Posts Tagged ‘Education’
Help for students in search of federal financial aid for college
Embark has created a new, entirely free service that helps US students apply for government financial aid. For over 20 years, Embark has provided colleges and schools with software to manage their application process. TeensParentsTeachers first contacted the company ten years ago so we could stay connected with each other on trends in admissions. Now…
Read MoreToday is the Day: I drop down
It’s week two of my sophomore year, and I’m already near tears. I don’t belong here, I think as I flip through the test. “Skip the hard ones,” they tell you. But what if they’re all hard ones? I had taken honors biology the year before and done well in it, getting a pretty solid A. I…
Read MoreThe Tune of the Hick’ry Stick: An Apology
“What part of this don’t you understand?” the judge asked, frustration edging her voice. “You’re fifteen. The law says you need to be in school. Do you think the rules don’t apply to you?” The boy looked at her, swiveling slightly in the green, high-backed chair. He tugged a couple of times at his long…
Read MoreWere our textbooks really that helpful?
Before break, some friends in my dorm and I were discussing the different types of educations we received from elementary school through high school. There were the expected differences that arose between private and public schools, but we also realized there were stark differences based on where we grew up. Three of us — from…
Read MoreRigor is not value
Taking a course at Princeton, conventional wisdom would have it, requires a commitment to intellectual life and academic output. Yet it seems evident that our institution prioritizes rigor — or perceived rigor — over other considerations. This isn’t because rigor is required for understanding, nor because difficulty-for-the sake-of-difficulty is a pedagogical necessity. Rather, the point…
Read More‘Woke’ men need to wake up
Among those who identify as liberal, a certain type of man has emerged: he calls himself a feminist, has many female friends, and has donated to Planned Parenthood. He prides himself in his interest in gender, and shakes his head when another prominent man is revealed as a sexual harasser. He also interrupts the women…
Read MoreWhy I’m happy with my useless majors
Impracticality matters much less than you’d think when the alternative is a practical field of study that’ll lead to lackluster and underwhelming performances and interests. I have a useless major — two of them if you ask some people. As a cinema and political-science major, with a creative-writing interest, I feel as if I’ve…
Read MoreProfessors are right — taking notes by hand leads to greater comprehension, learning in class
Though banning laptops seems juvenile, taking notes by hand eliminates distractions, making lectures more conducive for learning It seems as though the age of laptops in classrooms came and went in the blink of an eye. To start off the school year, many professors have put their foot down and begun to insist that…
Read MorePenn may have changed my bond with my father, but it’s just as strong
How college changes your relationship with your parents My dad and I are unusually close. When I was nine, my mother died following a six-year battle with breast cancer. In many ways, experiencing something like that at such a young age was a curse, but it also bonded me to my father. Starting college inevitably…
Read MoreConsider teaching — especially if you’re a student of color
If you’re a person of color and passionate about social justice, try becoming a teacher. Our presence in the classroom has long-term implications on how future generations will come to navigate race, and now more than ever, our children need brilliant teachers of color. You might hesitate at this thought. If you’re anything like I…
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