Critical Issues in Literature

"Can't we all get along? That's a tall order when your limelight has been snatched away by your adorable new little brother. Family: You love them and you hate them. There are so many things to consider when you think of family: there's birth order, rivalries, the only child, to name a few."

"When you've got three kids in a family, as a parent you're outnumbered and as a kid chances are you might get lost in the middle. But what does all that say about your personality? Stacy DeBroff, founder of momcentral.com, shares some tips on parenting three."

"The company you keep says a lot about you. Friends have a big influence over how you feel, think, and behave. Here are five reasons you should be careful who you surround yourself with:"

"Most of us don't remember our first two or three years of life - but our earliest experiences may stick with us for years and continue to influence us well into adulthood. Just how they influence us and how much is a question that researchers are still trying to answer. Two studies look at how parents' behavior in those first years affects life decades later, and how differences in children's temperament play a role."

For years, scientists who study achievement have noted that in many fields the most electrifying work comes earlier in life rather than later. After all, younger people can devote their life to a project in a way that more senior people cannot, and young stars attract support, mentors and prestigious appointments. Now, a big-data analysis of scientific careers appearing in the journal Science finds a host of factors that have nothing to do with age or early stardom. It is, they suggest, a combination of personality, persistence and pure luck, as well as intelligence, that leads to high-impact success - at any age."

What the latest research says about multitasking and learning.

"In season three we discover that even in the midst of technological forces beyond our control, the individual is still free-to strive to reject the oppressive, to stop being a hamster on a wheel as in "Nosedive," or to break on through to the other side as in "San Junipero." And most importantly, succeed or fail, the individual still has the choice to pursue an ethical path over giving in to darkness. "Hated in the Nation," may be "dark"-as if somehow the real world right now is a continual laugh riot-but it features characters with a strong moral compass who possess a dogged endurance in the face of unspeakable bee-drone horrors."

"A new study published in the journal Memory looks into the process of "cognitive offloading," or relying on Google, GPS, and other external devices for what we used to use our memories for. It considers the impact on learning and problem solving as well."

"But if pluralism is the thing that gives a golden age its sheen, it's impossible to deny that rap inhabits an exceptionally lustrous space right now. Sink your ears into the entirety of it, and you'll hear joy and fury, faith and panic, introspection and fulmination - a gush of contradicting truths that feel as edifying and unfathomable as reality. "

"When you engage in one task at a time, the prefrontal cortex works in harmony with other parts of the brain, but when you toss in another task it forces the left and right sides of the brain to work independently. The process of splitting our attention usually leads to mistakes. In other words, each time our eyes glance away from our computer monitor to sneak a peak at a text message, the brain takes in new information, which reduces our primary focus. We think the mind can juggle two or three activities successfully at once,  but Gazzaley says we woefully overestimate our ability to multitask."

"One of the hardest things for many of us to answer is "Who am I?" Help students explore this question by having them do an "Ingredients of Me" activity. We did this in my class, and my students' answers looked a bit like this. This activity helped my students explore what they care about, who is in their immediate life, and what they do on a daily basis. Sharing our answers with a small group allowed students to understand who their classmates are, and what responsibilities they had outside of the classroom. However, what's so special about this activity is that students started to see how many things in common they had with their peers. They started to have side conversations about their interests. Exploring identity in the classroom should be practiced regularly throughout the year. The teacher can take the above activity and extend the conversation by asking other questions focused on the theme of identity and knowing oneself."

"In one of my most popular articles, 30 Fundamentals of a Wonderful Life, I stressed the importance of forming your own definition of success. If you don't, there is a good chance you will waste a lot of time and energy chasing someone else's version of the word. To help you, I have found 10 quotes that each, in my opinion, give a key insight into what success really means."

"We seek to cultivate a new American dream-one that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values."