Happy World Teachers’ Day! - frederick.lapides@gmail.com
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When life feels uncertain (which, these days, is more often than not), a great way to move forward is to put one foot in front of the other — literally. Taking a walk to connect with your thoughts is one of the methods therapists recommend for working through uncertainty, and so is prioritizing your “anchors,” or the people and things that remain consistent around you. Check out four other expert-approved tips.
— the Nice News team
Featured Story
“Born to Make a Difference”: The Best Teachers Share These 4 Traits
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Dig deep into your school days, and we’d bet you’ll recall a moment that significantly helped shape who you are today — and a teacher attached to it. Maybe it was your fourth grade teacher who spun a historical event into such an entertaining story that your passion for the subject was ignited. Or perhaps it was your high school algebra teacher who pointed out your natural ability to solve linear equations for the first time, inspiring you to pursue a career in STEM. Whatever the case, there’s a solid chance you had an educator who saw your spark before you did. These important moments don’t just happen by accident. Good teachers are gifted at making valuable, lasting impacts on their students’ lives, and there are quite a few traits that research suggests many of our favorites share. In honor of World Teachers’ Day today, we’d like to recognize what it takes to be an outstanding educator — and maybe even encourage you to give the profession a try yourself.
Together With Upway
This Week’s Top Stories
Culture
Tokyo’s Literary Haven Named the World’s Coolest Neighborhood
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What makes a place cool in 2025? Time Out, which recently published its list of the world’s coolest neighborhoods, defined the hippest spots as “places that represent the soul of our cities, while maintaining their own unique local character that draws people in to live, work, and play.” With this in mind, the outlet tapped its global network of writers and editors for nominations and then ranked each neighborhood based on culture, community, livability, nightlife, food and drink, street life, and “sense of nowness.” Topping the list is Jimbōchō in Tokyo, renowned for its cozy coffeehouses, curry restaurants, music clubs, and 130 secondhand bookstores. Later this month, the “bibliophile nirvana” will host its annual used books festival, where city streets turn into a sprawling open-air library (one more thing to add to the bucket list!). Rounding out the top three are Borgerhout in Antwerp, Belgium, and Barra Funda in São Paulo, Brazil. See the full list of neighborhoods, spanning six continents.
Humanity
After 20 Years, “Reading Rainbow” Is Back to Inspire a New Generation of Book Lovers
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It’s a good day to be a book lover! After nearly 20 years off the air, Reading Rainbow has returned to our screens. Mychal Threets, aka Mychal the Librarian, is serving as host, ready to spark a new generation’s love for stories, imagination, and all things reading. If you’re not familiar with Threets, he’s a librarian and social media star from Fairfield, California, who has spent years sharing the powerful message that everyone belongs in the library. But his passion for reading goes back much further than his librarian career. In 2024, he told USA Today he “was practically raised by libraries,” crediting the spaces for shaping his homeschooled education and sense of self. Last year, Threets became the resident librarian at PBS, a gig that unfolds perfectly into this next chapter at the helm of Reading Rainbow, which ran on the network from 1983 to 2006 with LeVar Burton as host. Instead of returning to PBS, though, new episodes of the revamped series are being shared via Kidzuko, an educational YouTube channel from Sony Pictures Television. The first episode dropped yesterday, and new ones will come out Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET. Check out the trailer for a glimpse at the star-studded guest lineup, which includes John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Adam DeVine, Gabrielle Union, and many more.
Culture
Breaking Generational Cycles: Survey Reveals Top Approaches to Modern Parenting
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Even if today’s parents wanted to raise their kids just like their own moms and dads raised them (which is a big if), Gen Alpha and Gen Beta are growing up in a vastly different world — one where they’re navigating social media, the aftermath of a global pandemic, and economic unpredictability. Naturally, parenting styles have evolved to meet the younger generations where they are, and a new survey conducted by Talker Research revealed which ones are currently trending. On behalf of educational child care organization Kiddie Academy, the research company polled 2,000 parents with kids ranging from newborns to age 6, giving them only 20 seconds to respond to prompts to get their instinctual answers. It found that cycle-breaking parenting, which focuses on healing generational trauma, was the top style on the rise. Though the strategy is used by 37% of participants, Gen Z parents are the most likely to adopt it. Coming in a close second was attachment parenting, aimed at forming strong emotional bonds through physical closeness, followed by cause-and-effect parenting, which teaches kids that their actions have real-world consequences. However, 85% of participants said they believe there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and the survey noted that modern parents combine an average of three parenting styles. Dive deeper into the philosophies defining modern parenting.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
One LA property manager is helping unhoused people by buying them one-way tickets home
Learn what secrets this (rather terrifying-looking) vampire fish may unlock about the human brain
At a tattoo parlor in Springfield, Missouri, hateful images are covered up for free: Watch
Thomas Pynchon is best known for books like The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) and Gravity’s Rainbow (1973), and he’s still delivering the goods after all these years: Per TheWashington Post, his latest work is “bonkers and brilliant fun.” Set in 1932 Milwaukee, this Prohibition-era detective novel is Pynchon’s 10th book and first new release since 2013. It follows a private eye who takes the case of a missing Wisconsin cheese heiress, and finds himself entangled with Nazis, the paranormal, an outlaw motorcycle band, and other obstacles.
When filmmaker Lynn Shelton died in 2020, her partner, comedian Marc Maron, found himself unmoored, and he turned to his craft to help process his pain. The documentary Are We Good? chronicles the period immediately succeeding Shelton’s death, when Maron must finally face the kinds of deep emotions he’s spent years turning into jokes. A mix of stand-up footage, home videos, and industry interviews, it’s a moving portrait of grief, love, and the evolution of an artist. Catch it in select theaters this week.
This Week in History
“Saturday Night Live” Premieres on NBC
October 11, 1975
Warner Bros./Getty Images
If you didn’t tune in to the Saturday Night Live50th anniversary special, you likely at least scrolled through clips of it on social media. The celebratory episode aired in February, but it’s this coming Saturday that actually marks five decades since SNL premiered — and thus 50 years of hilarity, like Mike Meyers impersonating his former mother-in-law and Will Ferrell demanding “more cowbell.” Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, and Laraine Newman (pictured as the Coneheads, left to right) were all members of the inaugural seven-person cast. The brainchild of Lorne Michaels and then-NBC president Herb Schlosser, the show was initially called NBC’s Saturday Night, and iconic comedian George Carlin hosted the first episode. Check out his opening monologue, and watch some of the funniest SNL moments over the years (including Andy Kaufman delivering his now-famous Mighty Mouse bit).
BetterHelp:Support That Meets You Where You Are
In a world that moves fast, it’s easy to put your well-being last. But mental health matters — and support should be easy to access. With BetterHelp’s online therapy, you can get matched with a licensed therapist in as little as 48 hours, connect by phone, video, or message, and even use your HSA or FSA funds to help cover the cost. Start today and get 25% off your first month.
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