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one Year of Teaching

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FRENCH TEACHER I loved teaching French through its cuisine, music and movies... I taught 5th graders how to flip their crêpe... 2 students burned their wrists, of course, because they were afraid.  I brought baguettes, butter, cheese and saucisson for an impromptu degustation... The best times:  We watched old French teaching DVDs from the 80s, following children in their home and their neighbourhood with their friends; and the children were making fun of the clothes and cars. We listened to children French songs on my iPod played on a great JBL speaker... Rehearsals for the French songs all the different classes were to perform for the school recitals at Christmas and the end of the school year have been hilarious moments... Teacher-Parent conferences were real nightmares... I had to mention to the parents the progress and potentials of their offspring in front of the child... hide their shortcomings so they would not get yelled at at home...  Noticing the children's shortcomings
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SUFFICIENCY IS "JUST ENOUGH"

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SUFFICIENCY IS "JUST ENOUGH"   « A lot of people think the opposite of scarcity is abundance.  But the opposite of scarcity is sufficiency, which is just enough. » Brent Kessel   Embracing minimalism includes an honest look a our Relationship with money.  Using credit cards is thought to promote overspending as this money is virtual and difficult to visualize coming out of our pocket. In the beginning of our introspection into what we are comfortable calling a « sufficiency level » we would do well to Journal about our preferred financial Comfort Zone.   For example, let’s say we choose to use only cash for a while- let’s aim at a period of 3 consecutive months to really learn about our habits.  We start with $500. Keep all our grocery receipts, gas and treats like coffee on the go in a Small box, journaling where today’s cash went, and ending each day with an exact balance of cash left in our box.  Using only cash gives a hands on, almost sensual feeling about money… I have
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On GIVING

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 On Giving:  "when something of value is given, something of value must be returned." The Koran "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." Mother Theresa
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Empowering Generation Z

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Recommended book: "My Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn . TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. Just a three-line ad in the personals section, but it launched the adventure of a lifetime. 12 years-old Julie Gerchak answers the ad, convincing Ishmael to take her on as his next student. I'll recommend it to anyone before they want to apply to College and get into debts for a lifetime. And to all the students who were part of the "March for Our Lives" this 24 March 2018. In "Ishmael", the same philosophy is brought to someone older, a 50 years old male journalist. The questions are reflecting the concerns of a disillusioned adult, been there, done that- type. Both books offer timeless advice.
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How do you become a Minimalist?

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March 6, 2018 While trying to decide on Theme and Contents for a blog I just started: Aminimalistcaribbeanlife.com I came across this one blog, left untouched for 5 years... A lot happened in this time frame; A new home location. 4 grandchildren. One teaching job for one year. I was led to downsize and become a Minimalist; to explain what it is in a blog is a lot more complicated than I thought. How do you explain a process naturally occurring to you? How do you state step by step so-called requirements to reach a simpler way of life? One day I woke up with this realization: what I own owns me because I use material things as a placebo and a proof that I exist as a 'normal' person in a 'real' world. I did try though, between 2010 and 2011 to buy absolutely nothing but food items. I occupied my time walking, swimming, reading free books on my Kindle. Spending hours on Amazon.com, reading previews of free books of every genre. Finding my niche eventually. When
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John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

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Instant karma

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History is written day by day Memories are created to be played back at will At the time of a probable future. What we add today into the Book of Our Lives Are the following chapters of the life we have written at our birth. What if there was instant karma? What if each action undertaken Was like opening a Pandora box Bringing with it the karma of the souls we interact with? What if, indeed, everything mattered every single day of our life, Minute details adding up or subtracting our chances to Be the One we Want?
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