4 . Around the world, 62 million girls are not in school. The White House's Let Girls Learn effort aims to change that.

At 13, Hawa Abdulai Yorke left her family's home, in Ghana, Africa, to live with an aunt who promised to send her to school. Instead, the aunt put Yorke to work as her maid. Determined to go to school, Yorke returned home and began selling water in a nearby city to raise money for her education. She did that for three years. What hurt most was that her father had the money to pay the school fees. But he chose to spend the money on a motorcycle.

Yorke's story is familiar to girls growing up in Ghana. There, a girl's place is in the home. Educating girls is considered a waste of money.

"It happens more than it should, where parents have money to send their girls to school but choose not to," says Ryan Roach, a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, where nearly 55% of girls are not enrolled in secondary school. "Cultural beliefs say education is not a wise investment".

The White House's Let Girls Learn is working to change this view of girls' education, in Ghana and in countries worldwide. First Lady Michelle Obama says parents have to be persuaded that girls' education is a better investment than marriage or household labor. A World Bank study backs that up. It shows that for every year of secondary-school education, a girl's earning power increases by 18%.

Today, Let Girls Learn works in 13 countries, and there are plans to expand the program. Recently, Let Girls Learn hosted a 24-hour event at which girls in different parts of Ghana joined Peace Corps volunteers, tech experts, and university students to brainstorm creative solutions for the barriers to girls' education. Yorke's team came up with an idea for an app that sends a recorded message to parents' phones from a Ghanian celebrity about the benefits of girls attending school.

Yorke, now 22, is about to finish high school. Thanks to Let Girls Learn, she plans to attend college and study computer science. She says working alongside women college students at the Let Girls Learn event strengthened her determination. "I'm focused on my books," says Yorke. "I know if I study hard, I, too, can go to the university and live a happy life."

5 . Traveling can be a fun way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break-a week-long school vacation in the United States. But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip?     1    .

● Save: This probably is the most important preparation for traveling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you’ll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

●       2    : Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全) and saving.

● Plan sensibly: Write down how much you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.

● Travel in groups:     3    . By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences.

● Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes.     4    .

● Use the Internet: The net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www.Travelcity. com, www. bargainslowestfare.com and www. economic   travelcity. com.

By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel.     5    .

Would you like to deepen your understanding of diversity, equality,and inclusion (DEI) as it relates to the field of English language teaching? You're invited to join online conversations on these topics as part of a new reading club in the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Community, accessible through my TESOL. Each week there will be a new article used as a basis for the discussion.

In Week 1, August 9-15, we will discuss "Black Teachers of English in South Korea: Constructing Identities as a Native English Speaker and English Language Teaching Professional" with author Quanisha D.Charles. Throughout the week, the author will post questions for discussion for participants to discuss within the discussion group.

In Week 2, August 16-22, we will discuss "On Issues of Discrimination and Prejudice: What Can TESOL Practitioners Do to Support and Advocate for Refugee Students?" with author Chatwara Suwanamai Duran. Suwanamai will post the initial question(s) for discussion and will take part in the discussion.

To participle, join the online community in my TESOL. More details can be found at TESOL International Association website https://www.tesol.org//dei-reading-club

We look forward to having many meaningful and thoughtful exchanges with you.

Andy’s Map of the Winter Carnival

8 . A bunch of strangers showed up at the gym in the early morning of the last Sunday of April. A few athletes were already stretching their arms, but most of us could barely focus. As I was burning off last night's wrong decision—a big meal, I spotted a poster about a gym's 21-day workout challenge, and I immediately signed up. I always wanted to train for a marathon, so I considered this as my warm-up. Besides, I needed to stop being lazy and this was my chance to make a change.

It was easy to promise on paper, but three weeks of recommended exercise routines and diet restrictions wouldn't be easy. I stuck to working out 30 minutes a day, and I didn't disturb my normal routine. Instead, I had to be faced with the tough work of being more creative in my spare time, thus breaking some bad habits.

Overcoming weaknesses with willpower was my goal for the next part of the journey. But the difficult part about making a challenge is realizing that “wanting" and “doing" are two very different things. Just like a career, you have to physically work for it rather than just wait for it to happen. But that's hard. Throughout the 21 days, I often told myself that the challenge was meaningless and tried to sabotage myself from exercising. However, finally I overcame that negative thought and kept working out.

At the end of the challenge, I learned something even more important: Feeling the results is better than seeing them. I had fewer headaches and more energy, and was simply happier. I even felt a little smarter as I researched which foods were better for my body, and learned how to make healthier meals. I felt a sense of accomplishment, too, because even though I wanted to give up dozens of times, I didn't. I felt my waist got smaller and my arms got stronger, and I no longer felt guilty after having a piece of cake or a drink.

9 . The year I turned fifty, I resolved to do something new every day. However, balancing 365 new things with work and family, while still managing to do the laundry and get dinner on the table every night, was not always easy. In the early weeks of the project, I found it difficult to find so many new things.

It wasn’t long before my friends learned that I was open to almost anything I could consider a new thing, and the invitations began pouring in not just from friends, but friends of friends. As a result, my life was new. I went dog sledding. I attended a fashion show. I went to numerous lectures on all kinds of topics that I never would have previously considered useful or interesting and found something to appreciate in every single one. I even signed up immediately when learning about a local group trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by doing something unusual.

As time went by, whenever I learned about something that seemed remarkable, I did what I could to pursue it. Instead of “Why”, I began to ask “Why not”. Now I find it is easier to just keep my eyes open to the possibilities that surrounded me. It turned out that there were new things everywhere, and all I had to do was make a little effort to enjoy them.

I looked back on the year. It doesn’t matter to me that many of my “new things” weren’t exactly meaningful. What matters is how to make full use of them when discovering there is an endless number of new things for me. It seemed to me an obvious sign that at fifty, my life was full of promise. I could continue to grow, stretch my wings, and learn more every day for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the idea of something new, and it gave me a reason to welcome each day as an opportunity to experience the world a little differently.

10 . Four Ways to Beat Summer Weight Gain

When we think of the summer holiday，most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer holiday. In reality，the summer holiday isn’t all beach volleyball and water sports. Therefore，we can gain weight easily in the summer holiday.    1     Here are four ways to beat summer weight gain.

1.    2     When we don’t have a plan，it’s easy to spend the summer holiday moving from the couch to the computer，with regular stops before the fridge. Avoid this by aiming for a specific goal，like volunteering，mastering a new skill，or working at a job. Just be sure to plan for some free time so you can relax a little！

2. Stay busy. When we’re bored，it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy. In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar， filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment.    3    

3. Beat the heat. Don’t let summer heat put your exercise plans on hold.    4     If a gym isn’t your scene， try bowling or an indoor climbing wall. If you love being outdoors， move a regular run or soccer game to early morning or evening.

4.    5     With school out， we lose our daily routines. If you don’t have a specific job or an activity to get up for，it’s easy to sleep late， watch too much TV，and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure—like getting up at the same time each day. Plan activities for specific times，like exercising before breakfast.