Poland

The journey to Poland is the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life. Poland is the country where 6 million Jews were murdered in world war two, "the holocaust ". The journey to Poland is an organized trip from school, which takes the Jewish students to see in their own eyes the places where the horrors occurred. It was an exceptional experience and I would be more than happy to do it all over again,

..

The journey began on the February 28 at 7 am when we got on the airplane towards Poland. When we landed, we couldn't believe we were no longer in Israel. But, unfortunately, my luggage was left in Israel .I was very upset and wanted to return back home, but quickly forgot all about it and we continued with our journey. The journey took place in Kielce, Krakow‏, Birkenau, Auschwitz‏, Lublin, Majdanek‏, Treblinka, and Warsaw‏.

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I think that the hardest part on the journey was in Majdanek. Majdanek was a work & destruction camp. There we saw all the gas cabins, the crematoriums, the shoe piles and the ash mountain, where all the Jews' ashes were piled up. When I saw all the shoes, I broke down emotionally and started crying. All the places we visited made the entire delegation feel home sick and proud of our country, Israel.

..

To conclude, I think that every Jewish student in Israel must go through this journey. It was definitely the most powerful experience I have ever experienced in my entire life. This experience will for ever be part of me and I will never forget it.

(90)

Daphna

letter of complaint

9 Bar Ilan Street

Holon

February 12, 2010

Family Tours Company

Alexander 12 Street

Tel Aviv

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the organized trip to Paris which I took recently. My family and I reserved your "Happy Paris" tour, but unfortunately it was not happy at all.

First of all, I would like to complain about your tour guide, his bad attitude and lack of patience were very disappointing. Instead of being nice and courteous, he was rude and unfriendly. I have participated in a lot of organized trips my entire life and I have never seen such bad behavior from a tour guide.

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Moreover, the hotel we stayed in was horrible. The rooms were small and dusty, and the bathrooms were filthy and uncomfortable. I was unsatisfied with the meals, which were disgusting and not satisfying . Furthermore, the hotel was situated far from the center of the city, so we couldn’t do anything while we were at the hotel, we had to stay in our dusty rooms and seek for entertainment.

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To conclude, I was very unsatisfied with your service. I would appreciate a full refund for the trip or at least some compensation. I recommend you to relate to my complaints and do something with your wretched service.

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I Look forward to a prompt reply.

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Truly yours,

.

Carolin Aniston

much-much better. Well done!

(95)

Daphna

Formal Letter

9 Bar Ilan Street
Holon
January 28, 2010


The "Yeled" Organization
14 Borgen street

Haifa


Dear Sir/Madam,

I visited your web-site recently and I was really impressed. I think that your organization is doing a wonderful job with teenagers. I am writing you because I would like to volunteer in your organization. I believe that I could really assist your organization.

First of all, I used to volunteer in a youth movement named "Hazav". I volunteered there for 3 years and I worked with difficult children, and helped them as much as I could. My volunteering in "Hazav" was a life changing experience for me, and I learned a lot throughout these 3 years.

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Second of all, I am very connected to children and I am interested in helping and counseling other people. I am friendly, kind and generous, so this volunteering work is perfect for me.

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To conclude, I believe I can be very useful for your organization, and you won't be disappointed . I would be happy to come for an interview.

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I look forward to your reply.

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Yours truly,

Shany Raz

This is better

(93)

Daphna

virtual schools

What is the first thing you do when you come back from school? Well I guess some of you might say watch TV, home work . But I know that over 50% of the teenagers run first of all toward the computer. Almost every one of us loves the computer and prefers going on line instead of going all the way to school. What would you do if you could learn from your computer at home with no need to get out of the sofa? Well, this is what the virtual school is all about.

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On the one hand, the virtual school is a brilliant idea. This is just like home schooling but instead of relying on parents to develop the student's instruction, it allows the students to work with certified teachers. Moreover, the virtual school is good for advanced students. It allows them to progress in their own pace, and so they don’t get bored before the whole class moves to the next chapter. Also, researches have shown that students learning in a virtual classroom did 20% better than students who studied the same material in a regular classroom.

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On the other hand, the virtual school has some shortcomings as well. First of all, the computers are not perfect and they have a lot of problems, so we can't depend only on the computers.

Furthermore,the virtual school has all the disadvantages that exist in home schooling. For example, in a virtual school the student does not get any physical and verbal interaction with the other students.

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To conclude, in my opinion, virtual schools are a good idea. However, I think that the virtual school has to come as an addition to the regular school and not instead of it. I believe that the virtual school can add innovation to the education of the teenagers of today.

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(85)

Daphna

A letter of complaint

9 Bar Ilan Street

Holon

December 3, 2009

Ms. Gilat Simon
Principal
Kugel high school
1 Mote Gur Street
Holon

Dear Madam,

Every year Kugel high school sends a group of 11th grade students on a journey to Poland. This trip is very significant to the students, and everyone probably wants to take part in it. However, not everyone can afford to go on that trip, because of the exaggerated price. I am writing to complain about the high price that prevents a lot of students from going out on that important journey.

First of all, the journey to Poland is very significant and important, and is something that every young jew has to go through, not just the financially capable ones. I believe that this journey is one more step for a child to become an adult. Therefore, I think that the school management must lower the exaggerated price, or at least give full scholarships for the unfortunate students, who cannot afford it.

Moreover, I believe there can be another way to lower the price, by government subsidies. The government should donate a large amount of money for that exalted purpose. As a result, the school management will be able to help the students that are not financially capable of going on that journey.

In conclusion, I believe that every 11th grade student must go on the important journey to Poland, which indicates the history of the Jewish people.I also believe that the Israeli government should support financially and help lower the price by subsidization or donation of money.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,
Shany Raz

This is much better.Great work!

(95)

Daphna

A Summer's Reading

George Stoyonovich is a 20 year old man who quit high school at the age of 16 and never came back. As a result, George became a neighborhood boy who was too lazy to change anything in his life, or do anything with it. George's mother died when he was younger and he was left with his father and his older sister, who weren’t very involved with his life.

George lived in a small apartment in the Bronx, New York that he shared it with his father and sister. During the day George wasn’t doing anything special, but every night he used to make long walks around the neighborhood, to sit in a small park and think about his life. George didn't want to go to a summer school because he thought that the other students would be too young. He also didn't want to go to a night school because he didn't want the teachers to tell him what to do, so he end up doing nothing.

One of the major figures in George's life is Mr. Cattanzara. The relationship between George and Mr. Cattanzara was like a father and son relationship, Mr. Cattanzara loved George very much and he wanted him to do the right thing. When George lied to Mr. Cattanzara he was so worried that Mr. Cattanzara would be disappointed of him, that it made him do the big change and to take responsibility over his life.

To sum up, I really loved the story " A Summer's Reading" I loved to see the progress of George's character. At the beginning of the story, I thought that his character wasn't interesting and disappointing. But, as the story continued and I saw that George started to realize his mistakes and to take responsibility over his life, I changed my mind and I was proud of him.

Very good!
(90)
Daphna

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" - A Book Review

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" a wonderful book I have recently read, was written by Maya Angelou, an African-American author. The novel presents the difficulties of the black people in the southern part of the USA , and shows how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. I loved reading that book and I found it really fascinating.

The main character, Marguerite Johnson, begins her journey at the age of three, when she and her older brother move to live with their grandmother in Stamps,Arkansas. In Stamps they meet racism for the first time in their lives, when the white children of their town hassle them relentlessly, when a white dentist refuses to treat Maya's rotting tooth, and more.

Marguerite and her older brother Bailey had the most specialand closest relationship she had ever had with anybody. She told him everything about her life, and he was always by her side for everything she needed. For a sixteen year old girl, Marguerite went through a lot in her life, racism, she was sexually abused and raped, she got pregnant and gave birth. Marguerite presents the pain and misery the black people felt in the twentieth century.

To conclude, I sincerely recommend that book, I enjoyed every minute of reading it. The story made me realize the things that black people went through , and I could truly identifie with them. All the things Marguerite went through and the way she handled her life fascinated me and I enjoyed reading and being part of it.



(80)
Daphna