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What Is the Worst Toy Ever?

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What Is the Worst Toy Ever?

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

Do you have any all-time favorite toys? A doll, a puzzle, an action figure, a game? What made it fun to play with?

Conversely, have you ever had any true clunkers? Toys that were impossible to assemble or too easily broken? Toys you found maddeningly boring, messy, annoying, confusing, frustrating, scary or even dangerous?

What makes a bad toy, in your opinion?

In “An Unofficial Ranking of the 10 Most Annoying Kids’ Toys,” Jessica Delfino writes:

Nobody told me that once I had a child, I’d be held hostage by a deranged assortment of countless toys, each with their own maddening varieties of terrible features. Some are too loud, others too sticky, some are depressing and still others are even potentially dangerous.

After chatting with more than 100 mothers in an online parenting group, I learned that I was not alone, and that many other parents had come to loathe some of the same playthings I had. To help you avoid falling into the same traps, here is a list of 10 toys that consistently came up as some of the most infuriating, ranked from most to least annoying. These, we all agreed, could distress even the most unflappable parents.

Here are four terrible toys from Ms. Delfino’s list:

2. Slime: Destructive

Every toy company seems to have their own branded blob of slime, but some go above and beyond by selling it in a three-pound tub. Why? Three pounds of slime is too much slime. My son’s favorite stuffy owl sat in a puddle of it overnight, and is now permanently disfigured. “I hate slime so much, and it’s in every ‘surprise’ toy and now it’s also all over my couch,” said Anna Lane, a comedy writer in Los Angeles. “It got all over the carpet and I banned it,” said Diana Metzger, a mom in Maryland. You can have nice things or you can have slime, but you can’t have both.

4. Play-Doh: Destroyer of nice things

Before I had a son, I gifted my niece a rainbow rack of Play-Doh. “Gee, thanks,” my sister said, sarcastically. I was confused. What kind of monster dislikes Play-Doh? Today, I’m that monster, infuriated by the dried crumbs that are encrusted onto the expensive things I’ve worked hard for. And Hasbro knows it — their website offers a long list of clean up tips. If traditional Play-Doh wasn’t bad enough, the company also makes putty, foam and even — hooray — at least three different versions of slime. Wonderful! Five more styles to also detest.

5. Glitter Shaker: Eternal

Those tiny, loose, hell flakes get stuck in floor cracks, between eyelashes, on fabric and, worst of all, in my photographer husband’s gear, so we’ve banished the stuff from our lives. One could theorize that glitter has been annoying parents since the beginning of time: Humans have been drawn to shiny things since the prehistoric period, when they would incorporate naturally lustrous substances like luminous gold, mirrored mica and beetle wing covers into artwork, textiles and more. Today, most glitter is made from plastic film, which can take about 1,000 years to biodegrade. “As an art teacher, I avoid glitter,” said Kelly Jones, who is also a mom and lives in Los Angeles. The sentiment is spreading; it’s used in my child’s school projects less and less. Good riddance.

10. Furby: Relentless

I thought my neighbor and I were friends, but then she handed her daughter’s Furby down to my son. It talks nonstop in a high-pitched, head-splitting voice; it screams, flatulates and has no “off” switch. It needs to be unscrewed to take the batteries out and make it stop. Of course, my son loves it and it must go everywhere with us. The best part? She gave us two.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • What are your least favorite toys ever — either those you played with as a child, or those of siblings, younger relatives or the children you babysit? Tell us what would make your top 10 terrible toys list. Do you have any memorable experiences with a bad toy?

  • Ms. Delfino describes each entry on her list with biting wit. Of harmonicas, she warns: “To purchase one is self-torture.” On the glitter shaker she laments: “Those tiny, loose, hell flakes get stuck in floor cracks, between eyelashes, on fabric and, worst of all, in my photographer husband’s gear.” Vividly describe the qualities of at least one toy in your personal “Worst Toy Hall of Fame” that make it so awful — the appearance, texture, sound, overall concept or confusing lack of one, or anything else.

  • What is your reaction to Ms. Delfino’s list of most annoying kids’ toys? Did you nod enthusiastically along with any of her choices? Were you shocked to find one of your favorite toys making the cut?

  • If your parents were asked to make a list of their most hated and annoying toys from your childhood, what do you think would be in their top 10 and why? Ms. Delfino writes, “You can have nice things or you can have slime, but you can’t have both.” Have any of your toys disfigured your parents’ favorite items? Does reading the article make you rethink toys from a parent’s perspective?

  • If you were an executive of a toy company, how would you fix, remake or reboot any of the toys on your or Ms. Delfino’s list? What advice and recommendations would you make to stop toy makers from designing a terrible toy?

About Student Opinion

• Find all of 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: ‘We Are Saying It With Flowers. Loudly and Repeatedly.’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘We Are Saying It With Flowers. Loudly and Repeatedly.’

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

Featured Article: “We Are Saying It With Flowers. Loudly and Repeatedly.” By Carly Lewis

The Society of American Florists, 1-800-Flowers and individually operated flower shops have reported a significant increase in the number of flower sales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. What is driving this recent uptick in spending on flowers?

In this lesson, you will hear from four florists about how their businesses and responsibilities have evolved over the past year. Then we invite you to reflect on the actions and rituals — like buying flowers — that have brought you connection and peace during the pandemic. Plus, try a flower-related art project.

Take five minutes to free-write in your journal about your relationship to flowers.

  • How do you feel about flowers? Do you find them to be beautiful, calming or a kind way to tell someone you’re thinking of them? Or do you tend to avoid them, perhaps because they die in a few short days or trigger your allergies?

  • Have you ever sent or received flowers? Do you ever buy flowers for yourself? What was the occasion? What was that experience like and how did it make you feel?

  • The featured article looks at the role that flowers have played in many people’s lives during the pandemic. Before reading, why do you think flowers have become significant for some people this past year? Have you sent or received any flowers recently? Why?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What has Julia Gray, a florist, noticed about how people’s views on flowers have changed since the onset of the pandemic?

2. How does John Harkins use his degree in counseling while working as a florist?

3. Mr. Harkins’s father told him that “the flower business is recession-proof.” What does that mean? How does the article support this statement?

4. Some of the florists in the article talk about the joy, and the sadness, that comes with their work. What is one story from the article that exemplifies the ways in which being a florist can be emotionally difficult or painful?

5. How does Whit McClure, who runs the floral design studio Whit Hazen, understand her role as a florist during the pandemic?

6. Emily Scott, who owns Floriconvento Flowers, said, “I feel privileged to be the liaison between the customer’s feelings and the recipient’s.” What is one example from the article that highlights the florists’ role as liaison that you found particularly moving?

6. In your opinion, what are some of the things that make working as a florist unique? How has the pandemic highlighted some of the special, and unusual, responsibilities of the profession?

Option 1: Reflect on the small things that make you feel grounded and connected.

How have you expressed love, sadness and grief during the pandemic? What are ways that you have been able to connect with others from a distance and express how you feel about them?

Many of the florists in the article emphasized the ways that flowers can provide connection and support. Ms. McClure of Whit Hazen said, “Our job is helping people stay connected during this time.” And Ms. Scott, the owner of Floriconvento Flowers, said: “Even if it’s just switching out the water in a vase, that can be good for mental health. Giving flowers to people offers them a healthy, meditative moment.”

What are things in your daily or weekly life that offer you a chance to have a “meditative moment”? Is it taking a walk outside or going for a bike ride? Do you intentionally turn off your phone or read a book when you are looking for a minute of peace? Do tasks like watering plants or helping a neighbor offer you a sense of calm?

How have you found creative ways to connect with the people you care about? Do you check in with them on the phone or by writing letters? Have you sent flowers, shared a playlist of your favorite music or written someone a poem?

What is one new thing you would like to try, either to bring yourself more inner peace or to connect with others?

Option 2: Create with flowers.

If you are inspired to make your own floral project, here are two step-by-step guides that allow you to both create and connect with others:

After completing your project, write a short reflection on how it felt to create something using flowers and to give your creation to someone else. What was it like to use flowers as an expressive medium? Did you feel any of the things that the florists in the article described?

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.

Learning Scientists’ Greatest Hits

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Learning Scientists’ Greatest Hits

In celebration of our 500th post (wow!) and 5 years as the Learning Scientists, we decided to reminisce on some of our blog highlights. Cindy went through all of our old blogs and, in true data nerd fashion, created a spreadsheet listing the number of times each blog post has been shared. From that, she created our “Greatest Hits Album” of posts that received at least 200 shares. So here it is, our 500th post, a digest of our top hits. We hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane and the curated list of popular posts!

Overview

Six Strategies for Effective Learning by Megan and Yana

Six strategies for Effective Learning: A Summary for Teachers by Megan

Creative coding with p5.js: Examples and project inspiration

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Creative coding with p5.js: Examples and project inspiration

We recently launched a new course — Learn p5.js. This course is a great place to start for anyone interested in creative coding and will introduce you to creating generative visualizations, interactive experiences, and multimedia graphics with code.

Creative coding is a type of programming in which the goal is to make something expressive, instead of something functional. Creative coding can be used to create visual art, data visualizations, immersive experiences, interactive films, games, and so much more.

There’s virtually no limit to what you can express with code! And to help you get inspired, we put together a few examples of how artists and programmers are using p5.js for creative coding.

What is p5.js?

p5.js is an open-source JavaScript library used for creative coding. It has pre-written code that makes it incredibly simple to program interactive visuals that run on your web browser.

With p5.js, you can build visualizations using shapes, text, images, videos, and sounds. You can add sophisticated animations and interactions to your programs. And it’s easy to get started, even with only a basic knowledge of web programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

In fact, p5.js was designed to make coding accessible to artists, designers, educators, beginners, and anyone else. It’s a great way to build a strong foundation in code, or to flex your coding muscles in a different way.

So whether you’re just starting out on your coding journey, or you’re looking to express your artistic side with code, we hope these examples will help you get inspired about what’s possible with p5.js.

p5.js examples

We’ve put together some p5.js examples from three different artists: Codecademy Content Contributors Mark Lam and Morgan Mueller and Codecademy Curriculum Developer Jiwon Shin. Mark, Morgan, and Jiwon all worked on our Learn p5.js course. You can check out their stories and p5.js creations below.

Mark Lam

Mark Lam is an artist and self-taught developer interested in exploring the ways networked technology mediates the relationship between the self and the other. He is currently a Content Contributor at Codecademy and Front-end developer at United Nations, working to improve data exchange.

Mark’s project, Down Up, morphs two opposite words into one another. He says it’s inspired by the themes of duality and transformation, and by curiosity about how type is rendered onto a screen.

Down Up by Mark Lam

To make this, Mark used p5.js as a drawing tool to sketch out each word. Using OpenType.js, he deconstructed the words into a collection of paths that could be modified. He programmed one set of paths to transform into another, animating the back-and-forth transformation with p5.js.

Mark’s second project, Asemics Writing, translates an audio recording into abstract writing. Mark says it was inspired by asemic writing, a style of writing that is wordless yet resembles written language.

“I think of it as kind of a naive interpretation of language, like a baby trying to write without having learned language yet. I took this form and applied it to a recording of Buckminster Fuller speaking about the possibilities of human imagination, and encoded his voice into the appearance of a written language using p5.js.”

To make this, Mark used the p5.js audio library to load the recording, and a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm to analyze the recording. The FFT algorithm translates each spoken word into a set of waveforms, and a function draws the waveform onto the web page.

We asked Mark what he finds most exciting about creative coding. He tells us:

“What I like most about creative coding is its endless possibilities, and technology’s relatively new history as a creative medium. My background before coding was in studio art, and I became interested in coding as a way to incorporate interactivity into my art work.

As I grew in my development practice, I began to be exposed to different sub-topics around technology, such as the history of computing, open source software, and networking.

I really enjoy the aspect of learning and understanding technology at a deeper level, and a lot of the work that I do now is to take these technical topics and bring them to the forefront for people who aren’t well versed in these fields.”

Morgan Mueller

Morgan Mueller is an Artist and Researcher based in Brooklyn, New York. His artistic practice examines infrastructural systems in the context of labor, resource extraction and global trade.

Ever wonder what happens to nuclear waste? Morgan’s project, Nuclear Waste Futures, is a critical art piece that explores this question. Through a set of time-lapse videos, Morgan shows us how nuclear waste persists over decades, contributing to postnatural landscapes across the U.S.

It also raises questions about how we should store nuclear waste as we consider future generations.

Nuclear Waste Futures by Morgan Mueller

For this project, Morgan used p5.js as a prototyping tool. “Most of what I ended up doing with p5.js is using it for quick prototyping, testing, and designing interactions before I decide whether or not to incorporate them [onto the site].” He collected the images using the Google Earth API (for the years 1990–2019), and created the time-lapse videos using FFmpeg.

When asked what he likes about creative coding, Morgan says:

“I like that creative coding can help people with limited technical literacy feel more empowered to learn about and be excited to continue programming. I also like that it can help give new dimensions of interactivity and creativity to artworks that may otherwise be limited.”

Jiwon Shin

Jiwon Shin is an educator and a creative coder. She is a Curriculum Developer at Codecademy and Adjunct Professor at New York University where she teaches web development and creative coding. Her most recent works focus on building interactive experiences that combine live motion capture with dynamic visualizations.

Many things we do online—whether it’s checking the weather, or looking up directions to a local restaurant—is made possible by satellites that orbit the earth.

Jiwon’s project, Around Us, maps out this satellite infrastructure in a series of 3D visualizations. Once launched, the satellites are no longer visible to us. In response, the project aims to raise awareness of this satellite infrastructure, which makes digital communication and media distribution possible.

It also questions whether we truly know how many satellites are orbiting earth and what they’re used for.

To create the 3D visualization, Jiwon used p5.js and Three.js. The satellite cards were generated and exported as image files using Processing. And the satellite data was sourced from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

We asked Jiwon what she likes about creative coding. She shared:

“Creative coding makes programming more relatable and less intimidating. Looking at all the amazing creative coding works out there, it makes you realize that you don’t have to use programming to build tools. You can use programming to express your thoughts and feelings and to share messages that you think are important. The change in perspective invites a more diverse group of prospective coders.”

Getting started with p5.js

Interested in getting started with creative coding? Check out our Learn p5.js course, or check out these other courses related to creative coding:

You can also check out a list of Resources for Creative Coding in the Codecademy Forums.

Share with us what you create in the comments below!

How to get manager approval for Codecademy for Teams

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How to get manager approval for Codecademy for Teams

Thinking of asking your manager or leadership team to sign up for Codecademy for Teams but not sure how to approach the conversation? We know it can be tricky to pitch something to your boss, but we’re here to help! We’ve put together some tips on what to include in your pitch so that you can successfully convince your team or leader to get on board.

We’ve also put together a one-pager that you can download to share with your manager or leadership team. Use the following form to download the PDF and read on to learn more about how to frame your personal pitch.

First things first: Do some research

It’s always a good idea to do some research before introducing something new to your team or approaching your leadership with an ask. Here are a few things you can do to familiarize yourself with how the process works at your organization:

  • Ask around if anyone has done something similar in the past. If so, ask them how it went!
  • Do a quick search into the types of resources your organization has previously invested in for their employees.
  • Look into whether your company offers educational stipends.

This knowledge can help you frame the pitch in an appropriate way and in line with the expectations of your organization. If you’re the first person to ask for something like this, that’s okay too! Think of it as paving the way for those who come after you.

How to structure your pitch

1. Start with your “why”

A good way to start your pitch is to lead with your personal reasons for bringing up Codecademy to your leadership. Here are a few tips on how to express yourself uniquely and genuinely:

Be specific

Maybe mention which language or framework you’ve been learning, and connect the dots to how those skills have helped you execute in your role or accomplish certain tasks.

Connect Codecademy for Teams to your organization’s goals

Take a look at the performance metrics or objectives that your organization is working to accomplish. How can Codecademy help your organization reach those goals?

For example, Michael is a Senior Marketing Programs Manager. In 2020, he began learning about data science and web development with Codecademy and he is already thinking about how he can use this knowledge to help his organization. In 2021, he says, “I want to use my new data skills to help the team become more data-driven.”

Let your enthusiasm shine through

Nothing is as inspiring as seeing someone passionate about what they’re learning, and that alone speaks volumes. Be honest and embrace the excitement that comes with learning a new skill and applying it to your day-to-day tasks.

2. Give an overview of  Codecademy for Teams

After laying out your “why,” it’s a good idea to give some context into what Codecademy for Teams is, and the features that set us apart from other platforms. Here’s some information that you can incorporate in your pitch to explain what Codecademy offers.

Codecademy for Teams is a Codecademy for Business offering that helps organizations provide technical training and education for their employees. We launched this product to help organizations — across all industries — unlock their potential by elevating technical skills and digital literacy for their teams. We do this through an interactive platform, which delivers a hands-on learning experience to help people learn and retain their new skills.

Some of our key features include:

  • Skills Paths to help learners get started with a language or framework based on their goals and interests.
  • A high quality catalog that includes courses in data science, web development, and machine learning.
  • An interactive platform that includes quizzes, refreshers, video walkthroughs, and real world projects to help learners apply their skills and build on them.
  • Access to community support where learners can collaborate, share resources, and ask questions.
  • Progress reporting for Account Managers, which gives visibility into skills efficacy and course completion.

Over 500 organizations are currently enrolled with Codecademy for Teams, from Fortune 500 companies to financial institutions, universities, and startups. Our customers include IBM, The Guardian, The Motley Fool, Mixpanel, Paradox, and more.

3. Explain the benefits of technical training for teams

Now that you’ve given some background on Codecademy for Teams, it’s time to dive into how it can help your organization. Part of pitching Codecademy to your leadership is showing them the benefits of technical training — you want to help them see the value of the investment as it relates to your work, your team’s work, and the goals of the organization as a whole.

Here are a few benefits that you can mention:

  • Bolster cross-functional collaboration: Equipping employees in less technical roles with a basic understanding of code can go a long way in promoting alignment across engineering, Data, Product, Sales, Marketing, and Operations teams.
  • Encourage employees to take initiative: When you allow employees to broaden their technical skillset, it can produce an incredible byproduct: confidence. Learning technical skills gives employees the courage to jump into problems that may have seemed daunting or “too technical” in the past.
  • Promote innovative problem solving: Technical training helps employees add tools to their toolbox to approach problems through a fresh new lens. Thinking differently can help people identify new opportunities within the “same old problems” which lead to innovative, creative solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible.
  • Strengthen the culture of continuous learning: At an organizational level, supporting employees in their pursuit of technical skills says to them, “We encourage you to keep growing here!”

4. Share details about the cost

As the decision maker, your boss will need to know how much Codecademy for Teams costs — here’s how you can talk about those details:

  • Codecademy for Teams is an annual membership starting at $240 per seat, for a minimum of 5 seats. Our 2-week free trial offers an opportunity to try it out before purchasing.
  • If you work for a larger organization, we also offer flexible enterprise pricing for 50+ seats.
  • Membership includes unlimited access to all Codecademy content, with certificates for completed courses.

The benefits of technical training outlined above will likely help your boss see the positive impacts of this investment on your organization. But, you can also dive into the specifics of the return on investment if you feel it’s necessary:

  • The demand for technical skills is growing at an extremely fast rate.
  • When organizations nurture their tech talent in-house, they get high-skilled employees with experience specific to their needs, which reduces the need for hiring new technically skilled employees and cuts costs in recruitment, loss of productivity, and salary.
  • Codecademy is an affordable option for technical skills training, especially compared to finite training programs that only last a few weeks but cost more, per seat. If you do the math, our year-long memberships are less than a dollar per person, per day!

Pitching something to decision makers can seem daunting, but at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that your leaders just want what’s best for their employees and the organization. With these tips in mind, you’re well equipped to sound confident and get your point across.

In case you missed it above, we’ve put together a PDF that you can share with your manager or leadership, highlighting the benefits and features of Codecademy for Teams. Download it here, and feel free to reach out to our sales team if you have any questions along the way!

Word + Quiz: hapless

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Word + Quiz: hapless

: deserving or inciting pity

_________

The word hapless has appeared in 134 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 11 in “Ring Recalls Video Doorbells After Several Catch Fire” by Maria Cramer:

Ring has advertised itself as a company that provides “simple, proactive whole home security.”

On Twitter, the company has posted videos of Ring doorbell owners who praised the devices for helping them scare strangers off their property or who captured neighborhood oddities, like a tarantula climbing down a wall or a hapless woman using a leaf blower with a broken bag.

_________

What Students Are Saying About Summer School, Outspoken Athletes and Zoom Mishaps

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What Students Are Saying About Summer School, Outspoken Athletes and Zoom Mishaps

The National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and several major sports leagues attract millions of fans from across the country and the world. It isn’t expected for athletes to only be athletes with these huge platforms. I believe athletes can use their platforms to spread important messages and act as influencers. More importantly, condemning racism and speaking out for the victims of police brutality. I do think there can be limits to what athletes say in terms of harming other minority communities. For example, DeSean Jackson, a professional football player, commented on the Jewish community saying they will “extort” and “blackmail” America crosses the line. However, not all athletes feel this way nor would blatantly hurt a community with their millions of followers. Athletes represent their organizations, but they also represent themselves, their views, their values, and their communities.

— Anya, Buffalo, NY

Since the foundation of the first American colony in 1607, Americans have been adamant about speaking out against political issues they disagreed with and social movements they supported. Now, it is not any different. With social media allowing a bigger platform to spread messages, it is no wonder that issues regarding society have been mainstreamed. Like any other celebrity or famous person, athletes have been gifted the ability to not only do what they love, but also inspire and spread messages; why should it be any different with talking about political issues?

— Maria, American School of Recife, Brazil

In my opinion, athletes deserve the right of speaking out against political and social issues because they are capable of spreading the message that confronts the issues like everyone else. Especially if the issue is bothering or connected to them in a way, athletes should be able to address the problem in a way that will effectively inspire others, especially considering Lebron James and his actions regarding social movements. Just like actors, authors, and artists, athletes also have an opinion towards a particular issue so they should also be able to freely express their views on it as others. I don’t find that the activism of athletes is an interference with my enjoyment of the actual sport since they’re just trying to raise awareness about the problems we face in our societies. Athletes are not just meant to demonstrate their physical capabilities all the time, after all, they can have a far bigger in influencing people through their voice.

— Rishab, Illinois

I definitely think that athletes should speak out on social rights issues with the intention of spreading awareness or “to make people start talking,” as Osaka said. I think that part of being such a public figure is that you use your voice to raise awareness. The saying “shut up and dribble” objectifies players because it’s saying that they are only of value because they can play basketball. I agree with Osaka when she said “Do people see us as no more than bodies — individuals who can achieve what’s physically impossible for nearly everyone else, and who entertain fans by pushing ourselves past our limits?” I think everyone should respect athletes enough to value their opinions and views.

— Sarah, Leavenworth, WA

I have never understood why athletes shouldn’t speak out about social and political issues. Athletes aren’t just pawns in a sport, they are real people with real thoughts, beliefs, opinions, and passions. They don’t just exist for other people’s entertainment. In addition, athletes typically have big platforms with thousands, even millions of followers on social media. They can reach a lot of people, and inform them on these issues they feel are important. The people that say they should “stick to sports” are the ones who don’t want to hear what they have to say. These people have a right to free speech and freedom of expression, and that in no way affects the people who get mad about it or the sport they play.

— Juliana, Block 3

Athletics have a huge dominance over American culture. Sports, and professional athletes, are common in our daily lives. From having conversations about the local football team to seeing it in our Twitter feed, it is ever present in our lives, and quite honestly, a nice distraction from the world we face today. That said, professional athletes are being paid to play sports. They are not being paid to share their opinions.

— Tarin, Buffalo, NY

While it is essential for people to be aware of issues that may affect our community, I don’t believe it’s beneficial for such topics to be heard from an athlete’s perspective. Many politicians and intellectuals have the job of researching such issues, so it’s way better if the population hears from them rather than from someone who isn’t actively aware of current situations. In conclusion, while athletes provide entertainment for large groups of people, I believe stirring conversation to political discussions requires a change in audience; mixing sports with politics isn’t a good idea.

— Sofia, Escola Americana do Recife, Brazil

Would You Volunteer for a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial?

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Would You Volunteer for a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial?

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

Most teenagers are not yet eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccines. But a few have volunteered to take part in clinical trials that assess the efficacy and safety of these vaccines for children ages 12 through 17.

Would you participate in one of these trials? If so, what would motivate you? Possible immunity? Financial compensation? Or just the opportunity to help science or be a part of history? If not, why would you be reluctant?

In “To Get Their Lives Back, Teens Volunteer for Vaccine Trials,” Jan Hoffman explains why some teenagers have chosen to enroll:

To get out of ninth-grade science period one recent Friday, the King twins had an excuse that is so very 2021.

Alexandra and Isabelle, 14, had to miss class — including a test — because they were participating in an actual science experiment: a clinical trial of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine to evaluate whether the shot is effective and safe in children ages 12 through 17.

“In science we’re learning about, like, genetics and stuff like that,” said Alexandra during the monitoring period after they’d gotten their shots at a Houston clinic. “So maybe the teacher will say, ‘Oh, you really shouldn’t have to take the test, because you’re contributing to science already.’”

Teenagers contract the novel coronavirus almost twice as often as younger children but vaccines authorized in the United States are mostly for adults — Moderna’s for 18 and older, Pfizer’s for 16 and up. While teenagers don’t become severely ill from the virus as often as adults, research suggests that because they are often asymptomatic and casual about social distancing, they can be efficient spreaders — to one another as well as to adults like parents, grandparents and teachers. Although vaccinating educators will be an important factor in keeping schools open, vaccinating students will also be a key element.

Bottom line: If widespread immunity to the coronavirus is to be achieved, adolescents are critical links. They need a Covid vaccine that works for them.

The article continues:

Sam, 12, who entered the Pfizer trial at Cincinnati Children’s hospital, said he wanted to participate “because it would be helping science and beat the pandemic. And it was my way of saying thank you to the frontline workers who are keeping us healthy.”

His sister, Audrey, 14, who is also in the study, said, “I thought this would be a really good story I could tell my children and grandchildren — that I tried to help create the vaccine.”

“And I also thought it is important to have people of different ages and races represented,” added Audrey, who, like her brother, is Asian. (Their mother, Rachel, a nurse researcher who volunteered for a vaccine trial, asked that their last names be withheld for privacy reasons.)

Overall, the teen trials may be less diverse, because results from adult trials showed no discernible difference in outcome by race. And because the adult trials were so successful, up to two-thirds of teenagers may be offered the actual vaccine rather than a placebo.

Pfizer, whose trial is fully enrolled, expects results from its trials for children ages 12 through 15 in the first quarter of this year, which it will then submit to the Food and Drug Administration for review. Moderna is still recruiting for its adolescent trials, with data anticipated sometime this summer. Other companies expect to start adolescent trials soon. Shortly after, researchers will open trials for children as young as 5, most likely with more modest doses.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Would you volunteer for a clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine? Why did the young people quoted in the article choose to participate in the trials? What did you think of their reasoning?

  • What do you see as the benefits of enrolling in such a trial? What are the possible downsides? Would you have any fears? Overall, do you think the upsides outweigh the downsides?

  • How important do you think it is that a Covid-19 vaccine is quickly evaluated and distributed among teenagers? Why do you think that teenagers are more “difficult to wrangle” than adults in these trials? How could researchers make it easier for teenagers find out about the trials and participate in them?

  • What are the ethical considerations of enrolling participants in a clinical trial at any age? Are these considerations different when the participants are teenagers, or even younger? If you were to enroll in a trial of a Covid-19 vaccine, do you think you would be able to have a thorough enough understanding of the potential risks?

  • The author writes that teen trials may be less racially diverse than trials of adults, despite higher rates of coronavirus cases and deaths among Black and Latino people. Do you think that this is a problem? Why or why not? If so, how do you think the trials should be altered?

  • When vaccines are eventually approved by the F.D.A. and available for teenagers, will you get one? Why or why not?

A New National Park

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A New National Park

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

The United States has a new national park, its 63rd. The National Park Service, created in 1916, oversees more than 400 areas across the country, including national monuments, seashores and battlefields as well as parks, which together total more than 85 million acres. But “national parks” are considered the crown jewels of the park system.

Have you ever visited any of these parks? What was the experience like? Which would you most want to visit that you haven’t yet?

Tell us in the comments, then read a 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.

Lesson of the Day: ‘“What’s the Point?” Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘“What’s the Point?” Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On’

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

Featured Article: “‘What’s the Point?’ Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On” by Isabella Kwai and Elian Peltier

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect countries around the world, mental health professionals are concerned about the mental well-being of young people. Experts say that lockdowns and school closings have created a “mental health pandemic” that should be treated as seriously as containing the coronavirus.

In this lesson, you will learn about why so many young people seem to be struggling. Then, you will think about how friends, parents and schools can better support young people’s mental health and well-being.

Note to teachers: The featured article deals with anxiety, depression and suicide in young people. Please read it and this lesson plan to make sure they are appropriate for your class.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, and you live in the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources. Additional resources in other countries can be found here.

The featured article begins with the story of Philaé Lachaux, a 22-year-old business student in France. Read this quote from Ms. Lachaux, who talks about the loneliness and despair she has been facing:

“The pandemic feels like a big stop in our lives,” she added. “One that puts us so low that I wonder, ‘What’s the point?’”

In your journal, reflect on Ms. Lachaux’s words:

  • What does this quote mean to you? How do you understand what Ms. Lachaux is expressing? How does it make you feel?

  • Does any part of the quote resonate with how you feel or how you have felt at any point during the pandemic? Does it make you think of things that friends or family members have expressed feeling?

  • What insight does this quote give us into the experience of young people during the pandemic? Why might teenagers and young adults, in particular, be feeling this way?

Read the article and then answer the following questions:

1. What are some of the causes of the mental health issues that young people are facing? Are there any other reasons, not listed in the article, that you would add?

2. What have mental health professionals across Europe noticed about the pandemic’s toll on young people’s mental health?

3. Dalia Al-Dujaili, 21, a student at the University of Edinburgh, says that one good thing about her generation is that “everybody talks about their therapists and their meds.” Do you and your peers talk openly about mental health? Do you agree with Ms. Al-Dujaili that this is a good thing?

4. How do social class and poverty intersect with mental health issues for young people?

5. Choose one of the solutions detailed in the section headlined “A search for remedies” and evaluate it. Do you think this is an effective strategy to support young people’s mental health? Why or why not?

6. Choose one statistic from the article that you find particularly meaningful, troubling or interesting. Then, explain why you chose it and what it illustrates about young people and mental health.

Option 1: Create an emotional well-being tool kit.

It’s important to take care of your mental health, especially in challenging times like these. While we will all have times when we are stressed, anxious, sad or angry, there are things we can do to help ourselves feel grounded, balanced and supported.

Create an emotional well-being tool kit to help you navigate challenging moments. These might be strategies you can employ yourself (“I can reach out to a friend” or “I feel calmer when I take a walk”), or they might be forms of support you need from others (“I would like my family to check in with me regularly” or “It’s easier for me to share when I know someone will listen without judgment”).

First, brainstorm a list of strategies that have worked for you in the past when you have struggled with your mental health.

Then, read some of the advice from experts in one or more of the following articles. Add any ideas that resonate with you to your list.

If you are in a classroom context, you might share your ideas with the class to create a crowdsourced list of strategies that you can draw on anytime, whether to help yourself in times of need or to support a friend.

Option 2: Brainstorm community solutions.

How can society — schools, the government, the media — better support young people who are struggling with stress, anxiety, loneliness or depression during the pandemic?

The article includes several suggestions, such as reopening schools, offering free therapy sessions for students and sharing resources on TV or social media. Do you think any of these ideas could be particularly helpful? What else do you think should be done to help young people?

On your own or with your class, brainstorm some steps your community could take. You might consider:

  • Your school. What resources does your school offer to support students’ mental health? How could the administration better support students? For example, should counseling be more widely available? Should students get mental health days off from school? If schools are closed, should they reopen? What else?

  • The federal or local government. What responsibility, if any, do you think the government has in ensuring the mental health of young people during the pandemic? Do you know of any government programs or services that support young people and mental health?

  • The community. How might your community come together to support young people? What could parents at your school do? How might institutions like the library, the recreation center or local businesses help?

Then, write a letter to your school administration, government or community leaders that explains how you have felt emotionally during the pandemic and provides three suggestions for how they can better support you and other young people.

Option 3: Discuss: Is this a moment for vulnerability or strength?

Do you think that the pandemic has been a time for young people to become stronger and more resilient? Or has it been a painful year that shows the importance in being emotionally vulnerable and OK with experiencing sadness and loneliness? Is it both?

Look at these two perspectives on the pandemic’s effects on young people. The featured article ends with these words from Philaé Lachaux, the 22-year-old business student in France:

Still, some young people see a silver lining. “At least the pandemic has given us the right to be sad,” said Ms. Lachaux, the French student. “We don’t have to show all the time how strong we are.”

Another article about young people’s mental health ends with these two paragraphs from Laura Anthony, a child psychologist and an associate professor:

Much as the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II forged what is known as “the Greatest Generation,” she said the challenges of the pandemic could strengthen today’s young people.

“I think we are going to have a generation of really remarkably resilient kids and teens who grow up to be really remarkable human beings as adults.”

Discuss with your classmates or reflect on your own in writing:

  • What do you notice about the difference in opinion between Ms. Lachaux and Ms. Anthony? Why do you think they might have different perspectives on this moment?

  • Do you tend to agree with one viewpoint more than the other? If so, which one and why? If not, how do you see this moment and why?

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.

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