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Five years ago, when I taught art at a school in Seattle, I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beginning of a term to find out something about my students. I put a small set of Tinkertoys in front of each student, and said:"Make something out of the Tinkertoys. You have 45 minutes today - and 45minutes each day for the rest of the week."

   A few students hesitated to start. They waited to see the rest of the class would do. Several others checked the instructions and made something according to one of the model plans provided. Another group built something out of their own imaginations.

   Once I had a boy who worked experimentally with Tinkertoys in his free time. His constructions filled a shelf in the art classroom and a good part of his bedroom at home. I was delighted at the presence of such a student. Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work. His presence meant that I had an unexpected teaching assistant in class whose creativity would infect(感染) other students.

Encouraging this kind of thinking has a downside. I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking. Without fail one would declare, "But I'm just not creative."

"Do you dream at night when you're asleep?"

"Oh, sure."

"So tell me one of your most interesting dreams." The student would tell something wildly imaginative. Flying in the sky or in a time machine or growing three heads. "That's pretty creative. Who does that for you?"

"Nobody. I do it."

"Really-at night, when you're asleep?"

"Sure."

"Try doing it in the daytime, in class, okay?"

    Experts generally consider BMI for kids to be a good measure of body fat, at least among heavier children. But in some cases it might be misleading. Athletic kids, in particular, may fall into the overweight category when they are actually muscular.

    Your child's BMI is important, but it is only a piece of the picture. If a BMI percentile (体重指数) indicates that your child is not within the healthy range, she needs a complete weight and lifestyle evaluation with a doctor.

    Experts recommend that kids of all ages and all weight categories follow these healthy guidelines to keep weight in control. It's easy to remember them as “5 — 2 — 1 — 0” every day.

    5 > Everyone in your family needs five servings of vegetables and fruit. Keep serving them even if kids don't eat them. If they see a food over and over, they're more likely to try it in the end.

    2 > Limit TV-watching to no more than 2 hours a day. Family members who use other “screens”—video games or computers, for instance, get less TV time. And kick the TV out of all bedrooms.

    1 > Get 1 hour of physical activity. Add up the minutes each family member is moving —it should be 60 minutes or more for each person. Start small and keep adding if necessary.

    0 > That's how many sugar-sweetened beverages you should have a day. Juice drinks such as lemonade and fruit punch, sodas, tea, and coffee can all have added sugar. Stick to water and reduced-fat milk instead.

    Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons—for example, economic (经济的) reasons—why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?

    In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own home town of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.

    It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt (破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative(保守的)and do not like change.

    Although we have to respect people's feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward. If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice.

    Animal Farm by George Orwell

    Animal Farm is probably one of the most popular school reads in the world. George Orwell wrote it as a political allegory(讽喻)and has since then inspired the minds of not only adult revolutionaries but also the younger ones who start feeling the spark of being right and free for all of the humanity in their hearts.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    This is a wise, funny, and heartbreaking memory of Marjane Satrapi's years growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, and how she dealt with life while experiencing the ruinous effects of the war with Iraq. The mistakes she felt she made opened her eyes and shaped her into becoming the influential individual she is today.

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Regarded as a masterpiece of literature—-it is no wonder it won the Pulitzer Prize. The plot and characters are based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 16 years old. The novel is famous for its warmth and humor, despite telling a story of innocent Tom Robinson being accused of raping(强暴)a white woman because he was black.

    The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

    A story showing the absolute courage of a young boy, who was never afraid to speak his mind in the face of injustice and would always defend the helpless. A boy shows us the importance of believing in ourselves and others. Harry Potter reminds us that the true power to defeat any enemy is not found in others, but found within each of us.

    One Moore Elementary school teacher is showing students the importance of communication through “shout-outs”. Third Grade Moore Elementary teacher Lindsey Winders said a shout-out is a compliment（称赞）that students can say or write down. “Like, 'hey I noticed you doing a really great job solving your math facts yesterday. I wanted to make sure you know that I saw you do that,” Winders said.

    Winders said she makes sure she is giving shout-outs to her students every day. “I might write them a sticky note, or write them a quick little note in their plans. I might just say it to them on their way into the classroom or on their way out of the classroom, but most importantly I try to do it every day,” Winders said.

    In addition to the compliments, Winders has the students greet each other every morning during morning meeting. She will have students give examples to the class of how to communicate in different settings. Third grade student Nayelli Moranchel said she has given at least six shout outs this year. “It makes me happy, because they always write something back,” Moranchel said.

    Recently, Winders took it one step further and wrote a personalized note on each of her students' desk. “In our classroom, sometimes it can be challenging for me to give a compliment or a shout out to each and every one of them in a way that feels equal and valuable at the same time. So I thought what's a better way to be able to do that than leaving a note on their desk that can stay for as long as they want it.” Winders said.

    Winders said it is encouraging when she sees her students copy the act, and give each other compliments without her guidance.

The UK is home to 26 world-ranked universities of the top 200 globally. At the heart of each university is the library, a space for students to access resources, absorb knowledge and gather thoughts. Here are some of our must-visit libraries across the UK. 

The British Library, London

Located in London, the British Library is home to over 170 million items. The collections offer a glimpse into literary heritage over the ages, from books to maps to manuscripts. Visitors can browse treasures including Leonardo da Vinci's notebook. Students with a reading pass are known to spend hours at a time in the reading rooms.

Bodleian Old Library, Oxford

Dating back to 1488, the Bodleian Old Library has three notable reading rooms. It is celebrated for its late Gothic architecture. You may recognize the elaborately carved ceiling from scenes in Harry Potter. Students at the university automatically get access to the library.

John Rylands Library, Manchester

Opened in 1900, this library is part of the University of Manchester, one of the top five universities in the UK. This library offers limitless research potential for students. Whether you want to make use of the rich collections available, or simply explore the site, this library should be on everyone's must-see list.

The Mitchell Library, Glasgow

The Mitchell Library is one of Glasgow's most famous landmarks. On the top of the copper dome (圆屋顶) is a bronze statue of the Roman goddess, Minerva. Visitors can climb the dome for the city's most distinctive rooftop views.