The alchemist

 "The alchemist" by Paulo Coelho is one of my favorites books, firstly because of its amazing magical message that is to pursue your dreams by following what your heart desires. The book tells a story of a young shepherd boy who departs on a journey and quest for treasure to notice his personal legend. He runs into many obstacles along his adventure, and realizes that he must always listen to his heart and must follow the message of omens, as it is the language of god. He learns to use his soul, to never lose hope. 

Here are some quotes that i liked the most:

"No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it"

"I’ve learned things from the sheep, and I’ve learned things from crystal, he thought. I can learn something from the desert, too. It seems old and wise"

"So that those who have the responsibility for understanding can understand, Imagine if everyone went around transforming lead into gold. Gold would lose its value"

Arise and Grow!

 John F. Kennedy once said: "Change the law of your life. Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future". Such a profound quote, don't you agree? some people would rather spend their lives progressing whilst in their comfort zone. Others, however are driven by change which is believed to be good omen. Personally, thinking outside the box and venturing in this wide world to feed my curiosity is how i chose to live. Great things do not come from comfort zones. This psychological state is which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure is like being protected by a spider. In order to see a better version of yourself, you have to get past your fears and let the pain and the grief to reach further levels in your life reveal who you truly are and prove that your potentials has no limit.  I do believe that many of us are in need of change, but only those with clear visions can change themselves and hence, the world. The first steps may be tough, but the pleasure you get as as hardships reveal your true potential and in turn, sharpen your skills, will make you prey on more as a hungry beast that will overcome anything coming its way in the process. 

Violence in media

 These days, the amount of violence in media is growing. while some people argue that this trend will undoubtedly lead humans to dangerous future , other claim that it has no damaging effect on the society. I believe that in most cases media violence does affect people's behavior. It is noticed that people and especially kids often copy actions they see on TV. That is to say, if someone intends to do harm to somebody, that may be because of watching TV or playing video games where all subliminal messages are included in that person's character and education. In that way, it is generally known that violent media accustoms viewers to cruelty and i do not doubt this opinion. I would say that nowadays' media has considerable effects on people's behavior. Television and computers may be a small cog in the human brain but it will eventually shape personal character when all cogs work together, increasing the level of violence little by little.

Books

 In few words, I can literally split my life into two distinct parts, those before and after reading books. It all started at the beginning of my university days, when I was assigned to read the Notebook novel by Nicholas Sparks. I really felt that I'm a part of the story, and every single detail mattered to me. A novel really takes you to a completely different world. After my story-journey started, something mysterious changed my life, my way of thinking, my character, reading  helped me articulate my own emotions and thoughts . I built my true character being inspired by a variety of influencing characters. I feel now that I'm addicted positively to stories, which simply water my soul. My advice to everyone of you guys is to passionately read books  to find yourself. 

Anxiety

 Have you ever had excessive worrying associated with anxiety? Well i sometime do when i am stressed, and it's a horrible feeling. You start feeling that you have no control over anything, and that the world is crashing down on you and you're absolutely doomed. Yes it's hard to deal with anxiety but it's not impossible. Whenever you feel anxious, start thinking that none of these things are true or real, even though every inch of you feels that it is, try to  convince yourself that what you're feeling is not true and get rid of every thought that tells you the opposite. Get rid of your negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. 

Online learning

After Lebanon registered  catastrophic numbers of covid-19 infected cases, all schools closed and students as well as teachers were obligated to start their online learning/teaching. To be honest, i found the online learning at the beginning a bit awkward. The fact of sitting in my bed or in the living room and communicating with my doctors was a bit weird. But little by little, i got used to the new situation and i started to enjoy the online learning because it saved my semester and without it, i wouldn't have been able to graduate and hold a bachelor's degree. 

This semester i was doing double major, it wasn't easy and the stress was double but thanks to online learning i was able to watch the pre-recorded zoom or google meet sessions and at the same time to spend some time with my family. I am really grateful for the E-learning experience and i am convinced that in every bad, there is a good.

school bullying prevention

School bullying is any verbal or physical aggression  initiated by one or more students against a victim, it could occur  in any educational setting and level. According to the  National Center for Educational statistics, almost one out of 5 students have been bullied during the school year 2016. 

Bullying can have serious consequences on both the bully and the victim. It also creates a threatening environment at schools and affects student's academic performance and achievements. 

How can teachers prevent school bullying?

Teachers can prevent and reduce school bullying through:  

1.  teaching students empathy and kindness
2.  discussing with the students the negative effects and consequences of bullying 
3. being knowledgeable and observant 
4. reminding students that bullying is not accepted whether in or outside the school

How can parents prevent school bullying 

1. by observing their children and recognizing the signs of bullying 
2. by boosting their child's self-esteem  
3. by teaching their children to defend the bullying victim and remove him/her from danger
4. by teaching their child to act brave, look the bully in the eye and say one of these things: "No you can't do this", "Don't do that", "stop making fun of me".