The Words

 It's midnight and a thought crossed my mind so I wanted to write about it. What are words? For my elementary students, I define words as, "When letters come together, they form a word". But, they are more than that. They are more than just letters coming together. Words create a bridge between us. We show affection, appreciation and understanding through words. Words aren't just words. They have the power to heal or to destroy. Sometimes words reveal someone's inner character. Words are life changing. They make you beautiful or ugly no matter what you look like. Words are what is said and what isn't. Listen carefully and choose wisely. 

Read More Books

 I like the Quote by Margaret Fuller, "Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader". As a kid, I used to think that reading a book is a punishment given for students in order to behave. As the misbehavior continues, The number of pages increase. When I started attending university, I met books with different genres and styles. At first,I started reading children's literature books and novels such as, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", "Where the Wild Things Are", Charlotte's Web", "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", "Matilda", "The Secret Garden" and many more. I enjoyed a lot and thought that reading can be just for fun. Throughout different courses, I read "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, "The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf" by Mohja Kahf,  "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many more. While reading, I began to question things, evaluate, and reflect. I started developing passion for books and this made me read more. For teachers out there, Teach your kids to read for pleasure and enjoyment, Choose good books which are suitable for your students, Let your students read and lead. 

Life is Better When You Dance

 One of my hobbies is dancing. I have passion for dancing for as long as I can remember myself. When I was a kid, I used to dance in "Hamazkain Dance Group". It was a dance group organized by some of  my community's members. I remember we used to visit different places and dance there. When I left this group, My mom registered me in Zumba class. Zumba is a dance fitness program. I joined the class for two years and later practiced it at home. Few years later, I registered in  aerobics workout class. I enjoyed a lot for two years. Later, when my schedule got full because of my university, work, and commitments, I didn't have much time to practice dancing. Now, on my free times, I like to turn the music on and practice the dance moves and exercises that I've learned. It helps me reduce stress and anxiety, boost energy level, have fun, and stay fit. 

Friends Who Become Family

 Is family always blood? I used to think that it is until I met a lot of wonderful people. There is family, your parents and siblings. There are friends, your school, university, and childhood friends. Then, there are friends who become family. Such people showed me the true meaning of family. Although some of them have different religion, race, and community, this doesn't stop us from being a family. For me, home isn't a place, It's a feeling. similarly, family isn't always blood, it is the people in your life who wants you in theirs. The ones who wants the best for you and wants you to be happy. I'm blessed and forever grateful because I have such people in my life. As teachers, sometimes we're going to meet students who have different backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups, or races than we do. The important part is that how we accept and welcome them. Let them feel that they're home, they're accepted, and they're family. 

Raya and Her Teddy Bear

 "Raya and Her Teddy Bear" is a children's book written by me and illustrated by Sela Hekimian. I had a close friend whose name was Rayan so I called the story's major character "Raya". The story talks about the inseparable relationship between a child, Raya, and her Teddy bear. She takes her teddy bear everywhere she goes. One day, Raya and her mom decide to go to park. Raya loses her teddy bear at the park. At night, Raya and her mom go to park and search for the teddy bear. At the end, Raya finds it and they live happily ever after. This story serves two main purposes. One, It introduces children the rooms of the house such as, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and hallway. Two, It teaches that every single one of us face problems in life. The important part is that, how we face and solve our problems. As a teacher, I believe I can enhance student's problem-solving skills from the early stage of their lives. 

My Paintings

 Since I was a kid, I didn't have problems with coloring pencils, crayons, and coloring books. I liked it when my mom gave me some to spend my time with when guests were around or teachers gave us as fillers. I didn't know I'm good at Painting. I was convinced that it is something you do just to have fun. You Paint something, hang or post it on the fridge a day or two, and then you get rid of it. When I started attending university, there was this course called, "Arts and Crafts". To be honest, I wasn't motivated in registering this course, but it was the only one that fit my schedule. I bought the essential materials such as, a drawing pad, coloring pencils, pastels, etc. However, I wasn't happy with them. One day, while I was working on a painting in class, my teacher approached me and told me, "you're talented. you are so good at it, but you need to do it with passion in order to succeed". I laughed. While I continued working on my projects, his words kept repeating in my mind. I got better at it. Later, one of my paintings was exhibited during Education day and it won the second place. This motivated me more. My teacher saw something in me that I couldn't see. I hope you like my paintings. 

The Power of Morning Coffee

 Never underestimate the power of the morning coffee. The first thing that I'd like to do when I first wake up in the morning is making a cup of coffee and enjoying it in a quiet and calm spot. I'm sure it won't be the same once I get married and have kids, but let's not talk about it now. It's true that coffee helps people feel less tired because it contains caffeine and has many other benefits, but that is not the main reason I do it the first thing in the morning. I like to sit alone and think how can I start my day, whom can I visit, and how can I leave a heart-print. I like to have a few moments with myself. I like to share what I've done, I'm doing, and will do with myself. Some people practice this before bedtime. for me, the morning is a great opportunity to practice my mindfulness. It makes me happy and relaxed. In a world full of chaos, grab a cup of coffee and practice with me. 

Love Yourself

 If I asked you to name all of the things you love, how long would it take to name yourself? self-love is important and necessary, It is not selfish. when you love yourself and make yourself a priority, you create a mindset of acceptance. You become satisfied with what you are and with what you have. Once you're satisfied, you will stop comparing yourself to others. such a mindset will give you a happy and stress free life.

Another thing is that, when you love yourself, you start taking care of yourself. you take care of your mind, heart, and body. This leads to healthy lifestyle which is quite difficult for some people. when you love yourself, you will overcome your hardships. you will think positive and feel good about yourself. loving yourself boosts your self-esteem. you will accept failure and will use it as means to learn, grow, and bloom. Dear friend, love yourself. 

Teaching Online

 Dear Online Diary, 

This year is my first year teaching English language for elementary students. As you know, because of COVID-19 a global pandemic, the schools are closed. I didn't have the chance to meet my students face-to-face. Our school along with elementary teachers decided to create short and effective videos in which the lessons will be explained and later will be sent to students rather than using Zoom Meetings. I started creating videos and recording my voice but I didn't show myself. I was some kind of a mystery to my students. Some thought that I'm American, some thought that I'm a computer, and others thought that I'm just a voice "you know kids". Similarly, I didn't know my students. I searched for them on social media such as Facebook and others. I found some of them but I couldn't find the rest. On December 20, I was invited to Christmas party. There I met a nice kid. He was adorable. He approached me and gave me a big hug although we were being very cautious from having physical contact. I asked him about his name,school, and class, He answered. Then, I asked him about his favorite subject in school. He replied, "I like English but I don't know who teaches English". Before introducing myself, I asked him what's so special about English and he said that he's enjoying the videos and he really wants to see the teacher. After few minutes of chatting, I told him that I'm his English language teacher. We were both very happy. That kid gave me hope and strength during the most difficult time. Now I know that teaching is a work of heart.