It is believed that each number has a special meaning. Since it is the last three days of the Blogathon, I want to devote this post to the number “3”. Three is a sacred number in most of the religions because of being the number of divine. Three was also considered the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding. You can check the other details on mysticalnumbers.com.

As Blogathon runners we have been racing in great harmony by writing and reading regularly. We’ve been supporting each other with great comments, sharing our ideas in an unprejudiced manner and spreading the wisdom. We’ve been  asking each other without any hesitations to learn from our experiences and with a great understanding we’ve been replying. I think number three is also representing the “beginnings” and “endings”. Think about how a marathon starts: “Ready, Steady, Go” and the countdown “3-2-1” in the end. Here are my three wishes:

1. Hope this ending will be a new beginning for you all.**
2. Hope you will never lose the desire to learn
3. Hope you will keep blogging after the Blogathon

TWO

There is a common Turkish expression about working together. “There is a sound of two hands clapping, but what about one hand?” Number two reminded me this and here at the Blogathon we were never alone. The comments (though they were more than 2:) of the other bloggers, guests and the Blogathon team supported and motivated us. I was having a little doze before I started this post and guess what I was dreaming about. “Ying yang”. I was telling someone about the meaning of ying yang,  “the two faces that keep the universe in perfect balance”* and drawing the symbol to explain it. Having a dream about that on the day of writing about number 2! What a coincidence! Or just the impact of unconscious thoughts:)It is 11th February today. 1+1 makes 2 and February is the second month. The best day to write about number 2:) Helps me to find examples about it:)) I think I am so lucky. Only two days to the finish line. We, the Blogathoners are all tired, but excited and impatient to see the results. Whatever the results are, taking a part at the Blogathon the second time (ooooh number 2:) was much more fun (and challenging). I’m so glad to have met new colleagues and share lots. Some of you have been my constant readers and that made me so happy. I’d like to thank you for all the contributions. I think I will miss the spirit, but I’m sure most of you will show up with your own blogs in the blogging world soon and we will keep in touch. Ooooh number two Please make this true )*

ONE

The last day of the Blogathon. There are only hours to the end. As Blogathon runners, we are entering our last posts before the finish line.The last number in the countdown: “Number 1″. “The number of being the best”*. I assume that number one represents each Blogathoner at the race. Each of us is unique and each piece of post is special in its way. Number one also displays a truth: No matter who we are, no matter where we live and who we teach, we are all the same.  With this in our minds, we have shared our experiences, without any prejudices we read each other’s posts and contributed the comments. That makes us all champions. We are the best and we are the stars. Though it would be fantastic to win it, finishing will be the real spirit of the marathon.  Writing about number one reminds me a great album of Omar Faruk Tekbilek, a Turkish composer and musician. I’d like to share something from the album called “One Truth”.

The song is called “I love You”. I’m dedicating the song to all of you, because I love you. Thank you for caring to share your knowledge and experiences and making this race so special. It was totally number one:)

This post was first published here

Here are some of “those” moments:

·         Why does one of the administrators pop in the class when you just start to talk in L1 about the strangest thing ever?

·         Why does your coordinator visit you by the computer when you just open your Facebook window?

·         Why does your mobile ring at a meeting when you just forget to leave it on silent?

·         Why does your coffee spill over when you just start checking the quiz papers?

·         Why does it start to rain when it is the day you should be on duty in the garden?

·         Why does the computer die when it is the time you want to show a ppt?

·         Why does the photocopy machine decide to pass away when you just forget to leave the materials to be copied the day before?

·         Why does a colleague want to chat with you when it is the busiest time for you?

·         Why are the floors wet when you are late to the class?

·         Why are all the toilets busy when you only have the last minute of the break?

I am sure the list can get longer with your additions. Please do not hesitate to add yours:)

This post was first published here

‘120’ is so close to me now like my telephone number (probably an extension one because it is too short!) or my door number or an ID number. One of my students thought that the number on the t-shirt was my weight but I still love my number. And luckily she was just kidding.

Sometimes I dream myself running in it with a great enthusiasm or I hear someone calling me ‘Hey! 120!’. And sometimes I want to sign papers as ‘120’ or scratch a tree in the park  ‘120’.

The weirdest fantasy I’ve had is a speaker at a match speaking very fast saying ‘Yes, now 120 has just sent a new post but what? A comment is coming! 120 replies the comment and starts reading the other posts to comment. Blah blah blah’

My t-shirt and I are so happy. We eat together. We sleep together. We wake up together. We teach together. We go everywhere together. My dear 120 t-shirt! I love you! I love sharing knowledge and blogging on Blogathon. And dear bloggers I love you, too.

Next, I started to keep everything in floppy discs (why on earth I didn’t think of it at the beginning?) and the floppy discs in sweet boxes and the boxes in the drawers. Later, came the CDs. They were great because you could save hundreds of word files in each of them. Besides, very nice colourful boxes for these CDs were available. I remember myself painting a long long wooden cupboard (it’s in the attic now) for my precious CDs.

Then came the flash discs. They are very small and you can also wear them like a necklace. (There are even bracelet ones. I saw one last week:) ) You won’t believe but while everyone was preparing a food and first aid bag because of the earthquake tales, I was sleeping with my flash disc hung on my neck.

I wonder what will come next but I have to admit that I developed a new phobia and named it as ‘flashdiscmaniaphobia’. This phobia started after I dropped my laptop when my flash disc was plugged in and lost nearly thousands of my precious files. You know what, I sometimes miss my pinky files…

If you have 5 or more ‘YES’ answers: You are a teacher.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 5: You are an extra – ordinarily creative (and maybe a little crazy like me) teacher.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 6: You are a teacher of the new generation and you try to use technology on all occasions.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 7: You are probably a language teacher.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 8: Good idea! Turn it down or have a rest! You have probably used group work or a class game in your class today.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 9: You probably spend a lot of time preparing for work on the computer. Don’t get stuck to it and give breaks. If you still have complaints, have some black tea (preferably tea bags) and put the warm tea bags on your eyes. (Don’t fall asleep with them on your eyes, they stain the sheets really badly:)

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 10: Don’t worry. You just need to have a rest. Why don’t you try to spend your time with your loved ones? Resting is not only sleeping.

If your answer is ‘YES’ for question 11: You are about to become a burned out teacher. Find things to cheer up and come back to the ‘teaching’ life. Why don’t you share your feelings at a blog? You can get help from colleagues or experts.

Note down your answers please!

1.       Are you often warned by other people because you speak loudly, especially when you receive a call in the middle of a restaurant or when you are telling about an event ambitiously?

2.       Do you usually find yourself thinking about what to do at work for tomorrow?

3.       Do you sometimes warn the kids (even the ones you don’t know) in the street or in the park not to run or to be careful?

4.       Do you sometimes try hard not to go to the toilet and cause a 40 minute delay on purpose?

5.       Are you usually very excited when you come across every little object (such as a toy you have seen at the toy shop, a picture on a magazine or the box of biscuits) because you want to use them at work?

6.       Do cartoons, films or some websites inspire you about your plans at work?

7.       Do you use a lot of mimes, gestures or body language?

8.       Do you sometimes feel that you won’t stand on the noise and turn down the volume of the TV or the radio?

9.       Do you usually have headaches and ache in the eye?

10.   Do you sometimes lose your patience for your own children or family members at home (after a long work day)?

11.   Have you started to dislike people, reading, talking and listening for the last couple of months?

Now count your ‘YES’ answers and go to Part 2.

6.       Be with your family: Spend your time with your family. You have been so busy for the last couple of months. Why don’t you find some activities (such as cooking, doing puzzles or playing monopoly or taboo)? So all members of the family can join and enjoy.

7.       Reset your feelings: Does it sound nonsense? It’s definitely not! What you have to do is wiping out all the negative feelings especially the ones about the school, students, parents and maybe administrators:)

8.       Contact with friends: Call or e-mail your friends you couldn’t see or contact for the last couple of months. Meet them if possible. Chatting and gossiping can sometimes be as effective as a therapy.

9.       Don’t wake up late: It will be a short holiday, so don’t waste your time oversleeping. You will not die if you wake up early as if it is a school day. Seeing and experiencing the things you missed can be fun. What about a walk listening to the sound of the waves by the seaside on a week day morning?

10.   Feel ready: Be strong and motivated for the next term. Remember life is more beautiful when you enjoy it and it is not difficult to find things make you happy. Happiness is a journey not a destination.

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!

As teachers we suggest our students a long list of things to do on holiday and want them to be ready mentally and psychologically for the next term. What about you?  You have worked a lot and felt overloaded and exhausted. Don’t you think it’s time to do something for yourselves? Let’s see what we can do to refresh ourselves:

1.       Pre – spring cleaning: Organise your paper files and also digital files. Throw away all the papers and files that you don’t need any more (Prefer a recycle bin:) and archieve the ones that will be necessary for you later.

2.       Plan: Make a list of the things you enjoy doing. Don’t care even if they look silly such as a slimming programme or a face mask waiting for you. Make a plan about it and follow it.

3.       Read things you enjoy: Read your favourite magazines, the books which make you happy (no matter they are silly love stories or absurd fantasy novels) and of course blogs.

4.       Use your time: Try to use the time effectively. It doesn’t matter if your time is limited. The important thing is good quality. Sometimes half an hour can be more valuable than spending five hours with your loved ones.