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a.k.a. you may find your work Bad and Cringy™️ but you wrote something and that’s a Good Thing™️.

All writing is good practice and progresses you as a writer.

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Hello and welcome to my blog,

I'm Moon! I'm 26 years old, and I label myself as a struggling middle school teacher. *sigh* Where do I begin?

I guess you could say it all started when I was 3 years old. I went to nursery and all I remember is watching the teacher that I used to call "mama" based on the culture here, and wonder 'how can I be like mama?'

I would come back from nursery, rip pages off my notebooks (sorry, biological mama) and scribble in them as if it was my 'students' work. I would stand tall (or short, depending on whether you were my older siblings or one of my teddy bears) and teach. I would sometimes yell to add some drama to the hypothetical classroom, threatening the imaginary kids that I will call their moms if they dont behave.

Fast forward to 23 years later, I am standing in a real classroom, with real, beautiful and intelligent girls. Some ready to learn, some ready to talk and giggle. I sigh to myself, asking for patience from the seventh sky and mostly guidance.

The way I had been taught from grade 1 to 12 was listen to the teacher, write notes, study, take exams and move to the next grade. It was mostly the teacher's job to teach us. Now, I am learning that the kids can learn on their own. To 3 year old moon, it's called student-centered. You don't have to yell or threaten to call anyone's parent. Just make the plan and execute it.

In theory, it's really easy. In the classroom, it's hard. Just like I needed extra help from the teacher with math, some of my dear students need help with English. Just because I think it's fun and easy doesn't mean it is to all of them. Frankly, this reality is humbling.

It's been only two months and I feel like I haven't been doing a good job. I don't want to be a boomer and tell them that when I was your age, this was all interesting to me. It was all I wanted to learn. They have their own likes and dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. I can't be the annoying teacher who pushes them too much to the point that they hate the subject (although some of them do hate it). I want to be the teacher they love and respect that makes things fun. Im stuck not knowing how to do that.

So Im starting this blog to jot down ideas that I get, things that I experience, and maybe more? You are welcome to join me on this journey of my raw experience. Unfiltered.

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Being a middle school teacher and a postgraduate student at the same time is not for the weak and unfortunately I am not one of God's strongest people 💔

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*Enters a bookstore*

me to myself: be calm

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Tomorrow is an important day as I have a demo class. I will have to teach two short texts about Halley Research Station in 45 minutes while using all sorts of teaching strategies and proving to them I am a good candidate for next year I believe.

Ngl, I am nervous about it because they will be middle schoolers and I have 0 experience with middle schoolers but I'm trying to chill and treat it just like the observation lessons I had at my previous jobs.

I have my iced coffee and I'm ready to clicky click on my keyboard to finalise the lesson plans and the presentation I will be using.

Wish me luck 🙏🏼

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45:15 pomodoro ~ study technique

the pomodoro technique was developed in the late 1980's by francesco cirillo, who was a university student at the time. here’s how it came about:

struggling to focus. cirillo found himself struggling to focus on his studies and complete assignments. feeling overwhelmed, he sought a way to improve his productivity and concentration.

the tomato timer. inspired by a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato (known as “pomodoro” in italian), cirillo decided to experiment with time management methods. he set a two-minute timer for himself and challenged himself to stay focused for just two minutes.

twenty-five-minute work intervals. building on this idea, cirillo refined the technique. he divided his work into twenty-five-minute intervals, which he called “pomodoros”. during each pomodoro, he worked diligently on a task without distractions.

short breaks. after each twenty-five-minute work interval, cirillo took a five-minute break. these breaks allowed him to recharge and maintain focus.

longer breaks. after completing four pomodoros (a total of one-hundred minutes), he rewarded himself with a longer break of fifteen to thirty minutes. this cycle helped him manage his time effectively.

some challenges that people face with the pomodoro timer include: facing interruptions and distractions, task switching, ridgity, ignoring breaks, perfectionism and fatigue.

this is why some students choose to partake in a 45:15 pomodoro, as it allows them to spend more time on their tasks, and then they can enjoy a longer break.

longer intervals allow for deep focus. some students find it difficult to switch tasks every twenty-five-minutes, preferring to immerse themselves in a topic for a longer period.

certain academic tasks, such as extended essays, research and programming, require sustained attention. longer pomodoros accommodate this better.

it's important to remember that everyone has different levels of focus and a unique productivity rhythm. it's important to test out different structures and strategies and learn what works best with your natural flow.

❤️ joanne

(images are from pinterest)

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I am.. very confused :'/

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one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become

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LANGBLR INTRO!!!

A little about me:

Call me Azara c:

Middle Eastern - Persian origins (not ir*nian please ;-;)

26 - isfp - sagittarius

lesbian - she/her

Got my BA in English Language and Literature with a minor in French

Preparing for an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and self-studying and researching theoretical+applied+interdisciplinary linguistics

Languages I speak:

Arabic (native - standard and a dialect of the gulf)

Farsi (native but I don't speak the standard)

English C1

French (standard) B1/B2

Korean B1/B2

Languages Goals - short and long term:

IELTS BAND 9 

Arabic (build my vocabulary for translation)

Advancing in Korean C1

Advancing in French C1

Learning Standard Farsi

Consistently learn Japanese for 60 days

Consistently learn Chinese for 60 days

Could post about other languages that interest me at one point!

How I learn languages

tv shows mostly as I rely a lot on pronunciation and sentence structures in speech

music - I mostly listen to English, Persian, Korean, Japanese and French songs but I am open to anything as long as it's good

used to take classes before covid and then I enrolled in online classes and hated them - they were bland.

textbooks that I spent a fortune on ;-;

Let's be friends !! ♡