+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
Most Shared

High schoolers actually look forward to this unique class. Mic. Dropped.

True
XQ

Let's be honest about something: High school doesn't work for everyone.

And things get even harder if you're a student of color, from a poor family, or are one of the millions of kids who grow up with learning disabilities. All of these variables can put you at a demonstrable disadvantage within the education system.

All images via XQ.

The world needs creative solutions to this problem, and one school has managed to find one — a musical one.

Youth on Record is a nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, that gives high school youth access to music training.

"We put professional, local musicians in the classrooms," says Jami Duffy, executive director of Youth on Record. "And they teach for-credit high school classes to the kids with the least amount of credit to make sure that our kids get across that finish line and are ready for college."

These classes range from technical training in music production to discussions of race, class, gender, and social solutions. Many classes also involve the Denver community and feature guest speakers and lecturers from the area.

More than just extra classes, Youth on Record is empowering kids to take control of their own education.

"If I had a music program like this, I'd be more engaged to do my other classes so then I could get to that music classroom," says Israel Juarez, an intern at Youth on Record.

Israel Juarez rapping at Youth on Record, Denver.

By engaging students in areas they're naturally passionate about and teaching them the real-life skills associated with those passions, Youth on Record shows kids that education is about much more than passing a test.

"High school is to develop citizens," says Margarita Bianco, executive director at Pathways2Teaching. "It's not just about mastering a content area so that you can pass a state exam. I want students to feel empowered to share their stories and think of themselves as change agents."

For kids who might normally be left behind, Youth on Record provides an opportunity to get ahead.

The best moments in school are the ones when your natural interests intersect with your education, when you start to think of yourself as talented and special.

Not everyone gets those moments, and they walk away from high school feeling defeated.

Youth on Record is doing something potentially life-changing for their students by helping them discover that they're smart and capable, even when they feel the system has let them down.

The most important lesson of all? Even if traditional school doesn't work for them, there's a bright future ahead.

All you need to do is grab the mic and dictate your story.

Watch these amazing students in action:

They're providing a creative outlet for these teen students — and it's actually helping them excel in other areas of school as well.

Posted by Upworthy on Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Learn more at XQSuperSchool.org.

Family

Help is on the way for a desperate mom who couldn't find size 23 shoes for her teenage son

Her son Eric Kilburn Jr. is a 6'10" freshman in high school.

via GoFundMe

A size 21 Nike shoe made for Tacko Fall.

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It's a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

Keep ReadingShow less
parents
Videos

Men were tested on their knowledge of female anatomy and failed hilariously

SIX ovaries?!

YouTube

"What Do You Know About The Female Body?" from Jimmy Kimmel

When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street, you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about, well, seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case, female anatomy.

In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions, like “does a female have one uterus, or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners.

Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:

Keep ReadingShow less
funny
Education

Florida principal forced to resign after showing Michelangelo's 'David' to students

“It saddens me that my time here had to end this way."

Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash

Florida principal fired after showing statue of "David."

If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they'll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.

Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida's Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo's "David" statue.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn't sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.

Keep ReadingShow less
art education
Education

People are sharing the one 'simple rule that would fix the world if people actually followed it'

Here are 17 rules that would make life better for everyone.

via Pexels

A teacher lists his class rules.

The world would be a much better place if humans weren’t so … human. We all fall short of perfection. Common sense is, sadly, not too common. And there’s one guy out there who always manages to screw things up when things start getting good.

Call it Murphy’s law. Call it the great “reason we can’t have nice things.” Call it entropy. It feels like a whole lot of pain could be avoided if we all had just a little bit more sense.

But what if there was one rule that we all agreed to follow to make everyone’s life better? What would this magical rule be?

A Reddit user who goes by the name P4insplatter came to this realization and asked the AskReddit subforum, “What simple rule would fix the world if everyone actually followed it?” They received dozens of simple rules that if everyone got behind would make the world drastically better.

Keep ReadingShow less
wisdom
Family

Dad found out his son bullied a kid at school and came up with a brilliant teaching moment

"I told him that we have the opportunity to make things right."

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
fatherhood
Pop Culture

Heads up! That call from a panicky relative may be a scammer voice clone.

The FTC is warning people to look out for the latest scam trend.

via Pexels

A man makes a phone call from prison.

One of the oldest frauds in the book is the “your loved one is in trouble” scam. Scammers call posing as a grandchild or loved one in distress who claims they’ve been kidnapped or are in jail. The scammer may also impersonate a nurse, police officer, lawyer or other authority figure representing the loved one.

The scammer claims that the loved one needs money wired to the fraudster immediately to bring them to safety.

The scam is effective because the victim is under pressure to get them money quickly, so they don’t have time to consider the fact that it may be a scam. All the while, they imagine the torment the loved one is going through. The urgency of the scam makes it much more likely that the victim will hand over the money.

Keep ReadingShow less
scams
Trending Stories