A qualified doctor who rarely practicedbut instead devoted his life to writing．He once said: “Medicine is my lawfulwife, and literature is my lover．” Russian writer Anton PavlovichChekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern shortstory．

When Chekhov entered the MoscowUniversity Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comicshort stories to support his family．After he graduated, he wrote regularlyfor a local daily newspaper．

As a writer he was extremely fast, oftenproducing a short story in an hour or less．Chekhov's medical and science experiencecan be seen through the indifference (冷漠) many of his characters show to tragicevents．In1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorablestories．

Chekhov often wrote about the sufferingsof life in small town Russia．Tragic events control his characters whoare filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair．

It is often said that nothing happens inChekhov's stories and plays．He made up for this with his excitingtechnique for developing drama within his characters．Chekhov'swork combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of anartist．

Some of Chekhov's works were translatedinto Chinese as early as the 1940s．One of his famous stories, The Man in aShell, about a school teacher's extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as atext for Chinese senior students．

    How many times a day do you check your WeChat(微信) or QQ? When you wake up? Before bed? A dozen times in between? The technology which was supposed to make our lives simple has taken up too much time. The young people spends more than seven hours a day using technological devices(设备), with an extra hour just text-messaging friends.

    The advantage of technological devices is connection: we are in touch with more people during more hours of the day than at any other time in history. But is it possible that we're lonelier than ever? That's what professor Sherry Turkle observes（观察）in her new book, Alone Together, which clearly describes our changing relationship with technology.

For Turkle, technology isn't offering us the lives we want to live. “We're texting people at a distance,” says Turkle, “We're using lifeless objects(物体) to convince(使确信) ourselves that even when we're alone, we feel together. And then when we're with each other, we put ourselves in situations where we are alone—always on our mobile devices. I call it a storm of confusion(困惑) about what's important in our human connections. That's my biggest worry.”

    Besides, communicating online is not equal to face-to-face communication. Online, you can ignore(忽视) others' feelings. In a text message, you can avoid eye contact(目光接触). A number of studies have found that this generation of young people is less sympathetic(有同情心的)than ever. “That doesn't lead to disaster,” says Turkle, “but the disadvantages still cannot be ignored.”

    Welcome to the Miami Planetarium

    School Groups: $10.00 per person

    One free teacher admission per 10 students.

    Group rates apply to groups 15 or more.

    Click HERE to make a reservation online today!

    The Miami Planetarium (天文馆|) opened its doors to the public on November 4, 1966 and has entertained and educated children of all ages about astronomy and the wonders of the night sky ever since. The Planetarium houses a 65-foot diameter domed (圆顶状的) projection screen with 231 seats. At the heart of the Planetarium is a SPITZ “Space Transit Planetarium” star projector (放映机)， which is capable of accurately reproducing the stars and planets as seen from anywhere on Earth at any time during the year. Shows daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Unlike any other in South Florida, the Planetarium is a unique setting for bringing the stars and planets indoors in animated (动画) live star shows and music-filled laser light shows.

    The Weintraub Observatory (天文台) houses two powerful telescopes. Observatory hours are from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Look though the telescope to view the planets, the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulate and double stars.

    Deposit (定金): A $75 deposit must be received 10 days prior to the visit date to guarantee your visit.

    Cancellation Policy: The museum requires 48 hours advance notice prior to any cancellation or other changes to a reservation. Without prior notification (通告) the original total will be expected upon arrival.

    Payment Policy: The balance of the admission fee is due upon arrival at the museum on your visit day.

    Upon Arrival: The leading teacher should check in at the box office with payment for the correct head count of students, and teachers. Visitors should remain on the bus until a museum interpreters show you around the museum.

Museum Etiquette (规矩): We ask that all groups remain together and orderly. Teachers are asked to help maintain order with their groups. We reserve the right to refuse service to any group or individual not obeying the museum policies.

    Bus Procedures: The museum will provide parking for buses in our parking lot. Upon arrival, bus drivers will be directed by the museum staff to the appropriate places to park. It is recommended that buses remain on the spots throughout the group's entire museum visit.

    For more information & reservations call: (305)646-4222.

    It was Saturday morning. I heard loud noises of moving furniture in the next room. I could almost feel the excitement of John who was soon going to get a room of his own. I remember my own feelings when I was 13. I knew how much he longed for his right to privacy (私人空间) when he was sharing a room with his younger brother, Robot. He said, “Mum, Can I please have a room of my own? I could use Jeff's. He won't mind.”

    It was true that Jeff had graduated from college and flown from the nest. But would he mind? The room was the place where I told him a thousand stories and we had a thousand talks. As close as we were, though, the time came when Jeff needed a door between us. His life was spreading into areas that had less to do with family. I no longer could-or should-know everything about him.

It turned out that getting Jeff's permission was easy. He said, “Of course, Mum, it would be selfish of me to hold on to it.” Then his voice softened, “Mum, I won't be living at home again—you know that.” Behind his glasses, his eyes were lit with all the love. There were no doors closed here—they had all opened up again.

    As John and I were cleaning the room, I fixed my eyes on Jeff's things around me and could almost touch the little boy who I knew was gone forever. I looked at the room and, in my heart, I let it go. To hold on would be, as Jeff said, selfish. Now it was time for John, shouldering through the door, his eyes bright with promise of independence, to disappear behind the door. It was time for letting go to happen again.

    When 12 girls from San Fernando high school in California received a grant (助学金) to develop an invention to solve a real-world problem, they decided to create a solar-powered shelter. Now for over a year, the girls have been working after school and over the winter and spring breaks to complete their project. "They have this amazing drive that I've never seen before," said Violet Mardirosian, a math teacher at San Fernando High. "I thought at the beginning that maybe some of them would give up, saying 'I didn't expect this much work,' but they don't. They're just working hard and they're not giving up."

    Living in a low-income community (社区), the girls have seen the problem of homelessness first-hand, which is why they chose that population to create a product for. Many of them are also from immigrant families and hope the solar-powered shelter might help refugees (难民). Seventeen-year-old Maggie Mejia said that while she had no engineering experience, the girls figured out as a team how to create the prototype (雏形), using how-to videos and books that taught them how to code. But the most important lesson she's learned over the course of the project isn't technical. "I've learned a lot about helping others, helping the community and showing a better world to other people," she said.

    The girls have been invited to MIT to show their invention. Mardirosian says all the participating students have expressed interest in going into STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields and that students from lower grades are already expressing interest in being involved next year. She says, "Many of them didn't think about engineering before. They thought maybe they're not made out to be an engineer. But working together, now they realize they're all needed in this field. Everyone has found their importance in this picture."

This year, the Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum, went to Annie Ray, the performing arts department chair and orchestra director at Annandale High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. She attended the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and brought home both a $10,000 prize and matching grant （资助） for her school's music program.

Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as a parent orchestra that teaches nearly 200 caregivers a year to play the same instrument as their children. She got the idea mostly from the Annandale community, which she says represents over 60 countries, including many refugees and immigrants. "There're many cultures that might typically clash, but they come together in this very beautiful harmony," Ray explained. "And that's really uniquely expressed in the orchestra classroom, where we're just all music-ing together."

Ray says the Crescendo Orchestra is focused on teaching students how to play an instrument, through one-on-one instruction tailored to their needs. The orchestra is about much more than just making music, however. "I really push my students to be brave and go outside of their comfort zone. We have to learn how to work together with others," she says.

Ray, who comes from a family of musicians and has played the harp （竖琴） since the age of five, knows firsthand the impact that a great teacher can make on their students. "Why I am where I am is because a teacher changed my life and made me want to be a music educator," she says.

Ray says her warm reception on the awards ceremony is especially meaningful because not many people understand what exactly music educators do in the classroom or how much their work matters. She says that lack of understanding is one of the biggest challenges facing the profession in general. Moreover, she says her school desperately needs new instruments, and adds that she'll use some of her grant money to buy more.