The college essay (program) is fantastic! I think this will be so helpful for students as they prepare their college applications.
The arts are an important part of a comprehensive education, but have been pushed to the back-burner all too often in recent years. Typical school curriculums are often packed with “core” academics, and the arts don’t always receive the attention they deserve. We at Meemli strongly recommend that all students (and adults too!) make the time to explore the arts whenever they can carve out some time – it helps us be better-rounded people!
Participation in the arts comes with a host of benefits as it improves critical thinking and can lead to higher achievement across other academic areas. In addition, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that neighborhoods can experience “spillover effects” and become more vibrant communities from better access to the arts.
Now that you’re convinced that sampling the arts is a smart thing to do – try it and you’ll find out it is fun too! Squeeze in something artsy every now and then, and during longer breaks like summer, make it a point to explore the arts in a little more depth – here are some recommendations to get you started!
Take A Class
There’s a lot of benefit to the structured approach, especially if you already know you’re interested in a specific art form and want to learn more. For some activities, you may have to take a class – pottery or glass-blowing for example require special equipment and someone to show you how to use them. On the other hand, online classes work well for art you can explore on your own, like drawing or painting or even learning to play an instrument. There are plenty of options from the frequently fee-based platforms like Craftsy or Skillshare, to the many free how-to videos on YouTube – you can find a course (or source) that best suits your interests, time and budget.
Go To A Live Show
Countless studies have shown that young people would rather spend money on experiences rather than fancy things. If that sounds like you, consider grabbing some friends and seeing a local performance like a play, dance show, or even a concert. Many community-based shows are free and are a good way to sample the fare. Follow the artists you like on social media, and you may luck into a free show! Bandsintown is another useful resource for check out artists playing near you – you can even connect the app to your music streaming service so it can recommend local shows to you. However you find your shows, grab some tickets and support your local artists!
View An Exhibit
If you’re exploring the visual arts, check out a local museum or gallery. Museums typically have free days and/or discounted rates for locals, so research your trip in advance to take advantage of everything your local museums have to offer. They also hold interactive workshops or events (especially in the summer), so you can even try your own hand at the arts. And the art is not always indoors – there are tours to view “street art” from sidewalk sculptures to over-sized murals, which are often fun to check out with friends and family.
Do It Yourself
Learn by doing and take the arts into your own hands, literally! Try some DIY projects to get creative – like making a movie (check out some ideas here). Finding a creative outlet is great for stress relief, you might even discover a new passion. You could also try volunteering for an organization that supports the art in your community, where you can meet likeminded individuals and maybe even local artists. At a minimum, you’ll have fun expressing your creativity and getting to know some artsy people!
However you choose to explore the arts,, we can guarantee you’ll have fun doing it, and gather all kinds of other benefits along the way. We’ll get you started in exploring the arts with this cool dance video – maybe you’ll get inspired to make one of your own!
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(Parents and just about anyone can use these tips for staycations too!)
To paraphrase the great thinkers Phineas and Ferb, it can be hard to come up with enough fun things to do to fill your summer. Summer programs and classes, work commitments (for you or your parents) and the higher travel costs might make it difficult to do an extended getaway. But relaxation is an important part of any summer break, as we’ve written about here and travel does broaden the mind. Use our tips below so your summer staycation can give you the break you need as well as freshen your perspective.
Head Into The Wild
No matter where you live, nature is within reach. Hit the road and explore your local wilderness! Whether you want to feel that sense of accomplishment from climbing a mountain trail, or just want to spend the day relaxing on the beach after a hard week, heading out into nature is a great way explore your area. Additionally, spending some time outdoors comes with a host of mental and physical benefits (check out this National Geographic article for details).
But you don’t have to go to the top destination sites like Grand Canyon or Yosemite: local state parks and national wilderness areas boast some of the most spectacular views and impressive natural wonders in the country, and are frequently even cheaper to visit, especially if they are close to home. If you have a couple of days at your disposal, look into reserving a campsite for a more immersive weekend getaway. So grab some friends and look up the best local spots so you can break out the s’mores this weekend!
Embrace Your Inner Tourist
The majority of Americans now live in or near a big city, so you likely do too. The next time you get a day off, head into the city and check out some of your town’s most iconic spots and shops! If it’s too hot (or rainy) to sightsee, check out your local art, history, or science museums for a fun indoor activity. Even local schools and universities can have cool collections and events that are often free to the public. Look online to find out their student pricing, free admission days, and event schedules. Speaking of events, check ahead of time and see what’s going on near you. Cities frequently put on festivals, fairs, concert series, movie nights, and other unique events, so look online and plan your trip in advance around something fun. Also, don’t forget to take plenty of snack breaks while you’re exploring, and indulge in some delicious and insta-worthy local cuisine!
Take The Road Less Traveled
But what if you’ve already been to all these places? Or what if the touristy spots are too crowded or expensive? No problem. Check out Atlas Obscura’s website. Atlas Obscura is an open-source guide to the hidden side of cities everywhere. Locals from cities all around the world are able to post and compile their favorite places and activities that are a bit off the beaten path. The site has sections on attractions, events, and food to make sure that you never run out of things to do and try. Choose a place or two that interests you, or maybe even pick a random number and see where it takes you!
Alternately, just ask the locals! Most people, even the barista at the local coffee shop, would be happy to share how they like to spend their weekends around town. Text some friends, pick a day, and head out into parts unknown for a real adventure.
It’s critical to take a break from your usual routine and carve out some time during your summer to relax and explore. And doing it with friends and family makes it even more enjoyable. Make a plan, gather your group, queue up your favorite summer playlist, and start your Summer Staycation! Here are a couple of songs to get that playlist started Feels like summer and Talk – what’s your favorite song of summer?
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School breaks are a great time for all sorts of fun activities, spontaneous adventures, and down time for students to pursue and enjoy their favorite things. But it can also be a time when students may be smart to pay attention to building up key skills – especially the ones that they will use all their lives. Writing is one such skill, which can be practiced and sharpened with just a little effort and with no special costs (unless you choose to get expert help). Here are three easy-to-remember – and accept! – reasons why we think you should spend a little time step up your writing over the break.
(Parents: your younger children will benefit from this too!)
Prep For The Future
Think you wrote a lot during the last school year? Buckle up, you’re going to write a lot more during your remaining years as a student – all through high school and through college. Each year you’ll notice that you read more and write more, and the quality of the essays expected will require you to step up your writing skills.
For most of us, writing is something we have to do all our lives. Solid writing is one of the most important skills to have in a wide variety of professions. Even STEM-heavy jobs and internships will inevitably require you to convey your ideas in a way that’s both quick and easy for others to understand – tech companies need skilled writers too! The more you practice your writing, the more natural it becomes for you to transfer your thoughts from your brain to the paper, and fewer things get lost in translation. Honing your communication abilities will go far in helping you with your extracurriculars.
Also, in your senior year of high school you’ll have to submit the all-important college application essay. Though this is something you can get some help with, it goes so much easier if you’re comfortable writing, and it is never too early (or too late) to start building that skill.
Take Care Of Yourself
Aside from getting your prepared for future needs, writing can serve as a wonderful form of stress relief as well as a type of creative outlet. Use your writing time to create your own world of wizards, aliens, dogs, or whatever you want! If you’re stuck, check out this website, which randomly generates a first line for you to write your own story about. It can actually be fun to write about whatever you’re interested in, especially as it is not a must-do assignment.
Also, try using your writing time to journal your thoughts about yourself or events in your life. Writing regularly like this can help you convey your thoughts quickly and efficiently. This kind of introspective writing is also great for managing stress, working through problems, or even just remembering fun things you’ve done. It’s an activity that you could do anytime, anywhere – all you need is a writing device, analog or digital – whether you want to fire up your creativity or calm yourself down. And just like that, you could be building yourself an awesome lifelong hobby!
Get Empowered
Writing is healthy activity which benefits your brain, and who wouldn’t want that? Wait, there’s more, it gives you power! As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword (or is it the keyboard being mightier than the drone?). Practicing your writing can be an exercise in self-empowerment as writing can help in getting what you want. Persuasion isn’t just for academic essays; a little bit of solid persuasive writing can effect the change you want. Compelling communication is a way to get people to agree with you. Whether it is for a larger community-oriented cause like getting your neighborhood community center to improve their teen room, or an email to your teacher to give you extra credit for a project, a strong piece of writing can make all the difference. Learn how to write persuasively, and you could be convincing your boss to give you a bigger raise and writing articles and blogs inspiring thousands to change themselves and the world – though you’ll probably be starting with your college, scholarship and job applications, convincing schools and companies why they should choose you!
It doesn’t take a lot to step up your writing – a journal and a pen, or your trusty laptop or tablet. Whatever works for you. And if you want more specific writing support, Meemli can help, just let us know what you need. Happy writing!
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In our last post, we were looking forward to our first ever panel on community engagement in education. We did it! It was thoughtful and energizing, with some excellent insights from our panel, and we’re delighted to share those ideas here to inspire anyone who wants to help students succeed!
(If you’re curious why we did this panel, it is because it’s aligned with our mission. If you want to know why you should care, check out our founder/CEO Usha Sekar’s post on why it affects us all.)
The issues faced by schools in delivering high quality education to all students are well known. But our panel went beyond just noting the problems. Our question was what can we, as members of the community, do to help every child succeed? And our panelists contributed many worthy, actionable ideas that we could choose from to fit our own unique interests and capacities.
A most engaging discussion!
Here’s a summary of the top recommendations from our panelists on how we all can help (our CEO Usha Sekar was moderator).
ENGAGE
Your special skills or expertise are in demand! Suzy Woodley encouraged individuals to take the initiative and contact schools to inquire about volunteer opportunities. “Let them know how you think you can help.” she said and asked the room “are you an avid gardener? Do you have the time to create and maintain a small school garden for science teachers and students?” Schools maybe looking for someone just like you!
Become a mentor! Susan Ellenberg shared, “a lot of schools, but not enough – have mentor programs where a mentor is paired with a small group of students and stays with that group for all four years of high school – not to be tutors. Being a part of a program that is regularly connected to high school and middle school students is a tremendous resource for the teacher, for the family, and for the students.”
Creative problem solving for children was supported by all the panelists, and summarized by Claudia Galvan as “Encourage them [children] to do stuff for themselves” and use messaging like “math is fun” “you can do it” and “let’s find out why”. Galvan also urged everyone to consider mentoring as a most enriching experience for both mentor and mentee.
Shay Franco-Clausen advocated for placements that meet a child’s needs. Especially as they consider college and careers, “We need to stop being one-path focused because they [children] can do so many things…we must expose them to other ways of thinking, doing, and all the opportunities.” The community can get involved in helping connect students with role models from different fields and professions.
GIVE
“Anyone can get together a group of friends and make a real difference in the lives of children and their families.” Divya Venkatachalam used her own grass-roots organization as an example, “We are just a group of volunteers, but have raised thousands of dollars to provide books and school supplies for low-income children. It only takes a little time.” Whether fundraising in support Parent-Teacher Associations, Educational Foundations, or a local non-profit providing supportive services to students and their families, every dollar raised impacts learning outcomes for children.
Give some of your time and expertise and offer academic support! Franco-Clausen shared the experience of her own son gaining the skills and confidence to excel in his schoolwork with one-on-one coaching from a high school student. It is inspiring to see a young teen being so generous with her time (and we’re thrilled we could be of help as she used Meemli to do this!) There are many ways to offer academic support to students who need it, check with your schools and local academic nonprofits for opportunities if this is something you’d like to do. (If you’d like some pointers, contact us.)
Woodley reminded parents to also read the flyers sent home every week and support classroom asks, even if it is not for their child’s class. From empty water bottle requests to walk-a-thons, they all directly support student’s activities and learning. Venkatachalam encouraged getting the children involved by turning the project over to them and supporting the gathering of classroom needs.
VOTE
Ellenberg and Woodley both encouraged the community to become knowledgeable about their local school board, as their actions are key to student success. Funding decisions on supplies, maintenance, and living wages for teachers are all decided at the local level, and an informed community that actively voted could make a huge difference.
Beyond our local school boards, Franco-Clausen and Ellenberg addressed the importance of government and community partners to minimize the economic insecurity that affect student success. More equitable funding models and greater access to supportive services ensure every child has an equal chance to succeed.
And this final sentiment, expressed by Woodley, resonated with all in the room: “If you, as an adult, look at the problem [under performing schools] as a child problem, and not an adult problem, then you can have more empathy for the adults who are trying to find ways to problem solve.” It reminded us that it is the child who suffers if we cannot provide a high quality education and the problem solvers need all our support.
Do you have ideas on how we can help kids succeed? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
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We at Meemli believe that learning is easier with a little help and our committed to education equity. And sometimes it takes a lot of help, and community engagement in education, to make sure that schools are able to deliver the best possible education to their students.
While the Meemli team is building solutions to offer help in many different ways, we know that it takes all of us working together to make a difference – including you! Want to know why? Usha Sekar (our founder/CEO) lays out a simple and strong case on why all of us should care about education equity.
And we’re doing more! We’re hosting our first ever panel on community engagement in education – free and open to the public!
We will share what we learned from the panel in a future post, but if you’re in the area, do join us! You can join in the conversation and leave inspired with new ideas for helping your local schools!
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We’ve all been there: an assignment you can’t quite finish, a math problem you don’t understand, or a project that you don’t even know how to start. Or even outside of school, you may be confronted with situations that you just aren’t quite sure how to navigate. For all these times, there’s one sure-fire solution: asking for help.
That being said, asking for help doesn’t come easily to everyone. While there may not be any one right way to do it, the most critical step is being willing and open to asking for help. Read on to learn more about it!
Why
There are plenty of reasons to ask for help if you feel you need it:
Save time. – Take it from us, asking for help can save you hours of time you might be wasting by tackling a problem alone. Sometimes, a second perspective is all you need to get everything to click in your head, and you’ll be off and running to finish it on your own – and meeting those deadlines!
Learn better. – Especially in school, asking for help can be a life-saver. Of course, we’ve all tried to Wikihow or Youtube-tutorial our way out of a challenging concept, but these aren’t always the best ways to learn a challenging concept. By asking for help from someone you know and trust, you’ll be able to get more personalized assistance than you can from Google! Just look at what this teacher had to say about the value of students asking for help.
Reduce stress. – The stress and frustration that comes from not knowing the how to take on a problem can take its toll on your mind and body. Asking for help is an easy fix that can help clarify difficult concepts that have been wracking your brain for weeks, or that can simplify a task that seemed insurmountable before.
Live better. – Asking for help is a life skill, but it is often difficult for many of us. Perhaps we think that others’ opinions of us might change based on what we ask for help with, or how often we ask – even adults have to be reminded that asking for help improves our lives. But asking for help can be incredibly valuable in your decision-making process and for your overall well-being and success with whatever challenges you may be confronted with – school, college, work, leisure activities, and of course, your own physical, mental and emotional health.
Who
Who you can go to for help will of course, depends on what kind of help you need. Like we said, some parts of the internet may not be the wisest places to seek advice. Students and young people, you inevitably have a support system in place that can you can lean on if you feel yourself starting to wobble. Teachers and school counselors are always valuable resources, but so too are family and friends that may have experience in the same sorts of issues. If nothing else, they may be able to help point out where you can find the help you need and support you in the process. (And of course, we here at Meemli have your back too for help in the academic areas.)
When
It’s almost always better to ask for help as soon as you feel you need it, since all the benefits we described can come your way a bit faster. But it’s important to remember also that it’s never too late to ask either. Your support network is always there to help you try and succeed in any way that they can, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Nobody can be an expert on everything, even Superman asks Batman for help sometimes!
So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you don’t have to do it all on your own. Think about who might be helpful with your specific and go ask! How do you feel about asking for help? Let us know in the comments!