Ruminations on Poverty & Education

Having traveled to countries where the median income for even college grads with Master’s Degrees is ~$10/day, it can’t be overstated how important it is for young people — especially those who are in western countries where incomes are dramatically higher and where millions of people immigrate to annually — to forsake a lot of […]
You can DECIDE to be better starting today.

All of us are human, fallible, flawed. However, we are also the species responsible for creating every single amazing piece of literature, philosophy, architecture, train, bridge, rocket ship, piece of hardware and piece of software that’s ever existed on earth. Remember that. Mankind is absolutely amazing when its members can focus and be disciplined with […]
How To Get Perfect Grades (From Someone Who Did It)

You may think that getting great grades is a matter of pedigree: Your Father is a Senator and your Mother is a Corporate Attorney. While that may be true for someone in particular, nothing could be further from the truth as far as a general rule. Getting great grades is a matter of strategy and […]
How To Identify Examples of “Simile” In A Poem or In Literature

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, and it’s used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. “as strong as an ox”). Let’s check out some examples in poetry: Denise Rogers’ “Your Teeth” “Your teeth are like stars; They come out at […]
Simple Way To Do Basic Logarithms

“1 to the 3 equals 2.” Put this on your index cards for studying. Or put it in Quizlet. Or put it in your study notebook. What this means with regards to logarithms, or logs, is very simple. We read from left to right, correct? Let’s aim to think about Math in the same way […]
You will have haters your entire life. Let their jealousy fuel you.

One of the most unfortunate discoveries that most people have during his/her childhood is that there always seems to be someone in your vicinity who doesn’t like you for whatever reason and/or who makes snide and cruel remarks for no reason and/or who tries to sabotage you or harm you directly. This is impossible to […]
Don’t Worry About Anyone Else

As a student, it’s tempting to think about other students in your class: that one student who never studies and always gets Bs or the other student who seems to ace every class easily and simply. You also might think about the most popular student who also gets great grades or the one who will […]
The Most Important Activity for Young People

The most important activity for young people is reading. Hence, a young person should never be too busy to read and every summer should present an opportunity to read regularly — on top of doing all your class readings throughout school. Some of the most important statistics from the National Institute for Literacy, National Center […]
How To Memorize Formulas, Rules, And Concepts For School

The ideal strategy is being conscientious as you learn anything new. You want to think of this new information as a little “folder” with information on it and you’re trying to file it in what is essentially a “filing cabinet” in your brain. For example, let’s say that you’re learning about circles. Your homework covers […]
Every Generation of Students Has Their Kryptonite

Every generation has their own unique kryptonite, or the central issue that makes it extremely challenging to sit in a quiet room and think, read, and/or study: These up-and-coming generations have it in the palm of their hands. It’s the cell phone — or the tablet — or both. Older generations had the average person […]