Young Learners in mid June- enough to keep me busy at work for the next four weeks or so.

However, in my busy weekly schedule I have made room for some time online - mostly at the weekend - and some time spent outdoors on Sundays. I sometimes wish I lived in a small village where I could enjoy nature and the great outdoors every single day of the week.  What relaxes me most after a long day at work is spending some time listening to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No2. I could listen to that hours on end.without getting bored.

 

Apart from Rachmaninoff, I also relax listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel:

When you are weary feeling small

When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all

I'm on your side. When times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

 

Have you ever heard this song? It's been one of my favourites since I was 16! Working long hours doesn't always allow me to indulge in leisure activities, yet it is not work that kills but worry. Working hard won't kill you but worrying too much is bad for the health! Well, at least, I only worry a little.

How do you relax after a long day at work?

Being a Teacher

Since I was four or five, I've always wanted to be a teacher. I'd put my dolls in a row and teach them songs, nursery rhymes or I'd just talk to them.about my favourite things. That was back in 1963. A year or two later, when I learned to read and write, I used my dolls to teach them what I had learned at school. My mum would often tell dad: "She will be a teacher one day." My dad would laugh saying that it was too early to say what I'd be one day.

From left to right: Front row: Louisa, Maria, Eleni, Popi. Second row: Marianna, Doris, Katerina

My mum was right. I became a teacher and never regretted it. Even when I worked for others, my students were "my kids" and the school was "mine". But my big dream was to run my own language school - a dream that came true in September 1997, Some friends and family told me then that I was crazy to leave a great teaching job for something uncertain. When I turned down a post at public high schools, they thought that nobody in their right mind would ever do this. But I did. Because I wanted to hold my dream and get the moral satisfaction of running my own language school.

This wasn't always a bed of roses but my love for "my kids" has always been so strong that any other problems looked insignificant. . My kids keep me going and their progress is the best reward ever! Being a teacher is a wonderful journey and a truly amazing experience simply because kids can be so very rewarding in their own unique way.

How do you earn your living? Have you always wanted to do the job you're doing now?

Burning the midnight oil marking homework or tests and filling in 2nd term reports. This is just a quick hi to say thank you for stopping by either here on TypePad or on Facebook. Also, many thanks for your wishes on my birthday. Filakia xxxxxxx