"Don't judge the book by the cover" - the Zombie Boy

Picture from the site:http://www.gobeyondthecover.com/behind-the-scene.aspx
TODAY we had a very interesting class. We were talking about one of our booklet texts which had the title "Forever Young". We agreed that since the world begins, being forever young has been something desired by human beings. But our discussion was exactly the reason why people would like to live forever: it's just a matter of being physically young, the external appearance or it would be a desire of living longer and healthier? We thought that people are a lot more worried about how they look like than how their mind is being cared. We also saw the official video clip of the group Alphaville's song "Forever Young". In one of its verses they sang: "It's hard to get old without a cause!". I couldn't agree more. Getting old, for many reasons, can really be a hard process, but for sure it would be much harder if we didn't have a cause to fight for or to believe in.
I  got very happy because at the end of the class we watched a video that was made to advertise a cosmetic product and it made a reference of the old saying "Don't judge the book by the cover!". It was related to our text because we could conclude that people are really worried about their appearance because they are judged (and consequently they also judge others) "by the cover" and not for what they really are as a complete human being, which includes their personality, feelings and thoughts. So, the lesson was taught: "we must not prejudge the worth or value of something or someone,  just taking into consideration its outward appearance alone." So, all that I got now is the hope that the students have learned the lesson! Here is the link to the video. Watch it and tell me: How do you judge a book?

"Morte e Vida Severina" - o muito do pouco! Teatro do EG

Hoje a noite mais uma vez fomos premiados com um espetáculo de encher os olhos, preencher os sentidos e tocar a alma! Nós já estamos acostumados a apresentações (montadas pelas profªs Verônica e Márcia) magníficas, mas essa de hoje, em especial, me chamou a atenção por alguns motivos e um que pretendo destacar.
Os alunos foram brilhantes: - impagável a conversa entre os coveiros (pra quem saiu do curso e foi direto, quase que eu pedi um pedaço do pão!)-lindíssimo o cenário e a poesia das "mulheres das janelas" - muito emocionante o diálogo entre o Severino e o Mestre Carpina, de fato algo para refletirmos quão importante a vida é - caprichado e de muito bom gosto todos os presentes confeccionados para celebrar o nascimento do filho do Mestre (deu uma vontade de levantar e contribuir com algo também), foi um momento muito festivo e o desejo era justamente de se juntar a festa! - assustadoramente bela e intrigante a aparição das ciganas egípcias.
Os figurinos eram de uma delicadeza tão sutil que sem dúvida foram um destaque a parte!
Porém creio que há uma relação muito direta entre a apresentação de hoje do grupo de teatro do EG e o dia a dia de muitos professores.  A peça nos mostra a realidade de um povo cuja vida não é fácil e do pouco que a terra seca tem a oferecer, eles aprenderam a fazer muito e isso permite a sobrevivência deles num lugar, que como diria o poeta, até Deus duvida. Num mundo acostumado a se divertir em 3D, o grupo nos trás a ousadia de uma produção com detalhes simples, mas são detalhes (como o figurino, o cenário) tão bem trabalhados que simplesmente fazem toda diferença e confere a peça um ar de espetáculo. O grupo trabalha durante todo ano e além das contribuições que recebem, eles utilizam recursos próprios para realizarem algumas etapas da montagem. Com vários professores não é diferente. Com o descaso que a nossa educação é tratada, muitos "mestres" precisam ir buscar onda não há e tirar da onde não se tem para poder realizar o seu trabalho. Na verdade,  eles, os professores e os alunos do teatro fazem aquilo que a já aprendemos: a vida imitando a arte e a arte imitando a vida! Novamente somos premiados com mais um exemplo genuíno de que quando talento e boa vontade se unem, tudo é possível! PARABÉNS e muito obrigada por mais esse presente.

Teacher's Day - questions and answers

I couldn't start this without saying a huge "THANK YOU" for all the the notes and messages I got from my students = the ones who are studying with me now and the ones who aren't, and I know some people would call them ex-students...but I do prefer, when I need to refer to them, just students. Once a student (at least mine), always a student, it doesn't matter if it's now, 10 years ago, or even the ones who will be one day, the ones that I have the opportunity to meet at the school and say: "Teacher, I'll have classes with you next year". In fact, I hope so, who knows? But one thing I know for sure, it's just (and exactly) because it that we can keep doing what we have done so far. It's because we have the great chance of knowing that our work, somehow (and believe, sometimes even we can't understand how) has touched somebody's life, in a positive way, that we keep going on. Sometimes we have the satisfaction of meeting some of our students and if we also have the chance to talk to them we can notice how they have improved  their lives, all the good things they have accomplished (studying, working, learning, sharing, etc.) and feeling proud is absolutely inevitable. Thanks God I have felt this many and many times! In one of them I was in a pub and then I heard somebody saying "teacher" and when I turned around it was two students who were there and called me to join to them.

It was such a nice surprise! They were talking and sunddenly I realized that I  had also been a teacher of the oldest brother of hers. Actually it has happened quite often lately, what made me think...maybe I have been done that for a long time! And then another student arrived and I felt so happy (and so proud) for being in the company of such articulated girls, that I really thought how lucky I was for being there (that moment) and for doing what I do.

Life has been so generous with me this year because it has given me so many unexpected and grateful meetings like this one.And I've already written about some of them in this blog. You know...I don't believe in coincidence, so it's funny and intriguing how it happens exactly in the moment that I'm questioning myself about what I've done. So, I like to think that it may be just "life" trying to tell me some answers. Actually it's much more than just answers...it's the inspirational and motivational reason...it's the reason why I'm still teaching. Thank you very much for "bringing" the answers when I most needed them! 

Be Quick But Don't Hurry! Enjoy the end of the year!

Be Quick But Don't Hurry* is a quick read, a pretty good book and a different take on John Wooden's Pyramid of Success that he utilized in coaching the most successful teams in the history of college basketball (UCLA in the 60's and 70's.) This book reminded me about this period...the end of the year, the end of 2011.
Everybody wants to be successful and sometimes we feel like time is running and we still haven't made what we should (or want) to reach success! Well, first of all we need to find out our definition of success and then we work on it. Successful, to me, is being really happy, enjoying all the good moments of our life, with lots and lots of "great" (great people, great food, great places, great drinks, great whatever else it can bring).  It's the end of September and October is just around the corner... at the end of the year there is this syndrome of "what-I-have-done-so-far" and it's amazing how hard it is (for some people, let's not generalized) to recognise what they have accomplished so far! It's much easier to focus on what we haven't done than on what we have. Particularly I love the end of the year! "October, November and December" is the most festive trimester - Children's Day & Our Lady of Aparecida Day (in Brazil), my wedding Anniversary, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday (and many friends' birthday), Christmas...so many reasons to have fun! I do worry about all the things that I want to accomplish during the year...and that's why I do work hard on the first three trimester of the year (and I also study a lot)...just to have a little extra time to enjoy all that the holiday seasons can offer...then I can (at least I try) enjoy all that slowly and always...being quick but not in a hurry! Indluge yourself too! Let's the fun begin!
*Be Quick But Don't Hurry, a book written by Andrew Hill and John Wooden.
http://www.amazon.com/Be-Quick-But-Dont-Hurry/dp/0743213882 

Música para os nossos ouvidos - de qualidade e bem brasileira!

A música (assim como a arte) é imprescindível ao ser humano. A música tem a capacidade de alterar o nosso estado de espírito e nosso corpo reage às vibrações dos sons, trazendo beleza e harmonia para nossa vida. E como se não bastasse, várias pesquisas e artigos já demonstraram a importância da música (e das artes) no processo ensino-aprendizagem, pois quando bem trabalhada, a música desenvolve o raciocínio, a criatividade e outros dons e aptidões.
O matemático francês Joseph Louis Lagrange proclamou que trabalhava melhor ao som de música. A devoção profissional de Einstein para o violino é lendária.O químico americano Charles Martin Hall foi um pianista e tanto! O profº Wagner (química) e a profº Dilza (física) cantam maravilhosamente bem. O profº Felipe toca violão magistralmente. Exemplos é o que não nos faltam!
E hoje, na reunião dos professores (HTPC)do colégio EG, nós fomos presenteados com a apresentação do grupo de alunos que estudam música (vilão) com o profº Fernando Moura. O grupo a presentou a música "O mundo è um Moinho" do mestre Cartola. A apresentação foi muito bonita e ao final os professores reclamaram porque queriam ouvir mais...o que é perfeitamente compreensível...quem não gostaria de continuar embalado em um momento de poesia e beleza? Atendendo a pedidos, o aluno Eduardo Teruo fez uma outra apresentação da música Rebirth. Aos alunos Gabriel Ramos, Mariana Souza, Larissa Clemente, Isabella Alvarenga, Eduardo teruo, Guilherme Dosi, parabéns e muito obrigada por um momento tão único. Parabéns ao profº Fernando pelo trabalho desenvolvido ao longo desses 11 anos.   Dizem que a arte imita a vida. Na verdade eu creio que a arte dita a vida! Pena que nem todos percebem!Feliz daqueles que ouvem esse ditado e optam por seguí-lo.