This is a free space for you to share your thoughts with me and your classmates. I will comment on your posts with suggestions and thoughts as well. I hope I can help you all through this very complicated year.

Best wishes,

Joana.

I have been feeling quite lonely. Not because I am alone, but because everything just feels distant. My birthday is coming up and that nostalgic type of feeling is resurfacing from the drawer where I’ve kept it all along. My birthday reminds me of everything that has happened since I was born. It makes me feel retrospective, I believe.

We, as humans, do not get a life of one hundred percent positive experiences. If that was the case, we would be foolish. For ones, death is the bad percentage. For others, love. And even failed dreams. Horrible experiences seem to start coming from amazing expectations, and suddenly, we shut ourselves to fit in.

Personally, love is that specific emotion that makes me overthink on my birthday. Romantic love, I say. Not exactly love, but the absence of it. Passion is all around us. Some can share it, others cannot.

What I am trying to say is: I have been feeling quite lonely for the sixteen times I have felt I wasn’t enough, or I was unwanted, or I was impossible to love.

‘Cause guess what? Love is not a right. It is not guaranteed. And what do I do if my outmost desire isn’t certain?

Blow the candles waiting for another year to pass by.

And even though I'm currently living well, I'm anxious and very disappointed.

Rita Santos

I’m seated here, my heart is racing, I’m feeling every feeling. I’m not sure what to say, how to feel neither what to do.

We live our lives in a constant rollercoaster- we never stop, we’re always moving.

If you ask me to describe something, I will do it effortlessly. In the other hand, if you ask me to speak about what I’m feeling or what live is, I don’t know what to say.

I can’t tell you that you will always know what your doing, or what live means, but I can ensure you that with time everything starts to make sense. You just need to wait.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, therefore nothing is a waste of time, everything has some kind of purpose, that we may not see in the beginning but with patience and most of all hope, everything leads to somewhere.

I hope one day you understand that part of living is failing, trying, crying, and finding, we never know everything, never.

Kisses 💗

Fighting body image issues is really hard and hearing ''You're beautiful'' or ''You're not fat'' from others is not enough when the problem is in our heads. I hope this helps anyone and I encourage you to try this. It gets better <3

Joana :)

You can say like, why don't you ask someone you love to give you massages? No, it does not work like that. I need a professional that won't get tired. Massages are so good, yet so expensive, so if I had a lot of money, my priority would be contracting a full-time massagist.

Joana

Directly speaking to you, teacher Joana, with no doubt you will make a truly important contribution for future generations to come. You’ll rock that gamemaster position. I am certain of that because you already have done it in our class: giving us freedom to think, talk and be ourselves.

I have the outmost pleasure to thank you for your kindness and share of knowledge. “You have truly been a friend.” – as Audrey Hepburn once said. I wish you the most fulfilling journey and strength. “[…] The great teacher inspires.” – according to William Arthur Ward (enough quotes), and I can guarantee you have inspired me.

Thank you for everything!

I don’t wish to have children, at least not for now, but if I do, I want you to be their teacher. You taught me so much… you have no idea!

For me, the art of teaching is much more than telling students what to do, what not to do, or what something means. For me, it is about caring, teaching (of course), listening, telling, and leading by example; you did exactly that.

I mean, we are all a bit crazy, at least I know I am, and you just cast a spell on us and made us better. Actually, you did something even bigger; you helped us reach our potential.

I will never be able to put into words all that you did for me. I just want you to know that you made everything easier and better.

School can sometimes be too much, and when I felt overwhelmed, you were the first to ask if everything was okay. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. And that meant so much to me.

You probably noticed that the title of my not-so-little message is “To the Stars”.

And I know what you’re thinking: such a cliché, but I mean it.

You can reach all you want, and I believe that not even the stars are impossible.

Thank you for being there.

Thank you for teaching us.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for being you.

And most of all thank you for all you did that you think that we didn’t notice, we did.

Kisses and goodbye, for now.

Mariana de Oliveira Pereira

Francisca :)

Today, as I write these words, I feel like a small boat bidding farewell to the safe harbor. And you, with your light and wisdom, have been the lighthouse that illuminated my path during this year in English.

Each class, each gesture of yours was like a motivation and signal to continue

You are not merely a teacher but a guardian of curious souls who pass through your classroom. Your welcoming smile, kind words, and attentive gaze made all the difference. 

I wish you all the beauty this world has to offer. May the winds blow in your favor. May the sun warm your days, and the moon illuminate your nights. May every star in the sky remind you that you are not just a normal Teacher, but one of the best.

Farewell, dear teacher. May your journey continue with the same passion and dedication you shared with us<3. 

I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the support and guidance you’ve provided me throughout this year. Your passion for teaching and dedication to your students have truly inspired me. Thanks to your encouragement and insightful feedback, I’ve grown so much in my understanding and appreciation of English.

Thank you for always being patient, approachable, and for making each lesson engaging and meaningful. I feel very fortunate to have had you as my teacher.

A big thank and sorry for talking so much 🤍

Maria Beatriz

Thank you for your company during this year and I hope everything goes well for you.

I like you very much kisses and much success , GO AHEAD TEACHER JOJO.

Laura Martins

Gabriela Gonçalves

I want to thank you for this long year you had with us, because you made us acquire so many skills, and helped us whenever we needed it.

Many congratulations about your internship.

And I'm sure that you'll be an incredible teacher, and all your students will really like you, just like we do.