Connect with us

Lifestyle

Schools Are Competing With Cell Phones. Here’s How They Think They Can Win

Published

on

Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls a “gradual pandemic of apathy” in eighth grade. Only a handful of her classmates signed up for the charity projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up.

When Isabella entered highschool last fall, she noticed that the issue was much more serious: a low-activity Spirit Week and classes during which students rarely spoke up.

Advertisement

In some ways, it’s as if students “just care less and less about what people think, but somehow more,” said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, not care about being seen as disengaged, while others are so afraid of ridicule that they keep to themselves. She blames social media and the prolonged isolation of the post-COVID era.

Teachers say their tried-and-true lesson plans are not any longer enough to maintain students engaged in an era of mental health struggles, shortened attention spans, decreased attendance and declining academic performance. At the guts of those challenges? Cellphone addiction. Now, adults are attempting recent strategies to reverse the malaise.

Cellphone bans are gaining popularity, but many say they’re not enough. They argue for an alternate type of stimulation: getting students outside or into extracurricular activities to fill time they may otherwise spend alone online. And students need an outlet, they are saying, to speak about taboo subjects without fear of being “shunned” on social media.

“To engage students now, you have to be very, very creative,” said Wilbur Higgins, English major at Dartmouth High School, where Isabella might be a sophomore this fall.

Advertisement

Lock them up

Mobile phone pockets, cabinets and baskets have gotten increasingly popular and can assist implement mobile device bans.

John Nguyen, a chemistry teacher in California, invented the pocket system because he was so annoyed by the bullying and phone fights during classes, often without adult intervention. Many teachers are afraid to confront students who use their phones during class, Nguyen said, and others have given up attempting to stop it.

At Nguyen’s school, students lock their phones in neoprene bags during classes and even throughout the day. A teacher or school principal opens the baggage with a magnetic key.

It doesn’t matter how intense the lesson is, said Nguyen, who teaches at Marina Valley High School and now sells the baggage to other schools. “There’s nothing that can compete with a cell phone.”

Advertisement

Do something (different)

Some schools are also locking up smartwatches and wireless headphones. But the baggage don’t work once the ultimate bell rings.

That’s why in Spokane, Washington, schools are increasing after-school programs to compete with after-hours phone calls.

The Engage IRL — In Real Life initiative, which launches this month, goals to offer every student something to look ahead to after a tough day at college, whether it’s sports, performing arts or clubs.

“Hours of daily isolation at home after school, using a personal device, has become the norm,” said Inspector Adam Swinyard.

Advertisement

Students can form clubs around interests like board games and knitting, or take part in local basketball leagues. Teachers will help students develop a plan for involvement during back-to-school conferences, the district says.

“From 3 to 5:30, you’re in a club, playing sports, taking part in activities,” as a substitute of in your phone, Swinyard said. (The district has a brand new ban on phones during class but will allow them after school.)

In a time of high absenteeism, he also hopes the classes might be the additional push some students have to attend school. In a Gallup poll last November, only 48% of middle and highschool students said they felt motivated to go to high school, and only 52% felt they did something interesting on daily basis. The survey was funded by the Walton Family Foundation, which also supports environmental journalism on the AP.

Vivian Mead, a senior from Spokane, said more extracurricular activities help, but they won’t work for everybody. “There are definitely people who just want to be by themselves, listen to their music, do their own thing, or be on their phone, for example,” said Vivian, 17.

Advertisement

Featured Stories

Her 15-year-old sister, Alexandra, said the morning counseling sessions have improved participation within the drama club the sisters are involved in. “It forces everyone, even if they don’t want to get involved, to try something, and maybe it will work,” she said.

Go outside

Thirteen Maine high schools took an analogous approach, inviting students to outdoor classes for 35,000 hours during a particular week in May.

It’s empowering for college kids to attach in nature, away from screens, said Tim Pearson, a physical education and health teacher whose students at Dedham School participated within the statewide “Life Happens Outside” challenge.

Teachers adapted their lessons to happen outside, and students bonded outdoors during lunch and recess. That evening, about half of Dedham’s students camped out, encouraged by the pizza party. Several students told Pearson they camped out again after the challenge.

Advertisement

“Whether they had their phones on them or not, they were building fires, they were pitching tents,” Pearson said. “They were doing things outside that are clearly not on social media or texting.”

An appeal to oldsters

Parents also need to alter the culture of cellphone use of their families, some teachers say. At home, Ohio teacher Aaron Taylor forbids cellphone use when his children have friends over.

And when children are at college, parents mustn’t distract them throughout the day by sending them text messages asking to examine on them, he added.

“Students are so attached to their families,” said Taylor, who teaches at Westerville North High School, near Columbus. “There’s a sense of anxiety about not being able to connect with them, rather than appreciating the freedom of being alone for eight hours or with friends.”

Advertisement

Fight the fear of “cancellation”

Some say other forces behind teen disengagement are only amplified by cell phones. The divisive political climate often makes students reluctant to participate at school when anything they are saying can spread around the college on messaging apps.

Taylor High School English students tell him they don’t talk at school because they don’t need to be “invalidated” — a term used for public figures who’re silenced or ostracized after expressing offensive opinions or speech.

“I said, ‘Well, who’s rejecting you? And why would you be rejected? We’re talking about ‘The Great Gatsby,’ not some controversial political topic,” he said.

Students “become very, very quiet” when themes like sexuality, gender or politics come up in novels, said Higgins, an English teacher in Massachusetts. “Eight years ago, there were shooting hands everywhere. Nobody wants to be labeled a certain way or ridiculed or criticized for politics anymore.”

Advertisement

That’s why Higgins uses web sites like Parlay, which permit students to anonymously have online discussions. These services are expensive, but Higgins believes the commitment to classes is price it.

“I can see who they are when they answer questions and stuff, but other students can’t,” Higgins said. “That can be very, very powerful.”

Concerned concerning the lack of engagement from her peers, Higgins student Isabella wrote an article in the college newspaper.

“It is up to us to ensure that future generations do not find themselves in the same downward cycle,” she wrote.

Advertisement

A comment under the post highlighted the challenge and the stakes involved.

“Generally speaking,” the commenter wrote, “why should we care?”

Advertisement
This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Lifestyle

Gabrielle Union values ​​expressing himself while raising his daughter: “That’s what you want”

Published

on

By

Gabrielle Union loves to look at her children express themselves. ANDN People’s 2025 “The most beautiful world”Union allowed her her six -year -old daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, take over the lead and interview along with her after they allow mummy photo session.

Apart from Kaavia, she asks the actress about her “fancy” style and a triggering query about her selection to wear wigs, the interview has delved into the meaning of expressing herself. Speaking with the publication, Union explained the ways she and her husband, Dwyane Wade, encourage her children to specific themselves undeniable.

Advertisement

“The advice we give is:” This is whatever you want, “she said, explaining how Kaavia gives space to discover her personal style. “As for her hair, after all I’m obsessive about it. There is numerous work and a small team that makes her hair to ensure she is healthy. But what she does with how she decides to specific herself, whether it’s makeup, hair or how she dresses is totally her body. This is her selections. This is her selections. And because it is secure and right for the weather, this just isn’t a selection of you. “

In addition to Kaavia, Union and Wade are the parents of the son of Wade Zaire and the daughter of Zaya, whom he shares with his ex -wife Siohvaughn Funches and his son Xavier, whom he shares with Metoyer.

In an interview with seventeen magazineZaya revealed how her parents’ support, especially a Wade, still inspires her.

“My dad really inspires me the most,” she said the publication. “Children always look at their parents, but not only I adored him, growing up and perceived him as a real person, I realize that he played such an important role in supporting me and the ways in which I am going to the world.”

Advertisement
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade celebrate the 6th birthday of Kaavia's daughter

(Tagstranslat) lifestyle

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Breaking Cycles Financial: How Finlit teaches families together to build wealth

Published

on

By

For years, we were told to “get a bag”. But what’s the sense of security if we do not understand how to keep it? April means a month of economic knowledge and although social media has broken the open space for more honest conversations about money, before us when it comes to dismantling financial inequalities and shutting the gap in knowledge.

A recent MoneyLion and MasterCard report He stated that greater than half of adults (56%) claim that there are barriers blocking them from learning about money and private funds. The most vital reasons? Not knowing where to start (21%), misleading resources (15%) and fear of confrontation of economic truths (14%).

Advertisement

And not only our wallets suffer. Lack of economic knowledge can seriously affect our health. About 66% of Americans claim that they’ve experienced physical symptoms of economic stress, and almost 60% have been deepened or imposed on health care due to money related to money. Inflation only worsens – 67% of Americans claims that they’ve achieved their mental health, causing stress, anxiety and hindering nutritious food. Add a niche in the sector of racial wealth, and these fights change into much more heavier for marginalized communities already moving on system road blockades.

Understanding the nuance relationship between financial skills, generational richness and mental health, created Shanisha Dixon-Tyrell, New York financial and leadership trainer Finlit, Conference of Financial Knowledge for teenagers from 13 to 18

In black households, during which parents often wear the burden of sacrifice to provide their children, children often know more about funds due to newer educational opportunities. This change could cause tension and, as Dixon-Tyrell indicates, even reluctance. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

“If the parent and child learn together, first of all, they have a better conversation (because) they know what to talk about outside things at the surface level. And they can also build together,” she explained. “So now (they) can use each other to build a wealth for themselves … for the family. This is the whole reason why I wanted to make sure that the Finlit was not just young people, they were young people and their parents.”

Advertisement

Thanks to 13 years of experience in financial services, Dixon-Tyrell goals to help people fill within the gap between information and implementation through practical conference workshops and its educational and training corporations, “Shanishas Changing Lives Inc.”

“We think many times that it is not easily accessible to get this kind of information, or when we hear it, we want to hear it from a kind of person. And so I feel that we should not feel that we must hear information from a white person to make it accurate or important” – she explained, explaining the importance of a free conference, but in addition to provide representation to bring black professionals.

In the case of a compatriot in New York, the annual youth conference of the Finlit is exclusive since it takes place in its highschool Alma Mater, Academy of Urban Planning. Working with the varsity, Brooklyn Nets and Bushwick Campus, Dixon-Tyrell, hopes to encourage young leaders to higher understand the financial concepts and unlock full potential.

Before setting off

“They always say that this is a change you want to see; I wanted to make sure that I am such a change. So I created something in which people would not have to say:” Oh, I would love to know earlier, “said Dixon-Tyrell. “During the conference it was necessary to return to my highschool, because I feel that that is where many changes happened and I need to proceed the legacy of the change.”

When the Americans are still moving across the twists and turns of today’s financial landscape, Dixon-Tyrell reminds us that wealth within sight, despite what the headlines may suggest.

Advertisement

“Wealth is at your fingertips (i) does not require much. You can invest the way to wealth … We have the same access. If you have a social insurance number, you can do it. If you have income, you can do it” – she concluded. “The best investment you can and ever do is in yourself … It’s really a matter of this … start.”

)

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Advertisement
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

4/20 events that celebrate the culture of cannabis

Published

on

By

‘Put Ya Lighters Up’: 4/20 Events That Celebrate Cannabis Culture


Accidentally, 4/20 falls this 12 months for Easter. So the pleased day of the resurrection for Christians and people who observe. For those that are involved in smoking – pleased 420!

This day shouldn’t be only causing one-this amazing hemp culture by which the community, creativity and good vibrations occupy the stage.

Throughout the country, hemp connoisseurs gather to honor how this modest plant crossed every part from routine wellness to business possibilities and artistic expression. Black company I did some leg give you the results you want and rounded six events that you’ll be able to pull as much as the 4/20 spirit and celebrate properly. These should not average smoke sessions!

Advertisement

Sweetwater 420 Fest

Sweetwater 420 Fest in Atlanta is a three-day festival that took place on April 18-20 at Pullman Yards. This 12 months is the twentieth anniversary of Cypress Hill, Revivalists, Marcus King, Greensky Bluegrass and Drive-by Truckers. . The festival offers Sweetwater craft beers and a hemp friendly atmosphere with interactive activities.

Mile High 420 festival

The Denver Mile High 420 festival is falling on April 20 with the long -term lawyer Bud Tommy Chong as a number. It ought to be noted that The Mile High 420 festival is a 21-year and older event It takes place at the Civic Center Park. Mile High will contain Cordae, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Conway The Machine performances. There will likely be food sellers, sponsorship activations and VIP experiences with meetings with meetings.

420 weeks

Washington, DC is home for 420 weeks. The event is a weekly series of hemp events starting on April 20 and resulting in the National Cannabis Festival April 28. The week accommodates film shows and academic sessions, in addition to thematic community meetings.

420 Sunday Funday: A High-VIBE Downtown Shreveport Experience

The 420 Sunday Funday event at the Shreveport center in Louisiana takes place on April 20. Funday offers friendly cannabis with games and suppliers, food with saturated and unfettered, samples and a secret consumer salon. The event also Contains educational talks and the local craft market. The exact location will likely be revealed to ticket holders on the day of the event. The event welcomes participants 21 and elders who need to experience the community and well -being through conscious consumption. Ticket prices start from USD 25.

Washington Square Park Meetup

Thousands of people will gather at the Washington Square Park in New York for an off-the-cuff ceremony with improvised music performances, supplier stalls and group smoke session at 16:20 Eastern.

Cannafest

Three -day celebration of all things that cannabis happen at 3453 at Hamilton Ave in Nashville, The assembly goes far beyond smoking. It is a full immersion in cannabis education, advantages in the field of well -being and mixing similarly considering people. Expect practical workshops, live music, suppliers, art displays, hemp products and CBD focused activities. Participants have to be 21 years old and older to become involved. Tickets start from 35 USD.

(Tagstranslate) recreational weed

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending