Happy Halloween to all

We Iranians do not have such a nice festival. I wish I could have the chance to watch it closely. What follows are history and facts of Halloween.

Halloween is a holiday of costumes, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and haunted houses.

Halloween is always celebrated on 31 October.
Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain. The Celts believed that evil spirits came with the long hours of winter darkness. They believed that on that night the barriers between our world and the spirit world were at their weakest and therefore spirits were most likely to be seen on earth.
The Celts built bonfires to frighten the spirits away, and feasted and danced around the fires. The Halloween fires brought comfort to the souls in purgatory and people prayed for them.
It is also a Christian festival where people or children make house calls begging for soul cakes. It was believed that even strangers could help a soul's journey to heaven by saying prayers, so, in exchange for a cake they promised to pray for the donors' deceased relatives. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. Today, people light candles in pumpkin lanterns and then put them outside their homes to frighten away witches and ghosts.
Halloween is also know by other names: All Hallows, Eve Samhain,All Hallowtide,The Feast of the Dead,The Day of the Dead.
It is thought that the colours orange and black became Halloween colours because orange is associated with harvests (Halloween marks the end of harvest) and black is associated with death.
Black cats were originally believed to protect witches' powers from negative forces.
Ringing a bell scares evil spirits away.

An interesting discussion among science students بحثی شنیدنی و جالب در کلاس سوم تجربی

The same as Math students,science students were asked to provide me with their ideas about this sentence: "Education is not an end but a means to an end. What is the end for life?"What follows are my students' responses. SOOOOOOOOO Wonderfullllllllllllllllll!

Fatemeh: For me the end of education is reaching God. For reaching God I need to know Him and to know him I need to know His creatures and education helps me in this way.

Hanieh: I want to know God and education can help me to reach to my end but education is not enough. I want to reach to top levels to be able to realize who I am and why I am.

Shima: My goal is having enough time to spend it on the way I like.Something like inventing ways to be lucky is what I decide to write about. Good life and luck is when you feel that having no common thing doesn't make you feel down. Wanna know why life has been created.

Motahhareh:The end is to get to know God and myself and by understanding his glory I can give real thanks to Him.

Roya: My end in life is to be successful in my life and be a good servant for God.

Fereshteh:Education helps me to know myself, and my God , to have a better life, and tobe a helpful person in the world.

Parisa:I think God doesn't want us to sit in a place and think about Him. We should reach God by education. When we get a new thing we can know God with it.

Rezvan:I want to know myself to reach God and I want to be God's servant for reaching Him.

Mina: I want to be a doctor to cure the poor who cannot afford the fees of their cure.

Hanieh: The end of education can be to help people and have a good life. It can grow our thinking about why God created the world and all the things in it.

Mahsa: I want to know God in a best way and do things that God asked me and have a good life. I want to thank God for many blessings.

Motahhareh. S :I think the end for our life is that God be happy with us. I think with education we can earn this end better. The best end is that we know God and ourselves. Every science can help us in it.

Elnaz: I like education to have a logical manner to persuade people why we must worship God, to find the reasons and to do the best to be perfect, to improve and advance, and to reach our real creator.

Maryam K: Education helps me to understand the best way to manage my life.

Mina Z:End of education is using it in a good way and reaching your idea and beliefs.

Farzaneh: It helps me to have an ideal life, to use from blessings that God gave us and thank God.

Marzieh: Einstein says: I found God in atom.So I think I can know God easier by education.and a person who doesnot have education should look at the world carefully.

Fatemeh:We can improve our life to have better life;wecan know nature and use it better;we can advance in our job and use science to have better life and to thank God.

Maryam Z: I need education to improve my life and to understand what happen in this world.

Maryam M:I think good end for our life is to reach God. Now it is by education or without it???

TO BE COUNTINUED.........

Where are we heading ?انسان به کجا می رود؟؟تناقض های زندگی

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but, lower morals.
We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; We've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. Where are we heading ....?.........
So what is the morale of the story????

Hot discussion in class بحثی داغ در کلاس سوم ریاضی

O.K. lesson two: Reading (The value of education)
Maryam reads out: Education is not an end but a means to an end. Stop Maryam. O.K. What is the end in your life.mm..she says something....... Other students one by one answer this question. So surprising!!!For all the students, except those who didn't have an end or at least haven't thought of it yet!!, being a UNIVERSITY student and getting a good job in future was an end. Being at the service of community was the end for some students. Being a university professor at M.I.T was a great dream of one student. It's wonderful. I do believe we all should follow our dreams and we shouldn't let obstacles hinder us since" great men are great dreamers" ;However, dreams are means to an END not an end by themselves. What is the purpose of education and the end for our life? I do recommentd you to read " Missing piece meets the big O" by Silverstein. I reckon our missing pieces are not university or M.S ,or PhD, or an important, knowledgable, famous person in society. It is something within us which can be nurtured by education but not necessarily found.
Any way, an attractive discussion!
What do you think?

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O آشنايي قطعة گمشده با دايره

The missing piece sat alone waiting for someone to come along and take it somewhere.

Some fit?but could not roll. Others could roll? but did not fit. One didn't know a thing about fitting. And another didn't know a thing about anything. Some looked too closely. Others rolled right by without noticing. The missing piece tried to make itself more attractive,
but it didn't help. It tried being flashy, but that just frightened away the shy ones.

And then one day, one came along who looked different.Missing Piece (MP): Who are you?Reply: I am the Big O (BO)

MP: I think you are the one I have been waiting for, maybe I am your missing piece.

BO: But I am not missing a piece. There is no place you would fit.

MP: That is too bad. I was hoping that perhaps I could roll with you...

BO: You cannot roll with me, but perhaps you can roll by yourself.

MP: By myself? A missing piece cannot roll by itself.

BO: Have you ever tried?

MP: But I have sharp corners. I am not shaped for rolling.

BO: Corners wear off and shapes change. Anyhow, I must say good-bye. Perhaps we will meet again? And away it rolled.

The missing piece was alone again. For a long time it just sat there. Then? slowly? it lifted itself up? flopped over? began to move forward... and soon its edges began to wear off? its shape began to change? and then it was bumping instead of flopping? and then it was bouncing instead of bumping? and then it was rolling instead of bouncing?and then? it was rolling!

قطعه ی گمشده تنها نشسته بود... منتظر کسی بود که بیاید و او را با خودش ببرد.
بعضی ها با او جور می شدند...
اما نمی تونستند قل بخورند.
بعضی ها می تونستند قل بخورند اما با او جور نبودند.
یکی چیزی از جور درآمدن نمی دونست.
و دیگری اصلاً چیزی نمی دونست...
یکی خیلی نازک بود................ و ترکید......
یکی او را روی چهارپایه گذاشت........... و پی کارش رفت.
بعضی ها هم، خیلی قطعه گم شده داشتند.
بعضی لبریز از قطعه بودند...... پرِ پر ! ....
بعضی ها خیلی نکته سنج بودند.
بعضی ها آنقدر در عالم خودشان غرق بودند که بدون توجه به او، از کنارش می گذشتند.
سعی کرد خوش را جذابتر نشان دهد.................. اما فایده ای نداشت....
آخر سر یکی آمد که با او کاملاً جور بود.
اما ناگهان......... قطعه ی گمشده رشد کرد.... !
و باز هم رشد کرد....
- « فکر نمیکردم تو رشد میکنی »
قطعه گمشده گفت :« خودم هم نمی دانستم ! »
- « من بدنبال قطعه ی گمشده ی خودم میگردم، یکی که بزرگ نشود...... خداحافظ...»
....
....
....
تا یکروز که یکی آمد که با همه فرق داشت.
قطعه ی گمشده پرسید :« از من چه می خواهی ؟»
- « هیچ چیز. »
- « از من چه انتظاری داری ؟»
- « هیچ. »
- « اصلاً تو کی هستی ؟ »
دایره بزرگ گفت :« من دایره بزرگ هستم.»
قطعه گفت :« فکر کنم تو همانی که مدتهاست بدنبالش میگردم. شاید من گمشده ی تو باشم.»
دایره گفت :« اما من قطعه ی گمشده ای ندارم. اصلاً جایی ندارم که تو با آن جور شوی. »
قطعه ی گمشده گفت :« چه بد ! .... ای کاش می توانستم با تو قل بخورم....»
دایره ی بزرگ گفت :« نمی توانی با من قل بخوری. اما شاید بتوانی خودت به تنهایی قل بخوری. »
- « تنهایی ؟؟؟.... قطعه ی گمشده که تنهایی نمی تواند قل بخورد. »
دایره ی بزرگ پرسید :« تا حالا سعی کرده ای ؟»
قطعه ی گمشده گفت :« اما من گوشه های تیزی دارم. اصلاً برای قل خوردن ساخته نشده ام.»
دایره بزرگ گفت :« گوشه ها ساییده می شوند و شکلها تغییر میکنند. دیگر باید بروم خداحافظ.... شاید باز هم همدیگر را ببینیم......»
و قل خورد و رفت....
قطعه ی گمشده باز هم تنها شد.... مدتها یکجا نشست.... بعد..... آهسته، آهسته.... از یکطرف خود را بالا کشید......
تالاپ !
دوباره خود را بالا کشید.... باز هم افتاد..... همینطور به جلو رفت.... بلند شد، افتاد.... بلند شد، افتاد.... تا گوشه هایش شروع کردند به ساییده شدن........................... و کم کم شکلش عوض شد.....
حالا بجای اینکه تالاپی بیفتد، تلپی میفتاد... بجای اینکه بالا پایین بپرد، جست و خیز می کرد... و بعد بجای جست و خیز کردن، قل می خورد......... می رفت.... اما نمی دانست به کجا... اهمیتی هم نمی داد...... همینطور قل می خورد.....

Are we all missing pieces? What are our missing pieces?????????Do we need any big O?

Prayer دعا

Prayer Is

Prayer brings peace to the restless,
It changes things you know.
The more you pray, the more your faith,
Will grow and grow and grow.

Prayer is sweet communion,
With a friend who really cares.
No matter what the problem is,
No matter when or where.

Prayer is like food to the hungry,
It fills an empty soul.
And then when the prayers are answered,
Your faith in God will grow.

Prayer is the key to Heaven,
Where the angels sing each day.
And when the door is open,
God is listening while we pray.

Sand and Stone شن و سنگ

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE

Happy Eid ul-Fitr عید فطر مبارک باد

Wish you all teachers and students a joyous Eid celebration.May you be blessed with peace on Eid and always.

Farewell Ramadan رمضان خداحافظ

Ramadan a “month of blessing” marked by prayer, fasting, and charity is passing its final days and Eid al-Fitr, which in 2006 occurs on Oct. 24,“Festival of Breaking the Fast,” is coming. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan and we are obligated to share our blessings by feeding the poor.Although I had a hard time teaching while fasting but it surely has had great impacts on my body and mind.

So Challenging! ایجاد انگیزه! چه کار دشواری

Some students are to be pushed to do something or work on an assignment. This weblog hopes to creat a learning environment for all my students and since sometimes a bit force is required to move some students forward, I asked them to write comments on news and stories in http://fantasticpupils.blogspot.com. as their homework. Some have had great contributions but some are still to be forced to learn!!!!!(Can we call this "learning"?!!Maybe if there is S-R-R principle).

Think Thoroughly

These inspirational cards sounds wonderful to me. What about you?

TOURIST IN CLASS توریست فرانسوی در کلاس 101 و 102 فرزانگان

Last year, my students had the chance to meet a French Tourist, Pascale. During the 2 hour discussion, they exchanged a great deal of ideas. It was a great, unforgettable, and memorable experience for all of us!

updating به روز رسانی این سایت

This weblog is more educational rather than personal, but I do put some personal experiences or memories in here.The great links provided are first strides that can be taken to empower your knowledge and enter you into the world of learning English.It is updated biweekly but not just through entries but adding new links and extending the "READ STORY OF THE WEEK" section. Don't miss it; it's worth visiting.......I'm waiting for your comments on news and links.

HONOR افتخار

My weblog had the honor to be visited and renewed by all my great students at high school computer site for the first time.I'm impatiently waiting for their wonderful comments.



Best wishes