Articles written by Elena Yampolsky - Page 2

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Creative Writing > Essays Essays: Why we write: 104 of 182
Why do I write?Out of habit. I learned to read when I was three, and since then I was so spellbound by the power and magic of the written word, that at age of six I took my pen and wrote a couple of fairy tales and a scenario to children's play. Now, this habit became something that is hard to break.Why do I write? When I see... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Fantasy books: Are they sending a bad message?: 15 of 24
Being a fan of fantasy books, I was at first shocked by this question. The next idea that came to my mind was to omit the first word of this question."Books: are they sending a bad message?" Does it sound ridiculous? It shouldn't. "Mein Kampf" is certainly a bad message, as well as "Communist Manifesto". Both Bible and Quran ... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Is it better for schools to be rigorous or nurturing?: 31 of 48
The ideal school should balance rigor and nurturing environment. However, looking at the modern system of education, I think it tends too much to the "nurturing" side, and the consequences for kids and society in general are grave.For the first two-three school years children hear the message that "learning should be fun" and... More..
Celebrations & Holidays > Celebrations & Holidays (Other) A look at the symbolism of Hanukkah foods: 4 of 6
Every Jewish Holiday has its own traditional food. The Passover smells like "gefilte fish" and matzo balls, Rosh a Shana (Jewish New Year) brings the "apple and honey" taste, and no Hanukkah table is complete without potato pancakes ("latkes") and dairy products. Even though most people are aware of those traditional foods, t... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Would you rather be born rich or intelligent?: 48 of 70
My lottery ticket this week did not have the correct six numbers, once again. So, I almost immediately reached to vote for "rich" button and then stopped myself, realizing that this is "all or nothing" question. What I would really like is to be born both rich and intelligent. Wouldn't all of us? However, if the "both" altern... More..
Education > Secondary School (Other) Should school districts provide cash rewards for high grades and test scores?: 47 of 67
In my opinion, kids in high school should not be motivated to achieve higher marks by monetary awards. There are a number of reasons for this:First, the mere fact that this idea is raised is disturbing and clearly shows that the education system in North America has miserably failed to provide students with internal motivatio... More..
Arts & Humanities > Languages (Other) How to improve your score on the TOEFL test: 3 of 4
There are a number of ways in which the TOEFL test could be administered: old-fashioned "Pen and paper" format, computerized format, or Internet format. In order to pass any format of TOEFL, the student must show proficiency in four different areas. For the Internet version, they are: 1. Listening and speaking 2. Structure (g... More..
Education > Reading & Writing Skills Tips for hooking kids on reading: 29 of 37
"How to make the kids to read?" For sure, this is the question that my parents wouldn't even think about asking. The same is true for the parents of my friends, and most classmates. We were reading books simply because at our time books were the sole source of information and entertainment. Well, not counting two radio channe... More..
Arts & Humanities > Philosophical Concepts Is the concept of freedom overrated?: 37 of 40
The funniest thing about this debate is that most people on North American continent - I include here not only Americans, but Canadians, as well - do not realize that the mere fact that we have an open debate on this concept essentially proves that the concept of freedom is not over-rated.Any immigrant, for example, from East... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Problems Parents Face Are Webkinz good play or harmful distraction for children?: 13 of 14
I think that words "good "or "harmful" in this debate are actually too "Black and white" to describe the Webkinz craze and its effects on our kids. My question would be "Good compared to what?" or "harmful distraction from what?"Our daughter is almost nine years old ; her computer time allowance is 30 minutes per day, provide... More..