May 15th. Teacher's Day in México

Happy Teacher's Day

The celebration of Teacher's Day is a tradition observed in many countries on different dates, but in México we celebrate it on May 15th. We offer a sincere congratulation to all our teachers, in special those at Institutos de Inglés América.
Go Ahead and Never give up!!!

Teacher's Day in the world

World Teacher's Day History

World Teacher's Day history is associated with the adoption of Recommendation concerning the status of teachers. Read on to know more about Happy World Teachers' Day origin.On 5 October 1966, the world's teachers made a giant step forward. A Special Intergovernmental Conference adopted the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

This Recommendation, for the first time ever, gave teachers, throughout the world, an instrument that defines their responsibilities and asserts their rights.UNESCO inaugurated World Teacher's Day on 5th October 1994. This day was selected to commemorate the adoption of UNESCO/ILO joint Recommendation.

World Teacher's Day also highlights the Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel. World Teacher's Day is celebrated in almost 100 countries. It lays emphasis on the achievements and contributions of the teachers around the world.Education International strongly believes that World Teacher's Day should be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world. It also believes that, on this date, the principles of the 1966 and 1997.

Recommendations should be considered for implementation in all nations. The efforts of Education International and its 348 member organizations have led to the wide spread recognition of World Teacher's Day. Every year, Education International launches a public awareness campaign to highlight the contributions of the teaching profession.


CONFUCIOUS, A GREAT TEACHER

Much of what is known about Confucius life is legendary. It is hard to separate facts from fiction. Confucius was born in 551 BCE in the city of Qufu, which was located in the Chinese State of Lu (now part of present-day Shandong Province). His original name was K'ung Ch'iu. Confucius was born into a poor family. His father was a commander of a district in Lu. But, Confucius nevertheless received a fine education. He was married at the age of 19 and had one son and two daughters.Confucius taught in his school for many years.

His theories and principles were spread throughout China by his disciples, and soon many people learned from his wise sayings. Some of Confucius quotes, famous around the world are:

• Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have.
• They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
• It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.
• The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.
• He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.
• To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.
• We don't know yet about life, how can we know about death?
• Mankind differs from the animals only by a little, and most people throw that away.
• If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life.

Confucius had no opportunity to put his theories to a public test until the age of 52. At 52, he was appointed magistrate of Chung-tu. The next year, he became Minister of crime of the state of Lu. His administration was successful; reforms were introduced, justice was fairly dispensed, and crime was almost eliminated. Lu became very powerful under Confucius. As a result, the ruler of a neighboring state maneuvered to secure the minister's dismissal.Confucius left his office in 496 BC, traveling about and teaching, vainly hoping that some other prince would allow him to undertake measures of reform. In 484 BC, after a fruitless search for an ideal ruler, he returned for the last time to Lu. Confucius was then abandoned from his province and he wandered about China for 13 years. When Confucius was 69 years old, he returned to Lu, his home state.

Confucius died 3 years after settling in Lu - 479 BC. After Confucius died, he was buried in a grave in the city of Ch'uFu, Shandong. Today the site of his final resting place is the beautiful K'ung Forest.When Confucius died, many people built temples in every city of China to honor him and his work. Since Confucius teachings and philosophy were so advanced, it became the education for China for 2,000 years. It is called Confucianism.


The word "teacher" in over 50 languages

AFRIKAANS Onderwyser
ALBANIAN Mesuese
ASTURIAN Maestru
AYMARA Yatichiri
AZERI Muelim
BASQUE Irakasle
BRETON Skolaer
CATALAN Mestre
CORSICAN Maestru
CROATIAN Nastavnik
CZECH Ucitel
DANISH Laerer
DUTCH Leraar
ENGLISH Teacher
ESPERANTO Instruisto
ESTONIAN Opetaja
FAEROESE Laerari
FINNISH Opettaja
FRENCH Professeur
FRISIAN Learaar
GALICIAN Mestre
GERMAN Lehrer
GUARANI Mbo’ehara
HUNGARIAN Tanar
ICELANDIC Kennari
INDONESIAN Guru
IRISH Muinteoir
ITALIAN Maestro
JAPANESE Sensei
JUDEO-SPANISH Maestro
KOREAN sun-saeng-nim
LADINO Maester
LATIN Magister
LATVIAN Skolotajs
MALAY Pengajar
MALTESE Lekcerer
MAORI Kaiwhakaako
NORWEGIAN Laerer
OCCITAN Regent
PAPIAMENTO Instruktor
POLISH Nauczyciel
PORTUGUESE Mestre
QUECHUA Yachachijj
ROMANIAN Invatator, Profesor
ROMANSH Magister
SAMOAN Faia’oga
SLOVAK Ucitel
SPANISH Maestro, Profesor
SWAHILI Malimu
TAGALOG Guro
WELSH Athro
YUCATEC Ka’nsahZULU Uthisha

April 30th. México

Children Learn What They Live
By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Instituto de inglés “América” April 30th, 2008.

Spring is here

Spring has Sprung





You don’t have to look far to see signs of spring. From the budding of the trees and the warming of the temperatures to the animals coming out of their winter hideouts, there seems to be a promise of new birth and color in the springtime air.



The first day of spring is around March 20 or 21, depending on what day the vernal equinox occurs. This is when the sun sits directly above the equator on its apparent trip northward. Of course this sun isn’t moving; Earth is. As Earth revolves around the sun, the top half, called the Northern Hemisphere, becomes tilted more toward the sun as winter turns to spring. Meanwhile the bottom half, the Southern Hemisphere, becomes tilted more away from the sun. The beginning of spring for us is the beginning of autumn for people in Australia and the southern parts of Africa and South America.



Unequal equinox
The word “equinox” comes from Latin and means “equal nights.” Around March 20, sunrise and sunset are about twelve hours apart everywhere on Earth. Because of that, a lot of people think that day and night are of equal length on March 20. But actually the day is a little longer than the night on this date. There are a few reasons for that. Sunrise occurs when the top of the sun (not the center) is on the horizon. But the sun actually appears to be above the horizon when it is in fact still below it. That’s because Earth’s atmosphere refracts or “bends” light coming from the sun, so we see the sun a couple of minutes before it actually rises over the horizon. If you add the daylight that persists after sunset, you’ll find the day on the equinox is several minutes longer than the night.

Taken from http://www.wxdude.com/spring.html



What day does spring start? *


One spring tradition

It's snowing but according to the Met Office spring has sprung. Others disagree. So what day does spring start?

Much of the country is in the grip of icy winter weather but according to the Meteorological Office spring is here.

It classes the first day of spring as 1 March, saying March, April and May are regarded as the spring months. But traditionally spring has started on the night of 20/21 March and a row has erupted over the official date.

"You would not regard the first three weeks of June as spring, yet historically summer does not start until 21 June," says a spokesman for the Met Office. "Equally, the bulk of people now regard 1 March as the first day of spring."

Bloom

But disgruntled MPs are questioning "on whose authority" the date has been changed.

"They may say that 1 March is the first day of spring - which it is not - but it certainly doesn't feel like it," says the seasonally named Sir Nicholas Winterton, Conservative MP for Macclesfield.

He is supported by Stuart Bell, Labour MP for Middlesbrough, who says: "Spring starts on March 20/21 and if the Met Office are not aware of this simple fact, it reflects a casual approach to facts, which is all too inherent today."

Historically spring starts on the day of the vernal equinox, which usually occurs on the night of 20/21 March.

Vernal comes originally from the Latin word for bloom and refers to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, this equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

An equinox is a time when the nights are as long as the days and the vernal equinox is recognised the world over as the start of the new astrological cycle.

But does that necessarily make it the start of spring? After all, summer is commonly decreed to start on 21 June - the Summer Solstice - yet the following day is known as MID-summer's day.

And since when has the prevailing weather had anything to do with it? Parts of the country may be ankle-deep in snow but cast your mind back three months and the talk was why, in mid-December, the weather felt like spring.

The Met Office, meanwhile, has little time for celestial patterns and historical precedent. It picked 1 March for simplicity's sake, choosing to slot the four seasons neatly into the 12 months... June, July and August are the summer months; September, October and November autumn, and so on.

*Published at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4767522.stm

MARCH 8th. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN`S DAY

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908 Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909 In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910 At a Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, an International Women's Day of no fixed date was proposed to honour the women's rights movement and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. Over 100 women from 17 countries unanimously agreed the proposal. 3 of these women were later elected the first women to the Finnish parliament.

1911 Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.

1913-1914 On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.

1917 On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 - 1999 Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women’s Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 - 2007 IWD is now an official holiday in Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a rich and diverse fabric of local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google even changes its logo on its global search pages. Corporations like HSBC host the UK's largest and longest running IWD event delivered by women's company Aurora. Last year Nortel sponsored IWD activities in over 20 countries and thousands of women participated. Nortel continues to connect its global workforce though a coordinated program of high-level IWD activity, as does Accenture both virtually and offline. Accenture supports more than 2,000 of its employees to participate in its International Women's Day activities that include leadership development sessions, career workshops and corporate citizenship events held across six continents - in eight cities in the United States and in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, South Africa and the UK. Accenture also coordinated am IWD webcast featuring stories about Accenture women worldwide that ran uninterrupted for 30 hours across 11 time zones via Accenture's intranet. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Taken from: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Calendario de Fases Lunares para Febrero del año 2008 - Tu Tiempo

Calendario de Fases Lunares para Febrero del año 2008 - Tu Tiempo