From Furnicom, Teachers Thank You

Dear Fellow Teachers,

It’s Tomorrow, Tomorrow is the start. The start of a week full of thankfulness for your endeavors which has brought our children and yours a future of knowledge and goodness for them and our world.

This year is quite different. It was hard for you. It was hard for your student, their parent, and everyone around. An unfortunate event had happened that changed our lives into something we hadn’t gone through before. We thought we were invincible. We thought that we could surpass anything that came across us. I guess we didn’t know.

Covid-19 came out nowhere. Some say we could have lessened it, stopped it, or that we could have done something more. My friends what has come is here. Let us not put ourselves in the past of what had already been.

Remember, it was just a couple of months ago when we used to make our way to school, open the door, and see all the students. We had activities. We had discussions. We could see ourselves and smile for one another. It was just a couple of months ago that we could hear a bell ring, students run and scream, and cheers for our school team. It was just a couple of months ago remember.

We’re here now in our homes. Doing this thing called virtual teaching and those of that sort. It’s good enough, we could all say that it makes a class. That’s what’s best. Though, our students became a screen and so did we. Our schedules became out of place and everything not the same. It’s been hectic for us all.

Don’t you worry my friends, everything has an end. That’s how it’s always been. We will back to teach an actual class once again.

However, before this all ends, let us take a moment and think to ourselves. One thing which has brought us more together than ever is this whole thing that has happened. Our family became right beside us. Our students, our friends became an everyday video call away. We became there for everyone and so did everyone else.

Thankfulness was no longer just a word but an action we all saw and heard. I think it was the most clapping that has ever happened in the history of earth. They came around your homes and brought flowers, cakes, and balloons of all colors. They brought signs and sang songs. They brought you letters full of love.

It was hard for you, we know. That is why this year is quite different. This year we thank you more than we ever could. Everything is a whole mess, it’s everywhere but you managed to stay there, teaching the children and doing your best to give more than you thought you could. Thank you for your creativity. Thank you for signing them a song. Thank you for teaching them all and more. Thank you for coming to our homes making the kids feel that you’re there with them, caring for them.

Truly we are thankful to have you in our lives, our children, your students, you just make them smile, today, tomorrow, and evermore. Have a great, positive, and blessed Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you once more.

Sincerely,

Furnicom Team

I Can Certainly Say That Technology Can Never Replace Us

The COVID-19 has given the opportunity for technology to become the pivot of teaching and learning. Okay, so we all got that, perfect. “Now, before, after, during, the pandemic has not allowed any technology to take over, it was always there”. That’s what we might all assume as well to say. However, whoever is on that team I just wanted to say yes you’re right technology was pretty much already the pivot of our daily lives. However, not to the same proportion as seen now. Everyone’s on Zoom. Everyone’s on Blackboard. Everyone’s on Google Classroom. Everyone’s behind a screen.

Again, I’m not going into how excessive technology usage is terrible for a child or whatnot. Certainly, that’s one issue already discussed by many. The argument I’m presenting is a simple understanding that technology can never replace us, us the being human that has been lacked for a while because of the pandemic, and whoever says either can go give it a go, a life of no one except themselves, a screen, and a click but wait you’re already there with us. As many already know, I try to keep my discussion according to what I know solely about: teaching and learning. I’ve browsed them all, watched them all, seen them all, and shared them all. Teachers simply miss their students and students simply miss their teachers. The videos, the photos, the poems, the rants, and the raves all signify that we can’t do it anymore. We can’t stay out of our classrooms, we can’t use that square thing in front of us that is forcefully there because we have no other choice.

Yes, it has helped us and always will. Technology has enabled us to do something about it rather than do nothing. If we go back a hundred years, when pandemics happened, or anything that puts us away from a classroom, it would have been practically impossible to give teaching for a group of students a go. That has all changed now. Now we can actually give a class without being in class. We can discuss, analyze, carry our activities, read, write, and just do whatever needs to be done to progress our pupils and allow them the right to learn.

However, those who believe that technology should be much more used, to the degree that it seems as though the teacher can just leave the classroom. “Look, teacher, you’re great but someone can make your life a whole lotta easier for both you and the students. You don’t need to be here and they don’t need to either. We’ve got technology now”. That’s the problem there, after experience all of this pandemic stuff, it’s pretty much universally agreed that technology, you’re great, you’re terrific but you’re there to help us and only that. An assistant, a second hand, an enabler of severality whilst on a check but you can never ever replace us.

“Humans need Humans” (Hirsh-Pasek, Schlesinger, Golinkoff, Care, 2018) this is where we start to get a bit scientific. Okay, guys so what we’re talking about here is something called human interactions. Brainspire presents a perfect explanation, stating that “Human interaction can be defined as any action that is taken between two humans, for better or for worse.” so in other words its anything that includes two people and interactions, pretty easy. Now, when such things are left out from people especially children things are only bound to get worse. In a recent study provided by Brookings, it was revealed that human interaction left learning students a greater win than if left to be taught without it. An insight to what I mean can be seen when two groups of students are left with no human interactions, once one group went on a 5-day trip it was revealed that those who went on the trip got a far superior grading on a test prepared by the researchers and that’s all because of human interactions.

So, again, technology you’re great, but you can never replace us. The best is to assume a balance between a techy obsession and a face to face human interaction. That and only that is the comprise which allows a progression. But, now, let’s just go past all of this, our classroom awaits us all. Like Alex Beard wrote on his latest book, Natural Born Learners:

“And if the robots do take the jobs, it’s our human qualities that will count…The greatest impact of technology on learning may paradoxically be to push us towards the human (p. 306).”

The Invention Of Childhood And Its Impact On Education

Servants, apprentices, knitters, chore doers, etc... were the norm of what one would call childhood before the 19th century. It was no surprise to be put under such a condition, even in the account of Abraham Lincoln, it was well known that his childhood is described as being a slave, a slave to his father. Making it unsurprising to why he never reached out to him during his final moments.

However, nothing remains the same and time simply pulls and pushes different and sometimes opposing novel reasonings. For a child was once seen as a small adult awaiting to have a full-grown body, currently such a concept has discontinued and the understanding of what childhood simply differs from its predecessor.

Child Labor And Childhood

Child Labor can be explained as the hiring of children to work for different professions considered as adult work such as working in the factory, chimneys, etc… So one would argue that childhood is an adult in a smaller and ungrown body.

Steven Mintz, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, explains childhood as “adult-structured, adult-supervised activities”. Nonetheless, he continues and asserts that what was once “adult-structured, adult-supervised activities” became “free, unstructured, outdoor play”. As such, childhood’s history can be seen as a history of liberation from what can be described as metaphorically an escape from the umbilical cord of what halted a childhood experience, who was the parent, making it harder to create an independent identity opposing to that of a mini adult. Furthermore, the functional object of a child was not solely seen as an extra hand that can be of assistance in different tasks but also an extra mouth to feed if such a child was not used for any particular purpose, making it a constraint on low social classes.

To note: readers might misunderstand my words of blaming parents for what was done to children. Although my thoughts do not blame parents particularly, however, the problem was the idea of what was correct parent action during those times was incorrect.

Childhood Change And A Start Of Education

Developments and Reforms abolished child labor. Think about it as changing a 17th-century habit of teaching a child to be an adult and integrating them into adult farm labor versus a child who has been sheltered away from adult work and engaged with unique childhood activities and types of education. Furthermore, as laws and acts to abolish child labor were enacted, what was ensured is that every child must have some form of education/schooling, including an emphasis on good health in the form of better diets and an active outdoor lifestyle.

An exemplification of this can be seen in the Meiji Reforms in Japan, a reform which aims at restoring the imperial rule in Japan in 1868. Part of the reforms, however, was the establishment of a contemporary educational policy across all public schools in Japan. Such policies include the introduction of Western-style schools and the dedication of time during childhood to the reading of children’s books, playing with educational toys and schooling specifically aimed at different age groups.

Other reasons for changes to childhood are because of changes in parenting. Currently, our time is witnessing declines of birth rates, criminalization of child abuse and child labor, and the growing fear that any irreparable accident carried out on a child will lead to a lifelong punishment. As such, parents have become much more sensitive in comparison to preceding times.

There’s Still More That Has To Be Done

Geographically, there are still many countries and areas that witness child labor. Ideal childhood is being deprived of children from different parts of the world. Still, poverty and unemployment have pushed many low-income adults to utilize children as an object for monetary desires (without falling into any significant expenses and costs).

Furthermore, with more screen time and close parent to child supervision (lifestyle), the concept of a free and unstructured childhood loses its meaning and what is left is a “toxic childhood” as mentioned by researcher Sue Palmer. In a sense, you can’t blame the parents, for the primary inner state of the child is their central importance. Time constraints because of extended work hours in comparison to the past have caused the communication and bond between a child and parent to diminish. So, parents have become very sensitive to their children. That is why the greatest challenge for a parent is to be able to grant freedom the child deserves to have. Many of us have forgotten the notion of age-appropriate learning, which suggests that as a child grows, their brain capacity develops. As such, when you give a chance for a child … a chance for freedom, then the challenges they face become an experience and a confidence build-up that shapes them towards understanding themselves better.

The Importance Of Music In Children's Daily Life

A lullaby song is usually used by an adult to get a baby to sleep. How does music achieve that? Using music on a daily basis in children’s’ lives is a very old habit worldwide, which is something that shows us the importance of music in the upbringing of a child. Lullabies are just simple melodies that help babies to relax and fall asleep. Many parents use simple baby songs to play and entertain their kids. Further, music is very important in children's lives, something that all parents know by instinct but recent research proves the importance and the benefits that kids can get through their interaction with music.

Older studies referred to the improvement of human capabilities as also to brain development as a result of studies on certain musical instruments. Recent research has focused on the influence of music groups towards babies. Referring to music groups, we do not mention preliminary music classes with sole goal to create the next Mozart, but workshops in which children with their parents’ help, make music and learn its basic concepts through singing, rhymes, percussions play, music and movement actions and listening to music always through a fun and enjoyable way. A study applied by the Mc Master Institute of Music and Mind emphasizes the importance of music lessons for babies (Article: ‘Babies’ brain benefit from a music lesson, researchers find’ Hamilton, Ont. May 09, 2012). A certain study proved that one-year-old babies, who participated in music groups with their parents, communicate better, smiled more often and had better reactions towards music. Furthermore, babies who participated in music workshops appeared to have more sensitiveness to the pitch, compared to those who were just passive listeners while doing other activities. Also, it was observed that babies who participated in music workshops were calmer and improved their communication skills earlier, like showing things that they would like to reach or even waving bye-bye.

In addition, by participating in a music workshop, the baby and the parent improve their emotional bond since they have to cooperate to make music together either singing, playing instruments or even participating in a music & movement activity in which the carer has to enchase his child to participate. Further, the improvement of self – confidence; children develop their creativity, their communication skills, and their cooperation, since they have to work with other group members for better results.

It is very important, at this point to underline that apart from participating in music workshops, it could be very useful if parents could spend some time with their kids that would be constructive for their development. Here is some advice that parents but also teachers can follow:

1. Become active Singer!!! Do not just listen to the kids’ songs, you have to participate in singing and encourage your children to follow

2. Sing to children songs you remember from when you were young or even one of your favorite songs. Singing your favorite song makes both adults and children happier.

3. Dance with them and encourage them to participate and express their feelings through dancing

4. Make some music with children. You can use simple objects and make a small orchestra to play together. Kids will love this!

5. Try to sing a song using proper representations for its content. This will help them to remember the tune and words better.

Do not hesitate to express your feelings through music. Show how much you enjoy music cause they enjoy it equally.

Dare to make music and bring joy to the children and to your life too!

A Little Thing Called “Routines”

To surpass any exercise there’s a warm-up routine, to surpass any business operations there’s a planning routine, and to surpass any classroom management there must be classroom routines.

But what are classroom routines? The best way to explain it is to refer to “educationworld.com” who state that routines are simply: “a well-rehearsed response to a teacher's directive.” Its antonym usually results in students nagging, shouting, whining, and time-wasting while the teacher attempts to control the classroom on and on throughout the year. Therefore with the use of routines within the classroom teachers can save up on labor time whilst students benefit from being thoroughly taught.

In the following article, the vitality of classroom routines will be revealed while exemplifying it with real-life scenarios.

Benefits of Routines

Routines are the backbone of daily classroom life. They facilitate teaching and learning…. Routines don’t just make your life easier, they save valuable classroom time. And what’s most important, efficient routines make it easier for students to learn and achieve more.

—Learning to Teach…not just for beginners by Linda Shalaway

Mdm. Shalaway already gives us a clear idea of why routines benefit teachers, highlighting that it saves time and nurtures knowledge in children in a much more efficient and effective manner. To add to this, routines can also minimize guesswork, frustration, and inconvenience. In other words, it can get rid of student distractions that waste time and regress the learning process in the classroom. Looking at it from the teacher’s end, it can lessen workload and stress, protecting the well-being of the teacher.

Routines can be seen as an automated task manager, it gives directions and collectively manages student activity canceling any halts or interferences. Students can know how to pass their papers, where to sit, how to enter a classroom, and when talking is allowed or not through routines. For every repetitive action within a classroom, a routine is its guide.

I know … I know, it sounds like we’re in the army. Certainly, routines were never meant to be made to lock students’ happiness and joy away. More so, it is meant to keep them safe and teach them something considered important. So routines that are absent of amusement even at a minimal level is no routine at all. It’s simply a teacher mirroring an army general, whose characteristics closely resemble an individual who has no spirit of fun and enjoyment.

You can keep everything in order without the need for cutting out happiness from the child.

Some Routines We Heard About

A while back an educator named Rick Morrison suggested that music can lead routines in the classroom. Each piece of music can initiate a different routine. For example on one occasion during his teaching career, he used “The Simpsons” theme song to alert students that it was time for them to leave their desks, sit on the classroom carpet, and get ready for a read-aloud session. The uniqueness of this comes in the fact that it’s all about the time it takes for them to finish the task. So when Rick Morrison played “The Simpsons” theme song, students had to get the task done before the theme song finished. Students love such activities because the songs are silly making the routine seem less of a routine and more of a challenge.

Other teachers create routines that seek to manage the paperwork presented to them by students. So they set up some trays and label them according to what is expected to be placed in it, i.e: homework, project ...such utilization teaches kids independence, self-responsibility, and organization during work.

One routine I've seen displayed in Lebanon is a yoga session teachers carry out for their students. During exam week, stress and anxiety among students sky-rockets. So the best thing a teacher can do is make them focus more and worry less because as we all know exams worry kids. So with the use of yoga, such built-up stress is relieved and students can focus more on their work and their studies.

Another routine we’ve heard of is done by English language arts teacher guru Kelly Gallagher called, “The Reading Minute”. The following routine demands that a teacher reads a random passage from a story, essay, poem … they’ve found online to the students once a day or a week depending on each teacher’s preference. The students from their side open their notebooks and write down a short summary or thesis regarding its significance to them. By the end of the month or year, students are asked to stand up and read aloud what they wrote recollecting what that passage meant to them back then and why so. In my opinion, such routine teaches students to be listeners and thinkers since on one aspect they are required to listen to the teacher as she reads the passage and in another aspect it allows students to think about what they wrote, why they wrote it, and what it meant to them.

Noelle Pickering, an educator, discusses a routine he calls “The Panther Express Card”. He discusses how he loves using it in class. Explaining that: “Basically every student receives one each grading period. I copy it onto colored card stock and they glue it into their journal. It keeps track of bathroom passes, minor behavior incidents, tardies, and positives.” At the end of every week, he collects the paper and sees whether a student deserves to be rewarded or not according to what he did during the week written on his express card. When the class is successful they are rewarded with fun activities such as carrying out classes outside. And as for the positive section, the more stamps each individual student receives the more rewards they achieve. Such stamps are simple to get all it needs is an engaging student, who answers teacher questions and works well during group work …

Another routine I found online is a routine developed by Fifth-grade teacher Barry White Jr. of Ashley Park Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. As seen in the video, his routine is a personalized handshake for every student in his classroom. It creates an immense amount of positivity and joy for the student since they feel as though the teacher cares about them and is more than a teacher … a friend they can always come to. Furthermore, with the use of this routine teachers can also make sure that all students are present in the classroom without the need of using the traditional method of raising their hands when their name is called.

(Video Below)

- North Carolina teacher has personalized handshakes with each of his students. "It was just one or two students and then it became contagious. I saw how much it meant to them."

I think now we know why routines are essential and important. They manage the classroom effectively and move away from any halts that might cancel the learning experience of the student. However, it is important that teachers do not make the routine an enemy to the student. After all, a student who enjoys the routine they do is much more likely to grasp the important aspects the teacher wishes to plant unto them through the use of that particular routine.

No To Bullying!

A recent investigation admitted that the suicide of a 14-year-old boy in the central part of Japan was influenced by a collection of bullying cases, precisely 34 cases, about a month and a half ago leading up to his death. One of the cases even includes the following: “his classmates made him kneel down on a bathroom floor.” (The Manichi, 2019)

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On another note, teachers also have faced bullying. Below I have shared data from “blackboardtalk.com” as is to present to you an insight on how much bullying they face.

“Here are some facts about bullying among teachers:

• Nurses, social workers, and teachers are the most likely to bully at work.

• Between 24-46% of teachers admit to having been seriously bullied at one time.

• 89% of teachers admit to having seen staff bullying occur at their schools.

• Top-down bullying from management is most common (67-75% of the time).”

  — (Blackboardtalk.com, 2018)

Not only do teachers face bullying from staff, but also students and parents. Students, for example, can bully teachers by name-calling them, spreading rumors about them, bad-mouthing them, etc. Meanwhile parents especially “helicopter parents”, those who are overly protective of their children, sometimes cross the line and end up bullying teachers this includes: tearing down their reputation, threatening to do everything to remove them from their jobs, forcing them to change grades, etc. (Riggio, 2017)

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To understand bullying being encountered by teachers and students, this blog aims to see what it is, why it happens, and how it can be lessened (whilst exemplifying the discussion using Lebanese schools).

What is bullying?

According to the American governmental organization called “stopbullying”, bullying is “unwanted, aggressive behavior” that is “ is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.” and which in the long term can potentially damage individuals.

They state that bullying occurs when aggressive behavior includes:

• An imbalance of power (such as physical strength, carrying embarrassing information about them, or popularity) which allows the bullier to command or harm others.

• Repetition: Bullying that happens more than once and for the long term.

Furthermore, they discuss the type of bullying students face which can also be related to teacher bullying as well, this includes:

• Verbal Bullying (such as name-calling, teasing, threating, etc.)

• Social bullying (such as spreading false rumors, embarrassing someone in front of everyone, etc.) which can tear down someone’s reputation or relationship.

• Physical bullying (such as hitting, spitting, tripping, etc.)

Examples from Lebanon (from my recollections):

1. Bullying on Students:

   • Bullying was something I observed daily in schools among students. Victims were several, they include almost everyone I knew even myself. What was clear is that the reason why people bullied is that they wanted to be popular or maintain popularity, another way to put it is that they wanted to be cool or show that they’re strong. During the last years of high school, I was faced with the bullying of many sorts and from many people. (1) The most significant and repeated one was poking fun at my name. To be fair it is longer than most usual Lebanese names and surnames but if you’d tell my European colleagues I met during my studies and volunteer work abroad about this, they’d laugh at how short it is (i recall one of my friends have around 20 words in his name). (2) Other distinctive recollections I have witnessed from a distance is a large scale bullying struck upon a student who is gay, which I’ll refer to as “X” (not sure if they were open or not about it but it was quite obvious they were). The large number of students who flocked around X was unforgettable, around 15 people easily. They all had one purpose which was to make fun of X, immensely. I recall looking at my friend and curiously suggesting why’d they care and what’s the point. I mean X had some Uggs on that day but they weren’t harming anyone, X was just minding their own business. Just for the sake of updating on what happened to X, what I’m sure is that X isn’t in Lebanon anymore, they’re somewhere far away, far from any LGBT bullying, that’s for sure, somewhere which is more inclusive towards X. (3) Another unique bullying case I witnessed was the bullying of a girl because she was good looking, I don’t know how that would cause bullying - Lebanon’s got its way I guess. What’s funny is that the one who led the flocks of bullies ended up dating the girl, although I think they’re not together anymore. These are some of the bullying stories I faced and witnessed in my school, again most are simply uncalled for and still make me wonder why they happened. I guess immaturity and silliness overtake us sometimes. What is certain is that those who bullied were just a few but they stayed on that role for a long time. They did have flocks of sidemen assisting but I mean they were just sideman, nothing too special, just doing second-hand work. I still have more stories but I’ll stop here since if I keep listing them then I’ll have to write a book.

2. Bullying on Teachers:

   • Even before we start listing, I’m sure many readers already know the amount of bullying teachers face daily in Lebanese schools. Protective parents, rude students, and authoritative administration members make teachers life a living hell. (1) I recall the endless name callings, insults, tripping, shouting, etc. students do to teachers. The sad part is, students expect teachers to accept it as if its part of their job resume. (2) Also, let’s not forget the protective parents, who blamed anyone except their children. Broke the desks - schools fault, tripped the teacher - teacher’s fault, copied during an exam - both teacher and schools fault. (3) Finally, authoritative administrative staff sometimes place a heavy weight on teachers. Pressure on high ranking administrative members sometimes intentionally and unintentionally abuse and harm teachers. They shrink their size, demoralize them, threaten them, verbally abuse them, etc. all for the sake of ensuring and achieving excellence for their school. While maintaining school excellence is great to hear, sometimes it’s too much on the teacher, at the end of the day she’s doing her best and completing all her tasks. She faces bullying in the classroom and by parents, so she’s not too keen on facing bullying by her staff or board members as well. I’ve seen pressure as the most common reason why bullying occurs among staff, one gets pressured and then releases its effect on others.

Before ending this part of the blog, I’d like to point out that not everyone is a bully and not everyone intentionally means to be one. Bullying happens for different reasons which we will discuss in the next part.

Why do people bully ?

To explain why people bully, I decided to refer to “healthdirect”, an Australian governmental organization. According to them, bullying occurs for several reasons, mainly:

• domination and seeking to improve social status.

• having low self-esteem (which means someone who has a lack of confidence and who thinks poorly of themselves).

• lack of guilt or unawareness of their behavior.

• feeling angry and frustrated.

• struggling socially

• being the victim of bullying themselves

They add that bulliers think of themselves as strong and powerful. Others see themselves as popular but are thoughtless rather than intentionally hurtful. Some bulliers have issues such as depression, abuse, or feel emotionally neglected. Some enjoy conflict and like getting everything their way. A good way “healthdirect” puts it is that “Those who are bullied in one situation may be the bully in another”.

Examples from Lebanon (from my recollections):

1. I already discussed in a few sentences why students bully in Lebanon in the previous section. From what I’ve seen. The most common reason why someone bullies in Lebanon is that they wanna be socially on top and stay there. Sometimes it’s a power-oriented approach towards attaining that height, other times it’s a behavioral type of approach. (1) In my opinion, the sadder one is the power-oriented one, since that bully would seek popularity and authority through instilling fear on others. Some students end up being their sidemen, while others become witnesses. Both flock behind the power-oriented bully since they worry that they will become the victim themselves one day, so that’s why they make sure that they never disappoint them any day. (2) A behavioral type of bully (I’m no psychologist or sociologist but I’m terming everything according to what it closely relates to in my opinion) seeks to bully others not through instilling fear on others because they like it rather they carry out acts only when their social status is in jeopardy. A behavioral type of bully cannot bully a power-oriented one rather they follow them closely and agree to whatever they say. A behavioral type of bully seeks love from everyone “loser or not” yet they turn their backs on others in seconds if they feel that their reputation is diminishing. I’ve seen popular students get rid of their true friends in seconds just to ensure the continuity of their reputation. They tease their close friends in front of larger groups, join the crowd when others are making fun of them, and agree to the bullying a power-oriented bully is doing to their close friends. A person who helps in bullying is as big of a bully as the one carrying it out.

2. In Lebanon, a student bullies a teacher since, as mentioned prior, to ensure popularity among his classmates. So the reasoning behind students bullying teachers is closely related to the previous paragraph (so no need to repeat why). To discuss why parents bully teachers, well its plain simple, it’s because Lebanese parents are very protective of their children. So whatever teacher says or does even if right, it is impossible that their children are the blame. They will name call, threaten, and hurt teachers all to ensure that nothing happens to their children. Finally, owners or high ranking administrative members bully the teachers because of pressure. I’ve mentioned this above: in Lebanon, pressure is 90% of the reason why teachers get bullied by staff. Pressure moves everywhere and affects everyone. Pressure on defeat, on profit loss, on getting a bad reputation all create influence but the one who ends up getting affected the most by it is the teacher. Since she is considered as the front line and image of the school. So if anything is affecting the school negatively, in their opinion, the teacher is first to blame.

What can you do to stop bullying ?

There are several common practices used to prevent bullying, according to “stopbullying” some of these include:

• Help kids understand bullying: Try to open discussions about what bullying is, why it is not encouraged, and how to prevent it from happening.

• Keep the lines of communication open: Know about your students this includes knowing who their friends are, what’s happening to them, and what issues they are facing in and outside of school.

• Encourage kids to do what they love: activities, hobbies, etc. help kids make friends that help them minimize the probability of getting bullied.

• Model how to treat others: show them what kindness and respect means and does.

Meanwhile, teachers can:

• Re-evaluate their classroom management: explain why bullying is bad for anyone, don’t show favoritism, don’t confront bullying students in the class - talk to them after class or outside, etc. (Vrouvas, 2018).

• Create a code of conduct in the school’s policy this includes zero-tolerance policy and a clear guideline on what is not acceptable to do (Ketchell, 2019).

• Some teachers called for strong measures such as the ability to expel students or ban parents from seeing them (Ketchell, 2019).

• Document every incident of bullying occurring: writing down these incidents helps recollect a detailed image of what happened that way you have a hidden weapon which can be used against those who bully you (Sacawa, 2018)

• Contact your union to protect you (Sacawa, 2018)

• Stay strong and healthy: put your physical and psychological health in top priority. Exercise, eat healthy, meditate, and do all needed activities that ensure your well-being (Sacawa, 2018).

Examples from Lebanon (from my recollections):

1. Lebanon has a weakness when it comes to preventing bullying from happening. I feel as though there is a lack of encouraging students to be themselves. Everything placed in Lebanese schools is there to levitate the school’s reputation rather than the students’ happiness. (1) One of the main reasons why students get bullied in Lebanon is the lack of a mediator that brings people together. I’ve seen efforts being placed by students to try to find where they belong. Sometimes not being aware that the group they’re in might not be right for them or that it is more harmful than helpful to them. (2) Furthermore, a line of open communication between students and teachers is not found. Teachers mainly go to give out lessons and students go just to attend the classroom. Whatever happens outside the classroom walls is no one’s concern. (3) Also, discussion about what bullying is and how to stop it is never found. Most schools focus on spiritual talks, sex ed classes, etc. and never open a “Bullying Prevention” class. I do not wish to be this direct however when something important is not being discussed than its major concern. (4) Many schools claim that they try to encourage students to be kind and polite but they never have discussions on why it’s important and what’s the positive lasting impact it might create unto others.

2. Teacher bullying in Lebanon is quite apparent also. (1) Like mentioned by others to lessen bullying one should note down all incidents happening to them, that way they have a list of reasons why this student should be held accountable. (2) Furthermore, rather than shouting at them during class, teachers should talk to them aside or after class. I feel like students feed off teacher torment and take it as a popularity boost when being screamed at during class. (3) Be strict but loved (a somewhat Machiavellian approach): the teachers who have the most control over the students are the ones who can create a balance between love and authority. They can be the funniest and nicest teachers but they also show students when they can’t cross the line. When such a method is used bullying on teachers by students is minimized tremendously because fear is instilled unto students who act out of the borders placed unto them. (4) In regards to bullying being done on teachers because of pressure on staff members. The best thing to do is to communicate and understand what is happening. In this age group, bullying because of immaturity is not that present. The main reason why teachers would get bullied by staff members is because of pressure for excellency, ensuring that the school is and remains the best in the region. However as much as that is important, the teacher’s well-being is the bigger priority since as long as they feel healthy, students will get the best out of them. When facing bullying teachers must talk to staff and state why they shouldn’t be blamed especially since they’re not at fault. They should list down and keep track of their positive work so that by year’s end they can share what they’ve done with their colleagues and board members. As long as teachers are open and honest then I’m certain bullying by staff members and others will lessen.

Bullying is a negative behavior no one should ever face. It initially tears down a person and later on creates long terms issues. Unfortunately, in Lebanon, unlike other countries, bullying is and was never tamed. Every day, more and more stories come up about how some child got bullied or how some teacher was hurt and wept alone in their office. It seems as though schools are more concerned with excellency and not on important acts and policies which promote happiness. Throughout this blog, I have presented different cases on bullying on both teachers and students witnessed in my life and I’m sure you can add more to this as well. The only way bullying can be lessened is through schools themselves. In the case of teachers, schools should be more aware of what is causing the problem rather than attacking teachers directly because of the escalated pressure. Meanwhile, teachers should be more open about what are the problems they are facing daily in school whilst keeping a record of them. Not only write down the problems but also write down the achievements and positiveness they are creating in the school. Such a method helps in being transparent and honest about what is happening to them that way they can be treated in a more justly manner. In the case of students, schools should establish not only policies but also develop an environment that embraces inclusiveness and creates relationships the right way. The everyday scenario is that students aren’t being able to find who their real friends are and most of the time are left alone to be “the losers”. Also rather than teaching and advising children on why bullying is harmful and should be avoided, it is put aside and categorized as irrelevant. No longer can we allow bullying to prioritize itself in Lebanese schools. The common thought is that excellency is only through high grades and many awards. However, many forget the more important factor which is that excellency is through creating happy memories because as long as students are smiling every day then that alone is excellency.

Why I Love Marioinex

“Just about to finish from these Mini Waffles…” a line many would assume to be related to a delicious freshly prepared Waffle dessert.

Sadly, though, as much as I love that as well, I’m not talking about it.

What I’m referring to is an educational toy from Poland aimed towards nurturing the creative and fine motor elements of young thinkers.

In this blog, I aim to introduce Marioinex, focusing on what makes this product a powerful contender in the educational toy market.

Safety, Safety and Safety

Lego

When discussing any toy especially educational ones, what first needs to be taken into consideration is the level of safety of that product. Skimming through the net, I couldn’t find what the exact composition of the material is (except that it’s from recyclable material) but from my hands-on experience, it could be best described as a soft and flexible type of rubber that goes back to its original shape even when someone attempts to bend or tilt it with force. Also, it doesn’t cause any pain or damage to the child when bitten. I sometimes consider it a remodeled version of a lego block, which focuses on the educational aspect and puts aside the commercial ones (such as Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, and all those editions that Lego promotes).

Marioinex

“A Whole Lotta …” Forms

These guys have way too many molds going around their factory. I cannot point out how many different pieces they have but what I’m certain is that they’re more than enough to keep your kids busy. First and Foremost, their pieces can be really big or they can be really small as well. They can be lego shaped or they can be waffle shaped. If they aren’t any of those, then they are still shaped but into one of those random pieces you use to put together those prior mentioned original ones. To put it into perspective, I attached below some different models which have come across me.

Okay So What’s Educational About It

According to Justyna Walczak (Educational playing with the use of Marioinex Mini Waffles - Visual memory, analysis, and visual synthesis, spatial thinking, 2019), a therapist for Marioinex Education, the benefits of Marioinex are several. Firstly, she discusses how the use of waffles can trigger a visual memory exercise for your child. To do this, she suggests that your child should sit down and try to rebuild your previously built model only by remembering. As a child, such a task would require going through a roller coaster of past memories this includes color, shapes, and number of pieces. If done properly then the final model presented should be similar to the one you built, if not, then its also fine. At the end of the day, the effort is what counts so we should keep encouraging them and give them a chance to repeat till done correctly.

Secondly, Ms. Walczak talks about auditory memory and linear processing. Her discussion indicates that a child can build up auditory memory by repeating the sequence of colors initially presented to them by the adult. After that, the adult slowly repeats a sequence of colors the child should build. To her, such an exercise can help the child to learn to listen to what is being said by the teacher as they start their initial steps in school. Furthermore, not only do they learn colors but they also build up self-confidence since the child manages to remember a sequence of colors all on their own.

Finally, Ms. Walczak indicates how Marioinex promotes creative thinking. As a child is told to build a house, for example, they go through a series of constructions that signify to them what a house is. Mistakes will obviously be present such as constructing a cup under the table rather than above it. However, it is the adult’s task to guide the child away from those mistakes, showing them what is wrong and what is right, after all, we play to learn.

When it comes to adults, I’ve seen Marioinex used by many including myself as a stress reliever, I don’t know why but it might be because of the softness and flexibility of the product. However as children use it, then it becomes apparent how its possibilities are endless and fully educational. So again, this is why I love Marioinex and I’m sure you will as well.

Going Green On A White Christmas

A Sorting Guide On Keeping Your Classroom Holiday Leftovers to Good Use (Let’s Go Green)

As The Holiday Season is just a few days away, those seasonal décor that are leftovers in the classroom accumulate a large number of potential trash that could both harm the environment and downgrade the schools' reputation as an environmentally friendly hub. Furthermore, as we lessen the trash and put it to good use not only are we are benefiting the environment (especially in Lebanon) but also we’d be saving up on money too, this is because we can still use the same holiday leftovers for next year.

Whether you save them for different holidays throughout the year or the next school project, here’s a guide on how to sort them and save them until you need them:

Sort Leftover According to Color

We can all agree that in any school we have a large number of holiday leftovers this includes gift wraps, decorative embellishments and other décors placed in classes, corridors, and administrative rooms. Once separated by colors these decorations can be put to good use for different holidays throughout the year, for example, you use the red items for Valentine Day, yellow ones for Easter Holidays or you can even mix it up between red and green for Independence Day.

Sort Leftover According to Material

Different décors such as cardboard boxes, bubble wraps and other pieces give a whole new meaning to accomplishing your classroom activity or school projects. Robotics, Earth Day or even a Biology Activities easily utilize what’s left from the Winter season leftovers. When it comes to Robotics for instance; using cardboard allows you to build your model or even a miniature world for that model.

Keep that Leftover for Next Year

This year’s leftover decorations and wraps can become next year’s inspirational décor. When items are too Christmas-y to use for other projects, just stash them and use them to create next year's Christmas décor.

Recycling leftover holiday items sets the example for what going green is – and let’s not forget, it also saves you some money. So what are we waiting for, Let’s Go Green!

A Brighter Christmas ... A Heartening Message

On December 16, 2019, just a few days away from Christmas I decided to write this heartening message. Many might say that it isn’t the “right time” or that I should “…skip the sweet talk since the only world we live in is a world full of distress”. Well, something we can all agree on is that today, more than ever, negativity has manifested our homes, our conurbations, and sadly us. Negativity, a disease that maims the soul with feelings of futility and despair, is something that never departs. Many of us might face it once a day, twice, three times, every minute or even every second of our lives, it’s just there always. Its difficulties frustrate us and its challenges take us to dark places. And “they” who we sought for support … for a better life for us, our families, and everyone, have only detoured us. “They” have taken us to a place where defeat is a norm and pain is a virtue. No Food, No Job, No Money… There’s nothing left for us. Sometimes, we wonder if “they” have drowned us or we just let ourselves drown anyway. As the days of Christmas come nearer, what is there to remember; division, anger, resentment… nothing that can make a Christmas jolly anymore I guess.

Many suggest that we should forget about it, these negative thoughts, and try not to dwell in it any longer. For as much as we try to let it go, “they” will only come back for us, again and again. That’s why not dwelling is simply not enough. We’ve got to replace it, replace it with a positive thought; a happy moment, a memorable experience, stuff which we consider the little things in life. It’s easy to look back at defeat but hey come on you're still standing. You’re strong, healthy, blessed, and most importantly surrounded by love. Many assume that negativity is chasing us down and that if we had the choice we’d never want to go through them. None of us like it; difficulties, disappointments … from “they” or anything. However, you need to realize a truth which is that negativity is inevitable but moroseness is optional. You can choose to replace what is pushing you down, alternate and diverge your route somewhere where you can find a better moment shared with better people.

Push away worry and trouble, be at peace. Life is something seasonal: it blossoms and it withers. Don’t get stuck in the negativity of life, it doesn’t define you. Even in a fruitful harvest, you will always find weeds within it. The more you talk about negativity, the more you let them in. Be positive, speak victory, let “they” not defeat you.

Let us wish each of us a joyful Christmas, we should always remember to replace negativity with positivity, and most importantly create positiveness in other peoples lives as well. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is something we are all facing, it’s okay, be optimistic, don’t be discontent. While waiting for things to change, let us try to enjoy the season we’re in.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Why Robotics Should be Taught in Schools

Technology is a progressive field that is changing the way people do things in every part of the world especially in Lebanon. The focus in the following discussion is to highlight the importance of technology in all the educational sectors within Lebanese society. To begin with, the article points out how students in schools within Lebanon have the abilities and perseverance to succeed in the world of Robotics, Technology, Programming, and Innovation. In this article, we discuss the benefits of introducing robotics as a necessary subject in all schools. So the main question is why to wait until the government legislates robotics into the official Lebanese curriculum when Lebanese schools can work now in introducing the material to their students, enabling them to follow up on the important topics that the world is focusing towards.

What are Lebanese schools doing to prepare the next generation for the future?

Educators at all levels within Lebanon (teachers, administrators, superintendents…) know the importance of introducing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education within a classroom, this includes the emphasis on Education Innovation. Robotics brings the engineering of learning to a new level, producing the next teaching evolution. That’s because introducing robotics to schools means making STEM skills and knowledge hands-on and fun, preparing students for the future in a way that feels more like creativity and less like homework. Robots have always been a fascinating piece of technology that can be programmed to move, make noise, light up, and follow directions. Nothing is as fun and educational as building your own robot and setting it through the paces of a project, activities, or a challenge.

In many schools in Lebanon, robotics is gaining momentum. There are several areas where students can benefit from learning about robotics at school, some of which are discussed in Beverly Lerch’s (2018) article “7 Reasons Why Robotics Should Be Taught In Schools”, who’s an expert consultant in education, these include:

1. Creative thinking: Not many areas of knowledge simultaneously incorporate creativity and fun. Studies have demonstrated that both are accomplished by robotics. In reality, students enjoy taking part in activities in which they have full control, something that robotics can do. And when learners can do cool things, they want more features to be created.

2. Engagement: Hands-on training exercises improve levels of concentration and attention, as more students learn physical skills, the more they want to continue to be in the class.

3. Teamwork: Robotics combines a variety of skills, creating a learning environment for people with different skills. It also encourages a tradition of teamwork if properly harnessed. This can even be used to help students who may find it difficult to learn in traditional classroom environments.

4. Programming skills: A little programming knowledge will help everyone understand how these robots work as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in homes, schools, and offices.

5. Fun: Robotics is a fun way to bring STEM to life, and that’s important because STEM has proven by many educators to be the key to a successful future for students with the interest and motivation to pursue careers in this field. It's fun to learn about robotics and as User Experience keep developing how they feel when engaging with robots, it will only become more so!

6. Perseverance: It's challenging to create and program bots. Working through frustration, though, helps students develop an attitude of never giving up. It imparts determination that is essential to any technological or scientific undertaking.

Looking at some of these points, we can notice how robotics can be an essential subject to introduce to Lebanese schools rather than it being a complimentary activity. Emphasizing teamwork is an important element which is missing these days, and nurturing a Tech environment has become the leading path towards progressing a nation. Thus the question is why wait for it to be obliged by the goverment when you can slowly mold it towards your school life.