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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]