A friend of mine recently sent me a video featuring a Greek university professor who expressed outrage at how many students in Greece receive excellent grades. But who is responsible for this? According to the professor, the blame lies with the teachers.
Let’s explore and broaden this topic a bit. What’s the Purpose of Grades? Grades should primarily evaluate a student’s understanding of a subject. But they should also help students learn how to care for themselves in ways that support learning.
Yesterday, I went out with a friend to an art studio to meet an artist, see his work, and chat with him about various topics. The discussion with the artist was engaging and thought-provoking, but what really stayed with me was something else.
I found myself observing my friend: not just as the person I’ve always known, but also as the person she’s becoming. As she asked the artist her questions, I could see how much she had changed.
Hello,
It’s been a while - Recently, I started reading a new blog that is very reflective and personal, and it got me thinking: maybe I should also start analyzing things more deeply, not just writing about what I’ve learned or found interesting. Ideas started coming to me—many of which I forgot quickly, but some stayed in my mind. One of them was writing about playgrounds in Greece.
We usually go to playgrounds with the kids once a week.
One night, actually very early in the morning, one of my children woke me up and struggled to fall back asleep. In such moments, I often listen to lectures by Maria Efthimiou, a Greek professor of history. During one lecture, she raised an intriguing question: Why did fascist regimes arise so easily in the interwar period? Why did so many people accept them?
Let’s explore this before the children wake up.
On April 16, 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the exiled leader of Bolsheviks, began his return to Russia by train—a journey shrouded in conspiracy theories. How did Lenin and his comrades manage to reach Petrograd during those turbulent times? The Germans, who controlled part of the route, should have intercepted them. Was Lenin a German spy? When asked how he managed to avoid arrest along the way, he reportedly responded with something like, “A revolutionary must do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
One morning, I woke up early, sipping my black tea with milk and enjoying my breakfast while watching a random video that popped up on my YouTube homepage. It was about Kyoto, Japan.
Have you noticed how all the famous brands look slightly different in Kyoto? Kyoto is an ancient city, the former capital of Japan, with a rich cultural heritage. It maintained its character, as it was spared from the bombings during World War II.
I’ve really missed traveling, and I hope to travel again soon with my boys. Until then, my friends are doing the traveling for me, bringing back fascinating stories about the world. One of my closest friends (who I hope reads my blog!) recently returned from Morocco and told me about a group called the Berbers. Let’s take a look at who they are.
Starting with the etymology, the word “Berbers” comes from an Arabic word, which in turn comes from the Greek word “barbar.
The Olympic Games wrapped up a few weeks ago, but here’s a fascinating fact about our recent Olympic history: from 1912 to 1948, painters, writers, sculptors, and musicians competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals, just like athletes. I learned this intriguing piece of history from a podcast, where they also mentioned that in some categories, only silver medals might be awarded, with no gold given at all!
What are your thoughts on this?
Good afternoon,
It’s really hot today, and I’m finding it hard to think about anything other than the heat. However, I noticed a note in my text editor about Byzantium and how it got its name. Let’s find out!
The Megarians were inhabitants of ancient Greece. Like many ancient communities, they had conflicts with other locals and eventually decided they couldn’t stand seeing them anymore. “That’s enough,” they said (their words, not mine).
I live in a country where Americans are often portrayed as the villains of history. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 marked the end of World War II. I have always felt sympathy for the Japanese people and the terrible incident they endured. However, let’s consider it from another perspective.
In Europe, students learn extensively about Hitler and his sick plan to exterminate the Jews (and many other groups he despised, including the gay community).