Dossier - References

Letter of Reference for Rozalija Baricevic

I am writing this letter of reference for Rozalija and I am honored to be doing so. My name is Marsha Goren and I am an educator from Petach Tikva , Israel . Rozalija has been my international teaching partner and special friend for the last two years. I was originally looking for new partners for the kids in my school project and then was fortunate to find Rozalija and IGK School through the ePals web site. I knew it was a perfect collaboration from day one.

While involved in this international cultural exchange project, Rozalija initiated many interesting activities for our students to work on together that promoted global awareness and understanding through communication. Our students exchanged pen pal letters and posted messages to one another via dream a dream forum. Rozalija was innovative and suggested we write about violence and school violence. We also wrote about being good will ambassadors and addictions. This excellent work was used in the educational "Stage" English magazine edited and distributed by Rozalija and the wonderful children of IGK. During this time, she developed warm and productive relationships with the children in my school and initiated communication between them and herself as well. I thought to myself, how could she work like this? But once I got to know her I realized this was her tremendous personality and giving to others helps her shine. She is truly a unique human being and educator.

We shared a multi-media cultural package about Israel using a variety of technological applications to create an exciting and meaningful experience for my students and the students Rozalija's class. In these ways, my kids were given the opportunity to learn first hand about different cultures and become friends with children from Croatia . The excitement of this new way of learning became a fruitful experience before I knew it Rozalija had invited me and my student Amity to come to the beautiful island of Hvar .

Our meaningful work has also contributed to my professional career and I prepared and presented PowerPoint presentations about Israel, our school and city, olive oil and of course the Holocaust. Our site ( http://www.globaldreamers.org ) tries to encourage a more tolerant individual and Rozalija has a deep concern for what happened in the Holocaust. Such evidence is her trip to Auschwitz which is documented on the site.
I am also not going to forget how much both the kids in Ein Ganim and IGK have improved in their English skills by writing on the forum or sending emails but they also acquired technology skills such as html skills and the usage of many software programs in order to be involved in every single aspect of the project. Performing in front of an international audience and being part of an active learning process proved to be very efficient.

Rozalija has a strong belief in the power of communication and technology to promote peace and understanding. This interactive web site evolved into an effective haven for children from all over the world to reach. It also enabled them to learn about each other by celebrating their differences as well as enjoying their similarities.

For educators such as Rozalija and me, it was an opportunity to take part in online activities and a huge variety of activities that Globaldreamers offers on the web site. which serves as a meeting place for everyone involved. It also gave me the opportunity for professional advancement because it built my confidence and encouraged me to pursue this special relationship with the children of Slavonski Brod , Croatia and my colleague Rozalija.
Since I have had the pleasure of working with Rozalija, she has been a warm and encouraging teaching partner who kept in regular contact with her international partners via email. She is in contact with the educators and keeps everyone informed of what is happening on the Globaldreamers web site. She has initiative, perseverance and a powerful commitment to promoting the possibility of peaceful coexistence among all people.

Amity my pupil and I had the opportunity to meet Rozalija who organized our visit to Croatia through the NGO our children organization. I will never forget our meeting in Hvar. It was so meaningful and exciting for everyone involved.

Rozalija is a unique and special human being. My life has been enriched by working with her. I am proud to call her my colleague and special friend. I pray God will bring us together again soon.

Sincerely,
Marsha Goren, English teacher and technology coordinator
http://www.globaldreamers.org
Petach Tikva , Israel
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I am an English teacher at Lyceum NSTU, Novosibirsk , Russia . I have known Rozalija Baricevic for about a year and a half. I am very honoured to be given the opportunity to write about this unique person.

My life has become different since I met Rozalija Baricevic. We started to talk about our work and I was very impressed by information about the STAGE magazine that is issued by her and students. We decided to create the electronic version of STAGE. It aimed not to just retype materials from the printed version but to put more texts and art works from students, to let more people around the world learn about this wonderful project.

The decision to create the site like that was a unique one for two English teachers, computer amateurs, but we did it! We started the actual work on the site a year ago and now it's a good work, with rich content, great variety of topics and interesting things from students of different ages. It's a result of the hard work and creativity on Rozalija's side.

I want to tell that Rozalija is a very dedicated worker. I'm surprised where she takes time to be able to teach her lessons, supervise extra curricular activities, participate in international projects and work on the site. It seems that this person is not familiar with the words "weekend", "school holidays". We worked on some things even in summer! Rozalija is a very intelligent and eager learner. It's amazing how quick she can perform a new technical skill just after explanation in the email!

My lyceum students are very interested in all topics and ideas offered by Rozalija. They took part in Global dreamers' board discussion initiated by her, on topics about terrorism, violence, addictions. Not all of students have a good language level but Rozalija always welcomes their works in her project, gives them a chance to express themselves and be heard by students in other countries. I am very grateful for that.

We enjoy reading the creative works of Rozalija's students. I know that it is not very easy to motivate students of this age to work so hard and in a creative way. Their language level is very good; it shows they have an excellent teacher. I even feel jealous to her students that they have such a teacher. I often want to be on their place to be taught by this special person.
My students hope to build ties with Rozalija's students to make new friendships and do some projects together. Our students had two chats not long ago and it was a very good experience.
My new students of the 5th grade are also very interested in the project. The printed issue we got some time ago and searching the site have become a great motivating factor for learning English. They hurry me to teach more vocabulary to be able to participate soon. After reading the STAGE 5 printed version two of my students decided to interview Rozalija, this work is being done at the moment.

Besides being a competent and reliable partner, Rozalija is a precious friend for me. Our little age difference is not an obstacle for communication. Rozalija is always enthusiastic to take up new ideas, active and emotional. She is always very helpful with questions I ask her about teaching. My dream is to come to Croatia to observe her lessons and learn more about teaching. I am very grateful to Rozalija for her wise advices and generous support in things not directly connected with our work.

In spite of all achievements in teaching and international communication, Rozalija is a very modest person. She doesn't like to talk about herself.

I'm happy about Rozalija's plans to make the electronic teaching portfolio. It'll be an excellent reading material for young teachers and inspire them to work harder.
To cut my story, I must tell that Rozalija Baricevic is my ideal of a teacher. My dream is to become the same person. If I am ever able to do it, I'll tell myself that my work and life haven't been a waste of time.