Hara Voulgari

  In dangerous situations people have to know self-defence. It’s very important to know it, not only for muggers but for everything. It protects you. When a mugger attacks you, you must be calm and not upset. You must show him that you are not afraid of him. I know, it’s difficult but another person can call the police at the same time. Don’t use stun guns or something like that. Make the robber’s job difficult. Take it as easy as you can and give him everything he wants. Life is more important than valuables, even the most expensive.

  Criminals are strange people. You don’t know what they have “inside”, how they think, what is right, what is wrong. Some of them have financial difficulties and they steal for a living but they damage others’ fortune. But some of them are crazy and they don’t know what they want. Unfortunately this problem is going to get worse and worse. 

Steve Melis

  Crime in schools is a very big problem, which must be faced. There are a lot of different kinds of crimes that happen in our school. Some children take drugs or at the break they rob other classmates. Some of them steal money from other students. I don’t think that I will ever do this because I know that it is a very bad action. One day at my school some students from the third class were hitting a young boy. These classmates were bad and they didn’t think about their friend. When I see a criminal I recognize him from the beginning because I know that criminals have got wild face and sometimes they wear berets. I think that behind the violence there are good people who do things that they can’t do at home. This is my opinion of violence.

Angelina Kalogeraki

  Many times there is crime in schools, too. I think that it is bad because, if children commit crimes from now what will they do in the future? Some types of crimes are: robbing a person, killing a person or hitting him hard. If you do something like this, you’re going to go to prison. You can avoid getting involved with students. Criminals in many ways like not having bad friends or be friends children who are involved in crimes. Also, you must learn to protect yourself so you won’t be a victim. I haven’t seen any crime at my school and I hope not ever to see any because things are going to be difficult. People who commit crimes usually are children with no father or mother. They don’t have a family at all or they have bad friends who turn them into criminals using peer pressure. To be a criminal you need to have characteristics. You don’t have self-control or your life isn’t good, so you’re looking for a new way of life.

  There are lots of things behind the violence like peer pressure, no self-control(like I said), losing your temper easily, problems at home, financial difficulties and aggressive behaviour. We must protect ourselves from the violence and we need to punish those that do create this violence!

Evi Fragou

  I think that crime in schools is increasing. Some types of crime that happen are that students don’t solve their problems by talking them through. Schools in our days are very competitive and peer pressure is strong so many of us lose our temper easily and get into fights that sometimes cause injuries. In order to avoid becoming a victim you should inform your teachers or parents and get away from fighting I haven’t seen any crime at any school but on TV I have seen that two boys were affected by a TV movie and they killed their classmates. Those kind of classmates are usually peaceful but never show their feelings. Sometimes a criminal of this type looks out space. Behind the violence there are broken families or parents who don’t care and don’t talk with their children, TV programmes that are on at unsuitable hours and children watch them get affected.

Jim Tampakis

  Crime in schools is a serious problem. Students are afraid of children that may rob them or hit them. In our school children hit other children and sometimes they send them to hospital. Most of the times they only rob you. The only way to avoid being a victim is to be very careful at the breaks and the time you leave from school. Also you can pay some children with big muscles to be your bodyguards. One time I saw two children taking drugs and hitting violently another boy to give them his money. I didn’t tell it to anyone because I was afraid that these children may hit me. Those children have bad characters. They are rude and selfish. They are hated by all their classmates. They are usually ugly, plump and tall. These children do this because their parents hit them and they want to express themselves. To express themselves they hit other children. Another reason they do this is because they want money for drugs. We have to stop from doing them this.

Kiriaki Linou

  I think that crime in schools is a very bad thing, which really makes me very angry. Crimes in schools frighten the students, it makes them unhappy, angry and with no pleasure! In my school many crimes have happened, like a boy doing bad things to some girls. Those classmates are horrible, a little bit clever and they have bad ideas. Behind this violence there are abused children who want to be calm, relaxed and at peace, but they can’t, because their hearts hide a lot of bad and unhappy secrets, which make them cry. Let’s do something now, those children need us!

Jim Karabourniotis

  Crime in schools is something that affects the young. They are shy in school. They are afraid of the big children and they don’t talk so much in class. In my school some children write on the walls, they bully the smaller children and they hit them. In my school the children who do these kind of things are only boys and they come to our class and they annoy us.

  My opinion is that these children have problems with their parents and they think that they are the best because they know how to do graffiti. I think that they have this behaviour because something bad happened to them. In the past and now they think that they must behave like this. They like attracting attention because they don’t get love at home.

Joanna Mendonidi

  Crime in schools, especially in foreign countries and the USA is very common. A crime is when you shoplift or steal in general, when you give drugs to others or to children, in my school, we don’t have these kinds of crimes, because my classmates are calm and good, but I’ve seen young and older men give children “gum”, which is a drug. And kids sometimes accept it, because they’re silly or because they’re afraid not to, and they want to get away as fast as they can.

  I think that a person who gives drugs to others is evil and he doesn’t care about others, he just wants to take money and go away. But things are not what we think, sometimes something is really different from what we see. So, I think that behind these criminals there are worse people than them and they force them to sell drugs if they want to live. The criminals who sell them are used to taking drugs and they can’t stop it or tell about them who force them. I think that only the police can stop it because it’s really dangerous to us. Young people should learn a lot about drugs and the kind of people who sell them so they can prepare and know what to do if someone approaches them. It’s good to get education about these “evils” of life. The smarter we are, the more we protect ourselves.

Tasos Geomelos

  I think that crimes in schools are a very bad thing and the children that commit the crimes should have tougher punishments. In many schools the strong and the older children bully the new students and hit them. Other children steal their money or other things from others. You can avoid getting involved with these student criminals or becoming a victim by not being occupied with them and not provoking them. In my school the strong children hit and blackmail the weak and younger children. These classmates are bad boys and students. They never pay any attention to the teachers and they make noise in class. They always talk back to the teachers. They are rude to people and they talk rudely. Behind the violence is the bad treatment that children get from their parents and the love that is missing from their lives.

  Finally, I suggest that there be a stronger plan to take these kids out of the school. Put up more hidden cameras so that the criminals can be caught. We need to find some way to bring back “respect” in our schools.

Hara Voulgari

  Nowadays, unfortunately there is crime in the schools. Fortunately for us no type of crime has come to our island. We sometimes hear such cases on TV at other places of Greece. One kind of crime is drugs. Some criminals try to pass them into the schools through the children who are the main victims. I think the state must do something to prevent the crime by putting some policemen in each school to guard them during the hours that the schools are open.

  Perhaps these criminals didn’t have a beautiful childhood. They may be children of divorced parents. Maybe they have seen their parents quarrel and hit each other. So, through the crime they defuse themselves and express their bad feelings and experiences.

Steve Melis

  In my school there are some children who damage school property like they break mirrors, they write on the walls and they don’t respect their teachers. I think the reason for this is their parents. They don’t give them love and sometimes they hit them for unknown reasons. I think that they should give them more understanding, they must love them like real children. And the teachers should help these children the right way. This is my opinion of this problem.

Angelina Kalogeraki

  In our days the vandalism rate rises higher and higher. There’s vandalism in the schools too. A big problem in my school is vandalism. A lot of students do bad things like breaking the school’s property, writing on the walls and the desks or they laugh at other students who have problems. An example in our school is a boy who breaks the windows, he hits other children and he kicks the walls. He sometimes pays for everything he does but we often pay for it, too.

  Maybe the reason that he does this is peer pressure, no self-control, he loses his temper easily, problems at home and his aggressive behaviour. Also he may not have a father or mother. A solution to this problem is to discuss it with other students and his teacher and make him understand his faults, so he won’t do it again. Maybe his behaviour is a form of self-expression. His feelings come out with this behaviour. But he should know that it’s not the right form of self-expression. There is a right way and a wrong way. This is the wrong way! 

Jim Tampakis

  In our school some children break things, paint walls and destroy school property. In my opinion, these children do it because they want to express themselves. Another reason is that they may have bad friends that recommend them to do it. That’s called peer pressure. I think we should tell them that this isn’t good and suggest they stop it. So, we have to deter from doing it. If they won’t stop, then we have to tell it to someone older that can help them, like a teacher, our headmaster or to their parents. In the USA there is an organisation that helps to decrease the number of vandals in schools. Maybe we have to do the same. I don’t know how but I know that we must stop vandalism in schools.

Evi Fragou

  In my school the students write on the walls, they laugh at the teachers and they write threats like: “if you don’t come to the haunted house tonight at twelve o’clock, you are going to be dead”, and other unsuitable words or phrases. I think the reasons for all of this is that the students have families that don’t care about their children, they permit them to do anything and see everything they want and they don’t talk with them. I think that these kind of students mustn’t be in schools and the principal should scold them because other students can be affected by them and I also think that some special people must talk to them. I think that some of these students who do these things is because they think that it is cunning.

  The town must do something about vandalism in the schools because it’s very important and it is increasing every day.

Kiriaki Linou

  In my school, there are different kinds of vandalism, like painting the walls, the chairs, the desks and the boards, breaking things, telling bad and ver silly things to the teachers etc. There are a lot of reasons for someone to do all these things. The reasons are: maybe the family isn’t very well-boclanced or the parents aren’t good and polite people or the parents are divorced. The children who do these things want to be famous, like heroes, but they really are like cartoons. They don’t really understand it, but it’s really horrible. Something should be done, like cameras everywhere in the school and if anyone does something, he’s going to have tougher punishments, like sending him/her to another school. I also think that it’s a form of self-expression. These children want to figure everything bad out, to be in that way more relaxed and calm. But that isn’t a good choice. Instead, it’s the worst. Let’s try and stop all this staff! 

Jim Karabourniotis

  In my school, some children, especially the older ones, think that they can do anything they want and they destroy the chairs. They hit the chairs and the desks and they write on the teachers’ chairs. I think they do it because they think it is funny to destroy and they like it. Their parents have to punish them.

  Now if you see someone doing this, you have to report it to the headmaster. Then, they should expel them for five days or more. Vandalism is a self-expression for them. For me it isn’t because it isn’t good to destroy everything in your way because the others will be sad for this and it’s like you have destroyed a life. For me vandalism is a bad thing and I advise you not to become one of them.

Joanna Mendonidi

  Vandalism is a really important thing and there are different kinds in our city and in our schools.

  In my school we have a big problem with children who paint on the walls. It’s not a really serious kind of vandalism, but it is one. Sometimes they write some awful things but I sometimes like their graffities. I think that these children are not popular and they don’t have good friends so they think that by doing this, they become better and real cool. Or they just want to express themselves, because painting is a way to say what you want without shouting. Some of my classmates have seen some of them when they are painting the walls, but they don’t say anything to the teachers because they are afraid of what the children may do.

  I think that the best way to stop it is to talk at the headmaster if we see them, because they must stop. The headmaster has told us that if he finds them, he will tell their parents and send them away, but they’re not afraid of them. Vandalism must stop, especially in schools, because there are young children who can get hurt. Also the schools aren’t beautiful and our classrooms are ugly! I don’t like using broken chairs and desks with writing on it. We should care for our space, not destroy it!

Tasos Geomelos

  In my school, many children throw the chairs down. Other children stick pieces of papers on the walls, on the board or even on the maps. But mainly they paint with pens and other things on the walls, the chairs and the desks. I think that the reasons are that they want to express their feelings, to put their marks on the school and to be occupied with something, because they are bored of studying and of boring lessons.

  Teachers should check to see that the classrooms are clean. If there is dirt and paintings on the walls, the chairs and the desks, they should punish the culprit, so he or she won’t do it again. I think that they express themselves, but I think that there are safer and better ways to express themselves. I don’t think it is cool to be stupid. The problem is that more people need to think that way.

Hara Voulgari

  In my school we have vandalism from some children from my own school. Many of them lose their temper easily, they become aggressive, they kick and punch. The teachers are very sorry for them. They give punishments but they can do nothing. Some of them write on the floor, on the walls, on the desks and they put logo on the chairs. But some children come from High School, too. They are vandals and they do worse things. They throw eggs on the walls, they break windows and cause damage. I think the reason for these things is that they think they are clever and show it in this way. Or maybe they are crazy, I don’t know. But unfortunately we can’t do anything to stop them. Maybe they must think about the bad things they do and the pain they cause to others. But I don’t think they care. Perhaps one day it will happen to them and then they’ll understand.

Jim Nanakis

  In the summer I go to the beach. There I swim and play with my brother. There are a lot of trees and umbrellas. I make sand castles and I look for shells.

  On the beach I play football with my brother. Then I swim in the sea. At midday I eat biscuits or a toasted sandwich. Then I go to swim in the sea again. I sit on the beach and throw sticks into the sea. Later, I fish with my dad and catch crabs and starfish.

  In the afternoon, my family and I go to a restaurant to eat. Then I go home. I have a bath and go to sleep.

  I like summer because we don’t have school and it’s hot. 

Mike Kritoulis

  My house isn’t very big but it is beautiful. The outside walls are white and the roof is brown. It has two doors. The doors are brown. The house has six rooms. There is a kitchen in which there is a cooker, a fridge and some cupboards. On the cupboard there is a smaller cooker and a vase with flowers and some photos. There is also a table and on it there is a vase. In the living room there is a dining table, two sofas, an armchair, a television set and a video on the table. In the bathroom there is a basin, a bath, a toilet and a small wardrobe. There are three bedrooms. In my bedroom there is a computer, a bookcase, a wardrobe, my bed and a bedside table, a stereo and one small sofa and a chair. In my sister’s room there is a wardrobe, a bookcase, a chair, two bedside tables and her bed. In my parents’ room there is a wardrobe, a television set, a very small wardrobe, their beds and two bedside tables. Our bedrooms have carpets on the floors and curtains on the windows.

Jim Nanakis

  My house is very big. It has got two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room and a dining room.

  I haven’t got my own bedroom, I share it with my brother and my sister. In my bedroom there is a desk and three beds. On the window there is a nice white curtain and on the floor there is a blue carpet and I have got a bookcase with a lot of books.

  In the bathroom there is a basin, two towels and a bath. There is a window too.

  In the kitchen there is a sink, a table, a fridge and a lot of chairs. On the table there is a beautiful blue vase.

  In the living room there are two sofas and one armchair. There is a bookcase, one small table and on it there is a vase. There is a TV set, a DVD and a personal stereo.

  In the dining room there is a big table and some nice chairs.

  In my father and my mother’s bedroom there is a big bed, a blue curtain, a TV set and a video.

  I like my house it is very big and beautiful!

Jim Nanakis

  My friend’s name is Jim. He is eleven years old. He is my best friend.

  He is short and thin. He usually wears tracksuits and trainers. He has got green eyes and brown short hair. He is friendly and sunny and he tells a lot of jokes. His hobbies are football and volleyball. He has got a good trainer. He trains three times a week at the gym. He is a good footballer. He likes to train very much. Every Saturday he goes to the gym and he runs.

  But I don’t like him when he cries and when he shouts loudly.

  He is my friend. I love him very very much. 

Mike Kritoulis

  My best friend is James. He is eleven years old. We play together and we go to school together. We play video games and we ride our bikes in the park. We go for walks and sometimes we read and go to lessons together. We have fun.

  He always wears tracksuits and sometimes jeans and trainers. He is tall and thin. He has got brown hair and brown eyes.

  He is always happy and sometimes sad. He is funny. He likes to play football. He goes to an academy two days a week. He plays football at school too and sometimes in the park with me and my friends.

  I like him very much. He is my friend.

Jim Nanakis

  Last week I went to school. When I came home I watched TV. On TV I saw a beautiful film. Then I played computer games. I did my homework for school. Then I went to the cinema with my sister. We saw a film. it was called HARRY POTTER. After the cinema we went to a restaurant and ate a hamburger.

  On Tuesday I went to play football on a field with my friends. When I came home I had a bath. After that I played with my toys.

  Yesterday, when I woke up, I ate my breakfast. Then I went to the stadium and played football with my team. I went home, had a bath and lay on the sofa. After that, I went out and played with my friends. Then I went to sleep.

  I liked last week.

Mike Kritoulis

  Last week I went to Goody’s with my family and after that we went for a walk. It was very beautiful. I went to the cinema and I saw a film. it was a very beautiful film and very nice and funny. I went to my uncle with my family. I played with my cousins and we saw TV and read books. After that, we ate sandwiches. We had fun.

  With my school we went on a trip to learn something and played. We played many games: football, volleyball and hide-and-seek. We had a picnic and talked about everything.

  At the weekend I stayed with my grandparents. I played many games with my friends and my sister.

  This weekend was very beautiful and funny. I was very happy.    

Mike Kritoulis

  On Mondays my family and I go to the beach. We stay there the whole day. We put up an umbrella on the beach and we sit on towels. I swim with my sister and we play in the water. My father fishes and my mother swims with us. We make sand castles on the beach and find shells in the water and on the sand. We play volleyball and tennis. After we play, we go to eat and later we go for a walk. Then we go into the sea again. We dive into the sea from rocks and we use masks under the water. We play games in the sea. Then we go home.

Kathy Meni

  My neighbourhood is near the center of Chios town. There are many houses with their gardens in my street. There is an elementary school, a high school and a church.

  There are also many shops near my house; a mini market, a super market and a greengrocer’s at the corner. There is a bakery too and a motor shop. And a clothes shop near the church!

  On Saturday afternoons I usually go to the small park with my friends. It’s not far from my house. We play and talk there. I feel very lucky that I live in this neighbourhood. My neighbours are very nice people and I love them. We are all friends: parents and children.

  I hope I’ll live here for ever.    

Fani Ekatomati

  My neighbourhood isn’t big but it’s very beautiful. It has got houses with gardens and a lot of flowers and trees. There are two churches and a square. In the square I go with my friends and we play every day after we do our homework.

  On Saturdays we go to play at the funfair and we play all day. Usually on Sundays I go to church with my parents. In the afternoon I go to my dance lesson and to gymnastics. Every Monday my family and I go to a restaurant for lunch. My village has got three restaurants and a big park with flowers and trees. Also it has got a lot of churches with beautiful bells.

Peter Sitaras

  Hello! My name is Peter Sitaras. I have got a big family. The members of my family are four. My family can do many things.

  My father is thirty-five years old. His name is Nick. He can play chess. He can make sweets. He is a confectioner. He can ride a motorcycle. He can drive a car. He can cook chicken with potatoes. He can’t swim. He can’t play piano. He can’t use sign language.

  My mother is twenty-nine years old. Her name is Athena. She can swim. She can play hide-and-seek. She can paint sea monsters. She can cook chocolate cake. she can’t play guitar. She can’t play chess. She can’t run very fast. She can’t dance very well.

  My brother is six years old. His name is John. He can paint sea monsters. He can run very fast. He can ride a bike. He can swim. He can’t use sign language. He can’t use a computer. He can’t write words in Greek. He can’t cook a chocolate cake.

  I am Peter. I’m ten years old. I can play football and baseball. I can swim. I can cook. I can play music. I can use a computer. I can’t paint sea monsters. I can’t use sign language. I can’t read a French book. I can’t make a puzzle. I can’t drive a car. I can’t ride a motorcycle.

  My family and I can do only these things.

  Thank you and goodbye!

Peter Sitaras

  Dear Nick,

 Hi, my name is Peter Sitaras. I am ten years old. I go to Tholopotami school.

I get up at twenty past seven every morning. I wash my face and I have breakfast with my brother and my mother. My father never has breakfast with us on weekdays. He gets up very early and he goes to work at half past six in the morning. My mum drives us to school with her car. She doesn’t work there but she likes driving us to school. School starts at ten past eight.

 My brother and I come back at half past one in the afternoon. We have lunch at home with our mum. Then my brother and I do our homework. When we finish our homework, we play football and volleyball. My father doesn’t play with us. He still works. He comes back at half past four in

the afternoon.

 My family and I have dinner at eight o’clock in the evening. Then we go in the living room and we watch TV. My brother and I go to bed at ten o’clock at night.

  But weekends are very different. On Saturdays I get up at ten o’clock in the morning and I go to play football with my friends. I have lunch at half past two in the afternoon. Then I do all my homework. I watch television at seven o’clock. We all have dinner at half past eight in the evening. I go to bed very late. On Sundays I stay in all day and I play a lot of beautiful and different games with my brother.

Areti Tourani

  Hello!! My name is Areti. I live in Chios. Chios is a very beautiful island. My family isn’t very big. I have got one beautiful sister and one little brother. My mother and my father with my sister and my brother are very important for me! I can’t live without them.

  Well, I have got so much to say to you about my morning. I get up at seven o’clock in the morning. Then I have breakfast(sometimes alone). After that I go to the bathroom to clean my face and to brush my teeth. Then I get dressed and I go to school with my sister.

  In the evening, I often do my homework. Then I have dinner with my family at eight o’clock. After that I go into my bedroom and I watch my favourite films. When they finish, I always go to my sister’s bedroom and I talk with her about my school day. Then I go to the bathroom, I brush my teeth again and after that I go to bed.

  The weekends are different for me these two days are exciting. At weekends I wake up at half past eleven, I have breakfast and I brush my teeth and clean my face. After that, I go to my uncle’s house and I take my cousins to go to park. We play together different things. We usually stay in the park until two o’clock. We take our bikes and we go away. When we come back, we eat lunch and my sister and I play computer games. In the afternoon the weekends are cool! 

Marianna Tourani

  Hello, my name is Marianna Tourani. I live in Chios. I’ve got a very happy family and there are five members in it. They are my mother Irene, my brother Leonidas, my sister Areti and me. My mother works five hours a day and my father eight hours a day. They are my darling parents, so my sister, my brother and I love them very very much and they love us very much too.  

  Every morning I wake up at half past seven, I drink a glass of fresh milk and some biscuits, then I go in the bathroom, I brush my teeth and I wash my face. Later, I get dressed with sports wear or jeans, I comb my hair and then my father drives me and my sister to school. At school I’m so happy.

  In the evening I do all my homework very carefully and then I go to play in the playground with my friends when I haven’t got a lot of lessons. Later, I’m so tired and I need to sleep, but my parents don’t let me, because we must eat dinner at eight o’clock. So, I play with my laptop and I often help my mother with the dinner.

  At weekends I often finish my homework on Saturday and on Sunday I play all day with my computer, my friends and my brother and sister. But I sometimes go to my grandmother and I help her with the housework or I go to my friend’s house.

Marianna Tourani

  My neighbourhood is really very beautiful and interesting! It’s got everything. There are a lot of shops in my street. My street is Agia Anna Kapela. There is a beautiful park near my house and another house opposite mine. There is also a flat next to my house, but there isn’t a cinema.

  Agia Anna’s church is not very far from my house. I go there every week with my parents. And the bakery is around the corner.

  On Saturdays I usually go shopping with my friends. There is a clothes shop in the square. There’s also a bookshop next to the square.

  It’s a beautiful neighbourhood.

Gus Papadimitrakis

  Ben Affleck was born in August 1972 in California. His father’s name is Tim. He has a brother too, Casey. His father and his brother are also actors. When he was young he went to school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He always wanted to be an actor.

  He acted on TV shows at the age of eight. Later, he went to drama school with Mat Damon. He starred in many TV series. His first film was in 1993.

  He is a very successful film star. He has won an Oscar and he also writes screenplays. He hasn’t married yet. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal life.

Gus Papadimitrakis

  Ronaldinho was born in March 1981 in Brazil. He has a sister, Dasy and a mother, Migelina but he hasn’t a father because he died when Ronaldinho was eight. When he was very young, he trained doing football tricks with his dog. At the age of sixteen, he became the first scorer and world champion of Egypt.

  Now he is a player of the team Barcelona. He is the captain of the team and he is the best football player in the world.

  He hasn’t got married yet. He likes playing ping-pong, playstation and football. His name is Ronaldo de Asis Moreira. Ronaldinho is his stage name.