2 . Pasta and pizza were on everyone’s lunch menu in my native land of Italy. Everyone who had such a lunch was fair-skinned and spoke Italian. A few years later, as I stood in the lunch line with my kindergarten class in a school in Brooklyn, I realized things were no longer that simple. My classmates ranged from those kids with pale skin and large blue eyes to those with rich brown skin and dark hair. The food choices were almost as diverse as the students. In front of me was an array of foods I couldn’t even name in my native language. Fearing that I would pick out something awful, I desperately tried to ask the boy ahead of me for a recommendation. Unfortunately, between us stood the barrier of language.

Although my kindergarten experience feels like a century ago, the lessons I learned will stick in my mind forever. For the past three summers, I have worked in a government agency in New York. New immigrants much like the little girl in the lunch line flooded our office seeking help. I often had to be an interpreter for the Italian-speaking ones. As I served the role of vital communication link, I was reminded of my desperate struggle to converse before I learned English. I watched with great sympathy as elderly Italians tried to hold a conversation in Italian with people who did not speak the language. It suddenly became very clear to me how lucky I was to be fluent in two languages.

In New York, a multicultural city, students like me are blessed with a chance to work with a diverse population. In my English to Italian translations, I’ve learned about social programs that I didn’t know existed. This work expanded my mind in ways that are impossible inside the four walls of a classroom. Walking through the streets of Brooklyn today, I am no longer confused by this city’s sounds and smells. Instead, enjoy its diversity.

3 . Scientists have done a lot of research on sleep. They’ve shown that sleeplessness can lead to both weight gain and poor performance in school. Might it also affect your moods (情绪) or your behavior? A team of scientists based in Shanghai, China decided to investigate.

To do that, they took advantage of data (数据) from what’s known as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Begun in 2015, this study followed over 10, 000 U. S. kids into adulthood. All were 9 to 10 years old when they started taking part. ABCD researchers have been collecting records from parents on how much their kids sleep on a regular basis. The scientists also have been surveying whether a kid might have a habit of getting into fights or breaking rules. They even note whether students have difficulty focusing their attention.

Wei Cheng, a mathematician from China, teamed up with other researchers, making a detailed study of the ABCD data. Cheng’s group found out that kids who on average slept less than 7 hours a night were more likely to have behavior problems than kids who slept more. Kids who missed out on sleep also had more mood problems, including depression. Feeling sad or blue for longer than a week or two can be a sign of depression. Poor sleepers were also more likely to have stomach problems and headaches.

According to Kyla Wahlstrom, a professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, at night, your brain sorts information to link related facts but it takes the brain longer to organize negative (消极的) moods than positive ones. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain might not have time to finish tidying up. If the brain runs out of time, you’re left with negative moods. That may explain why Cheng’s group found out not getting enough sleep was connected with mood problems, says Wahlstrom.

4 . Surprise is the error signal our brains produce when something unexpected happens. It is a dopamine (多巴胺) trigger, producing the neurotransmitter (神经递质) that drives attention and motivation.     1     It makes us stop, notice, and learn.

In his book The Power of Surprise, Rousell presents his finding from decades of his research:     2     They form our self-concept.

    3     Samantha felt her shyness was a weakness, until her swim coach surprised her by naming her captain. He said, “She may be quiet, but when this girl says something, you’re going to want to listen.” The surprise left her feeling quietly powerful. The change in her beliefs and behaviors was instant and lasting.

Not all surprising moments are created equal. Rousell illustrates some research-backed steps to use surprise well.

Spot a self-criticism you’d like to help someone revise. For example, perhaps your student sees himself as a slow learner, or your employee believes he lacks creativity.     4     Maybe the student who thinks he learns slowly is also very thorough. The employee who thinks he lacks creativity is highly logical. Make your message quick and to the point. The more you delay on the topic or dress it up as flowery praise, the less surprising it will be.     5    

5 . HANDSTITCHED WORLDS: THE CARTOGRAPHY OF QUILTS

Quilts (床罩) are a narrative art; with themes that are political, spiritual, communal, or commemorative, they are infused with history and memory, mapping out intimate stories and legacies through a handcrafted language of design. Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts is an invitation to read quilts as maps, tracing the paths of individual histories that illuminate larger historic events and cultural trends.

Spanning the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, this insightful and engaging exhibition brings together 18 quilts from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, representing a range of materials, motifs, and techniques from traditional early-American quilts to more contemporary sculptural assemblages. The quilts in Handstitched Worlds show us how this too-often overlooked medium balances creativity with tradition, individuality with collective zeitgeist. Like a road map, these unique works offer a path to a deeper understanding of the American cultural fabric.

Number of Works:18 quilts

Organized by: American Folk Art Museum, New York

Approximate size:175-200 linear feet

Security: Moderate security

Participation Fee: Please inquire

Shipping: IA&A makes all arrangements; exhibitors pay outgoing shipping costs within the contiguous U.S.

Booking Period:12 weeks

Tour: June 2021—August2024

Contact: TravelingExhibitions@ArtsandArtists.org

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI

June 12, 2021—August 29, 2021

Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, WA

September 17, 2021—January 23, 2022

Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT

February 19, 2022—May 14, 2022

Fort Wayne Muesum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN

June 18, 2022—September 11, 2022

AVAILABLE

October 2022—January 2023

Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum, Logan, KS

February 17,2023—May 14, 2023

AVAILABLE

June 2023—December 2023

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS

January 30, 2024—April 21, 2024

AVAILABLE

May 2024—August 2024

All tour dates can be customized to meet your scheduling needs. Please contact Traveling Exhibitions @ Artsand Artists.org for more information.

6 . When kids melt down in the middle of a crowded store or at a holiday dinner with extended family, it can be extremely frustrating. But parents can help kids learn self-control and teach them how to respond without just acting on impulse (冲动).

Teaching self-control is one of the most important things that parents can do for their kids because these skills are some of the most important for success later in life. By learning self-control, kids can make appropriate decisions and respond to stressful situations in ways that can yield positive outcomes. For example, if you say that you’re not serving ice cream until after dinner, your child may cry, plead, or even scream in the hopes that you will give in. But with self-control, your child can understand that a temper tantrum (发脾气) means you’ll take away the ice cream for good and that it’s wiser to wait patiently.

Difficult as it may be, resist the urge to yell when you’re disciplining your kids. Instead, be persistent and matter of fact. During a child’s meltdown, stay calm and explain that yelling, throwing a tantrum, and slamming doors are unacceptable behaviors that have consequences. Your actions will show that tantrums won’t get kids the upper hand. For example, if your child gets, upset in the grocery store after you’ve explained why you won’t buy candy, don’t give in – thus demonstrating that the tantrum was both unacceptable and ineffective. Also, consider speaking to your child’s teachers about classroom settings and appropriate behavior expectations. Ask if problem-solving is taught or demonstrated in school.

And model good self-control yourself. If you’re in an annoyed situation in front of your kids, tell them why you’re frustrated and then discuss potential solutions to the problem. For example, if you’ve misplaced your keys, instead of getting upset, tell your kids the keys are missing and then search for them together. If they don’t turn up, take the next constructive step. Show that good emotional control and problem solving are the ways to deal with a difficult situation.

7 . Sacrificing Sleep to Get Top Grades Doesn't Work

Sacrificing sleep and skipping meals to study in looking for academic excellence actually doesn't work, a new Harvard study has revealed recently.    1    . They usually like getting less sleep or adopting poor eating habits, in a search for top grades. But the new study of 4, 000 British teenagers shows those who display determination, courage and persistence also tend to have healthier lifestyles.

Children who study hard are also likely to look after themselves, and cultivate healthy emotional regulation skills, rather than behaving in ways that are bad for their health.     2    . Studies have shown the harmful effects stress over exams have on young children's health.     3    . The study also found for the first time a link between high­achieving students and helpfulness. The research revealed that those pupils who see themselves as having potential rather than having fixed abilities are more likely to help their peers.     4    .

Dr Christina Hinton, a research member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said, "    5    , but rather cultivating healthy emotional regulation skills and effective learning strategies. Our results suggest. "

8 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.