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Our 2nd Annual STEM Writing Contest

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Our 2nd Annual STEM Writing Contest

Do I need a Works Cited page?

Yes. We provide you with a separate field to list the sources you used to write your essay. You’re allowed to format your list however you want; we will not judge your entry based on formatting in this section. Internal citations are not necessary.

Can I have someone else check my work?

We understand that students will often revise their work based on feedback from teachers and peers. That is allowed for this contest. However, be sure that the final submission reflects the ideas, voice and writing ability of the student, not someone else.

Who can I contact if I have questions about this contest or am having issues submitting my entry?

Leave a comment on this post or write to us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHING WITH THIS CONTEST

I’m a teacher. What resources do you have to help me teach with this contest?

Start with our unit plan for informational writing. It includes writing prompts, mentor texts and lesson plans that can support this contest. To learn more about how to teach with this unit, register for our live webinar on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

You might also invite your students to read the winners of last year’s contest to get inspiration for their own work.

Do my students need a New York Times subscription to access these resources?

The New York Times is now available to high school students and teachers across the United States for FREE through Sept. 1, 2021. Learn more and invite your classes here. (Please note that once teachers send an invitation, students will need to accept it to get their free account.)

If your students are not yet in high school, and they don’t have a subscription, they can get access to Times pieces through The Learning Network. All the activities for students on our site, including mentor texts and writing prompts, plus the Times articles they link to, are free. Students can search for articles using the search tool on our home page (scroll down past the featured articles to the article stream). In the rest of The Times, they can access up to five free articles a month.

7 top CSS interview questions to practice

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7 top CSS interview questions to practice

This article was written by our friends at Career Karma. Check out their other interview questions roundups, including Python interview questions and JavaScript interview questions.

When looking for a new role, there are many types of jobs you will see listed:  Web Developer, Front End Engineer, UX Developer, UI Developer, Technical Writer, Developer Advocate. These are just a few examples of the titles that you might see that will probably require some sort of experience in CSS — Cascading Style Sheets.

Here we’ll take a look at some of the more popular questions that you might be asked in a CSS interview setting, along with possible responses. The interview could be a formal question-answer format, or it could take the form of a take-home assessment or project with documentation.

Either way, you will have to respond or document your knowledge in some way.

Questions to crack the CSS interview

Here are seven interview scenarios to think about when it comes to discussing CSS:

Question 1: Tell me about an approach you took to decide the layout of a project you worked on. What pushed you to choose one type of layout (Flexbox/Box/Grid) over another?

This is an interesting type of question because it requires you to think back to previous projects you have worked on. Before going into a technical or behavioral interview, be sure to study up on previous projects you completed to recall choices made.

You don’t necessarily need to defend your answers, but you need to basically speak to your reasoning. The interviewers would like to hear your thought process on why you chose the approach you did. This is valuable information to them because it hints at how you might approach a problem at their company.

What should you study about layout?

When it comes to the differences between Flexbox, Box, and Grid, there are a couple of points to remember so you can reasonDifferences between CSS Flexbox and CSS Grid through your job interview questions:

1. Box model was the first of the three layouts styles to be created. Block boxes are the main types of containers used in the box model, but inline-boxes are used (they just don’t use all the properties that block boxes do).

Each box, or container, consists of a margin, a border, padding, and content. Limitations of the box model include responsive and/or adaptive layout issues because of the static or fixed nature of the layout. The need to use the clearfix hack when you have float elements is also an issue with the box model.

2. Flexbox model was introduced after the box model to improve on some of the box model’s limitations in regards to positioning. It still uses all of the pertinent parts of the box model, but has been expanded to allow for more adaptive or responsive design.

Be sure to know that flexbox is used when you care more about the flow of the content so it can be more responsive than about the actual design of the page.

3. Grid model was the last of the three layout types to be introduced. It’s becoming more popular due to its ability to completely control content placement. It is still, however, not as popular a solution as flexbox is.

When you discuss the reasoning behind choosing box, flexbox, or grid, be sure to focus on the purpose of the layout.

  • Does the flow of the content matter? Use CSS Flexbox
  • Does the content placement matter? Use CSS Grid
  • Are you working with legacy code using CSS Box Model several years old? Use the inherited system unless there is a budget to change to one of the other preferred methods.

Question 2: How does CSS actually work ?

This question tests your ability to be able to describe what CSS is from a technical standpoint.

Start from the very beginning and describe that CSS literally means Cascading Style Sheets. It uses three ways to style the HTML document:  inline-styling, internal stylesheet, and external stylesheet.

The stylesheet is how we essentially decorate our web page. We use CSS selectors to create rules for those elements. When the CSS renders, it will take the CSS, and apply it to the document from the top to the bottom.

If there is a selector that is repeated in the stylesheet, the newest rule(s) overwrite the previous ones. Inline styles and the !important keyword maintain the highest importance and will overwrite CSS written in the stylesheet.

Question 3: Describe pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes, discuss the differences between the two, and what they are used for.

Pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes are quite often conflated. They are two distinct concepts in CSS. This question is designed to see if you know the difference.

The similarity between the two is that they are keywords that are added to a selector that lets you style the selector in a specific way.

A pseudo-element is added to a selector when you want to style a specific part of the selected element.

p::selection {
 background-color: yellow;
}

The ::selection pseudo-element styles the

tag when a user highlights text in that element. Other popular pseudo-elements are ::first-letter and ::first-line.

In contrast, the pseudo-class is added to a selector when you want to control the styling when an element is in a particular state. This applies not only to the document tree, but also to the location’s history.

button:hover {
 background-color: blue;
 color:white;
}
 
a:visited {
 color: orange;
}

a:hover {
 color: yellow;
}

All you need to remember really is that the pseudo-element styles specific parts of an element and the pseudo-class styles a specific state of an element.

Question 4: Explain the concept of specificity.

CSS Specificity concerns itself with how style rules are applied to an HTML document. Each type of selector has a number associated with it. The higher the number, the higher the specificity. Inline-styling has the highest specificity, along with ids. Universal selectors have the lowest specificity.

When a specificity is higher, that means those styling rules will win over any sort of cascading rules.

Question 5: What does a preprocessor do and why would it be advantageous to use one?

A preprocessor like SASS or LESS allows you to do a number of things:  assign variables, create mixins, and use nested rules. It makes the coding process simpler and allows your CSS to be nested like your HTML. To be used it needs to be compiled into a single CSS file that is then linked to your HTML Document.

Using a preprocessor like LESS or SASS cuts down on code reuse, assigns color schemes to variables, and prevents unintended behavior because your code is more dynamic due to the use of variables.

If there comes a time when you need to change the font or the color scheme, for instance, you can change it in one spot instead of 100 spots because you have it declared as a variable at the top of your LESS or SASS files. Preprocessors can be super useful.

Question 6: Tell me about the CSS Box model and its constituent elements.

The CSS Box Model was the first of the layout models that were introduced in CSS. It consists of margin, padding, content, and border.

  1. The margin is indicative of how far away you want your boxes to be from each other. It’s the area outside the border.
  2. Padding is the area in between the content and the border. The more padding there is, the more room there is between the content of your box and the border itself.
  3. The border of a box lays in between the padding and the margin. It frames padding and the content of the box.The feature of the box is the content. It’s what makes the box, a box.
  4. The feature of the box is the content. It’s what makes the box, a box.

Note: By default, CSS’s box-sizing property is content-box. To have more control over the size of the boxes on your page, change your box-sizing property to border-box. You can use the universal selector (*) to do so at the top of your CSS.

Question 7: How would you select every paragraph with a class name of about-me that is a child of a div?

div > .about-me {
 color: red;
}

What can you study next?

After you have mastered these concepts, you can start on learning how to animate or transform items using CSS, master a CSS preprocessor, or learn how to deploy your applications to the web!

I also highly recommend practicing your interview skills. Ask a colleague or a fellow student to give you a mock CSS interview to see how you do. The more you practice talking to people, the better you will do in an interview situation.

Good luck!

Word + Quiz: glut

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Word + Quiz: glut

noun: the quality of being so overabundant that prices drop

verb: supply with an excess of

verb: overeat or eat immodestly

_________

The word glut has appeared in 186 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 25 in “How to Negotiate With Your Landlord” by Ronda Kaysen:

Renters are benefiting from a collision of forces. New Yorkers are continuing to leave the city or move to neighborhoods further from Manhattan, driving up the vacancy rate in prime neighborhoods. And typical newcomers, like university students, aren’t moving to New York in the same numbers they usually do.

The result is a glut of apartments that hasn’t been seen in years. August in Manhattan was particularly bleak. The vacancy rate was above 5 percent; inventory was up 166 percent from August 2019, and rent per square foot was down almost 10 percent from August 2019, according to a market report by Douglas Elliman. In Brooklyn, the change between August 2019 and August 2020 was also stark: Inventory was up 130 percent; rent per square foot was down 1.7 percent, and apartments were sitting on the market an average of 27 days, according to the same report.

_________

What New Flavor Ideas Do You Have for Your Favorite Foods?

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What New Flavor Ideas Do You Have for Your Favorite Foods?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Do you wish there were jalapeño Pop-Tarts or watermelon gummy bears? How about bacon-flavored Skittles? What new flavor ideas do you have for your favorite snacks?

As a consumer, do you like to have lots of choices? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by options?

And why are there so many Oreo flavors, anyway?

In “We Asked: Why Does Oreo Keep Releasing New Flavors?”, Jonah Engel Bromwich writes about the novelty Oreo enterprise’s true motive:

The team of people who come up with limited-edition Oreo flavors and collaborations is a half-dozen strong and extremely secretive. Their privacy is so tightly guarded, said Justin Parnell, the senior director of the Oreo brand, that he could not even reveal the team’s name.

But their efforts are made public every time Oreo announces a new variety. (The latest: a salmon-colored cookie with malachite-green filling, released with Lady Gaga in honor of her 2020 album, “Chromatica.”) “Their job is really how do we continue to excite our fans and drive growth through flavor innovation,” Mr. Parnell said.

Since releasing the Birthday Cake Oreo in 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its signature cookie, Oreo has introduced 65 flavors, including, in the last three years alone, Hot Chicken Wing Oreos, Wasabi Oreos, Crispy Tiramisù Oreos and Carrot Cake Oreos. (Certain flavors are only available in specific markets; the Wasabi and Hot Chicken Wing Oreos were released in China.)

Over the years, there have been Blueberry Pie Oreos; Waffle & Syrup Oreos; Jelly Donut Oreos; Mississippi Mud Pie Oreos; Key Lime Pie Oreos; Piña Colada Oreo Thins; Banana Split Oreos; PB&J Oreos; Root Beer Float Oreos; Neapolitan Oreos; Peeps Oreos; and “Mystery Oreos,” which were eventually revealed to be churro flavored.

Novelty Oreos sell reasonably well. According to Nielsen, sales of flavored, seasonal and other novelty Oreos were up over 12 percent over the last three years.

But the sales are not the point. Novelty Oreos, according to Mr. Parnell, play a much purer role: They help drive consumers back to milk’s alleged favorite, the 108-year-old paterfamilias, the plain old Oreo. In other words, the new flavors function as advertisements for the original.

The article continues:

Many snack foods including Oreos have thrived during the pandemic, as consumers deal with the stress and boredom of isolation.

“Definitely snacking has been one of the stories of Covid,” said Darren Seifer, a food and beverage industry analyst at NPD Group. “Not just any old snack foods, but we saw a shift to more of an indulgent snacking. A shift away from the healthier or better-type-for-you foods.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • What new flavor ideas do you have for your favorite foods? What should Oreo’s next novelty flavor be?

  • Mr. Engel Bromwich writes that “[Oreo’s] new flavors function as advertisements for the original.” What do you think of this strategy? Have you tried any of these novelty flavors? If so, do you prefer any of them over the original? Can you think of other companies that use splashy announcements to draw attention back to their core product?

  • How do you feel about the endless flavor experimentation permitted by highly processed foods? Do you think that having this many choices is a good thing? Have you ever experienced “choice paralysis,” “decision fatigue” or “F.O.B.O” — the Fear of Better Options?

  • The article mentions that consumers have been buying more snack foods during the pandemic. Have you noticed yourself eating more indulgent snacks? If so, what have been your go-to snacks? Are you worried by this trend, or do you think snacking is a reasonable source of comfort during a stressful time?

  • The author also writes about Oreo’s collaborations with brands and celebrities like Supreme and Lady Gaga. Are you more likely to buy a product if it is connected to a celebrity or brand? If you could collaborate with a brand on an exclusive product, what would it be?

About Student Opinion

• Find all our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• 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.

Lonely Dining

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Lonely Dining

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

In a recent Times Opinion essay, Frank Bruni writes about the detrimental effect that the pandemic has had on the bar and restaurant industry in New York City, a struggle mirrored in many places across the country.

The article says:

About a week ago, indoor dining was banned anew — for how long, nobody knows. That could be the death knell for many of the restaurants that are still hanging on, barely. There has been a war in our city, which is the greatest restaurant city in America, pitting owners and managers and cooks and bartenders and servers and dishwashers against an invisible invader. On too many fronts and in too many instances, the invader is winning.

And it’s not just the owners and managers and cooks and bartenders and servers and dishwashers who are losing — though their pain, make no mistake, is most acute. It’s all of us, and we have absolutely no idea how much we’ve lost.

Do you miss going out to eat? What are some of your favorite restaurants? Have any of them closed? Are there dining restrictions where you live? How do you feel about these restrictions? What do you think is lost when restaurants close?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn 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.

What Is Something Good That Happened in 2020?

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What Is Something Good That Happened in 2020?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

When you look back at 2020, it might be easy to think of all the challenges. But even though this has been a dark year for so many people, can you think of the good things that happened as well? Did you start any new hobbies, strengthen any relationships, or learn anything about yourself or about the world?

The New York Times recently asked readers those very questions, and “‘I Learned to Appreciate My Husband,’ and Other Silver Linings From 2020” is a selection of the more than 1,500 responses. They include:

To the Editor:

Despite everything, we did not give up. We found new levels of courage, humility, resilience and resolve. And renewed our understanding of compassion. But that is not all.

Newborns arrived, students graduated. Marriages, birthdays and anniversaries were celebrated. Agreements were signed, careers started. Discoveries were made, solutions were found. People found love (many of us for the umpteenth time since we met), shoulders were leaned on, aid was rendered, lives were saved. Faith was found, memorials were held, kind words spoken. We began to heal. We did not give up.

The United States has weathered every crisis: independence, civil war, foreign wars, surprise attacks, economic setbacks, assassinations, civil and cultural change. We’ve endured by realizing the capacity to do what must be done. I remain optimistic. And retain my belief in a better America tomorrow.

Jeff Horton
Keller, Texas

To the Editor:

Guess it would be: I’m working from home! I’m working from home! I’m working from home!

No hurry-up breakfast force-feeding. No cold car. No lunch packing. Working in sweatpants. Less laundry. Happy pets. Screw the makeup. Bad-hair day is meaningless. No ringing phones and overheard arguments. No weird smells. No Muzak. Office with a window — that actually opens. Free to adjust the thermostat. Break-time walk around the yard instead of a parking lot. Introvert not forced to be around people eight to 10 hours a day.

I’m one of the lucky ones.

Wendy Sieja
Appleton, Wis.

Some responses had to do with popular culture:

To the Editor:

Naming one good thing that happened in 2020 is easy: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. I live in New England, but I grew up in Los Angeles and became a Dodgers fan in 1966, Sandy Koufax’s last year as a player. On a cold and dreary day in April 2020, early on in the pandemic, I sought solace and escape by watching the first game of the 1988 World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, the game in which Kirk Gibson hobbled around the bases after pinch-hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

I had to wait 32 years before the 2020 victory. Although I have called New England my home for the past 35 years, like Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers manager in 1988, when you cut me I bleed Dodger Blue.

Randy Rockney
Barrington, R.I.

To the Editor:

One good thing about 2020? Honestly, Taylor Swift’s album “Folklore” from July and her new one, “Evermore,” in December. The music is amazing, and at least she’s doing something productive in quarantine.

Dalia Pustilnik
New York

Others centered on how relationships have changed:

To the Editor:

My 2020 silver lining: video chats. (Really.) My husband and I are lucky to have a global web of friends and family. I am American, he is Australian, we met in the United Kingdom and now live in California. Our loved ones are spread over San Jose, Sydney, Canberra, London, New York, St. Louis and Denver.

The year 2020 has been a seemingly never-ending stream of heartache, but never have I ever felt so connected with friends and family. We started a daily family Zoom call when the first quarantines started in March, and the call is still going strong nine months later. Sometimes people can’t make it, or they drop in for just a quick hello, but it’s a daily reminder that even apart we are connected by our mutual love and care for each other.

Thank you, 2020, for teaching me not to take friendships and family for granted and for showing me that we don’t need to be in the same place to nurture our relationships.

Anne Throdahl

San Jose, Calif.

To the Editor:

The pandemic clipped my dad’s wings.

For the first time in my life my father couldn’t travel internationally for work. Pre-pandemic, he would be away for one or two weeks each month, but the threat of the virus halted international travel, keeping him homebound.

During this strange year, he finally had time to teach me how to ride a bike. He finished reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” to my sister and me. He joined the pandemic obsession of sourdough making — which led to us eating a lot of bread. Every weekend he spends time instructing us in the finer points of the Greek language.

Instead of asking him math questions by text or calling him on the phone while he was in some neighboring country, he’s now beside me with a whiteboard and marker every evening.

Though the pandemic took away too many family members from too many people around the world, it oddly gave me more of my dad.

Olivia Wasmund
Seoul, South Korea

The writer is a seventh grader at Seoul Foreign School.

This is the final letter in the selection:

To the Editor:

The foundational principle of improv is “yes, and” — accepting the reality your scene partner establishes and adding to it, furthering the scene. Performing in improv comedy troupes for most of my life has cemented this concept in my brain.

Yet last March, all my improv-loving brain could think was “no.” No, I can’t work. No, I can’t socialize. No, the world can’t function.

Unlike me, the world accepted this uncertain new reality and said, “Yes, and.” Yes, you can shop and pick up groceries curbside. Yes, you can use the internet and work, worship, be entertained, and reconnect with old friends and relatives. Yes, people will help those in need and create therapeutic drugs and a vaccine.

The tragic realities of 2020 are undeniable. But the world has thought outside the box in astounding ways to navigate this unfamiliar life. The year 2020 epitomizes “yes, and.”

Yes, we did.

And we will.

Laura Lind
Pittsburgh

The writer is a founding member of the Amish Monkeys improvisational comedy troupe.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Which of the letters resonates most with you? Why?

  • In her letter, Olivia Wasmund, a seventh grader, writes about her father being around much more because he no longer travels for work. Do you have any relationships that strengthened during the pandemic?

  • David Barnert’s letter reads in its entirety: “One good thing about 2020: We learned what we can do without.” What does this statement mean to you? What, if anything, did you come to realize doesn’t matter, or matters less than you used to think, over the past many months?

  • John Medinger’s response to “what was good about 2020?” is “not a thing.” Why do you think the editors chose to include this letter in the collection?

  • Several of the writers mentioned things that did not happen to them personally, but rather, happened in the world, like coronavirus vaccines becoming available and people adopting cats and dogs in record numbers. What would you add to this list?

  • Laura Lind’s letter is about how the improv comedy principle “yes, and” can be synthesized with our current reality. What do you think about this idea? Can you add more examples of “yes, and” thinking to the list, whether they are about your own life or our shared experiences?

About Student Opinion

• Find all our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• 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.

Lesson of the Day: ‘U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed Competition’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed Competition’

6. How strong is the legal case against Facebook? Do you think the company has engaged in anticompetitive behavior? Who do you think will prevail in the courts: Facebook or the government?

Option 1: Share Your Thoughts and Experiences

  • Are you a Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp user? What kinds of activities do you tend to engage in on these platforms? How much time do you typically spend on these sites? Would you ever consider deleting your Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp accounts?

  • If you are not a Facebook user, why not? What social media sites and apps do you use instead?

  • How concerned are you about your digital privacy? Should Facebook and other Big Tech companies do a better job to protect its users’ data? Or do you think it is the responsibility of users to decide what to share? Why?

  • What role does Big Tech play in your life? In what ways does it make your life better? In what ways does it perhaps diminish it? How would your life be different without it?

  • How do you think the case against Facebook might affect you?

Option 2: Research Past Antitrust Cases

The antitrust cases against Facebook and Google are nothing new. The U.S. government has challenged corporate power and monopolies since the landmark Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890. Along with the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Act — both passed in 1914 — these three core federal antitrust laws have sought to curb concentrations of power that interfere with trade and reduce economic competition.

Choose an antitrust case from U.S. history to research, and compare and contrast it to the current lawsuits against Facebook.

You can also find a comprehensive list of antitrust cases on the U.S. Department of Justice website.

How are the Facebook lawsuits similar to or different from the past antitrust case you researched? What did you learn about competition, the free market and the government’s role in the economy from your research? What does the past example you explored suggest about the outcome of the Facebook case?

Option 3: Should the Power of Big Tech Be Curbed?

On Oct. 20, The Times reported:

Two weeks ago, House lawmakers concluded a 16-month investigation into Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook and called for sweeping changes to curb their market power. The lawmakers’ verdict: Traditional antitrust laws aren’t up to the challenge, and the laws need their biggest overhaul in more than 40 years.

How concerned do you think we should be about Big Tech’s role and power in society? Or will government intervention hurt innovation, consumers and a free market?

To help you argue the case for or against the tech giants, you might start by looking at The Times’s Technology topic page, the individual topic pages for Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple, or these recent articles:

Beyond The Times, you might also look at these resources:

After conducting your research, consider having a classroom debate or mock trial on Big Tech. Or, if you have strong personal views, you might try writing your ideas in the form of an editorial, and then submitting your final draft to our Eighth Annual Student Editorial Contest that will run from Feb 23 to April 13, 2021.

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

More Involvement Is Needed from the State for Improvement in the Education System

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More Involvement Is Needed from the State for Improvement in the Education System

Introduction-
“Education… is the key to unlocking other human rights.” (Katarina Tomasevski, Croatia, UN Special Rapporteur). The main aspect of any human right is education, and the importance of the same is increased on a day-to-day basis in this modern era.

The role of faster evolving technology is such that it involves not only education but also upgrading in the same or different domains. The right to education is a basic and fundamental right and it allows an individual to understand the concept of a civilized society. The system of evolving a fundamental understanding of a civil society is possible only when we have educated citizens.

It is rightly said that to get long term benefits, it is essential to provide or invest in education for the citizen, as quoted by Confucius “If your plan is for one-year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.”.

It has been clear from primitive time that education is the most important aspect of any society, and thereby its individual, and hence it becomes imperative to provide equal rights to education for all.

To provide equal education to all, it is necessary to have the Right to Education as a fundamental right and it should be available or be within reach for all the masses. In medieval times, education was a privilege for the regal portion of the society and common masses had no access to it. The changing times have confirmed that such a situation is not possible in the modern era and with the advent to tech-savvy jobs, it is almost an established fact that one cannot survive without education.

In the modern world, it is an interesting fact that basic education is necessary for day-to-day survival of an individual, and with an increase in the service sector jobs, it is almost certain that most of the jobs are based on education or skills.

In present times, there are many sections of the society, like that of developing countries like African nations, where the education penetration is low. The same trend is followed with the per capita income, so both move together.

In most of the un-educated societies, it is found that many of the individuals have no right to education. Thus, it can be deduced that education is the building block which confers that vicious cycle can be broken.

So even from the economic aspect, it is confirmed that education is necessary for the development of an individual and as a society. In the case of skills-based industries, it is mostly found that many of the new traits are needed each day, and without education as a basic right, it is impossible for the individual to learn new skills and be a better individual.

In this context, it is very well understood that in modern times, the right to education is a necessity.

It was found that many nations are struggling to provide the information on basic education and they do not employ these rights as basic rights.

The economic condition of such nations is not so good; therefore, we should continue to support such nations so that educational rights will not become a regional phenomenon, but it will be available to every human being on this planet.

We may also take the case of many ambassadors of the right to education like Madam Malala. It is notable that she even faced terrorist attacks on herself due to defending educational rights. She survived fatal bullet attacks on her and was under severe medication for many days, but in the end, she came out triumphant.

The main factor in such a story is that still there may be many Malala’s around this world who have never seen the face of schools, and despite having keen interest in the studies it was not possible for him/her to go to school.

Many societies do not pay much attention to education. As a result, even though the children may be interested in going to school, the society does not have the favourable conditions for that to happen. It is usually said that many aspects are to be covered, like basic infrastructure like roads in any area for the building of schools.

In today’s world, there are many regions in the world which are under civil war or are in a war like condition, so it becomes important for the governments to take things into their hands. It is worthwhile to mention that many of these conditions are not permanent in nature and it should be a top priority for each one of us to get involved in the process of building schools and education systems as soon as the disturbance is over in a particular region.

What usually happens is that despite having a huge expenditure in the domain of infrastructure build up, in such cases, very less attention is paid towards rebuilding up of education system, as a result it was found that many of the nations keep lagging even in basic school systems.

The education system is basically divided into two sections –
1. School or elementary education
2. Higher Education

Formal Education should be accessible to all the citizens, and government should provide the basic infrastructure in such case. In many nations the basic education is state sponsored. The main aim in this aspect is that many of the state sponsored schools are in such a condition that it is like that of private schools, and the system is created in a way that imparts quality education so that both types of school education systems can co-exist. This leads to a very efficient system.

In the case of a poverty-stricken family, the state education system can provide basic education for an individual, and if the student is self-sufficient, then he/she can opt for private education system. The main benefit of such a system is that education is continued even if the economic condition of the masses is changing, and many of the nations, usually the developing ones, follow this system.

In such a system, it is usually seen that societal divisions persist due to two levels of education systems, but either can work on its quality and surpass the other and can provide an atmosphere of healthy completion and options among the masses.

Higher education is one of the sectors which needs long term investments and planning but bears maximum fruit for the nation in terms of quality citizens and economic uplift of the masses.

The investment is a bit higher in the sector of Higher Education, but so are the results and the main attribute of this aspect is that many of the new research and development projects are being run in this sector. The only setback of covering higher education is that many new ventures are to be implemented in the society.

The most astonishing fact is that the returns in this field are time consuming and a complete analysis needs to be done, but when the results start coming, then it happens that most of the employees are engaged in this pursuit. This means that there is a steep rise in the overall communication aspect and the interest of the masses increases in this field.

In developing countries, the process of providing the commutation for scholars is extremely low but still we find that many of the new developing countries are venturing into this field.

Discussion –
The other aspects are that in-spite of the corresponding measures, the input in the field of education is low. The state has a proper channel of funding education, but the concern is ensuring that the education funds get to the correct person and ensuring that the quality of education is improved.

High quality education is a must for all the nations. In many countries, the rate of literacy is high, but the interest in the research is very low. This shows that basic education is dealt with with utmost care, but the other aspects of education are neglected.

In this study, we propose a two-way approach for the education at the primary level and the research level. It is recommended that primary education shall be dealt with by a different section of state or body, and the research level to be administered by another body.

This will allow for maximization of literacy sources in the basic education level and the masses will be at least literate. This functionality has the basic goal of providing maximum support to the body of the literacy governing system so that masses can be literate at the maximum level. The other aspects are that the body governing the primary education shall ensure that masses to be governed.

This can be understood from the case study of Kerala [a state in India]. This state boasts a 100% literacy rate. This accounts for the improvement in the condition of the masses. In this aspect, the study is done to increase the effect of education and literacy. The other aspect is that we need not only trained citizens, but enlightened ones, as well as technocrats.

This condition leads to analysis of a different kind. We need to create opportunities for the production of, not only literate citizens, but the citizens who are crafted for research and development. The need for higher education is felt more & more as we move towards the conformity of a developed nation. Thus, we move on the discussion towards the need for better upliftment modules in the domain of R&D.

The need for R&D level in education is evident. Let us discuss how to achieve a better R&D atmosphere in the county. The key factor towards any educational rights talk is to enhance the level of understanding and outlook of the society. The more consolidated opinion lies on the fact that many of the new aspects are related in this scenario.

The fact noted in such discussions is that even in the advanced counties, more stress is being given based on the conformity of the analysis of research and more percentage of budget allotment is done for the research activities. The involvement of the situation is such that the overall criteria is not just advancement, but the level of future planning needs to be done, and for that, continuous investment in R&D is needed.

The education activists have been more involved with the base mission of primary education to all, but the other involvements are not just for the sake of criteria, but for other modes like breaking up of vicious cycles in any country.

The administration of a country is also easier when the citizens are educated, and they have control over the social aspects. The system convinces the criteria of right to education being favourable to the system itself.

In most of the countries where the educational level of the citizens is high, the economic prosperity of said country is also high. The system, then, is such that it creates opportunity for the whole sector to improve and it leads to many such features which the country needs to be alert about it.

The information related to education as a societal right is present in many articles, but still there are aspects which are different in the approaches. For example, how well it can be seen that a system is adaptive towards the society claiming education as a basic right. The main fundamental rule of such want is that it is directly connected to the corresponding right of equity, and in fact, to the right of justice as well. The main aspect of governing the overall Education Right is simply dependent on the level of insight by the authorities.

In one of the case studies by (Mapuva & Mapuva, 2016), it is mentioned that many of the new aspects are related to the children rights to education and the complexities involved. The case study undertaken is comprised of various such issues which are to be handled with care and collectively.

In next section, we will analyse the aspects like Common Community Level, and a case about the Zimbabwe land reforms will be undertaken.

The Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in Zimbabwe was started in 1999 and it gives a unique aspect of Education Rights. In the beginning, it was assumed that many of the land reforms were the need of the hour. This aspect has led to the belief that Education Rights were given equal importance in respect to the other conformities, so in this land reform, it was suggested that education should also be included as basic right.

The other aspect is that the Right to Education is not considered as an isolated right, but the Right to Food, Right to Shelter, Right to Clothing, and Right to Freedom are also attached and intermingles with it.

The movement in Zimbabwe has seen to it that many of the new rights are also to be seen, and encouraged that it starts with the Right to Education. So, we may very well say that there are prerequisites that are involved in this. The other way to see it is that any government must provide the basic facilities to ensure that the right to education is observed. This phenomenon explains the reason for a direct correlation between the right to education and economic upliftment.

The children of former commercial farm workers of Zimbabwe are members of the FTLRP, and it was found that most of the workers in the landless regime have left the children after settling in other countries. This has led to the problem of over accumulation of unemployed youth. This condition has led to the development of a scenario under which the rogue elements have been described as the basic criteria for analysis of the functions.

The other aspect is that many of the unemployed youth are creating problems and civil war like conditions in the country. Therefore, the need for education is prominent. It was found that many of the newly developed countries are to be analysed on the same lines, and it can be understood that despite the presence of various aspects, it was found that for a nation to prosper, it must adopt the right to education as a basic right.

The Right to Education is a serious issue and we all must enlighten ourselves of the same. The main factors which are considered as obstructions in the field of knowledge are issues such as weak political will or uncertainty.

For developed nations, in addition to having the Right to Education being observed, they also maintain quality allocation of resources and facilities to the students. This fact can be seen from various examples. One way to measure this fact is through sporting activities. We have seen the performance of skilled sports personnel in international events and this is possible only when the school level sports facilities are up to par.

In most of the skill developed sports like shooting, it is found that these aspects are to be dealt with utmost case and the main criterion to be developed is that it is to be nurtured at the basic level or age. This is just an example which shows how far reaching can be the effects of Education Rights.

As stated by any activists, we must look at the fact that despite having a large momentum of resources, most of the citizens or youth are educated but still are not employable. This means that despite the new systems in place, the mismatch between the employer expectations and youth training exists.

This problem is most vigorous when we found that this division of the population is not only expecting a high standard of living, but they also need a proper place of work for their personal satisfaction and progress plan. If such a situation exists, then it forces unemployment conditions in the masses.

To improve the economy and avoid mismatching in terms of skills/education versus job expectation/availability, employment should be generated at the same pace that the youth are prepared with the requisite skills for these jobs.

Skill development in the youth is very important and should be developed by introducing technical education from the school level. The modern world has evolved as a ‘warehouse’ for technical jobs. Imparting traditional educational is necessary, but technical education is more important in this time. Skill development needs to be a priority since job requirements are changing with respect to the time and technological requirements.

The Right to Education has benefitted many individuals, especially females like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai, who are making their mark in every aspect of society. It is the power of education that makes them survive the world and lead it from the fore front with works such as “Girls Can Change The World – But We Have To Invest In Them First” – Malala Yousafzai, and “How dare you” by Greta Thunberg. It is the right to education that makes it possible to have quality education that matters, and its effect is that we can find a complete breed of youngsters who have the capability to encounter modern world problems.

If governments were to take the Right to Education seriously, adult continuing education would be possible even after a halt. Many aspects of education have evolved, and many adults would be interested in being informed on these aspects. They may also have a half-completed education, but they can continue in future and get themselves literate.

The Right to Education does not necessarily mean the ‘a right to be degree holder’. Yes, we must create schools, but there must be value in the content and the system available.

The discussion started from basic lacking Educational Rights, but we analysed that the Right to Education is possible only when sustainable goals are developed, and when the educated citizens to assist in making their countries a better place to live.

In this modern world, the challenges have evolved, and the new versions of existing problems are evident. The problem we may find is that educated citizens are more aligned towards the central core issues like climate change and support the government in its endeavour.

The government tends to be more involved in the solution when the citizens show extreme concern for the problems faced, especially in a democratic country. Citizens in these countries can use this fact to push for the Right to Education to be a part of government policies.

In conclusion, the Right to Education is not only relevant for the basic criteria of elementary education, but it can aid in economic upliftment of a country, and it affects other rights and conditions of the citizens of a country, as well as those of the global population.

Sources of Information

Mapuva, L., & Mapuva, J. (2016). The Dilemma of Children’s Right to Education in the Era of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe Re-visited. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

http://righttoeducation.in/know-your-rte/about

https://www.longdom.org/articles/fundamental-right-to-education-in-india-an-overview.pdf

http://www.fastread.in/explore?infoID=1222

Word + Quiz: factitious

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onlinefreecourse
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0
Word + Quiz: factitious

: not produced by natural forces; artificial or fake

_________

The word factitious has appeared in one article on NYTimes.com in the past year, on August 4 in “The Anonymous Professor Who Wasn’t” by Jonah Engel Bromwich and Ezra Marcus:

Dr. Marc Feldman is a psychiatrist who studies factitious disorders in which a person acts as if they, or a loved one, have a disease. He specializes in what he calls Munchausen by internet, in which such deceptions take place online, and said he hears about a new case every couple of weeks.

“I think it happens online more than offline these days because it’s so easy to mislead people via social media,” Dr. Feldman said. He added that Covid-19 had been a boon for those with such disorders. “Nobody wants to be near a Covid-19 sufferer so they say, ‘We can’t meet,’” he said. “There’s no way to arrange a face-to-face meeting.”

_________

Should There Still Be Snow Days?

By
onlinefreecourse
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0
Should There Still Be Snow Days?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

In response to a large storm that hit the East Coast this week, school districts across the United States continued with virtual instruction instead of canceling classes. The change could become permanent. How do you feel about the possible end of snow days?

What snow-day rituals do you look forward to most? Do you enjoy outdoor activities like snowball fights, ice skating and sledding? Or do you prefer to cozy up indoors with a good book or a favorite movie?

In “Children Love Snow Days. The Pandemic May End Them Forever,” Troy Closson writes about how snow days could become a bygone tradition:

In New York, it is still unclear whether the pandemic has eliminated snow days forever, but on Tuesday Mayor Bill de Blasio called them a “thing of the past.”

“I’m kind of sad for the kids on the one hand,” Mr. de Blasio said, but he also noted that not losing more class time this school year is particularly important. “On the other hand, we’ve got a lot of learning that needs to be done and lot of catching up.”

Similar plans have emerged elsewhere. In Philadelphia, teachers plan to continue classes virtually if the expected storm hits. In Denver, schools moved fully online for large snowfall in late October. And officials in Omaha said last month that students would learn online regardless of snow, even beyond this year. School will not be canceled; instead, snow days have been.

Some parents, however, said they were ready and willing to declare their own snow day regardless of the school’s decision:

Sarah Allen, a parent in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, said if streets near her home are coated, her four children will not be attending classes as usual.

“I felt like no matter what kind of learning we’re doing this year,” she said, “this isn’t something that needs to be taken away from kids who have already lost a lot, ranging from not being able to see friends to losing parents to Covid.”

Instead, Ms. Allen said that her husband would take the children to the park to build snowmen and enjoy the weather. Ms. Allen, a first-grade teacher at Public School 372 in Brooklyn, will be indoors, leading instruction for students who show up for class.

But she said she expected attendance to be lighter than normal, given that many of the school’s parents have told her they have similar plans for letting their children have a one-day vacation.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • How do you feel about snow days in general? Are they exciting breaks from the monotony of a school routine or do they create anxiety about missing lessons and schoolwork? Would you be upset if your school no longer had snow days?

  • Do you live in a school district that uses a lot of snow days? If so, do you enjoy the seasonal activities that come with winter, or do you dread the ice and cold? If you live in a warmer climate, have you ever wished you could experience a snow day? Has your school ever been closed for a weather-related event?

  • Is it fair for school districts to take snow days away from students (as well as teachers and parents)? Should schools be expected to cancel school even though so many districts are able to hold classes virtually?

  • Many education experts have said that keeping students in class is especially vital given the disruptive events of the past year. Do you think the educational and social tumult caused by the coronavirus pandemic is justification to forgo snow days and continue holding class? Or does it strengthen the case for giving students an academic break?

  • How do you feel about parents, like Ms. Allen, who said they planned to flout the rules and allow their children to take a snow day even if school was held virtually? Is it acceptable for parents to let their children skip school for the purpose of memory-making? Would you feel comfortable enjoying a snow day if it meant missing school?

About Student Opinion

• Find all our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• 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.

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