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Should Students Be Allowed to Miss School for Mental Health Reasons?

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Should Students Be Allowed to Miss School for Mental Health Reasons?

Several states, including Arizona, Oregon and Virginia, have recently passed bills that allow students to miss school to take care of their mental health, efforts that were often supported or led by students.

Do you think all students should have the option to take a day off from school to rest, recalibrate and take a break from their regular routine? Does your state or school allow students to take mental health days when necessary?

In “Teens Are Advocating for Mental Health Days Off School,” Christina Caron writes:

By the time Ben Ballman reached his junior year in high school he was busier — and more anxious — than he had ever been.

“I had moments where it felt like the whole world was coming down on me,” he said. “It was definitely a really difficult time.”

Before the pandemic shut everything down, his day started at 6:30 a.m., when he woke up to get ready for school. Next came several Advanced Placement courses; then either soccer practice or his job at a plant nursery; studying for the SAT; and various extracurricular activities. He often didn’t start his homework until 11 p.m., and finally went to bed three hours later. Every day it was the same grueling schedule.

“It’s not even that I was going above and beyond, it was, ‘This is the bare minimum,’” said Ben, now 18 and a recent graduate of Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County, Md. “It’s like a pressure cooker that’s locked down. There’s nowhere to escape. Eventually you just kind of burst at some point, or, hopefully, you can get through it.”

The article continues:

Faced with high stress levels among adolescents and a mental health crisis that includes worsening suicide rates, some states are now allowing students to declare a mental health day.

In the last two years alone, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia have passed bills permitting children to be absent from school for mental or behavioral health reasons, efforts that were often aided or spearheaded by students.

And in March, Utah decided that a “valid excuse” for a student’s absence will now include “mental or behavioral health,” broadening an earlier definition that referred to mental illness. The legislator who sponsored the bill, Representative Mike Winder, a Republican, told the television station KUTV in February that it was his daughter, then a senior at Southern Utah University, who suggested the idea.

Late last year the advocacy group Mental Health America surveyed teenagers about the top three things that would be most helpful for their mental health. More than half of the respondents cited the ability to take a mental health break or absence from either school or work. And in a Harris Poll of more than 1,500 teenagers conducted in May of last year, 78 percent of those surveyed said schools should support mental health days to allow students to prioritize their health.

Ben, the recent graduate, said that as a high school student he had spoken with classmates who were struggling and needed support but didn’t know where to turn. So he organized a coalition of students to improve mental health services for students in his state. This year he spent months supporting a mental health day bill in Maryland, but it stalled in the State Senate.

The article also shares some reasons that mental health days may not become a reality at more schools, at least for now:

In the New York City school system, which has more than 1 million students, a day off for mental or behavioral health reasons “would be treated like any other sick day,” Nathaniel Styer, a New York City Department of Education spokesman, said.

The phrase “mental health day” might make some kids and parents uncomfortable. With that in mind, the school board in Montgomery County, Md., decided that it will excuse absences taken for “student illness and well-being,” starting in the new school year.

“We didn’t want to call it a mental health day, because we know there is still stigma around that,” Karla Silvestre, the school board vice president, told Education Week in June.

Schools are also experimenting with other methods beyond mental health days to help students cope with their daily stressors. The Jordan School District in South Jordan, Utah, is using “wellness rooms,” where students can decompress for 10 minutes if they are feeling overwhelmed. And some schools in Colorado have created “oasis rooms,” a student lounge staffed with peer counselors and other resources.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Do you think that staying home from school when students feel stressed, anxious, depressed or overwhelmed is a healthy thing to do? Would you ever take a mental health day if you had the option? Why or why not?

  • Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz views mental health days as a joyous occasion: an opportunity to have fun. Do you agree? Why, or why not? What do you think a mental health day should look like?

  • Do you think traditional sick days already include mental or behavioral health, like in the New York City school system? Or does having the ability to call an absence from school a “mental health day” better support students’ well-being?

  • Does using this kind of language help families start to have more open conversations about subjects related to mental health, and potentially reduce some of the stigma associated with self-care?

  • What have you been taught about mental wellness? How do you practice self-care?

About Student Opinion

• Find all of our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Learn more about how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, 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.

Coursera Industry Skills Report highlights critical skills gaps as digital transformation investments accelerate across all major industries

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Coursera Industry Skills Report highlights critical skills gaps as digital transformation investments accelerate across all major industries

By Leah Belsky, Coursera Chief Enterprise Officer

I am excited to introduce Coursera’s Industry Skills Report 2021, which examines the pandemic’s impact on digital transformation and skills development across major industries. The report analyzes data on skills proficiency from millions of Coursera learners across 10 different industries between June 2020 and May 2021.

The pandemic has accelerated the rate of digitization on a global scale and dramatically changed the way businesses operate. Recent data shows that two years worth of digital transformation were concentrated between May-June 2020 alone. The Industry Skills Report helps companies assess skills gaps within their workforce and understand the critical skills needed to succeed in the new economy. 

Understanding the industry skills data

In the report, we highlight skills proficiency within each industry. This is calculated by grading all relevant skill assessments completed by learners in a specific industry. We then use machine learning models to estimate how proficient a learner is in a given skill. By taking the average of these individual scores, we are able to determine the industry proficiency level for each skill in the report.

The proficiency levels are represented as percentiles, which are grouped into the following four categories:

  • Cutting-edge: 76th percentile or above
  • Competitive: 51st–75th percentile
  • Emerging: 26th–50th percentile
  • Lagging: 25th percentile or below

Among the major trends that the Industry Skills Report identified include: 

Automotive companies show growth across multiple skills but lack proficiency in critical technologies. Digital transformation creates new skill imperatives as autonomous vehicles, high-efficiency electric car batteries, and connected cars become a priority. To stay competitive, automotive companies have developed cutting-edge technology and data skills such as machine learning (100th percentile), mobile development (100th percentile), and computer programming (78th percentile). However, to build business agility and keep pace with rapid change, automotive companies must strengthen development in several critical skills, including cloud computing (11th percentile), security engineering (44th percentile), and data visualization (22nd percentile).

Manufacturing shows improved proficiency across business, technology, and data skills as it increases the adoption of smart manufacturing, smart factory, and robotics technologies. Companies in the industry have demonstrated cutting-edge skills in strategy and operations (100th percentile), software engineering (100th percentile), and data visualization (78th percentile). Despite improvements, the skills gap and labor shortage in the industry remains a concern. To ensure employees have the skills needed to fill critical roles and improve internal mobility, companies must strengthen proficiency in areas like cloud computing (44th percentile), probability and statistics (44th percentile), and statistical programming (33rd percentile).

Financial Services doubling down on technology and data skills as it navigates disruption caused by changing user behavior and platform shifts. As more financial services companies implement cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, and machine learning technologies, there are rising concerns about the skills gap posing execution risks. The industry is prioritizing development in critical technology and data science skills, including data management (100th percentile), security engineering (89th percentile), and mobile development (89th percentile). The ability to quickly adjust business strategy to create competitive advantages will require improvement in essential skills such as strategy and operations (44th percentile) and leadership and management (44th percentile).  

Professional Services companies must implement digital and virtual processes to supplement human interactions. Professional services is a relationship-driven industry that has relied heavily on in-person interactions. The pandemic and remote work environment are forcing these organizations to use technology in new ways to help build and maintain relationships with clients. Organizations have developed cutting-edge business skills in communication (100th percentile), leadership and management (89th percentile), and marketing (89th percentile). To drive continued growth, companies must implement digital best practices and improve automation by strengthening technical and data skills in mobile development (33rd percentile) and data management (11th percentile). 

Technology companies work to address the short shelf-life of skills with continuous development opportunities. The rapid pace of innovation and the decreasing shelf-life of technology skills will require companies to accelerate development efforts. As expected, the industry has many cutting-edge technology and data skills, including cloud computing (100th percentile), software engineering (89th percentile), and data management (78th percentile). However, to effectively deliver on strategic initiatives, technology companies must also improve critical business skills in low-performing areas such as human resources (22nd percentile), finance (11th percentile), and marketing (11th percentile). 

Telecommunications industry must increase technology and data skills to maximize growth opportunities around 5G Networks. The global telecom services market is expected to be valued at $2.5 trillion by 2028, and continued investments in deploying 5G wireless networks are a crucial growth driver. To deliver on this opportunity, telecom companies have developed cutting-edge technology skills in computer networking (100 percentile), security engineering (100 percentile), and cloud computing (78 percentile). The shift towards 5G networks will have massive data implications. To fully harness the power of their data and maintain a competitive advantage, telcos must significantly improve skills in data analysis (11th percentile), data visualization (11th percentile), and machine learning (33rd percentile). 

Despite the recent downturn, investing in job-based skills development remains a priority for many businesses. We are honored to work with industry leading organizations across the world to provide them with the high-demand skills needed to fill critical roles, deliver stronger business outcomes, and thrive in the digital economy. 

With over 87 million learners and 6,000 institutions subscribing to thousands of courses on the platform,  Coursera has one of the largest data sets for identifying and measuring skill trends. This report includes data from 40 million new learners who registered during the pandemic between Jan 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

To download the Industry Skills Report 2021 and explore the sector findings, click here.

 

What is React?

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What is React?
What is React?

React is the most popular JavaScript front-end framework in use today. It’s used by both established companies and new startups.

React was released by Facebook in 2013, and they still use it today for many of their applications. If you’re new to React, this article will help introduce you to the basics. Or, if you’d rather learn by doing, you can jump right in with our Learn React course.

What is React used for?

React is a JavaScript library for creating user interfaces. Here are three places you’ll find it being used:

Web development

This is where React got its start and where you’ll find it used most often. React is component-based. An example of a component could be a form or even just a form field or button on a website. In React, you build up complete applications using components like these by nesting them.

Components in React can manage their own state and communicate that state to child components. By “state,” we mean the data that populates the web application.

An example would be a user profile form that holds the state of the user’s data, including first name, last name, and other values. This form component would have nested field components that it passes its state to in order to populate them.

Components in React are also reusable, which means you can use one button component for every button on your site. If you need the button to look different, you can simply change its style.

Mobile app development

React Native is a JavaScript framework that uses React. With React Native, developers can apply web-based React principles to creating mobile apps for Android and iOS. Here, React is used to connect the mobile user interface of the application to the phone’s operating system.

Desktop app development

Developers can also use React with Electron, another JavaScript library, to create cross-platform desktop apps. Some apps you may know about that are built with Electron include Visual Studio Code, Slack, Skype, Discord, WhatsApp, and WordPress Desktop.

React example

Let’s look at a React example so you have a better idea of how it works. A React web application runs on one web page. Here’s an example of an HTML file used to run a React app:

Using script tags, we import the JavaScript libraries necessary for React to run. React and React DOM are the basic React libraries we need. Babel is a JavaScript library that compiles the JSX language that React uses into JavaScript the browser can understand.

The div element that has the root id is where the whole React app will run. And the script tag below that is where all the React code will go, which we’ll look at in more detail next.

To use React, you need to create components that use JSX. Below is an example component:

function Heading(props) { return 
{props.value}
; }

The component above is a simple JavaScript function that accepts a parameter called props — a special keyword in React used to pass data between components.

The function returns the value attribute of props wrapped with what looks like an HTML h1 tag. This isn’t actual HTML, yet. It’s called JSX, a React-specific syntax that allows HTML-like text to co-exist with JavaScript.

Below, we have another component that uses our Heading component. In fact, it uses it three times to create headings with different values. Note that the props in React are passed to child components as attributes of the JSX.

function App() { return ( 
    
 ); }

You’ll also notice that the name of this component is App. This is because it’s our complete application. Everything in React is a component, including the whole application. To render this app to the browser, we need one more piece of code.

ReactDOM.render( , document.getElementById('root') );

This code tells React to render the results in the HTML element that has the root id.

React vs. Angular

React is often compared to another JavaScript framework called Angular, but there are a lot of differences between the two. Here’s an overview of some of the main distinctions between the two frameworks:

  • Web development: Angular is a complete front-end framework for building web applications. It’s based on the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern. React, on the other hand, is for creating user interfaces — or just the View part of this pattern. This means you’ll need other libraries or more code to create complete web apps, but you’ll also have greater customizability for your features and structure.
  • Updates: Angular operates directly on a web page’s DOM, so the entire page must be updated when a change is made to its data model. React updates the virtual DOM. These updates are quicker because they don’t trigger changes in the page layout itself. Plus, once React updates the virtual DOM, it’s then compared to the real DOM, and only those parts that differ are updated — allowing for faster rendering and performance.
  • Data binding: Angular uses both one- and two-way data binding, while React only uses one-way. With Angular, changes in data can trigger changes in the view and vice versa. But, with React, data only flows in one direction — which makes debugging an app easier.

How to learn more about React

So, now you know a little about React and why developers use it to build applications. If you’re ready to learn more about React and start building front-end web applications, our Learn React course will teach you the framework’s fundamentals and essential concepts. To apply these newly learned skills and build a complete front-end web app, check out Create a front-end app with React.

Mobile Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Every year more and more people rely on mobile devices to meet their needs. Where websites used to be the gold-standard, people now rely on mobile apps. The technologies used to create these apps are expanding and improving quickly, so it’s an exciting time to start learning Mobile Development!

Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, the content in our Web Development domain will help you get there.

10 Swift Interview Questions To Practice

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10 Swift Interview Questions To Practice
10 Swift Interview Questions To Practice

Swift is a coding language developed by Apple that’s used in iOS and macOS. It’s easy to read and maintain, making it a great first language. Once you’ve mastered Swift, your next step is to land a job where you can put your skills to work.

Potential employers that use Swift need to know that you’re proficient with the language. So, they may ask questions about its features and concepts during your interview. They may also ask you to use Swift to solve a coding problem during a technical interview. To help you prepare, here are 10 interview questions that’ll test your understanding of Swift.

10 Swift interview questions

While it’s impossible to know exactly what your interviewer will ask, the questions below will give you a solid foundation. They’ll give you a sense of what you’ll need to explain and gauge your familiarity with Swift’s underlying features.

1. Explain the similarities and differences between class and structure

Both structures and classes:

  • Define properties to store values
  • Define initializers to set up their initial state
  • Can be extended
  • Define subscripts to provide access to their values using subscript syntax
  • Can conform to protocols
  • Can work with generics

Classes can do some things that structures can’t. For example, they can inherit other classes’ characteristics and free up assigned resources by deinitializers.

The primary difference between the two is that classes are reference types and structures are value types. Reference types share one copy of data, so when one instance is changed, the other is changed as well. Value types make unique copies of data, so if one instance is changed, the other remains unchanged.

2. Explain the difference between nil and .none

This one’s a bit of a trick question. There’s no difference between nil and .none. Still, you may want to note that nil is used more frequently.

3. What is an optional? What problems do optionals solve?

An optional can either have value or be nil. They can be used for both reference and value types. Objective-C, a precursor to Swift, only allowed the absence of value for reference types. Swift extends that to value types.

Optionals also make your code safer and less likely to fail. They’re written by adding a question mark after the type annotation.

4. What are generics? What purpose do they serve?

Generics allow you to write reusable functions and types that can work with any type. They allow you to write code that avoids duplication. Swift’s standard library uses generics heavily. For example, Array and Dictionary are both generics.

5. Explain what a protocol is in Swift

According to Swift.org, a protocol “defines a blueprint of methods, properties, and other requirements that suit a particular task or piece of functionality.” Other classes adopt the protocol and provide implementation. A class that satisfies the rules of a protocol conforms to that protocol.

6. Explain the difference between raw values and associated values in Swift enumerations

An enumeration is a collection of values that belong together. Raw values are used to associate constant values to enum cases. An associated value is used to bind arbitrary data to an enum case.

7. What’s the difference between static and class modifiers?

The static modifier makes a property or function static, which means it’s not overridable and can’t be changed by subclasses. The class modifier can be overridden by a function or property when needed.

8. What is a module?

A module is a single unit of code distribution. Swift treats each build target, like frameworks, as a separate module with its namespace and access controls.

9. What are the access levels in Swift?

Swift has 5 access levels:

  • Open access: This is the least restrictive access level. It enables classes and methods to be subclassed and overridden within the same module and outside the module.
  • Public access: This level makes an entity accessible to other parts of code inside the same module and other modules.
  • Internal access: This is the default access level given to all entities unless you mark it otherwise. Entities marked as internal access are accessible in the scope of their defining module but inaccessible to any source files outside the module.
  • File-private access: Entities marked as file-private can be seen and accessed by any other entity inside the same source file.
  • Private access: This is the most restrictive access level. Entities marked as private are only accessible inside their defining type or source file.

10. What are the control transfer statements in Swift?

Control transfer statements are keywords that allow you to transition control from one piece of code to another. Swift has 5 control transfer statements:

  • Break: This ends the program execution of a loop, if statement, or switch statement.
  • Continue: This ends the program execution of the current iteration of a loop statement and returns control to the next iteration of the loop.
  • Fallthrough: This causes program execution to continue from one case in a switch statement to the next case.
  • Return: This causes program execution to return to the calling function or method.
  • Throw: This is used in propagating errors using throw functions.

More Swift interview help

Preparing for an interview can be stressful. Reviewing these questions can help, but if you need a little more assistance, we can help.

If you need a refresher, we have a beginner Learn Swift course. It covers:

  • Variables
  • Conditionals and logic
  • Loops
  • Arrays and sets
  • Dictionaries
  • Functions
  • Structures
  • Classes

Our Learn Immediate Swift course covers more advanced topics, including:

  • Enumerations
  • Optionals
  • Closures
  • Properties and access control
  • Protocols and generics

If you’d like to spruce up your portfolio and get more hands-on experience, we offer two Skills Paths that will help.Our Build iOS Apps with SwiftUI walks you through building an iPhone app from start to finish. Build an Intermediate iOS App with SwiftUI walks you through creating a fully-featured app with more complex user interfaces.

Swift Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Swift is a modern programming language developed by Apple. This general-purpose programming language is fast and powerful without sacrificing safety or readability. Swift is a great language to learn for those interested in iOS and MacOS development as well as anyone who is just starting to code.

Interview Prep Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Interviewing is an important step in your journey towards landing a job in tech. Technical interviews let you showcase your skills and knowledge, but practice is key. You’ll need to understand technical concepts and be prepared to talk through solutions with your interviewers.

Free Ultimate Blog Planner 2022 Featuring New Color

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Free Ultimate Blog Planner 2022 Featuring New Color

2022 Free Blog Planner - 9 meticulously designed pages of organizational goodness!

Here it is! Our famous ultimate free blog planner is updated for 2022! This year instead of the standard classic version, we decided to give you something more colorful. It is still the same free blog planner you love, but it is in gorgeous purple and pink color palette with subtle orchid embellishments. It is one of two limited edition color palettes we added for 2022.

Do you prefer colored planners or would you like us to come back to classic next year?

You can still get our Classic Blog & Life Planner but for those who are looking for something different, two new colors – Orchid & Herbs will be a perfect choice. Give the Orchid Free Blog Planner a test run and make sure to let us know what you think about it.

What’s included in the Free Blog Planner download package

The following 9 pages can be downloaded in US Letter size (8.5 x 11) ABSOLUTELY FREE:

Calendars

  • 2022 Calendar
  • Undated Monthly Calendar
  • Undated Monthly Editorial Calendar

Post Planning

  • Post Brainstorming Guide
  • Weekly Post Planner

Other

  • Cover Page
  • Contacts
  • Blank Planner Page

There’s no better way to grow your blog than by strategic goal setting and regularly tracking your progress towards reaching your blogging goals. Using the Free Blog Planner downloaded here and its extension is key to blog organization and blogging success!

Make this your year! Get your Planner by clicking the button below

Looking for other sizes or colors?

We got you! Make sure to check the full version of the 2022 Blog Planner. You will find there 41 pages (including 9 from the free planner) in four different size options.

It is the most comprehensive blog planner kit out there with everything you need to plan your post, social media, and goals.

Limited Edition – Orchid & Herbs

Not only have we got all the planner pages refreshed for 2022, but we are also introducing new limited-edition versions of the planner called Orchid & Herbs.

They feature subtle flower embellishment in two different color palettes – earthy green tones and more vibrant purple shades.

Our blog planner has been downloaded by over 150,000 bloggers and is the most popular, well-utilized blog planner out there. It has also been designed for driven, full-time bloggers who are determined to increase blog income and traffic. With our Ultimate Life Planner, it is everything you may need to plan your year.

Are you ready to absolutely slaughter your blogging goals?

Word of the Day: flout

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Word of the Day: flout

1. treat with contemptuous disregard

2. laugh at with contempt and derision

_________

The word flout has appeared in 85 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on July 20 in “Women’s Handball Players Are Fined for Rejecting Bikini Uniforms” by Jenny Gross:

Norway’s women’s beach handball team was fined by the European Handball Federation on Monday, after players wore shorts, instead of the required bikini bottoms, during a game over the weekend.

… Norway’s team had been planning for weeks to flout the rules to point out the double standard for female athletes. The players wore shorts for Sunday’s bronze medal game against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.

“I don’t see why we can’t play in shorts,” said Martine Welfler, one of the Norwegian players. “With so much body shaming and stuff like that these days, you should be able to wear a little bit more when you play.”

Can you correctly use the word flout 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 flout can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.

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.

If You Could Have Any Animal Feature, What Would It Be?

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If You Could Have Any Animal Feature, What Would It Be?

What do you know about elephants and their trunks?

Watch the nine-second video embedded above of Kelly, a 34-year-old female African elephant at the Zoo Atlanta, using suction to grab a tortilla chip.

Impressed? Does it make you wish you had a trunk?

In “Elephant Trunks: Is There Anything They Can’t Do?” Richard Sima writes about a new study about the power and wonders of an elephant’s most defining appendage:

An elephant’s trunk is a marvel of biology. Devoid of any joints or bone, the trunk is an appendage made of pure muscle that is capable of both uprooting trees and gingerly plucking individual leaves and also boasts a sense of smell more powerful than a bomb-sniffing dog’s.

Elephants use their trunks in a variety of ways. They use it to drink, store and spray water, and they also blow air through it to communicate — their 110-decibel bellows can be heard for miles.

“It’s like a muscular multitool,” said Andrew Schulz, a mechanical engineering doctoral student at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In a study published Wednesday in The Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Mr. Schulz and his colleagues reported on how elephants can use their trunks for yet another function: applying suction to grab food, a behavior previously thought to be exclusive to fishes.

Despite the ubiquity of elephants in children’s books and nature documentaries, there are numerous gaps in scientific knowledge about the biomechanics of their trunks that the new study helps fill. For example, the most recent detailed account of elephant trunk anatomy is a hand-drawn monograph that was published in 1908, Mr. Schulz said.

Contrary to popular belief, the trunk does not act like a straw.

“What they do is actually drink water into their trunk and they store it,” Mr. Schulz said. “So the elephant trunk is actually like a trunk.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • If you could have any feature of any animal — at least for a day — what would it be and why? Eight arms like an octopus? Gills to allow you to breathe underwater? Bat ears for echolocation in the dark? The ability to change color and camouflage like chameleons?

  • What’s your reaction to the article and the videos featured in it? Do you agree with Mr. Sima that “an elephant’s trunk is a marvel of biology”? What aspect of the animal’s versatile and superstrong trunk most fascinates you?

  • The author says that much about elephants and their trunks is still unknown. What animal feature would you like scientists to research further and why?

  • What animal are you most like? Do you think that you resemble any particular animal, either in personality, behavior, characteristics or even looks? What qualities do you possess that you think animals might want to trade with you?

Learn more about Student Opinion here and find all of our questions in this column. Teachers, see how you can incorporate this feature into your classroom routine here.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, 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.

Lesson of the Day: ‘She Was Declared a Witch at Salem. These Middle Schoolers Want to Clear Her Name.’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘She Was Declared a Witch at Salem. These Middle Schoolers Want to Clear Her Name.’

Featured Article: “She Was Declared a Witch at Salem. These Middle Schoolers Want to Clear Her Name.” By Neil Vigdor

In 1693, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., a young woman living in what is now North Andover, Mass., was convicted of witchcraft. Unlike the vast majority of other people who were wrongfully convicted at the Salem witch trials, Ms. Johnson’s conviction was never overturned. This year, an eighth grade civics class set out to clear her name.

In this lesson, you will learn about the Salem witch trials and how a group of middle schoolers put their civics skills to the test in an effort to exonerate Ms. Johnson. Then, you will write a letter supporting or opposing a bill that could rewrite history.

Jot down what you know about the Salem witch trials. What were they? Where did they happen? Why did they happen? Who was often accused of being a “witch”? How were the accused treated?

Then, watch this two-minute video from NBC Learn and add at least three more key facts about the witch trials to your list:

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. Summarize the life of Elizabeth Johnson Jr. in a few sentences. Based on the article, why might she have been convicted of witchcraft? What does that tell you about the fears or prejudices held by people during that time period?

2. Carrie LaPierre, the teacher of the eighth grade civics class at North Andover Middle School taking up Ms. Johnson’s cause, said they were learning about “acceptance” in class. Why might learning about acceptance be important in a class about government? How might it relate to the Salem witch trials?

3. In what ways did the witch trials affect the communities of Salem and the surrounding towns? What effect did it have on Ms. Johnson’s family?

4. According to Emerson W. Baker, a history professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts, what are some of the reasons that people were so afraid of the idea of witches?

5. What efforts have been made over time to right the wrongs of the Salem witch trials? Do you think these actions are enough? Why or why not?

6. How was Ms. LaPierre’s class able to learn from the process of trying to exonerate Ms. Johnson? Would you be interested in learning about the government through a project like this?

In March, State Senator Diana DiZoglio, who had been working with Ms. LaPierre’s class, introduced a bill to clear Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name. You can read it here.

Do you support or oppose the exoneration of Ms. Johnson? Why? Write a letter to Ms. DiZoglio explaining your position. In your letter, make a clear case for why you support or oppose the bill and use examples from the featured article or your own research to help convince the legislature to take your side. Then, if you like, you can send your letter to Ms. DiZoglio’s office.

Additional Teaching and Learning Opportunities

  • Analyze primary sources. Read the two original examinations of Ms. Johnson, and use these questions to help you analyze them and think about their significance today.

  • Consider the meaning of historical, and contemporary, “witch hunts.” What does that term mean to you? What do you think of when you hear it? Watch this video on the history of witch hunts. Then, take a look at any of these three examples of modern-day “witch hunts”:

    “What a Witch Hunt Really Looks Like,” a guest essay on former President Donald J. Trump’s invocation of the term during the investigation into Russian interference

    “Fighting Modern-Day Witch Hunts in India’s Remote Northeast,” a four-minute video about accusations that have led to violence against women

    “Memories of a Real ‘Witch Hunt,’” one woman’s story of her father, who was swept up in the anti-communism sentiment of the 1950s, which many considered a “witch hunt”

    What connections can you make to the origins of witch hunts or the Salem witch trials? What other examples of modern-day “witch hunts” can you come up with? What further questions does the term raise for you?

  • Learn about the reclamation of the “witch” label. Read an article about witches in popular culture, an interview with a Brooklyn-based witch, or a personal narrative on what it means to be a witch. Do you identify with being “witchy” in any way? Are there people in your family or community who are proud of the ways they are able to heal or help others with witchcraft or supernatural powers?

Learn more about Lesson of the Day here and find all of our daily lessons in this column.

Lesson of the Day: ‘What Will Become of Afghanistan’s Post-9/11 Generation?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘What Will Become of Afghanistan’s Post-9/11 Generation?’

This Lesson of the Day will help prepare students to participate in our live panel on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern about how Sept. 11 shaped the generation that grew up in its aftermath. You can register for the event here, and you can submit your questions here — we might use them during the panel.

Featured Article: “What Will Become of Afghanistan’s Post-9/11 Generation?” — a photo essay by Kiana Hayeri

In April 2021, President Biden announced that American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Following the announcement, Kiana Hayeri, a photojournalist, began documenting the end of the 20-year occupation from the perspective of young Afghans who were raised in the decades after the U.S. invasion in 2001.

In this lesson, you will see the ways in which six young people who had lived in a world of new freedoms and opportunities suddenly found themselves in a changed world with the rise of the Taliban. Then, you will write a letter to one of the young people from the article, or to their family, sharing the ways in which you connected with their story.

Discuss as a class or in small groups:

  • What do you know about the war in Afghanistan? What about the U.S. withdrawal of troops and the Taliban takeover?

  • Where have you received your information? News articles? Social media? Talking with friends and family?

  • What questions do you have about what is happening?

If you need more information or context about what is happening, start with our Lesson of the Day about America’s longest war — its causes and its consequences.

The featured article focuses on the stories of young people. Watch this video of three young women sharing their stories of living in Afghanistan now, and then respond to the questions.

  • What is one emotional reaction you had to the video?

  • What is one thing you learned from the video?

  • What is one question you have after watching the video?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. The writers describe the ways in which the lives of young Afghans are rapidly changing. What is one example or description from the introduction that helps you to understand and visualize those changes?

2. The article begins with the story of childhood friends, Karim, Gul Ahmad and Saeed. What is one way that you connected to their story of work and friendship? Choose one image and one quote that you think best illustrate that theme.

3. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Gul Ahmad laughed. Based on the article, why do you think he responded that way?

4. What were Esmat’s hopes and dreams for himself and for his family? Why do you think Esmat both hoped for a future, but was also aware he might not live to see the future? Does that make you think of anything else you have read, seen or experienced?

5. How did the subject matter of the play that Maryam performed in become even more relevant for her and the other actresses? What does that story, both in real life and in the world of the play, demonstrate about fears that young women, like Maryam, have?

6. How did Naser Khan take a stand for his country? How did that place him in a dangerous situation during the U.S. withdrawal?

7. The article ends describing Kiana Hayeri’s last days in Kabul. As you read about her experiences leaving Afghanistan, what more do you want to know? Think of a question you would like to ask Ms. Hayeri and submit it as a 30-second video using this form.

In the featured article, Maryam, 17, said to Kiana Hayeri, the photographer, “If you’re writing about this, please tell about the situation of Afghanistan.” Why do you think Maryam felt it was important to share that with Ms. Hayeri? And why do you think Ms. Hayeri chose to include her plea in the essay?

Write a letter to one of the young people in the featured article. In your letter, let that person know what you learned from the stories and photographs of young people in Afghanistan. You can share how it felt to read the words and see the faces of people living there now, and you can also let the person know how you personally connected to the stories you read. Then, ask one or two questions about that person’s life or current circumstances.

You can share your letter in the comments section of this article.

Additional Teaching and Learning Opportunities

Learn more about Lesson of the Day here and find all of our daily lessons in this column.

Trending online courses in cloud tech, sales, cybersecurity, and more

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Trending online courses in cloud tech, sales, cybersecurity, and more

With more world-class content launching every week, there are always new topics to explore, new skills to learn, and new ways to achieve your goals. These latest courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates cover everything from business management and personal finance to data science and sports analytics. What will you learn next?

Business

Google Cloud Digital Leader Professional Certificate from Google Cloud

Are you interested in learning how to maximize business growth opportunities through modernizing IT infrastructure and applications? Gain foundational knowledge about cloud technology and data from experts at Google. In this Professional Certificate program, you’ll get an overview of Google Cloud products and services and build the knowledge needed to confidently contribute to informed cloud-related business decisions. No prerequisites are required to enroll.

Business Management Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Develop the skills necessary to succeed in a top-level management role. Expand your skill sets in finance, marketing, data analytics, and more as you advance your business management skills to become an impactful leader. Upon completion of this program, you’ll gain new management skills, a deeper understanding of global business, and advanced insight into effective growth strategies, as well as the ability to apply your skills and knowledge to drive success at your organization.

Intuit Bookkeeping Professional Certificate from Intuit

Skilled bookkeepers are needed in just about every business and industry (and that means job security!), and you can learn from the Intuit experts who created Quickbooks and Turbotax about how to interpret and analyze financial statements to make key business decisions. You’ll familiarize yourself with balance sheets, payroll procedures, and line-item invoices, and there is no previous experience or knowledge required to enroll.

Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate from Salesforce and Pathstream 

Salesforce is one of the most popular and commonly used Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms in the world, and skilled users are in demand across industries. Prepare for a career as a Sales Operations Specialist and get job-ready skills for an entry-level role in this Professional Certificate program from Salesforce. You’ll learn the skills to support a sales team and gain hands-on experience using Salesforce software. Explore the sales process, learn how to create basic reports and dashboards, and build the confidence to manage customer relationships. 

Strategic Management Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

In this program, you’ll build applied skills using the latest techniques and strategies for driving organizational growth and discover new approaches for designing, implementing, and executing corporate strategies to meet business goals. With the strategy and planning experience you’ll gain through earning your certificate, you’ll be prepared to advance your career and succeed in senior leadership roles.

The Fundamentals of Personal Finance Specialization from SoFi

Learn the money skills you need to take more comprehensive control of your finances. Across five courses, you’ll examine a range of personal finance topics, including budgeting, investing, and managing risk. Through readings, videos, and activities, you’ll build new skills and learn how to implement strategies to meet your financial goals.

Omnichannel Retail Strategy Specialization from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton

Learn how to develop a customer-focused strategy to increase customer satisfaction and retention in the retail industry. Gain fundamental skills and knowledge to navigate the retail space and maintain a successful organization, and discover what marketing practices drive organizational success in a rapidly evolving retail industry. No prior experience is required to enroll.

Product Management Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Whether you’re a product manager looking to advance your career, an entrepreneur or business owner committed to growing your business through effective product strategies, or a professional making a career change, this certificate program is for you. In this program, you’ll gain an understanding of Agile product development frameworks by developing prototype products, and learn strategies to enhance user experience and drive business growth. This program is an ideal way to build the necessary skills to qualify for high-impact product management roles.

Excel Skills for Business Forecasting Specialization from Macquarie University

Learn how to confidently use Excel to solve common business problems and develop forecasts. In this new Specialization from Macquarie University, you’ll build essential Excel skills and explore advanced data features. You’ll learn how to design sophisticated spreadsheets and dashboards, perform complex calculations, and manage large data sets. Best of all, you’ll practice your skills through hands-on Excel assignments. No prior experience is needed to enroll.

English Language Skills A2-B1 CEFR: Low-Intermediate Specialization from Voxy

Strengthen your English language skills for your professional and personal development and become an effective communicator. In Voxy’s new Specialization, you’ll learn how to communicate clearly through written emails with colleagues, as well as in conversations with friends. Each course is made up of short, engaging task-based lessons that can be done anywhere, anytime. Lessons include content from the real world, so you will learn from real conversations, emails, phone calls, and messages that you may encounter at work or in your personal life. 

Marketing Strategy Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Learn how to utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence applications to deliver personalized experiences to your customers. Understand how modern marketing techniques are used to engage and convert customers, and which marketing processes increase cross-functional efficiency. By the end of this program, you’ll have the data analytics and analysis skills needed to succeed in strategic marketing roles.

Data Science

Practical Data Science Specialization from DeepLearning.AI and Amazon Web Services

Learn to build and deploy machine learning models from industry experts at DeepLearning.AI and Amazon Web Services (AWS). This Specialization is designed for data-focused developers, scientists, and analysts familiar with the Python and SQL programming languages who want to learn how to build, train, and deploy scalable, end-to-end ML pipelines in the AWS cloud. You’ll gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art algorithms for natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding (NLU) as you develop the practical skills to effectively deploy your data science projects. 

Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps) Specialization from DeepLearning.AI

In this program, you’ll develop production-ready machine learning skills with instruction from Andrew Ng. You’ll learn how to design an ML production system end-to-end, build data pipelines by gathering, cleaning, and validating datasets, and manage workflows through the ML model lifecycle through hands-on, interactive labs. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to apply your new skills to real-world projects.

Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Machine Learning Engineer from Google Cloud

In this program, you’ll learn from experts at Google Cloud as you build the skills needed to be successful in a machine learning (ML) engineering role. You’ll learn how to design, build, and productionalize ML models to solve business challenges using Google Cloud technologies, and gain proficiency with cloud computing, data cleansing, Tensorflow, and programming languages like Python. You’ll also prepare for the Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer certification exam.

IBM Data Engineering Professional Certificate from IBM 

Learn from experts at IBM and develop the job-ready skills to land an entry-level data engineer position. You’ll build familiarity with essential tools and techniques and expand your professional portfolio as you prepare to take advantage of increasing demand for data engineering talent (up 50% in the last year, as reported by DICE!). Using programming languages like SQL and Python in hands-on labs and projects, you’ll learn how to perform the key tasks required in a data engineering role.

IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R Professional Certificate from IBM

Develop the job-ready skills for an entry-level data analyst or data scientist position. Across eight courses, you’ll work with a range of data sources and powerful tools, including Excel, Cognos Analytics, and the R programming language. You’ll work with Excel spreadsheets to create charts and plots, utilize Cognos Analytics to create interactive dashboards, and use the R programming language to complete the entire data analysis process—including data preparation, statistical analysis, data visualization, predictive modeling, and creating interactive data applications. You’ll also learn how to communicate your data findings and prepare a report for stakeholders.

Introduction to Computational Statistics for Data Scientists Specialization from Databricks

In this series of courses, you can learn the basics of Bayesian statistics and probability and build the foundational skills necessary to perform Bayesian inference in Python. For aspiring data scientists who have some experience using the PyData Stack of NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn, this program offers an ideal opportunity to learn how to use PyMC3 to solve real-world problems.

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals AI-900 Exam Prep Specialization from Microsoft

In this new Specialization from Microsoft, you’ll gain foundational knowledge about core artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and become familiar with services in Microsoft Azure that can be used to create AI solutions. You’ll develop the confidence to take the Microsoft Certified AI-900 Azure Fundamentals exam by learning how to implement common machine learning and AI workloads on Azure through hands-on exercises. For this Specialization, you should have a foundational knowledge of machine learning (ML) and AI concepts, and related Microsoft Azure services.

Sports Performance Analytics Specialization from the University of Michigan

Sports analytics has become an increasingly popular field, and in this program, you’ll learn how to construct predictive models to anticipate team and player performance by pulling from real data sets in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the English Premier League (EPL-soccer), and the Indian Premier League (IPL-cricket). Explore your own ideas about sports team performance, test them using data with hands-on lab experience. Learners should have some familiarity with Python before starting this course. 

Tech

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization from Microsoft

Prepare for the Microsoft Certified AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Exam in this new, four-course Specialization from the experts at Microsoft. Across four hands-on courses, you’ll learn fundamental cloud concepts and how to apply them to Azure services. You’ll explore Azure services, workloads, security, privacy, pricing, and support, and learn about different types of Azure tools and services and their different business applications. You’ll also learn how to formulate cloud governance strategy based on compliance standards and available cloud resources.

Microsoft Data Fundamentals DP-900 Exam Prep Specialization from Microsoft

In this new Specialization taught by experts at Microsoft, you’ll learn the fundamentals of database concepts in a cloud environment, develop core skills in cloud data services, and build your foundational knowledge of cloud data services within Microsoft Azure as you prepare for data engineer, data analyst, and database administrator roles. You’ll explore relational data offerings, provisioning and deploying relational databases, and querying relational data through cloud data solutions with Microsoft Azure. Upon completion of the program, you’ll also be prepared to take the DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals exam, and you’ll receive a discount which can be redeemed at Pearson Vue, Microsoft’s proctor exam site. Limited discount vouchers are available.

Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Professional Certificate from Palo Alto Networks

Prepare for an entry-level career in cybersecurity. Learn the fundamentals of networking, network security, cloud security, and security operations related to Palo Alto Networks Technology and the cybersecurity industry as a whole. Analyze firewall logs, configure security controls, and recognize high-profile cybersecurity attacks and more in this new Specialization. You can also prepare for the Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician (PCCET) exam.  

Whether you’re at the beginning of your career journey or looking to enhance your skillset to make a mid-career transition, you’ll find ample opportunities to gain new knowledge across these new offerings, and depending on your life and career goals, you can choose from a range of learning experiences to find the courses and programs that are right for you.

 

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