VACATIONS, yahoo!

After a semester of working hard, our time off is finally here. What can you do over these few weeks in which you do not have to work or study? Here we offer some possibilities that are inexpensive and near Bogota:


1. Tobia: If you have to stay in Bogotá, you can go to Tobia, Cundinamarca. It is a small town just 90 minutes away from the capital city of Colombia, and it is a fantastic place for adventure activities such as White Water Rafting in the Negro River and rappel. Also, you can walk on ecological paths.

2. Zipaquirá: This city is also near Bogota. It is located north heading by train or by car. Ther you can find a Salt Cathedral, which is the only one of its kind in the entire world. This construction is absolutely great: it was built 80 mts deep into the ground!





3. Villa de Leyva is a historical village. Yet, it is a very cosmopolitan area in Colombia. places in Colombia. Near its central square there are there are Dutch speaking bars, French's restaurants, Italian food, Austrian apple strudels, Lebanon kibbes, and of course Colombian food! Villa de Leyva is north from Bogota (177 Km), and it is one of the oldest villages in the country because it was founded in 1572.



4. San Gil: It is one of the most important cities from the east of Colombia, and it is located 327 kilometer from Bogota. It was exalted as tourist capital of Santander in July 2004., and it is a wonderful place, where you can enjoy cultural, gastronomic an eco tourism. The average temperature in San Gil is from 24ºC to 32ºC, so its weather is great for practicing outdoor activities.






5. Café Triangle: The Coffee Triangle gets its name from the shape formed by the departments of Caldas, Quindío, and Risaralda. This is where the best coffee in the world is grown. So, if you want to discover the secrets of a great gourmet coffee, you must tour the region and experience and enjoy its climates and astonishing landscapes.




References:
http://www.mantarayakayak.com/why.html
http://www.colombiacontact.com/destinies/santander/en_sangil.html
http://www.colombia.travel/en/international-tourist/where-to-go/cafe-triangle

TEACHER'S DAY

What is a Teacher?
by Gerald Grow
Available: http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow

To a mind of flint, the teacher must be iron, and strike sparks. To the empty pitcher, the teacher becomes a well. To the fallow mind, a planter of seeds. To the cluttered mind, a gardener to weed, shape, and clear a space for growing. To the lens, the teacher is light, and to the mind of light, a lens. To the sleeper, the teacher is the wake-up call of birds at sunrise. To clay, the teacher is potter, sculptor, and trainer in self-shaping. To the wanderer, the teacher is a knowing guide. To the developed mind, the teacher is colleague, listener, friend. To all, the teacher is a mirror that shows not only the self but the path and its choices, the task and its demands--the difficulties, the joys. To all and from all, the teacher is a learner, a person--and a prism through which the ordinary continuously reveals itself to be miraculous.

What is a Teacher?

A teacher is a symbol of learning: a leader of learners and a miracle to education.
A teacher is the captain of our educational journey; exact about everything.
A teacher has the courage enough to teach; and knows mostly all the answers. Teachers become our heroic inspiration.
Teachers educate us with all of their knowledge. Smart and spirited, teachers can make our brains work like computers. Yet, our teachers can also hold our hands when we need it.
Teachers reach to the sky to get what we need; and exit a subject just at the right time.
A teacher possesses the academics and grace that we all love. Teachers care for us in every imaginable way.
Our teacher is the hero in our learning lives.
Education is the key to success. That is what our teachers have taught us.
Teachers are a class struggle in liberty: believing in kids; reaching out to kids; and instilling pride within all of us.
Our education is important to our teachers. Therefore our teachers struggle hard to teach every student: checking exams after school; explaining things so they are easier; and reading to us or teaching us how to read.
Each one of our praises we give. And for everything our teachers do, we will thank them today, tomorrow and always.

By Bibana, Ashanti, Jamal, Ellenah, Diana, John Henry, and Mohammed, fifth graders at P.S.75x. Dedicated to teachers Ms. Sharin Terado, Mrs.Gisella Montalvo, and Mrs. Elena Garcia. http://www.edwize.org/what-is-a-teacher

Some sites for teachers:

Handouts: http://www.handoutsonline.com/

All we need: http://www.tefl.net/

Printables: http://www.mes-english.com/

Reminders: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Movies II

Best Movies Ever

Great films can't be measured scientifically because the fact that you like or dislike a movie is rather subjective. The artistic greatness of films (and other works of art) can never be rated or quantified, although critics, reviewers, and fans still make ten best lists, hundred best lists, all-time greatest lists, favorite lists, etc. Over a long period of time, it has been found that the English-language films have repeatedly appeared on all-time best film lists and are often noted in the collective responses of film viewers.

Arguably, there is reasonable consensus by most film historians, critics and reviewers that these selections are among cinema's most critically-acclaimed, significant "must-see" films. These 100 choices were limited to English-language, theatrically-distributed, narrative feature films. Emphasis in these selections is purposely directed toward earlier, more classic Hollywood/American films (and other English-language films) than more recent films, although some recent films (and British films) are included.
If you want to see the whole list visit http://www.filmsite.org/momentsindx.html#100greats