“Yaren and the Sun” is an 18-minute Op-Doc film that touches on themes of loss, community and learning. It profiles Yaren, age 10, who lost her mother at six. She felt alone in her grief — until she attended a camp for kids who have lost someone important.
How do you deal with grief? What can you learn about processing loss from Yaren’s story?
Students
1. Watch the short film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.
2. After watching, think about these questions:
What questions do you still have?
What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why?
3. An additional challenge | Respond to the essential question at the top of this post: How do you deal with grief? What can a ‘grief camp’ for kids teach us about healing?
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
Three years ago, we came across a short article about Missing You, a summer camp in Belgium where children struggling with grief can come together and bond with their peers. It struck us as an incredibly pure idea, and we wanted to know more. What does a grief camp look like? Is it a sullen, sad affair? Does it really help the children? And what do they do there?
In our research, which was funded by the Ket & Doc program for youth documentaries, we found that children who lose a parent or a sibling can feel profoundly alone in their loss. Suddenly, they’ve got no one to turn to, not even their friends. After all, who wants to talk about grief?
When we met Yaren, 10, the central figure in the short documentary above, she immediately stole our hearts. She showed us what grief really looked like — how it’s a part of her but it doesn’t define her. She told us how painful it was that some people started avoiding her after her mother died, just because they felt uncomfortable talking about it. And above all, she showed us how you can still be happy even while carrying a burden as heavy as hers.
We are honored to share Yaren’s story and those of so many other grieving children. We hope it can encourage everyone to be a little more open about grief.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
A recent Times article explained that while most people can’t wait to take off their masks in public, for some teenagers, the prospect is nerve-racking.
According to the article:
They worried they may be deemed less attractive. They worried about acne that had been exacerbated by face coverings. They worried about getting sick or getting family members sick. And they worried about whether wearing, or not wearing, masks might align them with certain political beliefs.
Can you relate to any of the worries described above? In general, how have you felt about mask mandates being lifted? Has shedding your mask brought great relief or heavy anxiety? How does your comfort level compare to that of your peers?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about why some kids have been hesitant to ditch their masks.
Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
When we expect less of people, it’s often because we think less of them: In 1974, the linguistic anthropologist Elinor Ochs documented that in rural villages in Madagascar, women were associated more with direct and therefore less refined speech than men. Their culture heavily valued circumlocution — diplomatic, even delicate speech — but it was still considered socially acceptable for women to speak bluntly, sometimes even coarsely, because less was expected of them.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word circumlocution in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.
If you want a better idea of how circumlocution can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
A recent Times special section on cryptocurrency describes it as a tech trend that is “too big to overlook” for both its economic and cultural power.
These days, “crypto” usually refers to the entire universe of technologies that involve — the systems that power digital currencies like Bitcoin, but also serve as the base layer of technology for things like NFTs, web3 applications and DeFi trading protocols.
You’re about to read an article that describes the growing trend of weddings for people’s animals, including cats, dogs and even cows. In one ceremony, 80 canine pairs were united in marriage. But before you read the article, finish this sentence: Animal weddings are ______.
What do you think: Is this a good diversion for our times? A fine reason to throw a party? A waste of time or money? Something else entirely?
Odds are you’ve never hosted an animal wedding. But have you ever done anything out of the ordinary to celebrate your pets or their role in your life?
On Dec. 4, 2021, Twixie and Cowboy, both 2-year-old Brussels Griffons, were married at the Dallas home of the bride (Twixie), in the backyard. She wore an appliquéd lace bodice with a ruffle of layered tulle at the waist. The groom donned a handmade silk-cotton tuxedo and top hat.
In front of a makeshift chapel set up for the occasion, a ceremony was led by Sam Palmeter, whose Brussels Griffon, Grinch, attended and is a friend of the couple. Fig, another Brussels Griffon, served as a flower girl.
Later, four-legged guests enjoyed a meal of puppy chow from Vestals Catering in Dallas (which also caters events for humans), as well as a puppuccino bar and activities including a ball pit.
The nuptials cost about $25,000. Twixie’s owner, Tara Helwig, 37, a fitness coach in Dallas, and Cowboy’s owner, Makayla Wilson, 22, an epidemiology data analyst in Phoenix, split the bill.
The two and their canines met at a Brussels Griffon hangout in February 2021. The dogs soon became “boyfriend and girlfriend,” said Ms. Helwig, who started planning the wedding with Ms. Wilson after the owners and their pets visited each others’ homes.
Of the 40 Brussels Griffons invited, 37 attended. “It just turned out to be way grander than anticipated,” Ms. Helwig said.
Ms. Wilson, who handled the guest list, said that she and Ms. Helwig intended to throw “the most epic dog wedding.”
“We were not just going to do a photo shoot,” she added. “We wanted to do more than that.”
Celebrating a union of two animals, or even an animal and a human, is not a new concept. But as the pandemic forced many human couples to put ceremonieson hold, more people began to “think outside the box and write their own rules, and that’s especially true when it comes to pet weddings,” said Hannah Nowack, an editor at the wedding planning and registry website The Knot.
Last June, employees of Village Pet Supplies & Gifts in Luzerne, Pa., hosted the “Holy Catrimony” of Toby and Noelle, two local cats, at the store. Noelle’s owner, Melissa Sulima, an attorney in Pittston, Pa., had the idea after her cat became enamored with Toby, who lives at Village Pet Supplies, in videos that were shared on its Facebook page.
Following a string of successful in-person dates, every human who witnessed their chemistry agreed that the cats belonged together, “and it just exploded from there,” said Ms. Sulima, 42, who adopted Noelle in 2019 from Rescue Warriors Cat Rescue in West Pittston, Pa.
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Since the rediscovery of Pompeii in the 18th century, archaeologists and historians have used the site’s archaeological treasures to piece together how the inhabitants of this 2,000-year-old Roman city lived.
In this lesson, you will learn about efforts at Pompeii to broaden the stories told to visitors — including looking more deeply at social class and oppression in the city, while also making the site more accessible to children, people with different cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities. Then, you will be invited to learn about various archaeological discoveries at Pompeii as well as some of the hardships the site has faced. You’ll also have the opportunity to think about what you hope archaeologists will discover about your town in 2,000 years.
Warm-Up
What do you know about Pompeii? Have you read books or seen any movies about the ancient city that was smothered by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79? Have you seen the casts of victims’ bodies preserved in the same position as when the pyroclastic flow hit them?
What do you know about the daily life of people who lived in the ancient city? Watch this short video that documents the discovery of a snack bar in Pompeii.
If you don’t know much about the eruption in Pompeii, watch this five-minute TED-Ed video about what historians and archaeologists believe happened during the volcanic eruption.
1. Who was Marcus Venerius Secundio? Why is his story significant, particularly as Pompeii shifts its interpretive focus?
2. Historically, why did people visit Pompeii? How is Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the archaeologist who became the site’s director in 2021, hoping to broaden the ways in which visitors understand the city?
3. How did the discovery of “the Room of the Slaves” shed light on the darker aspects of life in Pompeii?
4. Sarah E. Bond is an associate professor of history at the University of Iowa. What is her take on the new direction at Pompeii? What do you think?
5. How is climate change posing a preservation challenge for Pompeii? What technology is being used to identify and address some of these concerns?
6. According to Paolo Mighetto, an architect overseeing a restoration project at Pompeii, why is it important that visitors be able to use technology as they explore areas that are currently being restored?
Going Further
Option 1: Learn more about Pompeii.
Over the years, The New York Times has highlighted exciting archaeological discoveries at Pompeii, as well as difficult moments the institution has navigated. Choose one article or video from the “Challenges” section and one from the “Discovery” section.
After you’ve absorbed the articles or videos, reflect on what you learned about Pompeii’s past as a historical and archaeological site, and the discoveries that researchers have made:
In your own words, how has Pompeii struggled as a historical site?
What surprised or interested you about the discovery you read about?
What is one question you have about the future of Pompeii?
What is one thing you hope for the site in terms of interpretation, preservation or research in the years to come?
Option 2: What should future archaeologists know about your town?
Imagine that archaeologists are visiting a preserved version of your own town or city thousands of years from now. What do you think they should understand about its daily life, including the work and leisure activities, family relationships, schools and meals that make it up?
After you’ve come up with some answers, consider the objects that best represent these parts of your life and world. Create a list of five artifacts that would allow archaeologists to understand daily life where you live. Write a short description of what each object is and what it would tell someone in — let’s say 6022 — about life in your community in 2022.
If you have more time, you can create a mini gallery exhibit with images of each of the objects and a corresponding label, like you would see at a museum. You and your classmates can take a gallery walk to see the objects that you each think would be important for archaeologists in the future. What similarities do you see between your selections? Did anyone choose something that surprised you or that you wished you had included?
Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.
What do the posts in your social media feeds tell you about how your body should look? How do they affect the way you feel about your body?
In general, how does what you see on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or other social media sites affect your body image, which is defined as “a combination of the thoughts and feelings that you have about your body”?
In “What Is ‘Bigorexia’?” Alex Hawgood writes that some teenage boys feel pressure to build muscle because of what they see on social media:
Like many high school athletes, Bobby, 16, a junior from Long Island, has spent years whipping his body into shape through protein diets and workouts.
Between rounds of Fortnite and homework, Bobby goes online to study bodybuilders like Greg Doucette, a 46-year-old fitness personality who has more than 1.3 million YouTube subscribers. Bobby also hits his local gym as frequently as six days a week.
“Those guys made me realize I wanted to get bodies like them and post stuff like them,” said Bobby, who has fluffy curls of dark hair and the compact frame of a gymnast. (The New York Times is not publishing the surnames of minors or the names of their parents in this article to protect their privacy.)
He makes sure to hit the fridge, too, grazing on protein-packed Kodiak Cakes and muscle-mass-building Oreo shakes. He consumes so much protein that classmates sometimes gawk at him for eating upward of eight chicken-and-rice meals at school.
But Bobby isn’t getting buff so he can stand out during varsity tryouts. His goal is to compete in a different arena: TikTok.
Bobby now posts his own workout TikToks. Shot on his iPhone 11, usually at the gym or in his family’s living room, the videos are devoted to topics like how to get a “gorilla chest,” “Popeye forearms” or “Lil Uzi’s abs.”
The article continues:
For many boys and young men, muscle worship has become practically a digital rite of passage in today’s beefcake-saturated culture. Examples are everywhere — the hypermasculine video games they play, the mesomorphic superheroes in the movies they watch. The top grossing films of last year were ruled by C.G.I.-enhanced masculine clichés: Spider-Man, Shang Chi, Venom and the entire Marvel universe.
Many doctors and researchers say that the relentless online adulation of muscular male bodies can have a toxic effect on the self-esteem of young men, with the never-ending scroll of six packs and boy-band faces making them feel inadequate and anxious.
And while there has been increased public awareness about how social media can be harmful to teenagers — spurred in part by the leak of internal research from Facebook showing that the company hid the negative effects of Instagram — much of that focus has been on girls.
Recent reports, however, have found that those same online pressures can also cause teenage boys to feel bad about their bodies.
How does social media affect the way you feel about your body? Has it ever made you feel bad about the way you look? Has it ever made you feel good?
Did you relate to any of the teenagers quoted in this article? If so, which ones, and why?
What messages have you received about how your body should look from social media and what you should do to make it look that way? Pick one of these messages and evaluate it: Is it good advice for teenagers? Would you share it with one of your friends?
Do you feel that men are encouraged or discouraged in sharing struggles or insecurities related to their bodies? Why do you think that is?
“The line between getting fit and fanatical is not always clear,” Mr. Hawgood writes. Do you agree? Do you think teenagers can learn useful lessons about fitness online without becoming obsessive or unhealthy? How?
Have you ever encountered body-positive content on social media? How has it made you feel? Do you think posts of this kind are useful? Why or why not?
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
When you think of artificial intelligence (AI), what comes to mind? Self-driving cars? Human-like robots? How about pet robots? While the term “AI” might conjure up futuristic ideas, we’re actually already interacting with AI innovations on a daily basis. Think: chatbots and virtual travel booking agents.
And the AI space will only continue to grow — in fact, over the next six years, the global artificial intelligence market is expected to reach $641.3 billion. The good news? This means that there will be more and more jobs for AI Engineers with opportunities across industries. Engineers working in the AI space can work on a huge range of projects, from disease-mapping to gambling to cybersecurity to translation and linguistics.
The better news? Since AI Engineers work with some of the most cutting-edge technology and take on a lot of responsibility, they’re generally some of the highest-paid engineers. Of course, these salaries vary by a number of factors. Here’s a closer look at what influences an AI Engineer’s salary.
What factors affect an AI Engineer’s salary?
According to new data from ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary of an AI Engineer in the United States is $164,769. But the majority of the salaries collected for their research fell between $142,500 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile). And the lowest annual salaries were $90,000, while the highest reached $304,500.
This range here is huge — over $200,000! But why? Factors like location, skills, the number of years you’ve been working, and who you work for can all influence how much you can earn as an AI Engineer.
Location
Being able to work remotely has given professionals in almost every industry a lot of flexibility in terms of where they live and the roles they can apply for. And since AI engineering is a field that’s particularly well-suited for remote work, it’s very likely that you’ll be able to enjoy this flexibility too.
Even if you work remotely, location-based factors can still affect your salary. Generally, we see higher average salaries for professionals based in major cities versus small towns, but ZipRecruiter reports that Lakes, Alaska, which has a current population of 10,206, has the highest average salary — $197,897 per year — for AI Engineers in the United States. (FYI: ZipRecruiter also notes that the job market for AI Engineers in Lakes is “underperforming,” which means there aren’t that many job opportunities there.)
Following Lakes, San Francisco comes in at $195,425 per year, and Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. are two other major cities listed in the top 10 highest-paying U.S. cities for AI Engineer jobs. If you want to live on the coast, AI Engineers in Bridgeport, Connecticut make an average of $185,610 per year, which is the tenth highest-paying U.S. city.
Artificial intelligence is a highly innovative field and a lot of concepts and work stems from academic research. Because of this, having a formal degree in a related field will likely impact not only your salary range but also your chances of landing a job in AI. But it’s definitely not out of the question for you to get an AI job if you don’t have or plan to get a college degree, especially with tech companies dropping degree requirements. Just know it could take longer to find the right fit.
In addition to a formal degree, you can also look into online courses and professional development that can help bump your salary into a higher bracket. Both of these options are great if you want to learn a new tool or expand on your skills to potentially give you more opportunities to work on different projects, while also boosting your earning potential.
Experience
The number of years you’ve been working in a field, as well as the total number of years you’ve been in the workforce, is one of the biggest factors that impact salary, no matter which field you work in. Generally speaking, the more years of experience you have, the higher your salary.
Entry-level AI Engineers, those with 0-1 years of experience, earn a median annual salary of $118,344, according to Glassdoor. Once you’ve been working in the field for a few years and have 4-6 years of experience, the median salary jumps to $126,669. And down the line, when you’ve been working for 15 years or more, the pay comes in at $150,672 annually.
Field & employer
With AI technology being adopted by businesses across a wide range of sectors, you’ll likely have the opportunity to pick a field to work in that aligns with your passions, expertise, and salary requirements.
One thing to keep in mind when you’re deciding which field to focus your job search in is that some fields are investing more in AI than others right now, which can certainly impact your salary. AI is particularly prevalent in the financial, healthcare, and life sciences sectors, and some leading companies in these sectors that are hiring include CVS Health, Pfizer, and Fidelity Investments, as well as many other major U.S.-based and international banks. But it’s also growing in the retail, sports, and manufacturing areas with companies like McDonalds, Meta, NFL, and John Deere investing in AI.
If you want to work in AI but you can’t find a role that has the specific title of AI Engineer, don’t let that stop you, because you actually still have a few other options. There are a number of closely related roles that you can consider, and one of these is a Machine Learning Engineer. Since machine learning is a subset of AI, your work as a Machine Learning Engineer can involve AI. Check out our post on what a Machine Learning Engineer does to learn more, and then read up on how much you can earn in this role.
Another area you can keep in mind is data science. Businesses hire Data Scientists to help them assess their AI products in the market and make data-driven decisions. While you might not help in the initial development of the AI technology, you can be involved in the overall project as a Data Scientist. Check out what a Data Scientist does and how much they can earn.
How to start your AI engineering career
If you’re ready to jump into a career in AI, a great place to start is by mastering a programming language that you’ll use on the job. Python is one of the top languages used by AI Engineers, and it’s also a top language used in machine learning. You can check out our beginner-friendly Learn Python course, and after that, you can take a look at our Building Chatbots with Python and learn how to build software that can have conversations like humans.
Once you’re ready to start applying for jobs in AI, check out our Career Center, which can support you during every step of the job-hunting process, particularly as you build your portfolio and prepare for the technical interview.
When you’re just starting out as a freelancer, finding work can feel like its own full-time job — but there are some tricks that make it a little easier.
Turning to your personal network to get the word out is one of the best ways to start building a clientbase, according to Nicole Young, a freelance Full-Stack Engineer who hosts a YouTube channel about breaking into the tech industry as a woman of color. Nicole said that simply sharing her work on social media and explaining that she was looking for freelancing opportunities helped her find many of her first clients.
But eventually, you’ll have to look outside of your circle — especially if you’re new to tech and don’t know many people in the field. Browsing endless classifieds and cold-pitching yourself to random people typically isn’t the most efficient way to get work. (Though if you have a dream client, it certainly doesn’t hurt to try!)
Fortunately, there are multiple online job boards that freelancers can use to shop for new opportunities and get discovered by clients and companies. Plus, many are free to use, though they usually charge a service fee — typically a percentage of your earnings per project.
So, to help you start finding freelance tech jobs, here’s a list of go-to sites freelance developers use to find work, connect with other people in the business, and start making money.
10 job boards for freelance developers
Fiverr is a popular freelancing platform. As its name suggests, you can provide your services for as little as five dollars, so it’s also great if you’re just starting out and want to dip your toes in the water with smaller projects. While it’s free to use, Fiverr charges a 5.5% service fee for every transaction — along with a $2 fee for projects under $50.
Upwork is another popular free platform, and with web, mobile, and game development all ranking highly in their list of in-demand skills, it’s particularly great for people with programming skills. To find work, you can either apply for jobs with your rate and an explanation of how you’d tackle the project (kind of like a cover letter), or create offerings outlining your deliverables, turnaround time, and rates, so clients can find you. Plus, as you complete assignments, you’ll earn badges to help build and showcase your credibility. Upwork’s service fees start at 20%, but decrease the more you earn with the same client.
Freelancer is one of the largest freelancing sites, and its wide range of tech categories makes it ideal for specialization, whether you want to focus on a specific platform (like WordPress) or language (like PHP). It also offers background checks for employers, so you can take a look through their past projects, payments, and reviews from other freelancers before you decide whether or not to work with them. Freelancer takes a 10% cut once you take on a project, then another 10% of whatever the client pays you above the agreed-upon price (like if they give you a bonus for your great work).
FlexJobs aims to safeguard freelancers from the spam that plagues many job boards — its research team reviews every job posting and company to make sure they’re legit. In addition to the job board, users also have access to professional development resources, like one-on-one career coaching and employer research. Subscription to FlexJobs ranges from $10 for a week to $70 for a year.
Guru provides freelance job recommendations based on your skill set — for example, API development or machine learning. It also has a handy feature called SafePay, which ensures you’ll get paid on time and even helps you secure a deposit from clients before you take on a job. Guru takes a 9% cut for every invoice for free users, but also offers paid versions ranging from $12 to $50 a month that reduce service fees by up to 4% and give you greater visibility in search results.
Behance is a job board and social networking site created by Adobe for creative professionals — so if you’re looking to show off your front-end or UI/UX design skills, this is the platform for you. You can find work by searching for freelance listings or sharing projects to draw clients to your other platforms. Plus, it’s free to use.
Remote Tech Jobs is specifically for tech professionals looking for remote work opportunities. It aggregates postings from 11 job boards and sorts them by the core technologies required for the roles. Remote Tech Jobs is free to use, and while it offers part- and full-time work, you can also search for freelance or contracted positions.
Communo is a great choice if you’re looking to build a steady clientele, as it prioritizes clients looking for long-term relationships. It doesn’t charge any service fees, and it also provides networking opportunities with online events and webinars.
Envato Studio was created by developers and designers for developers and designers. On this platform, you build a professional profile that clients browse when they’re looking to hire someone for jobs. Then, once you take on a job, its job management tools allow clients to stay current with your progress and provide feedback in real-time. Envato Studio’s service fee is slightly higher than the others’ on this list at 30%.
Toptal is better suited for experienced developers — they screen applicants with skill assessments, interviews, and test projects, and accept only the top 3%. Still, less competition means more clients, which is likely why jobs posted on the site are filled within 48 hours. Toptal collects its service fees from the clients, so as a freelancer, you don’t have to pay a thing.
Want to stand out in a sea of freelancers? It helps to have a technical portfolio that shows clients you have the skills to do the job. If you don’t have one already, check out our project library for ideas on what to include. Or, if you’re still building your skills, our career paths will teach you the tools of the trade for the roles you’re interested in and show you how to use them to build unique projects that you can share with potential clients and employers.
Embrace the power of bright colors with this sunny yellow, spicy orange, playful pink & apple green color palette. These energizing colors will bring visual vibration and a ray of sunshine to any blog design. You’ll certainly brighten the vibe of your blog with this stand-out Bright Green & Pink Palette.
Bright Green & Pink Color Palette
Nothing screams spring more than bright green and yellow. Add a dash of pink and you can’t go wrong when creating spring-themed crafts or designs. Those colors are perfect for clothing, interior design, and accessories.
As always, we have put together a mood board with some inspiration. It is in perfect Pinterest format, so feel free to pin it for later.
See our collection of other gorgeous color palettes by visiting our color palette section.
What do you think about this color palette? Where would you use it? I think it will look great both for interior design and digital arts. There are really no limits here. We would love to hear your thoughts, so make sure to share them in the comments below.
Lastly, learn about the power of color in blog design in our blog post to see how important colors are in all the projects you create.
If you like yellow accents in the design, make sure to check our WordPress Designs where you will find pre-made templates like the Daphne below.
If you prefer pink shades, make sure to check our planners!
Life Planner
Blog Planner
If you create something using today’s color palette don’t forget to share it with us!
