When i was a child, I was very terrified of the darkness. One day, I was in my bedroom, and I was looking in the corner; at the same time, I imagined monsters in that darkness. My mind never stopped thinking about terrifying things. These ideas terrified me a lot and made me sleep in my bed without showing anything from my body.
The next day I was playing with my toys and I looked at that corner. Suddenly all my nightmares become true: a strange creature came out from that darkness in the corner. It looked exactly like me but his eyes was white as milk. He flew towards me. I was very scared. I said to him, "Who are you? And what do you want from me?" He answered, "I am the darkness that you are afraid of!" The creature left a letter and he disappeared. I opened the letter and I tore it apart because I couldn't read it. Mohammed El Idrissi Intermediate Three
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(This was previously published in 2012.)
Have you ever asked yourself whether you are living or surviving? Have ever thought who you are, who you were, and who you want to be? What does life mean for you? And how your contribution would be? All of these questions can be motives and make you love life. Surviving is having the basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. Yet, living is about being in control of your own life. Life is a gift that you may invest or spoil. It is you who decides whether to succeed or fail, to be creative or imitative, and to be exceptional or typical. People who have made it to the top are the ones who have suffered the most. They have put in efforts, sacrifices, and challenges in order to reach their goals and be happy. One of the toughest things that you can think of is to know yourself. The self is like an iceberg. The top of the iceberg is visible whereas the largest part of it is under the surface of the water. However, you can always identify your strengths and weaknesses, know what you are capable of doing, and keep improving. Personally, I will be proud to leave something behind me for the next generation. People say that before you pass away you should leave a child, plant a tree, or write a book. This means that everyone should contribute to make the world a better place to live in. In conclusion, love life, and be sure that it will love you back. Think of yourself as a positive, ambitious, and independent individual. Acknowledge your duties and your desires. Finally, take as much as possible and give as much as you can. (This was previously published in 2012.)
Tools you can use in class The first tool that can help you motivate your teacher is your participation during the class. Do not be shy to ask questions or make comments or observations on what you have not understood because you will lose control of the lessons and you may find it hard to go back to the discussed ideas. While the teacher gives you a few minutes to ask questions, try to think about any question concerning the topic you are discussing. Try to be humble and take the initiative to speak because no one can hold you back from doing so. Your understanding of the lesson is all that matters. Your self-confidence is another tooland the key that you have to take care of. Many introverted students find it difficult to communicate their words with people since they do not make their self-confidence work for them but rather against them. How? Before an introvert student takes the initiative to speak, he/she starts worrying about the following questions:
An extrovert student, however, does not think about what will happen if they participate in the class because they think that being an introvert student represents the end of the learning process. Fortunately, they always raise their hands to speak not only to ask questions or make comments, but also to complement their understanding by asking their teacher about recapitulations of the course Tools that you can use outside of class: The easiest way to be alarmed about your life long learning is working outside. You do not have to blame your teacher for not giving you much information about the topic being discussed, and do not consider what is written in your textbooks as the general frame of information. Being a student does not mean just only participating during the class, but also working outside the class. This is the time when the tool of being an active learner could work. Simply put, you have to do more than listen to a lecture. Try to be greedy in making clear the information being discussed by looking for references and sources of information and doing research as well. In fact, the role of your teacher during the class is to explain and simplify the given material. Instead, loading the students by making it obvious at any minute the hidden information during the class would represent a consumption of time since the learner plays a passive role. Doing exercises is another tool that would make you more knowledgeable about what your teacher is handing out as information. This is because of exercises’ effective results which show how much you grasp the given material. There is no need for learning your lessons by heart. Doing exercises that are provided in your student book will help you discover and complement what is missing in your understanding. Do not anticipate that the exercises given in your student book are boring and misleading, but rather they help shape your knowledge and find out other questions that could be the key to open other subject matters. A well-known proverb says, “Never put off ‘till tomorrow what you can do today” still has a powerful effect in the life of every single student. Procrastination will never help you have your duties done. Imagine that you postpone what you can do today until a certain time because of the following reasons:
Successful students never postpone or delay the crucial tasks that they can do now until tomorrow because they consider the fact that they will be loaded with too much homework and won’t have enough time to accomplish what should be done. Do not be lazy and stop procrastinating. Try to teach yourself ways of doing your tasks early rather than looking for reasons to put them off later. The more you do your duties at the right moment the more you will become successful. Ayoub Rhazi Advanced Six (This was previously published in 2012.)
Maya was a very active girl who spent most of her time helping her father in their stable to take care of the horses. She was seventeen years old, but like everyone else in her town, she never went to school because there was none. So nobody knew how to read or write. One day, like every other day, it was calm and sunny. The father was working in the stable and Maya was helping him. Suddenly, she heard someone asking for help. Maya got out quickly with her father to know what happened, and they found a man falling down with a big bag on his back. He looked very tired and sick, so they took him into the house. When he woke up he told them that he had lost his way, but since he was still sick, he stayed another week. During these days, the man was spending all his time reading books. Maya was so interested to see what he was doing. So he showed her all of his books and also taught her the alphabet so that she could write her name and some words. She was so excited to face this challenge, which led her to leave her town and go to the city with the man in order to get a good education. Year after year, she learned more and more, until she got her diploma. Then she came back to the town to build a school and teach the other people, so as to save them from illiteracy. Maya is now sixty years old, but she’s still having the goal of educating people in her hometown, as well as other villages. Fatima Zahrae Harbane Intermediate One (This was previously published in 2012.)
Do you really want to be happy and successful in your life? Then look around at people who seem really satisfied! Now you have to ask yourself an important question: Would I like to be someone who...
If so, then you should...
How to be successful at school If you wish to do better on tests, improve your grades, and get more involved in academics, there are several things you can do. The most important thing to remember is that you can be a successful student, as long as you have the desire. First of all, you need to dedicate time each day to devote to school. This means time away from all distractions. No television, no conversations, no texting… just you and your schoolwork. Your grade level will depend on how much time you spend each day on your studies. However it should be long enough for you to get through all of your homework and prepare for tests without having to rush. Of course it doesn’t matter how long you spend with your books if you don’t have good study habits. Keep a study area that is free of distractions. Scan over textbooks and assignments before beginning to read or complete. When you’re finished, always go back and review your work. If you really want to excel, it helps to have friends and activities that support your schoolwork. One of the best ways to get these things is by joining clubs and groups that are devoted to academics. Research what is available at your school, and join one or two clubs, for even joining a study club or group will help you focus on your school-work. Hanae Eljilani (This was previously published in 2012.)
...to a Best Friend "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart… you left yours in mine." "A friend gives hope when life is low. A friend is a place where you can go. A friend is honest. A friend is true. A friend is precious. A friend is you!" "Wherever you go, whatever you do, you know I will always be there for you. So when you are alone, there is no need to fear, just give me a call, and you know I will be there." "Life can be hard and not always fun. But as night brings the darkness, morning brings the sun. When life gets tough and no one seems to care, give me a call because I will always be there." ...on a Birthday "I’m so blessed to have a friend like you. This came with many loving thought and warm wishes I sent to you. May your day be filled with laughter, and may the finest things in life always come your way. Happy Birthday!" "Your birthday only comes around once a year, so let me make it for you a day to remember." "May your special day be filled with memories, flowers, friendship, and happy hours." "It’s a nice feeling when you know that someone likes you, someone thinks about you, or someone needs you. But it feels much better when you know that someone never forgets your birthday! Happy Birthday!" ...on Mother’s Day "For the best Mom who always had a smile for me. I know we may be far apart right now, so here is a great big hug and kiss. Happy Mother’s Day!" "Mommy, I love you for all that you do. I will kiss you and hug you because you love me too. You feed me and need me to teach you to play, so smile because I love you every day and especially on this Mother’s Day." "The love she has deep in her heart always gives me a good jump start. She’s the one whose love is true. So thanks Mom for being you!" "Thank you, mother, for all that you do. I know my thanks are far too few. I really do love you, I don’t say it enough, for me those words are really tough. I wish I could express all what I feel, but for me you know that’s a big deal. Have a good day Mom, I’m thinking of you, I hope my feelings are getting through! Happy Mother’s Day!" ...on Father’s Day "Having you for a dad was the best beginning I could’ve had. You mean the world to me. Happy Father’s Day!" "Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. Happy Father’s Day!" "You have always been there for me, even when I didn’t make it easy for you, but you stood by me and made me feel safe. Even though I am not very good with words, today I would like to say thank you. Happy Father’s Day." "So many wonderful moments we have spent together. So many wonderful years in all kinds of weather. Thinking of you father brings memories to mind, that’s why I love you so dearly, and because you’re always kind. Happy Father’s Day my dear dad!" Writing Club (This was previously published in 2012.)
The period we are granted to live is brief. All you have to do is to stare at the watch’s hands counting the seconds, or consider the number of years that make up your age and impression of the world… I don’t know how I’ve seen life during such a long time! In life, you have a choice. Either you have self-control, become conscious of the situation early, and then make the right decisions that guarantee your happiness. Or, you let time pass and suffer all the consequences, which are not always pleasant to experience. This is unfortunately my case. So, if I could do it again and have a choice about living my life, my main wishes would be: First, to be born in a country where all the rights are established, especially those for women, so that they may act freely – the absence of freedom is a kind of slavery. Second, to be comfortably well-off and have the means to devote my life to something useful for humanity. I mean search in a domain, in particular the one which is in connection with nature – a sterile job is frustrating, especially when you have a lot of potential. Third, discover by myself the way to demonstrate the existence of God, and how I can become close to him. Inheriting the religion of your parents doesn’t give you the feeling – you must discover it yourself. But all of this is a simple dream that can’t come true. In fact, as soon as we are aware of life, we see that it’s too late for us to change what was predestined for us in the beginning. So, at the halfway point, what can we do? Maybe with time I can change a few variables. Saadia Adli Intermediate Three (This was previously published in 2012.)
With her radiant face lit up by a beautiful smile, she moves towards me and announces in these words, “I was accepted to join the organism I applied to.” Facing the fact of no longer seeing this exceptional person, I was automatically seized with a strange feeling of concern. The unique question that had crossed my mind was to know when she would leave, for which she replied, “In the beginning of June.” Shortly after, I pulled myself together as she explained to me in a few words the foundation of her decision. By hearing her reasons, I realized automatically that the benefits would be sizeable for her little family. So my sorrows were suddenly covered by a nice feeling of hope for this teacher who was a perfect example of a pleasant person to mix with. However, she must know that the ALC will be bleak without the sound of her voice punctuated with her lovely laughter. She is begged to accept my pleas for her permanent availability, her English lessons, and the kindness that everybody in the ALC acknowledges her for. With all my heart, I wish all the happiness and good luck for our teacher Mrs. Kym Brown. Saadia Adli Intermediate Five |
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