2 . How to give effective feedback (反馈)

In the ever-evolving landscape of personal and professional growth, feedback serves as a compass (指南针) guiding our journey towards improvement.     1     Constructive feedback should follow several principles.

    2     It’s not unusual to tell someone about something that upset or pleased you six months later. It’s also easy for people to start from the point of view of “everything you do is rubbish”, especially when things are not going well. But don’t. Think about exact and precise occasions and behavior that are still fresh in both the giver’s and receiver’s minds.

Lay stress on behavior, not personality. Your feedback should target how they act, what effects it has on you or how it makes you feel. Remember that you are making no comment on what type of person they are, or what they believe or value.     3    

Focus on improvement rather than criticism. It is expressed in a manner that encourages growth and avoids being negative. To take it a step further, it also provides suggestions for change.     4    It involves putting constructive criticism between positive or encouraging comments. For example, when discussing a project with an employee, start by praising their hard work, then add the areas for improvement, and conclude with encouragement.

Offering effective feedback to others is a win-win act.     5     Both of you get a slice of personal development. To develop better feedback skills, you need to keep practicing and make it a habit. Anyway, practice makes perfect!

4 . With mental health awareness more important than ever, here are the best mental wellness apps that take minority groups into consideration.

Reju

Reju is another meditation and self-care app, launched to respond to the rapid growth in mental health challenges in African American communities. Reju offers a wealth of motivational content to reduce stress, improve mental health, and lead users towards better living. Best of all is the welcoming Reju community for free, where you can connect with peers and get support with issues they’re also facing.

Spoke

Spoke is a meditation (冥想) app designed to deliver mental health support for music lovers. Created by a group of musical artists working with scientific advisers in London, it cleverly combines mental health tools like mindfulness, CBT, and positive psychology with binaural and hip-hop beats, nature sounds, ambient music, and guided lyricism.

Liberate.cx

Liberate.cx is a daily meditation app specifically for the BIPOC community (黑人社区), with mindfulness resources that address topics such as race, microaggressions, anxiety, and self-worth. It draws on expert teachers from diverse cultures to offer wisdom everyone can benefit from.

Headspace

Renowned mental health app, which is only for women. Headspace has launched the Headspace Women’s Collection to provide welcome meditation resources for women. These cover a wide range of issues, including sex and relationships, self-worth, and solidarity. A series of body-supportive sessions are aimed at helping women healing after a miscarriage or struggling with fertility.

5 . In my whole life I was frightened by doctors. So when I recently launched a series of writing and publishing courses, I was shocked to find among my students several physicians, the same profession as my father. And they all wanted to be writers. Whenever someone mentioned their medical background, I’d think: I have to call Dad to tell him, but I couldn’t.

Raised up in a big Michigan family with three brilliant loud science brain brothers, I’d always felt left out by their Disease Game at dinner, where Dad threw out cases for them to diagnose. Our house was their laboratory. I was frequently scared by bees in jars in the refrigerator and pet rats.

Getting to study medicine was always Dad’s dream, so he encouraged the boys to follow in his footsteps. But I never truly settled down, chasing my dream for literary here and there. My father opposed my liberalism. I was overjoyed when Random House published my humorous memoirs (回忆录) about my past addictions. My father wasn’t so joyful. “You’re bringing disgrace on our family,” he snapped.

At 87, when my father was admitted to hospital with heart and kidney failure, we had a rare afternoon alone. Sitting by his bed, I apologized for taking so long to figure out my life.

“I have a lot of regrets,” he said, “It took me too long to make a decent living, screwing up jobs because of my bullheadedness and big mouth.”

I was nervous when his physician Olaf emailed me, but it wasn’t bad news. “Your dad says you’re a professor who helps people publish. Could you help me?” he asked.

“What did you tell Olaf about me?” I questioned Dad that night, still surprised.

“That you stuck to your guns and became a success,” he said.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”

“I’m telling you now,” he said. He was pleased when I helped Olaf publish his first magazine piece.

I wish Dad were here so I could share the latest stories by my physician students. But I lost him four years ago. In a way, he still is, as I channel everything he taught me about hard work, and never giving up doing what you love.

6 . When it comes to studying, most of us bank on being able to focus on our subject like a shooter on his mission target. It is when we actually sit down to study that our minds begin to slip away. This is because focus is like a muscle. Unless you build it, you’ll be distracted by everything!    1    .

●Make a to-do list

Sometimes the simple act of writing down everything that’s on your plate makes it more manageable. You get it out of your working memory, so it’s no longer part of the free-floating anxiety cloud around you.    2    . Once it’s out of your head, it won’t distract you.

●Meditate (冥想)

    3    . Just breathe in, breathe out. Try this for five to fifteen minutes each day. As you get into this practice, most find their minds are in fact an incredibly noisy and distracting place. Loads of ideas are always popping up. This is normal, though. The real value is in noticing every time your mind wanders, you bring your attention back.

●Listen

Focused listening is a life skill, one that can be applied in many areas.    4    . When you do this, you’ll discover that deep listening is HARD WORK and requires brain power.

●Read difficult works

Read long-form pieces of work at a slow, deliberate pace. Reading difficult material successfully requires real concentration and determination, and your willpower will grow accordingly.

Focus is a skill you can nurture in yourself.    5    . The more you work on it, the more focused you will stay.

7 . Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff

Still looking for a great job? Attend the Virtual Career Fair on Thursday, June 6. You’ll find employers from across the country ready to meet you virtually and hire you right now. Jumpstart your search in an hour or less to find the perfect position for the 2024 — 25 school year. Sign-up is easy and free.

Since teachers and staff are in such high demand, there is a bonus for you to attend this event. Five attendees who visit at least 2 recruiters (招聘官) will be chosen at random to receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Note: This event is NOT for those seeking visa sponsorship.

Here’s what you can expect:

·Chat directly with recruiters who are actively hiring using text or video.

·Hundreds of jobs for teachers, support staff and principals.

·Wide varieties of organizations — large urban districts, charter schools, virtual schools, and more.

·Fast progress on your job search. A small investment of your time will yield quick results.

Access from any device. Use your computer, phone, or tablet.

Review the participating school districts and companies, and sign up now to attend the Virtual Career Fair on June 6, between 2 p. m. and 6 p. m. ET (11 a. m.-3 p. m. PT).

It will only take you 4 minutes to register, so click the red REGISTER button and do it now.