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Alcohol is a depressant, but caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy are stimulants. Marijuana is not really classified as either because it has a mix of effects. Depressant does not mean it causes depression, it means that it slows down certain metabolic processes. For marijuana this is primarily manifested by muscle relaxation and lowered blood pressure, or basically the relaxed or drowsy feeling most people experience when on this drug. Stimulant is basically the opposite, it stimulates certain metabolic processes. This is why people who are on cocaine or meth or ecstasy are generally energized, and addicts are frequently very thin because stimulants suppress the appetite and speed up metabolism. Some people who smoke marijuana have almost the opposite effect than most people - they get very anxious. It causes increased heart rate (and low blood pressure, that was intentional in case you are questioning that), and that can make people feel anxiety. That effect is considered a stimulant effect.

All stimulants and depressants alter brain function, usually temporarily but if abused or overused can cause a permanent change in brain function. Stimulants are more known for causing permanent chemical imbalances when abused, even permanent psychosis (hallucinations, or general misperception of reality). Many people have the misperception that prescribed stimulants (amphetamines like Ritalin, Adderal, Focalin, etc.) are completely safe because of their use as a pharmaceutical. While they are safe if used as prescribed, they still have potential to cause the same side effects as illegal stimulants if they are taken more than prescribed or in different ways (like snorting, or breaking a capsule, or injecting).

The other problem with lumping marijuana into these categories is that unlike most of them, marijuana is not chemically addictive. Drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine cause a chemical change in the brain which causes a chemical addiction in addition to a physical addiction. Though many will try to tell you that it is chemically addictive, they are really mistaking physical addiction for chemical addiction. If it makes you feel good, you want to keep feeling that way so you keep doing the drug. Chemical addiction includes severe withdrawal symptoms with abrupt discontinuation of the drug. While there are some withdrawal symptoms associated with it's use, they are usually restricted to people who smoke a lot for a long time, and the symptoms are not medically dangerous. If a cocaine addict were to stop abruptly, that person risks death from withdrawal symptoms if not properly taken care of. A more practical explanation would be: you don't see very many people lose their job, house, family, and belongings because of pot, but that situation is frequent among cocaine or meth addicts. The other complication of marijuana is that there is a legitimate medical use for it, while cocaine, meth, ecstasy, and alcohol have no medical use. Just in case someone tries to argue this, cocaine and heroin used to be used in hospitals about a century ago, but are no longer used because the health risks of their use far outweigh the benefits.

Just as I was withdrawing money in a bank lobby, my 5-year-old daughter chose to throw a temper tantrum, screaming and writhing on the floor while a couple of elderly ladies looked on in disgust. (Their children, apparently, had been perfect.) I gave Dorothy a disappointed look and said, “That argument won’t work, sweetheart. It isn’t pathetic enough.” She blinked a couple of times and picked herself up off the floor, pouting but quiet.

Rhetoric doesn’t turn kids into back-sassers; it makes them think about other points of view.

let’s face it: Our culture has lost the ability to usefully disagree. Most Americans seem to avoid argument. But this has produced passive aggression and groupthink in the office, red and blue states, and families unable to discuss things as simple as what to watch on television.

There are different levels of fluency. At the very least, being “fluent” means being able to communicate well enough to take care of daily tasks, including shopping, ordering food, communicating with drivers, getting medical care, etc. That’s a lot different, for example, than being fluent in the business lingo of your target language. To keep focused, and motivated, define your fluency goals based on your own needs. Then, when you reach a fluency goal, congratulate yourself on a job well done. After that, if you so desire, make a new fluency goal. Doing this will give you motivational “victories” in what can otherwise seem like a never-ending conquest.

1. Start off with something easy. Sarah Kay gave some suggestions on how you should start writing poetry by writing lists. For example, start writing a list of 5-10 things I know to be true, or I should've learned by now. Also try 10 things I love/want/had.

2. Don't try too hard.  Don't try to write super complicated filled with emotions and metaphors poems from the beginning, you'll only end up waisting time and feeling disappointed. Your first poems should go naturally, easy, that way you'll be amazed to see how far you've come after a while.

3. Inspire yourself Look around you for things to inspire you. For example you can listen to some poetry, maybe one word or one phrase someone recites triggers something inside your brain. Listening to music is also a great inspiration source -at least for me. When I listen to music I can picture the story behind the song (but mostly only when I listen to instrumentals). Also, try to look at the world from a different perspective. When you take a walk try to observe as many things as possible, a funny incident, a person you like, a beautiful view on the landscapes. Inspire yourself from everything around you.

the single most powerful treatment for ADHD is understanding ADHD in the first place. Read books. Talk with professionals. Talk with other adults who have ADHD. You’ll be able to design your own treatment to fit your own version of ADHD.

It is useful for you to have a coach, for some person near you to keep after you, but always with humor. Your coach can help you get organized, stay on task, give you encouragement or remind you to get back to work. Friend, colleague, or therapist (it is possible, but risky for your coach to be your spouse), a coach is someone to stay on you to get things done, exhort you as coaches do, keep tabs on you, and in general be in your corner. A coach can be tremendously helpful in treating ADHD.

ADHD adults need lots of encouragement. This is in part due to their having many self-doubts that have accumulated over the years. But it goes beyond that. More than the average person, the ADHD adult withers without encouragement and positively lights up like a Christmas tree when given it. They will often work for another person in a way they won’t work for themselves. This is not “bad”, it just is. It should be recognized and taken advantage of.

Education Secretary Michael Gove

he said he wanted to break down the "Berlin Wall" between state and independent sectors. This could see state pupils taking the private school common entrance exam and state schools staying open longer

The education secretary, speaking at the London Academy of Excellence, said that for decades "the dominant consensus has been that state education in England was barely satisfactory"

Recalling the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as resolutions adopted by other forums, in particular the United Nations General Assembly on autism

Reiterating the provisions of Constitutions of our respective countries safeguarding against discrimination and social exclusion of people on grounds of any disability or condition, and securing the provision of the basic necessities of life, in particular education and medical care, and the right to social security to public assistance in cases of undeserved want arising from illness and disabilities,

Noting that developmental disorders are being increasingly recognized all over the world as disabling conditions which seriously influence everyday functioning of affected children, severely interfere with their developmental, educational and social attainments, and bring significant economic costs to families and societies

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.

Every man should have a college education in order to show him how little the thing is really worth. The intellectual kings of the earth have seldom been college-bred.

Anyone who idolizes you is going to hate you when he discovers that you are fallible. He never forgives. He has deceived himself, and he blames you for it.

Today, all of the sophomores and juniors in my school are taking the PSAT. That got me thinking about some of the many resources designed to help students learn PSAT and SAT vocabulary that I've come across over the last few years. Here are five resources worth checking out.

Vocab Ahead is a great service offering hundreds of videos designed to help students learn SAT and ACT vocabulary words.

Bubba Brain is a simple site packed with review games for students preparing for the SAT and AP exams.

Until the 1980s, preschools in most countries were largely focussed on providing simple child minding. But as economies shift towards more knowledge-based activities, awareness about child development—the need to improve their social awareness, confidence and group interaction skills, and to prepare them for starting primary education—continues to grow. Nevertheless, policymakers still give most attention to the tertiary, secondary and primary levels of education, in descending order of importance, with the least focus given to the early years of child development.

also broader reasons to invest in preschool. At one level, it helps facilitate greater female participation in the workforce, which bolsters economic growth

From neuro-scientific research, we understand the criticality of early brain development; from social science research, we know that high quality programmes improve children’s readiness for school and life; and from econometric research, we know that high quality programs save society significant amounts of money over time.  Early childhood contributes to creating the kinds of workforces that are going to be needed in the twenty-first century.”