What Do You Wish Lawmakers Knew About How Anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Legislation Affects Teenagers?
A bill that aims to restrict Florida public schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity has passed both houses of the state’s legislature. It is a part of “a wave of anti-L.G.B.T.Q. crackdowns by conservative politicians,” Maggie Haberman writes, also pointing to the efforts of Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, to classify…
What Do You Think About Efforts to Ban Books From School Libraries?
Please note: Our Student Opinion questions specifically invite the voices of young people. We ask that adults respect the intent of this forum and refrain from posting here.Across the United States, parents, activists and lawmakers are arguing that some books, especially those about sexual and racial identity, do not belong in school libraries. Have you…
Lesson of the Day: ‘What We Know About Unfolding the James Webb Space Telescope’
3. How does Webb compare with the Hubble Space Telescope? How was it designed to probe a crucial stretch of early cosmic history, known to astronomers as the dark ages? What role will infrared light play?4. What is your reaction to the article? What did you find most fascinating, surprising or significant? Do you think…
How Much Have You Learned About Black History?
In “How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now,” Veronica Chambers and Jamiel Law tell the story about how Black History Month came to be:Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States for close to 100 years. But what is it, exactly, and how did it begin?In the…
How Excited Are You About the Metaverse?
The term “metaverse” is everywhere.On Tuesday, Microsoft cited the so-called metaverse as a reason for acquiring the game developer Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, saying the deal would provide “building blocks for the metaverse.” Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has also bet on the metaverse and renamed his social networking company Meta. Google has worked on…
Film Club: ‘Think About the Beautiful Future Ahead’
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…
Are You Optimistic About the Future?
Will today’s children be better off financially than their parents?What do you think is the most important factor in determining success?Do you think the world is becoming better?What is the best part of being a young person today?These are just a few of the questions asked in a new global survey of 15- to 24-year-olds.…
When Talking About Identity, How Much Do Words Matter?
Language has always had power. Words can hurt, offend and provoke, but they can also empower, uplift and inspire. They can even change culture. Language has always evolved, and that is certainly true for language related to race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality.Words and terms like BIPOC, P.O.C., she/her, he/him, they/them, nonbinary, LGBTQIA+, antiracism, white privilege…
What Do You Dream About Now?
Do you remember your dreams most nights? Have you noticed a change in the kinds of dreams you have had during the pandemic?In “An Almanac of Covid Dreams,” Hannah K. Lee illustrates some of the dreams that thousands of people shared on Twitter at the height of the pandemic in 2020:Students, read the entire article,…
How Do You Feel About Tattoos?
Do you like tattoos? Would you like to get one someday? What design would you get? And how do you think the people in your life — your parents, your friends — would feel about it?But what if the tattoo you got would fade away in about a year? Would that change your mind about…
