Does the Fear of Being ‘Cringe’ Ever Hold You Back?
Raised online and under constant scrutiny, many young people are hesitant to put themselves out there. Is that true for you?
How Important to You Is Being Able to Drive?
Is getting your driver’s license a big deal where you live? What does it mean to you?
What Is Hard About Being a Boy?
Draw a line down the middle of a blank piece of paper. On the left side, write: “I am a male in society. Being a man means …” On the right side, “I am a female in society. Being a woman means …” Take several minutes to write at least 5 sentences for each column.…
Does Online Public Shaming Prevent Us From Being Able to Grow and Change?
What do you think about the practice of online public shaming? Do you think we are too quick to condemn people and organizations on the internet? Or is engaging in criticism an essential part of digital citizenship today? Have you ever participated in a social media pile on or been the subject of one? If…
What Students Are Saying About Fact-Checking Facebook, Making Small Talk and Being Alone
Users should be responsible for vetting their sources … I think that Facebook shouldn’t fact-check political speech. The media is wrong all the time, and it’s the job of the people to choose what news to believe and what news to ignore. People should be allowed to form their own opinions and if they really…
The Life-Changing Magic of Being Messy
This essay, by Isabel Hwang, age 17, is one of the Top 12 winners of our Sixth Annual Student Editorial Contest, for which we received 10,509 entries. We are publishing the work of all the winners and runners-up this week, and you can find them here as they post. Excerpts from some will also be…
Are You Motivated by Being Competitive With Others?
Suppose you were asked for advice about how to achieve a goal, whether in academics, sports, the arts or anything else. What would you say?Would you talk about being organized or being good at managing your time? Would you share techniques for staying focused? Would you mention positive self-talk or having a mantra?Would you ever…
Lesson Plan: On ‘Being 13’
None of us are immune to the negative effects of poor phone and social media habits. In this activity, you will read some expert advice and decide which tips you would like to incorporate into your daily life. Then, you’ll try out a few, reflect on the results and offer your own advice to others.First,…
Do You Feel Safer When You Know You’re Being Watched?
Are there places in your school or community where you know you are being recorded? Whether in a grocery store, school lobby, train station or just walking down the street? How do you feel when you realize you are being watched and recorded? Does it make you feel more secure? Or does it make you…
What Students Are Saying About: How to Treat Robots, Being Resilient and ‘Ghosting’
The risk of embarrassing ourselves further prevents most people from communicating their failures but communicating them can be beneficial. Not only can it ease our worries about our failures but it can also strengthen the bond between our friends and classmates. Our failures are the cornerstones of our personalities. Without failure we learn nothing. But…
