PERSONAL AND READING UPDATE IN TIME OF CORONA VIRUS

Hello dear readers! I've missed interacting with you and writing on  this little place of my own, I really did but in this time of coronavirus epidemic and crisis, I made a conscious decision to put my pupils first and by first I really mean first (as in before everyone else, even before communication with family and friends). It's the least I can do, considering how difficult this is bound to be for the kids right now. The transition to virtual classroom is quite challenging in many ways. I teach English to elementary school children, so we're talking about very young learners here. I cannot just text them to do something and study on their own. I need to make detailed instructions and lesson plans for everyone as well as communicate with their parents constantly. Everything that I can do within a blink of an eye in a classroom (such as check whether they're paying attention or not) cannot be easily done in a virtual classroom, so there is a lot of work involved. I need to make sure that all materials I use are approved by the Ministry of Education. More than anything, I need to plan ahead and develop different teaching scenarios (because we don't know how long all of these will last).

TEACHING IN TIME OF CORONA VIRUS EPIDEMIC
It might not seem like a big deal to an average person, the cancellation of regular school but it might prove challenging in many ways. The longer it lasts, the bigger as the chances that we will need to make cuts in the educational materials and that's never good because our western education system is build like a pyramid, every class providing a support for the next one. I mean you can always make up for something you missed learning in the future, but it is definitely harder. Us teachers are aware of this and are quite stressed about it. It is frustrating when you had planned your lessons all year ahead in detail and suddenly you have to change absolutely everything. That's only a small piece of the puzzle, though.

 If you miss a significant amount of knowledge, you will have to make up for it. As an educator I can tell you these are challenging times for both pupils, teachers and parents. In an effort to continue normal education, our country has organized both TV and online school. The pressure and workload placed on teachers, parents and pupils has been enormous. I suppose this is inevitable and I'm aware there are many people in different professions and sections working over-time right now. If we want to try to continue the educational process, we have loads of work to do. Personally, I'm immensely proud of my colleagues and pupils for working so hard. I feel we're making progress and that the hard work is worth is. My pupils now need my feedback more than ever, so I spend most of my time glued to my laptop in communications with parents of my parents and/or pupils themselves.

I don't often write about my job on blog. I'm not sure why is that, since my job is such a big part of my life. It's more of a calling, then a job, as there is a saying here. I think a part of a reason why I don't write about my job is because I want to protect my students' privacy and I don't want to put anyone in position of recognizing themselves in a potentially negative comment. My blog isn't famous so there is a small chance of that but I'm quite a conscious person. However, in these difficult times I feel it is proper to talk about it as I know my experience can be valuable to others. I'm a state certified teacher and I do have some teaching experience and if I can help someone with my knowledge, I'm more than happy to do so.

BLOGGING IN TIME OF CORONA VIRUS

As I've just explained (in length), for work reasons, I haven't done much blogging in these recent times, but I'm grateful for all the bloggers that have, especially to all of you that have written educational and useful posts. I haven't managed to  visit as many blogs as I would have liked, but I really appreciated the articles that bloggers such as Pablo, Rowena , Jess, Silvia etc. have published because they contain useful information and sound advice on behaving in times of quarantine. I think blogging can be a wonderful creative outlet in time of crisis. We need to do what we can to remain positive and support each other in these difficult times.

I managed to write reply on a few comments on your blogs, but it will probably take me a while to get the hold of things again. Truth be told, I've been quite stressed for a while now, ever since this online school thing started but I'm sure it will be get better in time. We are all learning something new each days. If you have any questions or comments, leave them bellow. I know many of my blog readers are parents themselves or have younger siblings, family members, nieces and nephews and you might want to help them with studying. If you want, I can start sharing educational materials here on the blog, mostly language related. I started a blog for my youngest pupils (1st to 3rd grade), the lessons published there being bilingual (Croatian- English) because my pupils are Croatian. Feel free to use my materials.

As for my present situation, I've been house bound for a while. Thanks to some irresponsible individuals the corona virus has arrived to island Hvar as well. I don't understand why people coming from abroad won't put themselves in quarantine. It is not self- isolation if you're in contact with a bunch of people and they all go out. It is crazy that so many healthy people are staying in but those unhealthy ones and potential virus carriers are walking around and spreading the virus. That being said, my heart was warmed by many people who have reached out to others and spread good in these difficult times. I'm especially grateful for Croatian medical workers who are among the most amazing and hardworking professionals in the world.
 


 READING UPDATE IN TIME OF CORONA VIRUS
I actually haven't done that much reading since things got so serious with the epidemic, but if you have the time, then reading is a great way to keep yourself occupied in self-isolation. Not that I haven't been reading, but I've been doing it less than usual. There are many valid reasons why most of us can benefit from reading. It is a great way to self-educate ourselves and keep in mental shape. Reading improves your memory and builds your vocabulary. Obviously, reading is a skill that can all use.  Non- fiction or fiction, it doesn't matter. Reading books is a great way to self-educate ourselves on a variety of subjects.  Today I'll share a few reading recommendations with you. I've read most of these before the self-isolation thing because I generally do read a lot. I'm also sharing some reviews of books I read a long time ago.

THE DOLPHINS OF PERN, A NOVEL BY ANNE MCCAFFREY, 3/5

As you can probably by the cover of this book (there is a dragon on it), this is a fantasy book. If dragons were the reason why you've liked GOT TV series and/or Song of Ice and Fire book series, that this might be a good series for you as well. This is the only novel in the series I have read so far but what a lovely novel it is! As the title would indicate, this book has dolphin characters in it and they are adorable. The Dolphines of Pern was my introduction to this series. I was not familiar with this series prior to reading this novel, but from I gathered it is quite interesting. Dragons don't play as a big part in this one as in other books in the series, but it is obvious they are a big part of the series. Even in this book I could see that dragons all have distinct personalities and that they might be interesting characters in their own right. It's a bit odd starting the series with the 13th book in the series, but I didn't have problems following the narrative or understanding this future society. The only thing I had to google was 'between' as I wasn't sure what exactly is mean by dragon riders flying 'between' but I would have had probably figured it out even without the extra info. In general, I would say that the Pern world isn't difficult to understand. I imagine that most of these books if not all can be read separately. Although, it is probably better to read them in their established order. I'm definitely interested in reading more of Anne McCaffrey, especially when it comes to her Pern series. Space colonization is a fascinating concept. In addition, I liked the mixture of fantasy and science fiction in this once.

On overall, I quite enjoyed reading this novel. However, there were a few things that bugged me. Most of the adult characters were quite annoying, especially the female ones. Are only the young supposed to be inspiring and fun? Moreover, the story was slow paced. Not much happens in this one. A boy and a man are saved by dolphins. They go to re-discover the dolphins and their intelligence. While they both face some opposition in the beginning, it is pretty obvious (sorry spoiler) that things will work out in the end. There was a bit of a generation clash in this one and that was it. Some talk of the land and its even distribution but not much info on that either. Lot of characters that I believe are quite established in this world make an appearance and while it is obvious they are otherwise significant characters, they don't necessarily do much in this novel. So, to conclude. This was a nice read, but a bit too long and slow paced. As much as I love dolphins some things just didn't make sense. I'm hoping that the other novels in this series will be better. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this one.

THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS, A BOOK BY SIGMUND FREUD, 4/5

I figured that including some non-fiction reviews would be a good idea as well. This book is actually one of the best known works by Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. You can read the free version of it here. I quite liked this book, even if I don't agree with all of Freud's views. Some of Freud's views might be a bit dated, but I think his works are definitely worth a read.

The Interpretation of Dreams deals mostly with what the title would imply; it is an examination of the dream world according to Freud, one might say. Freud uses the subject of dreams as a base to build on, using dream analysis and interpretation as tools for his (at the time developing) psychoanalytical theory. It could be said that this is the book in which the author introduces his views and theory related to the unconscious mind. In this book, Freud often uses real-life anecdotes and events to discuss his dream theory. For me personally, the book was surprisingly easy to read. I quite enjoyed the anecdotes and was pleasantly surprised by the warmness (I cannot think of a better term) of some of Freud's more personal remarks.

I know I'm supposed to say something really profound after finishing this book. It should probably be something about the nature or psychoanalysis or the important part Freud had played in the development of modern thought, but I just don't feel like going there. Instead I'll just say that what I liked most about this book was Freud's playfulness and curiosity of his mind. His playfulness that in some sense resembles one of a child. I mean that as a complement. Even when I don't agree with what he writes, I like reading him. Freud was definitely ahead of his time in many ways.

REAL MAN EAT PUFFER FISH AND 93 OTHER DANGEROUS THINGS TO CONSIDER, A BOOK BY ROGER TWIGGER 3/5

This book by Robert Twigger (British author I'm not familiar with) was quite entertaining. It's an easy read and a fun book. It can even be an educating read as long as you don't take it too seriously. The author has a good sense of humour and he really tries to explain how all those crazy ideas can be put into motion. Taken that you're not a crazy person who will actually try all of them, you might learn some cool facts from this book.

I'm not going to eat puffer fish (well, never say never, I've eaten some funny things because I didn't want to insult someone's cuisine and I do like fish) or do most of the things from this book, but it did made me laugh and that is always good. It definitely goes into "fun and easy to read" category, it is not a book that will change you life but it might make you feel better and help you kill time.

What else to say about this book? As is to be expected, there is lots of information in this one. There was some information that I was already familiar with (and still I enjoyed reading it because there is something so funny and simple in the way the book is written, something like a dream of a pre-adolescent boy mixed with grown people’s kind of humour.)

There was even some information that was really fresh and potentially useful. This is probably one of those books that I've read because they happened to be on the shelf (I think my brother got this one for his birthday), but I'm not sorry I did. Would I recommend it? Sure, why not

ANTIGONE, A PLAY BY SOPHOCLES 5/5

I feel like my reading update wouldn't be complete without at least one classic play. You may not know this, but I'm a big fan of ancient Greek plays. We think we (as a Western civilization) owe them so much. Antigone has a special place in my heart. Seriously, this is one of my favourite among the ancient Greek plays. Sophocles' play captures the story of Antigone so beautifully. Her bold character really shines through in this play. The play itself continues after the story of Oedipus Rex (Antigone is the cursed daughter of the cursed king, you might say). King Creon demands that nobody should mourn the death of Polynices (one of Antigone's brothers- both brothers were killed in a battle) as Polynices is deemed a traitor. In trying to secure a respectable burial for her brother Polynices, Antigone defies the law and order, becoming a rebel in the face of the king. The King Creon won't have any of that and demands Antigone be brought before him. Antigone goes on to insist that the law of the gods must come before law of the king.

If I remember correctly this play was mandatory reading in the last year of elementary school and then again in High school, so I read it three times, once as a kid, once as an adolescent and then again as an adult. This is one of the works that impressed me as a kid. If I remember well, I wasn't the only one who payed attention during class when we studied this play. There is something in rebellious spirits of Antigone that appeals to young readers as well. Indeed if I recall well, we all (as students) could relate to this play and enjoy it. Do you know what? This play still feels very relevant to me, after all this time. That is the mark of best works of literature.

Naturally, when you're mature, this tragedy speaks to you in more then one way and direction. Still, I think I prefer to take simple over fancy interpretation (I'm not saying that the fancy ones are not correct) and see Antigone's actions as acts of love (or respect) towards her brother. There is probably more to it, yet I like that very human emotion in such a prideful character. Antigone is one strong women. The tragedy is not only about her, but how she shines in her part! There are many good reviews about this play, so I I'll keep this one short. I'll just say that this is a tragedy I would enjoy to see and read any day of the week. It is a timeless and beautiful work of art. With that, I'm wrapping by reading update. I hope I'll find the time to share more book reviews with you soon. Stay safe, stay in (if possible) and follow the advice given to us by medical workers.

As always, thank you for visiting and commenting. I will reply to all your messages as soon as I can.