Essay from Zarina Abdulina (first of a series)

“Every teacher should be a psychologist, every psychologist an educator”

“The most important phenomenon in the school, the most instructive subject, the most living example for the student is the teacher himself or herself.”

~ Zarina Abdulina

In the creative pedagogical activity of a teacher, the key to success is the very process of creativity. The teacher acts as a comrade-in-arms, friend for children. Co-creation excludes an arrogant view of the child from the standpoint of adult experience. And in order to teach children something and raise real people out of them, it is necessary to focus on their requirements for us, teachers, and not just focus them on our requirements.

At present, when a person finds himself in a rapid flow of information, a lot is required from a teacher who adapts a growing person to these conditions. He must know and understand everything, be better and more perfect than any ordinary person. An ideally good teacher should rise above the human mass, demonstrating his knowledge, diversified development and bright talent!

The child begins to explore the world from the first day of his birth. Knows the subject to find out what it is for and how it is useful. The more things the baby learns, and the deeper he will study them. The concept of “modern teacher” is not limited by any framework. But at all times a teacher for people is a special person, an example for his students for life.

Thus, it turns out that a truly invaluable teacher is competent in many areas, teachers, psychologists, who are able to combine humanity and exactingness, and of course, love for their subject and mastery of its subtleties. The combination of these qualities helps the teacher to fulfill his main mission.

We all live in times of change: society, laws, charters, requirements for the school, for students, and, accordingly, for teachers are changing. But at the same time, the teacher’s ability to BE should remain unchanged: to be literate and competent, to be open to the different opinions of students and, of course, to be a person himself, and not a bureaucratic machine for the child, in order to hear him not only with ears, but also with his heart. Be sure to be, not to seem.

In the light of the foregoing, a rather serious problem in the pedagogical process of preparing a teacher of a particular subject is the transformation of the student’s personality in the future as a teacher-master (he will become a professional teacher in the process of teaching at school), capable of solving a fairly large variety of tasks related to learning, and education of schoolchildren. After all, a true teacher is also an educator. Unlike a teacher, a teacher teaches students not only their subject, but also teaches them how to live.

In order to be successful in teaching, teachers must have not only a deep knowledge of the subject, but also the most accurate understanding of people, their psyche and behavior. Consequently, a modern teacher is also a subtle psychologist. The teacher must be proficient in child psychology, understand the psychological state of the child and come to the rescue in time in difficult times.

And the last. In our opinion, it is extremely necessary to select teachers for schools, for universities for pedagogical specialties – applicants as strictly and biasedly as is done when enrolling in a higher educational institution. It is our deep conviction that only special individuals should receive the right to be called a teacher. Their pedagogical work should also be evaluated in a special way. To date, the status of a teacher, his financial situation, unfortunately, does not correspond to the importance of solving problems by him. And so we want our schools to always have the happiness of knowledge, the joy of communication in many languages, including foreign ones, an atmosphere of love and creativity, the unity of learning and teaching.

We can talk endlessly about the duties of an educator, but let’s not forget to tell them “Thank you!” for their endless work, patience and love for us, already native children. May your invaluable experience help our children grow up to be worthy and wise people. We wish you health, energy, strength and patience. Let positive, pleasant communication and interesting events adorn your lives.


Zarina ABDULINA

(student 3rd year) of Bashkir State Pedagogical University

named of after M. Akmullah

Essay from Gulsevar Xojamova

Young Central Asian woman with short black hair and a blue jacket and white blouse sitting at a desk writing.
Gulsevar Xojamova
MOTHERLAND

In my dream a man gave advice,
His words are bitter, but the truth is:
"Don't be careless, be careful when you are,
My words are wisdom, just remember."

Know that without labor the Motherland will not prosper,
There is love in this heart, he does not sleep at night.
God does not like a careless person.
Think of what you have done for the country.

A true man who appreciates women,
A moment to acknowledge the truth of life
Failure to complete the cycle
Push the drowsy soul, now awake

I woke up to the magic of words
You are my love, you are my freedom.
I planted the seeds of vigilance in my heart
I have given you this soul.

Gulsevar Khojamova
Student of Andijan State Pedagogical Institute

Poetry from Daniel De Culla

Photo c/o Daniel De Culla

BOY MILKING THE COW

Who doubts that this child milking the cow
Will grow up
A leading man, governor, president or politician
Well, his art of milking, without a doubt
Will produce great effects
As do those who govern and guide us
In the valleys, on the hills
In the streets, the stables and corrals
In the palaces, government houses
Deputations and Town Halls
Leaving the State Cow dry
Praising the great benefits
What have they taken from it
For their own benefit and advantage.
This child, his lullabies already forgotten
Won't be a Marine
Because in this city of Burgos there is no beach
But yes military or police
Pedophile priest, or a qualified worker
Subjugated like so many others.
This child, grown up
Praising the cow that he milked as a child
Will dream, in his nights of happy sleep
That he is in a world of peace
Waking up to reality
Watching the world keep rolling
Between crimes and bombs
That reach the Earth and the Sky
And that all men
Ppraise fascist and pedophile mysticism
Under vatican canopy
Admiring what a nuke shot
Can do in palatial buildings
In houses of administration and government
And even in the Cathedral
Without being able to emigrate to Asturias
Dear homeland
Unable to climb the tree
Nor being able to pick the flower
Nor give it to his blonde or brunette
That he waits at the gate
From the Walk of he Cubes
Or in the Gamonal Square.

-Daniel de Culla

Essay from Chimezie Ihekuna

Chimezie Ihekuna (Mr. Ben) Young Black man in a collared shirt and jeans resting his head on his hand. He's standing outside a building under an overhang.
Chimezie Ihekuna
How to be a Published Author

If you want to be a self published author, do not read this. But if you want to earn a traditional publication, please read below

You have taken your time to write that thought. You sacrificed a lot-time, energy and money-to ensure you complete that literary task. You were led to put pen on paper those great train thoughts. Finally, you completed the literary task! Congratulations!

Next, you possibly  seek other pairs of eyes to review and possibly proofread the piece you have written. Perhaps, you sought the attention  of your best friend, family member or associate to read through, point out the typos and grammatical errors. Eventually, you have the task of proofreading met.

The stage is now set...pitching to 'appropriate' agents and publishers. Having read through their guidelines, you pitch them individually. Some publishers and literary agencies would disclose the timeframe. In other words, some will disclose to you the turnaround period: feedback time. Interestingly, others might to assert to you when you will get to know the status of your submission.

In the literary world, there is a saying: 'it is all man for himself'. You are all alone to exercise the waiting game. It becomes herculean to wait for that period of time. Patience is needed to cope with the demanding literary industry. As a smart author, you should be looking at working on your next title.

The wait is over...the feedback is about to be given, primarily via email or postmail. 'Dear john, thanks for your submission. We have read your submission with great interest. While we find your piece very fascinating, we regret to announce to you we cannot take your submission at this time. We wish you the best in your writing endeavor..' You feel depressed, afterwards.

Never mind! Your literary journey has just started! It is at this point you dwell on the 'never give up' pysche if you want to proceed at this point. It is at this point you begin to do a research on publishers and agents who specialize on your genre online, horn your skills, attend several writing conferences, book fairs and other literary events to meet with people, get connections and establish relationships (mentorship).Then, by listening to and reading the stories of authors who made it, you will understand rejection is part of your literary journey. 

Luckily, you get a literary recognition, be it a publisher or an agent who would be willing to take on your submission. Congratulations! The wait is worth it. The contract is presented to you for perusal, after receiving a Letter of Intent. You are satisfied with the terms of the contract through the 'green light' of an Intellectual Property Attorney, you sign the contract. Your piece now has a literary home!

It takes time to become successful. A personal instance: I started writing in 2006. Having faced several rejections from publishers and agents for years, it took me eight years to publish my first book! During those waiting periods, I was writing other books, attending book fairs, getting to meet authors like me and researching online authors who made it: what they went through.

Being a published author is not an easy feat. It takes patience, resilience, persistence, connection (and some element of luck) to become that person whose name would be penned in print, electronic, audio and other formats. 

Remember this: Discouragement is a part of success!

Essay from Iroda Bakhronova

Young Central Asian woman with curly black hair and a white collared shirt and black pants sitting on a park bench with a fence and trees in the background.
Iroda Bakhronova


(Uzbekistan, Navoi)
Student of Navoi State Pedagogical Institute

We are the creators of the future!

      We know that the 21st century is an era of intellectual development. The uplifting force of this development is young people, that is, people with high intelligence. Of course, today there is a great responsibility towards the creators of the future. After all, according to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, “In order for our youth to become independent thinkers, have high intellectual and spiritual potential, become people who are not inferior to their peers in any field on a global scale, our state and society should be happy. We will mobilize all the possibilities of strength”, his words serve as a program for us. Being among such young people, I am proud to see the development of our country day and night. In my opinion, it is natural for every person who considers himself a child of the new Uzbekistan to have a question at this moment: how did I contribute to the development of my country?! Whatever I do, even if it’s a little, will benefit my people?! In order to find answers to such questions, I took a pen in my hand and began to write down my goals on a white paper.

First of all, as they say, “A job without a plan is a brick without a mold”, a person should make his plans so that all the good deeds he thinks about from early in the morning will be good. And the plans become more and more great goals. And I strive for not daily, but annual prospective goals. I want these targeted plans to serve not only me, but also the development of my country.

Secondly, no country can rise without sports and science. These two concepts will always accompany me. Of course, sport is a guarantee of health. Every young generation who plays sports follows a healthy lifestyle. Only healthy and strong youth can protect the country. As our elders say, “If there is knowledge, there will be greatness”, even a young person like me in the ranks of the youth of Uzbekistan will mobilize all my energy to acquire knowledge.

Thirdly, it is the effective use of the doors of opportunity created for young people and, most importantly, the supreme gift of time. “If you love life, don’t waste time, because time creates life,” said one of the philosophers. Today, the lives and work of famous people who have achieved great success in their field show that one of the main keys to their success is their ability to allocate time correctly. If time is spent in vain during the youth years, the opportunity to gain knowledge is also lost. Our today will become history tomorrow. The services and happy deeds of each person for their people will be forever imprinted in the history. Therefore, we, the creators of the future, appreciate our time, which is more valuable than gold, and achieve high goals!

It should be said that young people who are in tune with the times are leading in every field today. Of course, it is impossible to count the opportunities created for us today. I would like to put forward a proposal to hold the traditional republican competition “Sprouts of Future” in order to pay attention to young people capable of achieving greater goals and in order to support young people in every way. Because, you say, there are many different auditions. However, unlike them, this competition is organized among young people who have achieved more or less success in the field of science and education, literature and sports and have limited opportunities to show their talent. Because they, like you and us, are the bright future generations of Uzbekistan!

In conclusion, it should be said that we, the youth, are the hope of a great country. If we don’t waste time and fulfill the huge task in front of us wholeheartedly, no crowd, no foreign ideas can stand in our way. Everything is in our hands. After all, as our President said, “We have set ourselves the great goal of establishing the foundation of the Third Renaissance in our country, for this we need to educate new Khorezms, Berunis, Ibn Sinas, Ulugbeks, Navoi and Babur!” We are the worthy successors of such ancestors and will be the mirror of the future of New Uzbekistan!

Iroda Bakhronova is an “Initiative reformer” badge holder;
laureate of the international contest Russian Talents and
author of about 100 public and about 30 scientific articles. She is the
author of the poetry collection My dreams are more than you, stars, the winner of the “International Womania Award – 2023” recognition. Her articles were published in prestigious magazines in Turkey, Thailand, Spain, USA, India, Germany, and Belarus and
her works were published in anthologies in the USA, Moldova, and Germany. Her work was published in the international anthology “Talented voices of Uzbekistan” published on Amazon in the U.S. and sold in 26 countries.
Her work was published in the collection Hilol, which includes the work of talented young people across Uzbekistan.
She is a member and ambassador of the Iqra International Foundation and a participant in the IV and V Nobel Fest, the
“Student of the Year-2022” laureate of the institute stage and a
member of the International Council of World Technical Development.
She is a graduate of the online course of the US Institute of Peace; a
participant in the “International Scientific Forum-2022” in Great Britain, and holds a certificate from the International Internship University.

Poetry from Ahmad Al-Khatat

You No Longer Have Hands 


To destroy the journals I had kept for years 
I feel ashamed to read my sorrows with a 
language other than my mother tongue.


Beautiful silky skin and blue watery eyes are 
the reasons why my disappointments are restless.
In my shadow, I see myself free from the coffin
Yet, everyone dies when I pretend to be asleep.


 I jailed my poems, my tales, and tears in my heart.
The prisoner asks if I'm ready to close my eyes
I give him my watch “Take the time and slaughter me”.
You'll peel my skin and sip my blood in less than a year.

You no longer have hands to bury my dream yacht
O Baghdad, why am I in the blues when I feel like a 
dead soldier in exile, or a stranger in Montreal corners 
Lots of bare hands with blood splitting on my sad face. 

04/19/2023

Bleeding Heart Poet 

Poetry from Stephen Williams

Slow Train into Tomorrow

Passenger train through the city
crackle of wheels rolling on the tracks
dark silhouettes reflecting in the windows
flicker of passing outside lights
tooth white colors
like little candles lit

a few sleeping
escaping into fragmented dreams
most of us awake and watching
inside our humbled hulls
heavy eyes closing

remembering how it use to be
wishing it was that way again
instead of every night killing of souls
a toss up
of who's next....

Train's toot to beware
haunting those close and far away
never arriving in freedom again
if it was ever
really real

or was it only a realm of imagination
snake hanging in a tree
tongue flicking
shiney slick
red pepper taste

and then the thing strikes
a reaction blink and he's suddenly gone
quick check of your neck
for any wounds
or blood spots.

Further down across a broken highway
campfire on the edge
a getaway unattainable
hundreds stuck in a ditch
peeking over the rim

crescent moon gliding above
silver sickle
cutting through the stars
no coming sunlight
only a pale warning

we should have known
what was coming around the bend
yesterday when we were still teachable
chalk boards to computer mills
until underhandedly all truths erased.

For too many had spoons in their mouths
bug-eyed with never ending games
ignoring poverty
accepting tokens
idiot pills taken

tattoo signs
on which avenue to hang out
and not get arrested
or flushed down the gyrating hole
into a sack to the bottomless pit

common sense into bones
now prehistoric
written on walls
with massive boulders
pushed over the entrances.

Zap of electricity
tingling inside our veins
short circuiting
hiccups a welcome change of pace
a laugh here to obey there

by the latest government
pandemic sparks
snapshots of your sad self
outlawing oil and gas
like diamonds and gold are no joke

stealing trains the newest rage
black chug of smoke
robot engineers
sometimes they let us think
a few will escape....

Oceans of emotion
tidal waves coming in
and out our ears
forever hearing the great bells
ringing inside our water-logged brains

and the latest wash of news
opposite truth
and backroom lies
with an illegal tuning fork
under the president's pillow

telling how we got here
collectively
our fault
and we should pay
by tying up our tongues.

Life lines
following the train
holding on by ropes and chains
those at the end of the line
too much spit sputtering

dragging and bouncing
tearing clothes loose
boots and butts raw
memories scraped
by guilt since a child

laughing and skipping
behind the caboose
footloose dancing freak
train speeding up
for the next town of crying clowns

but there's always someone
standing on the tracks
unafraid and somehow stopping
the train with just a look
letting all who want off

for the saving path to the promised land.