The White House is urging programmers to move away from older programming languages like C and C++ in favor of “memory-safe” languages like Rust. There’s evidence that building software with memory-safe languages can significantly reduce vulnerabilities and prevent cyberattacks, according to a report issued Monday.
As aspiring programmers and code enthusiasts, you’re probably wondering what this federal guidance means for you. Are memory-safe languages our only option for building software and apps? Is it time to stop learning C and C++ and pivot to something else?
When you’re choosing a programming language to learn or use, you have to consider what you want to create and how easy the language is to understand. Other factors, like the frameworks used in a project or the legacy codebase, also matter. Although security and safety may not be your first concern, it’s crucial, as highlighted in the White House report.
Ahead, we’ll break down the news, explain the difference between memory-safe languages and unsafe ones, and share free courses you can take to start learning memory-safe languages today.
Learn something new for free
What does “memory safe” mean?
Memory safety is a feature found in certain programming languages that prevents programmers from introducing a type of bug that messes with how computer memory is accessed and stored.
Nobody likes bugs, but memory-safety bugs are a big problem in computing because they affect how computer memory is written, allocated, or deallocated. This can lead to crashes and open the door to cyber-attacks. Studies from Microsoft and Google shows that up to 70% of security vulnerabilities are caused by memory safety issues.
Memory safety errors can cause vulnerabilities. Two common types are: “out of bounds read,” which happens when a program attempts to access or modify data outside of its allocated memory; and a “use after free” bug, which occurs when a program tries to access a memory location that’s already been freed.
Which programming languages are considered memory safe?
Memory-safe languages are designed to automatically catch this type of error at compile time. Here are some examples of memory-safe programming languages — with links to courses if you want to start learning them today:
Each of these languages approach memory safety through different features. As for languages that are memory unsafe, the White House report calls out C and C++ as languages that lack built-in memory safe assurances. If you’re curious how you can manage memory allocation manually with these languages, check out our in-depth tutorial.
What are memory-safe languages used for?
Memory-safe languages can be used to create all sorts of apps. If you know Swift, for example, you can develop software for Apple devices that run iOS and macOS. C# is a popular language developed by Microsoft that you can use to build web apps and games. Python is a fan favorite because it’s versatile and can be used for data analytics, machine learning, web development, and more. Rust was named the top desired programming language in the Stack Overflow 2023 Developer Survey and is beloved in blockchain, VR, and game development.
“If I was starting a project from scratch and it didn’t have major interdependencies on other frameworks or libraries, I would have a hard time finding a reason of going out of the Rust-Go-Python spectrum,” explains Judah Anthony, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Codecademy. “If I found myself reaching for C/C++ and/or Assembly, I probably have a very specific reason why.”
Should I still learn C and C++?
This directive isn’t necessarily a reason to give up on learning C and C++. There are specific times and places when you might want to use these languages. You might work in an industry where all the legacy code is written in these languages. For example, C++ is used heavily in gaming, because it can optimize resources to accommodate graphics and multiple players.
Not to mention, there are plenty of reasons to learn programming languages beyond just being able to use them in production. Learning how each language frames a problem can help you understand programming concepts better.
TL;DR
Every programming language has strengths and weaknesses: “What you should learn needs to be connected to when you should learn it,” Judah says. The right choice for you completely depends on what it is you’d like to do and where you are in your coding journey. As new research and technology emerge, the methods and languages we use to code will keep evolving — this is just the latest development to consider.
Learn memory-safe languages for free
Take the first step towards safer coding practices by mastering memory-safe languages. If you’re familiar with programming basics in other languages, we recommend starting with the free course Rust for Programmers. Or if you’re starting from zero, we have beginner friendly free courses Learn Swift, Learn Kotlin, Learn Java, and Learn Go. With our interactive lessons, you’ll dive into practical projects, gain hands-on experience, and build a solid foundation in memory-safe programming that’ll empower you to develop robust and secure software applications.
Career advice doesn’t have to come from the pages of a self-help business book or a high-profile CEO’s TED Talk to be useful — in fact, the most memorable advice often comes from unexpected sources, like a brief coffee chat with your work bestie, a reassuring Slack message from your team leader, or even the lyrics of a Beyoncé song.
For women who work in tech, there’s power in getting feedback and recommendations from other women who have been in your shoes. Despite incremental progress toward gender equality in the tech industry, women still only make up about 28% of the tech workforce.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we asked women in our Code Crew and the Codecademy community to share the best career advice they ever received. Read on to learn the practical and refreshing pointers that helped women in the tech industry thrive.
Prioritize flexibility
The advice: “The best career advice I was given was a year or so after graduating when I wasn’t sure what kind of work was a good fit for me. I’d tried various jobs and at the time was working as a driving instructor. After passing their driving test, one of my clients, who was a programmer, said to me ‘You should work in IT.’ They even went as far as giving me a spare computer they had. This advice resonated with me because I realized a career in IT could give me the flexibility and financial support for a good work-life balance, which was what I really wanted. A few months later I started work as an Analyst Programmer and have been working in IT for over 20 years now!” – Grace Kishino, Full-Stack Developer and Code Crew member
How to do it: Focus on developing in-demand skills that offer flexibility, such as programming, data analysis, or project management. Network with professionals in these industries and seek mentorship to gain insights and guidance for navigating remote-friendly career paths. There are even job boards for remote work that you can browse to find opportunities that fit your lifestyle.
Turn passions into transferrable skills
The advice: “The most impactful career advice I’ve received came from my sister, Krisztina, during a period of professional uncertainty. She simply said, ‘Follow your passions.’
Initially, I dismissed it as a cliché. How could my love for calligraphy or paint-by-number translate into a viable career? However, over time, I began to understand its depth. My passions weren’t just hobbies but indicators of what I truly enjoyed and excelled at. While not necessarily leading to a career in arts, they pointed towards qualities like creativity and problem-solving, which I found fulfilled in programming. Since then, I’ve consciously tried to identify the specific aspects of my hobbies that resonate with me and integrated them into my work. Regardless of the job title, prioritizing tasks and skills that align with my passions has been transformative in my career journey.” – Lilla Csanaky, Junior Customer Success Engineer and Code Crew member
How to do it: Start by reflecting on your non-coding hobbies and interests and consider how they might translate into valuable skills or qualities. When you prioritize tasks and roles that align with your passions, you’ll feel more fulfilled in your career, regardless of the specific job title or industry.
Remember to negotiate
The advice: “Always negotiate [your salary], even if you think the amount is final. I’ve always negotiated when getting a new role, and I’ve always ended up getting a higher amount than the initial offer. In the past, I’ve felt worried that they would rescind the offer or be upset, but that never happened! I realized my fear was standing in my way. Plus, it’s a great way to practice advocating for yourself. Remember, you’re worth it!” – Sarai Fernandez, Codecademy Domain Manager, Computer Science & Cybersecurity
How to do it: Negotiating your salary can be nerve-wracking, but think of it as an opportunity to ask for what you’re worth. Even in fields like technology, the gender wage gap exists. The latest Census Bureau data found that women earned $0.83 to every dollar earned by men — and the gap is even wider for women of color. Not sure what to say when it comes time? Read this blog for some examples of lines you can use when you’re negotiating your salary.
Face your fears
The advice: “Fear won’t take you anywhere beyond where you stand. Sometimes we feel sad or scared because things are not going how we want them to — but what are you doing to change that? Do you want to work at a big company? Well, what about applying for the job? Do you want to change your role? Instead of thinking about it, start a course about your new interests! Do you want a role upgrade? Talk to your boss! Not sure how to do certain projects? Speak up! Knowledge problems can be solved by learning; fear is solved by facing it.” – Laura Guette, Multimedia Engineer
How to do it: Learning a new skill is empowering and can help you grow in your career. If you’re ready to take the next step — whether that’s enrolling in a course or taking on a new project — be sure to check out the new and improved Codecademy plans. The new Codecademy Plus plan, for example, is ideal for folks who are working towards a promotion or who want to build specialized skills, because you can build your own roadmap based on your goals. Take a look at the whole Codecademy course catalog to get inspired.
Apologize sparingly
The advice: “As a woman early in my career, I never realized how much I apologized — even for things that I wasn’t responsible for or weren’t in my control. My boss at the time gave me the feedback that I didn’t need to continually fall on the sword for my team and others. She shared how she did the same thing, and as a woman we can often use it to keep everyone happy. I didn’t need to say, ‘Sorry,’ instead I needed to think about how I would work with the resources I had to find a solution. There is of course a time and place to take accountability, but I never realized how much I was using it as a catch-all for any problem. Now I realize the power of being solution-focused and direct.” – Britney Russ, Codecademy Director of Product Management
The advice: “Consistency is the only way to achieve your goal.” – Ankita Choudhury, Student
“Consistency is the key.” – Roseline Aderemi, Data Analyst Instructor
How to do it: It’s not surprising that multiple people emphasized the importance of consistency in tech careers. No matter where you are in your coding journey, it’s important to find ways to make coding a habit. Set a realistic goal for yourself, and choose your weekly learning target (find this in the “My Home” section when you’re logged in to Codecademy) to stay accountable. Not sure where to start? Here are some bite-sized coding goals to consider setting for yourself.
Make sure your voice is heard
The advice: “Learn the phrases: ‘I haven’t finished speaking’ and ‘Yes, I understand that,’ and use them.” – Megan McCoy, Codecademy Project Manager
How to do it: File away these concise and clear phrases the next time you feel like you’re being interrupted, talked over, or just plain ignored. Communication research has shown that women are interrupted more frequently than men.
Track the impact of your accomplishments
The advice: “The best career advice I’ve ever received is to always remember to track the impact of my accomplishments, to ensure that there’s a way for me to measure the success of what I do. This is constantly helpful during annual performance evaluations.” – Jennica Econg, Product Manager
How to do it: Keeping a running log of your accomplishments at work is an awesome way to make sure that your individual contributions are not overlooked. Check out this article for tips on creating and maintaining a “hype document.”
Make your own luck
The advice: “I reference this TED Talk all the time, because it shatters the idea that ‘luck’ just happens to people. Luck does happen, but in this talk, [engineering professor Tina Seelig] equates luck to ‘the wind,’ and ‘the sails’ are your actions that invite luck in. For instance, talking to a stranger creates a new connection that ultimately benefits you both in the end.” – Sil Lavers, Codecademy UX Researcher
How to do it: Do something small that stretches you outside of your comfort zone, like introducing yourself to someone whose career you admire, or offering to present in a meeting.
Think in possibilities
The advice: “This advice reminds me to let go of my insecurities and not think of my limitations, feeling unsuccessful, and that I will fail. It helps me think positively and not be shaped by prejudice on background, gender, and education.” – Emi Stockx, aspiring JavaScript Developer
How to do it: Most of us are familiar with impostor syndrome, or feelings of self-doubt regarding your capabilities and achievements. This phenomenon is even more common among people who have underrepresented identities, like people of color and women, according to the American Psychological Association. If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of self-doubt, there are lots of strategies that can help you overcome impostor syndrome, like connecting with other people or finding ways to acknowledge your successes.
Don’t doubt your qualifications
“If you have 50% of what they ask for in the [job] ad, you can apply for the job.” – Emelie Wänstedt, UX Designer, in response to an invitation from Codecademy for people to share their personal experiences on Facebook
How to do it: Deciding to submit your application for a job opening can take a lot of courage — and research has shown that women often won’t apply for a job unless they meet 100% of the qualifications listed. Women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men, and are 16% less likely to apply to a position they view, according to a LinkedIn Gender Insights Report. If you’re job hunting and questioning whether or not you have enough experience to be considered for a role, read this blog for tips from a tech recruiter.
The 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier has donated $1 billion to a Bronx medical school, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with instructions that the gift be used to cover tuition for all students going forward.
The donor, Ruth Gottesman, is a former professor at Einstein, where she studied learning disabilities, developed a screening test and ran literacy programs. It is one of the largest charitable donations to an educational institution in the United States and most likely the largest to a medical school.
The fortune came from her late husband, David Gottesman, known as Sandy, who was a protégé of Warren Buffett and had made an early investment in Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate Mr. Buffett built.
The donation is notable not only for its staggering size, but also because it is going to a medical institution in the Bronx, the city’s poorest borough. The Bronx has a high rate of premature deaths and ranks as the unhealthiest county in New York. Over the past generation, a number of billionaires have given hundreds of millions of dollars to better-known medical schools and hospitals in Manhattan, the city’s wealthiest borough.
Dr. Gottesman said her donation would enable new doctors to begin their careers without medical school debt, which often exceeds $200,000. She also hoped it would broaden the student body to include people who could not otherwise afford to go to medical school.
While her husband ran an investment firm, First Manhattan, Dr. Gottesman had a long career at Einstein, a well-regarded medical school, starting in 1968, when she took a job as director of psychoeducational services. She has long been on Einstein’s board of trustees and is currently the chair.
The article continues:
Dr. Gottesman’s husband died in 2022 at age 96. “He left me, unbeknownst to me, a whole portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway stock,” she recalled. The instructions were simple: “Do whatever you think is right with it,” she recalled.
It was overwhelming to think about, so at first she didn’t. But her children encouraged her not to wait too long.
When she focused on the bequest, she realized immediately what she wanted to do, she recalled. “I wanted to fund students at Einstein so that they would receive free tuition,” she said. There was enough money to do that in perpetuity, she said.
Over the years, she had interviewed dozens of prospective Einstein medical students. Tuition is more than $59,000 a year, and many graduated with crushing medical school debt. According to the school, nearly 50 percent of its students owed more than $200,000 after graduating. At most other New York City medical schools, less than 25 percent of new doctors owed that much.
What cause or causes would you support if you were a millionaire or billionaire philanthropist? Why?
What is your reaction to Dr. Gottesman’s decision to donate $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with instructions that the gift be used to cover tuition for all students going forward? Do you think her generosity will inspire others?
Do you think giving to charitable causes is important? Why? Do you believe the wealthy have any extra obligation to give money to altruistic causes?
A condition of Dr. Gottesman’s gift is that the Einstein College of Medicine not change its name. Ginia Bellafante writes that this gift was “remarkable not only for its size but also for the absence of any apparent vanity surrounding it.” What do you think about the size of the gift and the way that Dr. Gottesman made her donation?
How do you give to others? Do you donate money, time or other resources to charities you care about? If so, how do you decide which causes to support?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
What do you think this image is saying? How does it relate to or comment on society or current events? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
As dawn broke in central Paris on Wednesday, a throng of 500 people, mostly French, stood with uncharacteristic patience in a snaking line, intent on buying a decidedly un-French confection: an American doughnut. A hot, glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, to be exact.
It was the grand opening of the chain in France, and patrons — dozens of whom had camped out overnight — watched through a giant window as a conveyor belt ferried fried dough toward a waterfall of sugary frosting. When the doors opened, they swarmed inside, ordering doughnuts by the dozen to take out, or noshing at bistro tables in a cafe-style setting.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word throng in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
If you want a better idea of how throng can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.
Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
However, many other students argued that, under certain circumstances, parents should be held responsible for terrible crimes their children commit.
Through numerous studies, it has been established that the most important factor in the development of a child is the parents and family members. It affects the success, values, mental health, and nearly every other aspect of the child’s life. The parents are responsible. So, in my mind, to say that the parent is at least partly responsible for their child committing a crime is not a stretch.
The question then becomes whether or not the parent should be convicted for a crime that their child committed. While it seems that 15 years in prison for the actions of someone else is overkill, I don’t entirely believe that. The parent shapes the child: their personality and their problems; the actions of the parent did cause the crime. I’m sure that in most cases the parents never wanted or even believed that their children would commit a crime, but they did nonetheless. What’s more, the parent gave them the opportunity to commit that crime. The parent is at fault.
At first, I thought it was unfair that Ms. Crumbley was charged on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the mass shooting carried out by her son. But after finding out that she gifted the gun to him, I think this conviction is justified. I do not think parents should be held accountable for their child’s actions in some cases. However, in this case the parents should be held accountable because this shooting would not have occurred without the gun the kid got from his parents. I think as teenagers, our behavior should not necessarily be seen as a reflection of our parents’ parenting. Nevertheless, in something as severe as this that could not have occurred without the parents’ help, they should take some blame.
In my opinion, parents should be somewhat responsible for their children no matter what, especially if it has this big of an impact on the people around them. In this case, sadly it does. On Tuesday of last week, “Jennifer Crumbley was convicted on 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each student her son killed,” the author reports. Although it doesn’t feel right to blame her for her son’s actions, it is necessary. First off, if she had kept up with her son more and been around him more, she would have noticed a shift in his attitude. Also she could have made sure he was not able to somehow get his hands on a firearm. In conclusion, yes, it is mostly the son’s fault due to making a terrible decision that could change the lives of many, but you must acknowledge that some blame must be on his mother for her negligence toward her son.
I think the idea of minors being allowed to handle guns without adult supervision is ridiculous. In no other developed nation do situations such as these even arise at all. As for the responsibility of the mother, it is clear that she was aware of her son’s gun possession and somewhat aware of his mental health struggles. Any responsible parent would have put two and two together and immediately brought their child home from school or called the police to retrieve the gun before atrocities could occur. Instead, Crumbley chose to ignore the situation, possibly out of mental health denial, and effectively allowed her child to commit a massacre. Therefore, as an abetter of the crimes committed, she should also serve jail time. I believe her sentence was absolutely appropriate. However, it is important to note that not all parents of school shooters are guilty of aiding their children’s crimes.
“To Become a Lion” is a six-minute Op-Docs video profiling Chan Cheuk Fai, a martial arts master, who has taught lion dancing for over four decades. Through dazzling visuals and deft performances, the short film chronicles the evolution and meaning of a vibrant cultural tradition that spans generations and continents.
What can we learn from the physical and spiritual art of lion dancing? What can we learn from Chan Cheuk Fai’s commitment and dedication to teaching it?
Students
1. Watch the short film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.
2. After watching, think about these questions:
What questions do you still have?
What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why?
3. An additional challenge | Respond to the essential question at the top of this post: What can we learn from the physical and spiritual art of lion dancing?
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
6. To learn more, read “To Become a Lion.” David Ma, the filmmaker, writes:
I was born in Sydney, Australia, as the only child of parents who immigrated from China with little financial security or knowledge of English. I spent most of my childhood in Sydney’s Chinatown, by my mother’s side during school holidays as she worked the checkout at a Chinese supermarket.
As a child I was mystified by the magnificent lions that would appear, as if from nowhere, on the streets of Chinatown and the Sydney suburbs. I would watch with awe as they performed elaborate dances during cultural events.
My work as a filmmaker is dedicated to Australian immigrant communities like the one I grew up in. When I was commissioned by the Powerhouse Museum to direct this short documentary, I discovered that almost every Asian person I spoke to has a friend or a family member in the lion dancing community.
The commitment of lion dancers to their craft is astounding, and I want to draw attention to the people inside the performance, people who dedicate a significant part of their lives to this tradition.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
(1) Yerkes, R.M., and Dodson, J.D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology of Psychology, 18(5), 459-482.
(2) Diamond D.M., et al. (2007). The Temporal Dynamics Model of Emotional Memory Processing: A Synthesis on the Neurobiological Basis of Stress-Induced Amnesia, Flashbulb and Traumatic Memories, and the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Neural Plasticity, 33. doi:10.1155/2007/60803.
(3) Corbett, M. (2015). From law to folklore: work stress and the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(6), 741-752.
(4) Reynolds, G. S., Catania, A. C., & Skinner, B. F. (1963). Conditioned and unconditioned aggression in pigeons. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 6(1), 73.
(5) Berkowitz, L. (1983). Aversively stimulated aggression: Some parallels and differences in research with animals and humans. American Psychologist, 38(11), 1135..
(6) Cole, L. W. (1911). The relation of strength of stimulus to rate of learning in the chick. Journal of Animal Behavior, 1(2), 111.
(7) Dodson, J. D. (1915). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation in the kitten. Journal of Animal Behavior, 5(4), 330.
Have you been following the news about Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student who died one day after an altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom in Oklahoma? If so, what have been your reactions?
Nex Benedict, who often used the pronouns they and them and told relatives that they did not see themselves as strictly male or female, died in early February, one day after the altercation with three girls at Owasso High School. Details over what happened and what exactly caused Nex’s death were unclear, but in a police interview video released Feb. 24, Nex said they had “blacked out” while being beaten on the bathroom floor.
The police said the case was still under investigation.
Nex’s death and the circumstances around it have put school officials and law enforcement under scrutiny. There has been an outpouring of grief across the country, particularly from the L.G.B.T.Q. community, and a renewed focus on the proliferation of policies that restrict gay and transgender rights.
The piece continues:
Among the key questions that remain unanswered is how exactly Nex died.
On Feb. 21, the police said preliminary autopsy results found that Nex “did not die as a result of trauma.” The state medical examiner’s office has not yet made public its report on the autopsy and toxicology results.
It is also unclear whether Nex was beaten because of their gender identity. Advocates for nonbinary and transgender students have said that Oklahoma’s policies on gender had led to more reports of confrontations in schools.
In a related guest essay for the Opinion section headlined “Of All the Wrenching Details of Nex Benedict’s Death, This One Broke My Heart,” the columnist Margaret Renkl acknowledges that “there’s much we don’t know” about why Nex died. But, she writes, “there are some things we do know, and all of them add up to tragedy”:
We know that 16-year-old Nex, who often went by they/them pronouns with peers, was bullied at school. According to Sue Benedict, their biological grandmother and guardian, the bullying started in earnest last year. We know that Nex didn’t report the recent encounters to teachers or school officials. “I didn’t really see the point in it,” they are seen telling a police officer in a body-cam video released by the Owasso Police Department. “I told my mom, though.”
We don’t know definitively why these students were bullying Nex, but we know that they targeted at least one other gender-nonconforming student, and we know that Nex did not personally know their tormentors. When the police officer asked why the students were harassing them, Nex says, “because of the way that we dress.” Later they add that the girls didn’t like the way they and their friends laugh.
We know that Nex responded to the harassment by pouring water on the students, but we also know the bathroom fight didn’t appear to be an even match. “I got jumped at school. 3 on 1, had to go to the ER,” Nex texted a family member after the fight. The family’s attorney stated that the teen was “attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students.” Nex collapsed at home the next day.
We also know there’s a new law requiring students in Oklahoma to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender they were assigned at birth, and we know that the law has spawned a kind of vigilante justice. “That policy and the messaging around it has led to a lot more policing of bathrooms by students,” Nicole McAfee, the executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, told The Times. “There is a sense of, ‘Do you belong in here?’”
Students, read both pieces and then tell us:
What have you heard about this news? Have you discussed it with family or friends, or at school? What have been your reactions? What have been the reactions of those around you?
Oklahoma has several laws that restrict transgender rights, including one that prohibits students from using bathrooms that do not align with their sex at birth. Another law explicitly bans gender-neutral markers on birth certificates. Oklahoma also bars minors from receiving gender-transition care. What laws or policies concerning gender expression does your state or school have? What do you think of them? Have they affected you or anyone you know?
How comfortable do you think students at your school feel in expressing their gender identities? How are gender nonconforming people treated?
As these articles explain, the state superintendent of Oklahoma schools, Ryan Walters, is known for his hostility to transgender rights. In his first interview since Nex’s death, Mr. Walters told The New York Times that he does not believe nonbinary or transgender people exist. Transgender students say that classmates see rhetoric like this as permission to harass and bully them, and Ms. Renkl writes that “hateful talk, especially from people in power, can at the very least tacitly permit hateful acts.” Do you agree? Do you think that when leaders or influential figures publicly dehumanize or demonize people in marginalized groups, it can inspire others to do the same?
Americans are deeply split over whether gender identity should be taught in school. How does your school handle this topic? Have you had instruction in class or programs, or had access to materials about gender identity? If or when the subject has come up, how have your teachers responded? What about your fellow students?
What do you think? How should schools handle the topic of gender identity? Why?
In her guest essay, Ms. Renkl writes that Nex’s grandmother “wasn’t condemning a child she didn’t understand. She was listening. She was learning. She was trying to understand. Don’t we all owe it to our children to listen? Don’t we owe it to all the young people in our care — in our families and in our communities — to try to understand the world as they are experiencing it?” What is your reaction to that? Do you feel that the adults in your life — in your family, at your school, at your place of worship or elsewhere in your community — are listening to you and others your age? Are they trying to understand the world you are experiencing? If so, how?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
If you’re not paying attention, you might miss it: leap year day is upon us. Tomorrow it will be gone, and we’ll all have to wait until 2028 to experience it again.
How would you like to have a birthday on Feb. 29? Remy Tumin, who was born on leap day, writes, “Some might find the idea of a Feb. 29 birthday peculiar, even undesirable. We think it’s special. People who celebrate a birthday every year? We call them ‘annuals.’”
What do you make of leap day? Is it something for everyone to celebrate?
Tell us in the comments, and then read the related article to learn more about this special day and how “leaplings” make the most of it.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
