Tags
More for You
-
Once a refugee seeking safety in the U.S., Anita Omary is using what she learned to help others thrive.
Even in divided times, small acts of friendship help create vibrant communities where everyone feels safe.
In March 2023, after months of preparation and paperwork, Anita Omary arrived in the United States from her native Afghanistan to build a better life. Once she arrived in Connecticut, however, the experience was anything but easy.
“When I first arrived, everything felt so strange—the weather, the environment, the people,” Omary recalled. Omary had not only left behind her extended family and friends in Afghanistan, she left her career managing child protective cases and supporting refugee communities behind as well. Even more challenging, Anita was five months pregnant at the time, and because her husband was unable to obtain a travel visa, she found herself having to navigate a new language, a different culture, and an unfamiliar country entirely on her own.
“I went through a period of deep disappointment and depression, where I wasn’t able to do much for myself,” Omary said.
Then something incredible happened: Omary met a woman who would become her close friend, offering support that would change her experience as a refugee—and ultimately the trajectory of her entire life.
Understanding the journey
Like Anita Omary, tens of thousands of people come to the United States each year seeking safety from war, political violence, religious persecution, and other threats. Yet escaping danger, unfortunately, is only the first challenge. Once here, immigrant and refugee families must deal with the loss of displacement, while at the same time facing language barriers, adapting to a new culture, and sometimes even facing social stigma and anti-immigrant biases.
Welcoming immigrant and refugee neighbors strengthens the nation and benefits everyone—and according to Anita Omary, small, simple acts of human kindness can make the greatest difference in helping them feel safe, valued, and truly at home.
A warm welcome
Dee and Omary's son, Osman Anita Omary was receiving prenatal checkups at a woman’s health center in West Haven when she met Dee, a nurse.
“She immediately recognized that I was new, and that I was struggling,” Omary said. “From that moment on, she became my support system.”
Dee started checking in on Omary throughout her pregnancy, both inside the clinic and out.
“She would call me and ask am I okay, am I eating, am I healthy,” Omary said. “She helped me with things I didn’t even realize I needed, like getting an air conditioner for my small, hot room.”
Soon, Dee was helping Omary apply for jobs and taking her on driving lessons every weekend. With her help, Omary landed a job, passed her road test on the first attempt, and even enrolled at the University of New Haven to pursue her master’s degree. Dee and Omary became like family. After Omary’s son, Osman, was born, Dee spent five days in the hospital at her side, bringing her halal food and brushing her hair in the same way Omary’s mother used to. When Omary’s postpartum pain became too great for her to lift Osman’s car seat, Dee accompanied her to his doctor’s appointments and carried the baby for her.
“Her support truly changed my life,” Omary said. “Her motivation, compassion, and support gave me hope. It gave me a sense of stability and confidence. I didn’t feel alone, because of her.”
More than that, the experience gave Omary a new resolve to help other people.
“That experience has deeply shaped the way I give back,” she said. “I want to be that source of encouragement and support for others that my friend was for me.”
Extending the welcome
Omary and Dee at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Awards ceremony at the University of New Haven. Omary is now flourishing. She currently works as a career development specialist as she continues her Master’s degree. She also, as a member of the Refugee Storytellers Collective, helps advocate for refugee and immigrant families by connecting them with resources—and teaches local communities how to best welcome newcomers.
“Welcoming new families today has many challenges,” Omary said. “One major barrier is access to English classes. Many newcomers, especially those who have just arrived, often put their names on long wait lists and for months there are no available spots.” For women with children, the lack of available childcare makes attending English classes, or working outside the home, especially difficult.Omary stresses that sometimes small, everyday acts of kindness can make the biggest difference to immigrant and refugee families.
“Welcome is not about big gestures, but about small, consistent acts of care that remind you that you belong,” Omary said. Receiving a compliment on her dress or her son from a stranger in the grocery store was incredibly uplifting during her early days as a newcomer, and Omary remembers how even the smallest gestures of kindness gave her hope that she could thrive and build a new life here.
“I built my new life, but I didn’t do it alone,” Omary said. “Community and kindness were my greatest strengths.”
Are you in? Click here to join the Refugee Advocacy Lab and sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge and complete one small act of welcome in your community. Together, with small, meaningful steps, we can build communities where everyone feels safe.
This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levi Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.
-
Mississippi church posts new ‘loud kid policy’ on Facebook and people are raving
“Policy enacted. No exceptions.”
It seems kids are becoming less and less welcome in public spaces. For one thing, fewer Americans are choosing to have children at all. Couple that with social media, and the trend has only served to amplify the disruption kids cause in traditionally adult spaces like breweries and brunch spots. An eternal struggle exists between busy parents with no babysitter who still want to enjoy avocado toast and the folks who’d prefer to do so without noisy kids around.
But surely, one place where families are always welcome would have to be church—the original community gathering space. A place where all are not only welcome, but embraced. Even loud kids. However, this has turned out not to be strictly true either.
Over the years, many churches have separated children from the main worship space and instead provided them with age-appropriate activities. It’s a noble idea, but many parents say the practice feels exclusionary and forces families to spend that time apart. Even in the supposedly loving environment of church, there are plenty of folks who want to hear the service without the wail of a toddler in a tantrum.
Julie, a blogger and pastor’s wife, writes, “If you walk into a church that doesn’t have a heart for kids, you’ll know almost instantly. Congregants will look annoyed at childlike behavior and sounds, they’ll strongly discourage children from staying in the worship service, and folks will appear generally disinterested in them.”
One church is going viral for its cleverly worded “new policy” when it comes to noisy kids attending services.
Many churches don’t allow children in the main worship area, or at least frown upon it. Photo credit: Canva First Baptist Union in Union, Mississippi, recently posted an announcement on its Facebook page regarding loud kids at church.
“There have been updates to the Loud Kid Policy at FB Union,” the post read. “If you have a loud kid, then this is for you. I know it might ruffle some feathers, but we had to do the right thing.”
The whole memo has to be read to be fully appreciated, but in short, church leaders announced they would offer “five” options for families who wanted to visit with loud children. With a little clever wordplay, all of the options amounted to the same thing: Bring them.
“We believe the sound of children in worship is not a distraction. It is evidence of life, growth, and the future of the church. If your child makes noise, you are not bothering us. You are blessing us.”
The post was a viral hit. Not only was it re-shared hundreds of times by the Union community, but it also reached far beyond Mississippi. The original memo and slight alterations of it were posted by churches across the country.
Reactions were largely positive. Many parents and church members chimed in to comment on how much they appreciated the tongue-in-cheek gesture:
“I’m not even a member of FBC so I’m unsure as to why I’m seeing this, however, this is great. A pastor once said that a church without children is the signs of a dying church. Bring in the little ones!!”
“A friend shared your post with me and wow! What a relief! Someone from leadership [at my church] called me and told me that my 18month old foster son was very distracting and then he asked me 1) Do I know we have a nursery? And 2) Why am I not utilizing it. I was livid.”
“I once heard a preacher say, ‘If I can’t preach over a crying kid, it’s time for me to stop preaching,’ when someone got up to take a loud child out of the sanctuary.”
“Not a member but I love this. When I first came to our church I was so worried cuz all of my kids are loud. When they would be loud id look at the older adults and would see smiles. Now I bring our baby in and they all love seeing him. Its so nice not to feel like I can’t sit thru a service because my baby is fussy.”
However, not everyone was on board with the sentiment, especially as the announcement began reaching a wider audience. After New York Times columnist David French reposted it, a few folks took umbrage.
“I don’t love it at all. If your child is being unruly, loud, or disruptive during a church service, you should be considerate of everyone else and step out with them. If they’re old enough, they should be disciplined appropriately. Assuming it’s acceptable to let a child scream and whine through the service is ridiculous.”
“No. When the Word of God is preached, we should have an environment that eliminates distractions. I have 5 beautiful children, but if they’re starting to fuss, or just be a normal 2-4 year-old, we remove them and take them to children’s church or out in the foyer.”
With its post about loud kids at church, First Baptist Union unintentionally sparked a fascinating debate about the presence of children in public, even in family-friendly spaces. Whether we like it or not, children come pre-packaged with noise, movement, and disruption—and it’s not always the result of poor parenting. Whether you find their childish chaos beautiful and invigorating or extremely annoying is a matter of personal taste.
One thing is for sure. With more and more breweries outright banning children and airlines separating young children from their parents during the seating process, thereby sparking wars in the economy section, it’s refreshing to see at least one place take a stand and allow kids to be seen and heard. No matter how loud.
-
Happiness researcher shares 4 ‘big habits’ the world’s happiest people engage in daily
Dr. Brooks calls it “the happiness pension plan.”
The pursuit of happiness is seen as such an inseparable element of being human that the founders of the United States put it in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence. Everyone wants to be happy. And yet, so many find happiness elusive.
Harvard University social scientist Dr. Arthur C. Brooks has made human happiness (and the pursuit of it) the central focus of his research. In his studies, he has identified four habits that the happiest people practice each day.
Defining happiness
How are “the happiest people in the world” measured? Brooks explained the happiest people are those who score highest on what he calls the “macronutrients of happiness”: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.
Enjoyment doesn’t mean pleasure, Brooks said at a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum in 2024. “The pursuit of pleasure is a great way to ruin your life,” he said. “Enjoyment takes the source of pleasure and adds two things: people and memory.”
What makes someone happy? Photo credit: Canva Satisfaction involves both achievement and detachment. We are satisfied when we successfully achieve a goal. We are also satisfied when we want less.
Meaning is the most important of these macronutrients. “Meaning is about coherence—why do things happen the way they do? Purpose. What is my direction and goals? And significance. Why does it matter that I am alive?” Brooks said.
People who score highest in these areas tend to engage in four “big habits” every day. Brooks collectively refers to these habits as a “happiness pension plan” that people make deposits into:
Happiness Habit #1: Transcendence
“They’re paying attention every day to their faith or philosophical life, which is religious or not, but is transcending themselves and standing in awe of something bigger,” Brooks shared.
Transcendence is seeking something greater than yourself. Photo credit: Canva Brooks talks about transcendence as a “vertical” practice, “where you’re looking for something that’s divine, something that’s bigger than you.” But that could look like a lot of different things:
“Maybe that means studying the Stoics and living according to their principles, even as an atheist,” Brooks explained to Mark Manson. “Maybe that’s walking in nature for an hour before dawn without devices. Maybe that’s studying the fugues of Bach. Maybe that’s studying the Vipassana meditation practice with seriousness. And maybe that’s going to mass every day. Transcending yourself is one of the great secrets to happiness.”
Happiness Habit #2: Family
“They’re taking their family life seriously,” said Brooks.
Brooks told How To Academy:
“All families are imperfect and everybody cares about their families. Anybody who says ‘I don’t care about my family’ they’re just lying. It’s very, very important that we understand that the strange and magical nature of family relationships we have, they’re some of the most intense love relationships that we have. And we didn’t choose them. It doesn’t even make sense. It’s almost a mystical thing, that people have those people who can drive you absolutely around the bend, make you completely crazy, and you didn’t even choose a relationship? And you feel great sorrow where there’s schism? This is something that we need to understand.”
Brooks said that stress in families due to differences in opinions or values is “inevitable.” He added that we need to understand the imperfect nature of families and that we all need to work at making those relationships better.
Happiness Habit #3: Friendships
Happy people also take their friendships seriously, Brooks said. “And that’s super hard for people in business,” he added, “especially the higher you go in management, the fewer real friends you have and the more ‘deal friends’ that you have. And deal friends don’t count.”
Brooks told the Mighty Pursuit podcast that friendship exists at three levels. Deal friends are the lowest level of friendship, where the relationship is transactional. Next are friendships based on beauty or admiration. The friend has something magnetic about them that attracts you and makes you enjoy being around them. Finally, there are friendships of virtue, the deepest and truest form of friendship. Brooks called this level of friendship “useless” because it’s not about either person gaining anything, but rather about truly knowing one another on a deep level.
Happiness Habit #4: Work that serves others
“Last but not least is dedicating your work to earning your success and serving other people,” Brooks said.
“Joy comes from work under two circumstances that have nothing to do with money and power and position and prestige, nothing, nothing, nothing,” Brooks shared in a video. “It has to do with earning your success, which means that you’re creating value with your life, you believe that you’re needed. And that you’re serving other people. You’re doing something that’s actually good for other people.”
“It’s faith, family, friends, and work that serves,” Brooks said. “Those are the big four.”
Ultimately, if that’s what the data shows, it’s worth taking to heart. You can find more from Dr. Brooks on his website.
-
15 things tourists notice in the U.S. that Americans totally miss
“I’ve lived in the US my whole life. Somehow, I’ve never noticed this before.”
Tourists see new places with fresh eyes and fresh observations. In 2024, 72.4 million tourists visited the United States, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. (That’s a lot of eyes seeing America in a new light.)
Tourists to the States have pointed out that Americans really do like to put ranch dressing on everything. They’ve also noted that in the U.S., squirrels seem to run rampant.
While these are insightful observations, most Americans would say they already know them to be true. On Reddit, Americans shared the shocking realizations they had about the U.S. that were only revealed to them by tourists.
As one American noted, “I’ve lived in the US my whole life. Somehow, I’ve never noticed this before.”
These are 15 eye-opening things tourists brought to Americans’ attention that truly blew their minds:
Culture
“We sure do have a lot of flags everywhere.” – myfourmoons
“American coins don’t have numbers on them. Some of the coins will say ‘One Cent’ or ‘Quarter Dollar’ but I don’t think that’s helpful if your English is not so good. And sometimes that labeling is just not in a place that easy to see on a coin.” – chocotacogato
Michael White, a former spokesman for the United States Mint, told The Gainesville Sun that the reason coins in the U.S. don’t have numbers is simple: “It is an artistic choice in the majority of instances.”
White added that certain coins in the past in the U.S. have used numerical notations, including the dime, nickel, and quarter. The article notes, “From 1809 to 1836, there was a half dollar imprinted with ’50 C.’ That was changed to ’50 cents’ for two years and then, in 1838, artistic choice deemed it should be called ‘half dollar.’”
“The gap around the stall doors in public restrooms. It’s weird, and I hate it.” – SidheRa
“So. Many. Insurance. Commercials.” – Reddit_Talent_Coach
“Bank drive-thru lanes. I was told ‘why don’t you just get out of your car and walk in the bank?’” – JWilsn_Art
According to Wells Fargo, “motor banks” (aka drive-in and drive-thru banks) were invented in the U.S. and came into existence in the 1930s.
“That every morning, all American children from kindergarten to 12th grade, stand before the US flag (found in every classroom, ofc) and recite “the pledge of allegiance” to the country in unison, with their right hands over their hearts. Upon learning this universal American school experience, my Russian colleague said: ‘That is the most Comm*nist thing over ever heard!’” – jzzdancer2
The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, debuted in 1892, according to the American Legion. Over the years, it went through various edits until it was recognized by Congress and included in the U.S. Flag Code on June 22, 1942.
“How much daily life revolves around cars. In many cities, if you don’t drive, you basically don’t exist. It’s convenience on steroids.” – Prior_Bank7992
Mannerisms
“That Americans switch between hands when eating with silverware, cutlery, etc.” – BasilRevolutionary38
Called the “cut-and-switch” table habit, it’s described by NPR as when you “hold your fork in your left hand and cut with your right and then put down your knife so you can switch your fork to your right hand before you take a bite.”
Americans actually adapted this use of cutlery from the French. Writer Mark Vanhoenacker explained to NPR, “Americans got it from France in the 19th century even as France was giving it up, and no one knows why France gave it up. Maybe just convenience or another change of fashion.”
“We smile too much. To the point where foreigners, specifically Asians (Korean and Chinese) have pointed out that our smiles feel disingenuous and mean nothing. Really hit home, but despite that, I still smile ‘too much’.” – BMdabbleU
“How much casual socializing we do with strangers. From small talk to things people in other places consider weirdly intimate (like talking about health problems).” – Practical-Water-9209
“The lean! The fact that people from the U.S. tend to lean on things while standing, no matter how inappropriate a place or circumstance. I’ve thought about it, and I think its because the U.S. (for the most part) isn’t walkable, so we aren’t used to standing for as along as other countries.” – Lobstertales143
The Central Intelligence Agency has deemed the “American Lean” a dead giveaway that someone is an American. In 2019, Jonna Mendez, the CIA’s former chief of disguise, and Gina Haspel, former CIA director, told NPR that Europeans can easily spot Americans in a crowd.
“They think that we are slouchy, a little sloppy,” Mendez said. “And they think that they can almost see that in our demeanor on the street because they stand up straight. They don’t lean on things.”
Food
“Root beer tastes like medicine. It’s still my favorite soda but… yeah it tastes mediciney.” – TheNerdNugget
“Had a German foreign exchange student and she said ‘All American breakfast is dessert. Pancakes, donuts, Cinnabon, muffins, French toast…’ I was like yea you have a point lol.” – dom954
Words
“Apparently Americans use the word ‘awesome’ a lot. I’ve had people in other countries tease us for how we think everything is awesome lol. But to be fair, tons of things ARE awesome, and also you’re talking to me on vacation when I’m in the best mood of my life lol.” – Gold_Telephone_7192
“‘Yeah’ ‘Yeah no’ ‘Yeah right’ ‘Oh yeah’ ‘Hell yeah!’ All mean different things!” – zippy_97
-
12 years ago, this unassuming couple went viral for the greatest gas station karaoke performance ever
They’re still at it.
When Will and Monifa Sims stopped to get gas in Burbank, California, in 2013, they had no idea they were about to become a viral sensation. What began as a little “go-with-the-flow” singing on the spot at a gas station altered their lives forever.
Here’s what happened: Will began pumping gas when suddenly actor Tim Stack (playing newscaster Jack Rafferty) appeared on a tiny TV above pump 16. What Will didn’t know was that this was one of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’s pranks, where a fake newscast appears. The fake newscaster then asks a gas station patron to perform some type of wacky stunt or sing their favorite karaoke song. In exchange, they’re told they’ll get free gas.
The setup
After Will hummed a few bars of a song to himself, Stack suddenly addressed him. “You at pump 16 in Burbank. You’ve got a real nice singing voice.” It took Will a few seconds to understand what was happening, but he soon laughed and expressed gratitude. Stack continued, “Do you do that professionally?” Will answered, “No, just karaoke.”
It was then that Stack made him a proposition: “Guess what? We’ll pay for your gasoline. How ’bout a little karaoke from you?”
Will was totally game. He didn’t hesitate for a second. “Okay! What you want?” It was determined that Will was an “eighties kid,” so he liked Bon Jovi. They decided “Livin’ on a Prayer” was the way to go, and Stack asked, “Do you need the words?” Will answered emphatically, “No, I know ’em, baby.”
He started singing the 1986 hit with all his might. “Tommy used to work on the docks / Union’s been on strike / it’s tough / So tough.” He went on, nailing every note, even hitting the falsetto parts in the chorus. “Ooooh, we’re halfway there / Oh, oh! Livin’ on a prayer…” We then heard another voice on the “TV” note, “The girl in the front seat is just dying.”
Will finished strong and asked, “How was that?” Stack asked if it was his wife in the car, and Will didn’t miss the opportunity to ask if she should show off her skills as well. “Want to do it as a duet?” Monifa wasn’t quite ready, so Stack continued complimenting Will while he improvised, “Oh, oh! Livin’ on a tank of gas! Livin’…for…the…gas…whoa!”
Other customers at the station began gathering to see where the “pumpcast” was set up. Perhaps they’ll get lucky too. But it was Monifa who Stack and the gang had their sights on. And somehow, they convinced her.
“‘Sweet Dreams’ by the Eurythmics!” she says boldly. Stack gets the words up on his laptop, shows them to the camera, and away she goes. “Sweet dreams are made of these / Who am I to disagree / I travel the world and the seven seas / Everybody’s looking for something…” Like her husband, she is 100 percent on key and outstanding. Will chimes in every once in a while (especially on the “Hold your head up / Keep your head up” part), and they finish perfectly.
It’s then that Stack informs them enthusiastically, “You’re gonna be on Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.” Now what started out as an unusually awesome day just got even better. They both scream with delight, “Oh yeah! Tell Bon Jovi I love him!”
The pair did joyously make it onto The Tonight Show, wherein Leno admits, “It almost seems like a plant. We had no idea these people would come to the tank.” Monifa jokes there’s no way she could have known ahead of time, because she’d have prepared. “I wouldn’t have looked like that! That wasn’t my best look after working out.”
Leno asked how long the couple had been married. They answered, “Twelve years this year!” They then shouted out their daughter in the audience. Of course, the appearance wouldn’t have been complete without a song. This time, they got an entire band backing their duet rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Once again, it was absolute perfection.
People are loving the viral revival
The original clip is making the rounds once more, and, as one might imagine, social media is loving it.
On YouTube, it continues to spark joy. “I come back to this video every so often for the past few years…always puts a smile on my face,” one person wrote. “This couple is so cool and down to earth…not bad singers either.”
One fan on Facebook wrote, “This couple will be retired, 90 years of age, re-watching this beautiful clip on some new platform. This is LOVE right there.”
Where are they now?
That prediction seems to be true so far. Upworthy had the chance to chat with Monifa, who gave us a bit more information about that fateful day.
“It happened in Burbank, California, where, believe it or not, lots of good things used to happen like this, so it was not uncommon at all,” she said. She shared that it was a no-brainer to take the challenge. “We’re always up for a good time, so a good time paired with a free tank of gas was easy.”
She said the virality of it was surprising:
“We were absolutely shocked about how viral it went and still continues to be. That was made 12 years ago. It was on the cusp of YouTube becoming really big. There was no Instagram or TikTok. Once it was over, we went home and didn’t even think twice about it until The Tonight Show reached out to us about how funny they thought it was. I always say editing really helped it to be funny, but obviously, you can only edit what you have.”
As for where they are now? Still happily together and working.
“I am a host on QVC. Will is bicoastal (works in LA a few months of the year, so he travels back and forth). Most exciting? Right now, we are in our year of 25! We are celebrating 25 years of marriage in July, but we have been celebrating all year long. We started off the year with an amazing trip to Phuket, Thailand, and Bali! We will be celebrating more this year with friends and family as well.”
They’re creating more consistent content and trying to grow their brand. “I wrote a cookbook,” Monifa shares, referring to Life in Full Flavor. And as for their karaoke songs? “They really have not changed, but we sing a little bit of everything to keep it spicy!”
-
A middle school teacher used students breaking their pencils to teach a brilliant lesson about respect
Some argued that her new classroom pencil policy was rewarding bad behavior. But it worked.
Today’s teachers have more than their fair share of complaints about Gen Z and Gen Alpha students. Educators say many of them are rude, behind on core skills, inattentive, and unmotivated.
One teacher just wishes they’d stop breaking all of her pencils. In a recent video on TikTok, Jess, who teaches middle school, shared that her students were losing and destroying their supplies at an alarming rate, forcing her to rethink her classroom pencil policy.
“My students went through 2,000 pencils in four months,” she says. That’s the fastest rate she’s seen in her seven years of teaching. She says much of it comes down to the kids purposefully breaking and throwing the pencils in class.
But to make matters worse, these were no ordinary pencils. Jess supplies her classes with Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils, widely considered the cream of the crop of everyday writing pencils. Jess pays for them each semester out of her own pocket because she believes it’s important for her students to have access to high-quality materials, and we all know the school district isn’t going to pony up. That’s what makes the loss of so many pencils in such a short amount of time so frustrating.
Teacher Jess came up with a great idea
“There is a lack of respect for property that isn’t theirs,” she says. Jess then had an interesting choice. She could stop buying and issuing high-quality pencils, but would the kids really learn anything? Ultimately, she came up with a better idea: a clever new classroom pencil policy.
Starting in the new semester at the beginning of 2026, each of her students would receive one pencil per month. Not only that, but the pencil would be engraved with their name. If they lose their pencil before the month is up, they’re out of luck. Jess even went out of her way to get each kid the color and style of their choice, along with a pencil pouch to make it easier to keep track of their writing tool.
A few months later, Jess was ready to issue a long-awaited update. Since her first post went up on social media, it has received over eight million views and thousands of comments from fellow teachers and parents cheering her on.
In short, it worked out far better than she ever could have hoped. Not only did the new policy help her preserve more pencils and save money on supplies, but the kids also began internalizing some amazing lessons.
Personal property became a point of pride for her students
For starters, the kids loved the pencils in their chosen color with their name engraved on the side. They were excited to take better care of them and were motivated to avoid losing them and being stuck with whatever cheap loaner was lying around.
The new policy even began to have an impact on the sense of community in the classroom. Jess was able to teach a few students to use the engraving machine, so now the kids are responsible for making their own new batch of pencils every month.
She also noticed that students were beginning to help each other out and hold each other accountable. After class, students scoop up loose pencils from the floor and return them to their rightful owners or drop them in the lost-and-found box. A few kids still struggle with throwing and breaking pencils, but the majority of her kids have fully gotten on board.
Overall, the system is a vast improvement in more ways than one.
Surprisingly, teachers have come up with all kinds of inventive ways to keep students from losing or breaking classroom supplies, especially pencils.
Classroom pencil policy strategies range from “pencil debt,” a system in which the class works as a group to keep track of all pencils throughout the week, to reward charts, regular check-ins, collateral systems, and more.
Dedicated educators make a real difference
It’s amazing that educators would go through so much trouble. Perhaps the more obvious solution would be to just force kids to provide their own supplies if they can’t be trusted to take care of the ones their teachers provide.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that nearly every teacher at some point is forced to buy needed supplies for the classroom out of their own paycheck. They’re also severely underpaid in most cases, which makes the burden of furnishing the class that much heavier.
However, the best educators, like Jess, refuse to give up on the younger generations. Instead, they find problems that seem hopeless—like a lack of respect for materials—and creatively turn them into teachable moments. She could have cut them off, expressed her disappointment, and left them feeling dejected. But instead, she crafted a brilliant lesson in responsibility, respect, and community. Her students will carry it with them into their next classrooms and beyond.
-
Social skills expert shares the ‘similarity-attraction effect’ that makes you instantly likable
“Get real on what you love, and then highlight that love in other people.”
There seem to be two different ways of thinking about who we are attracted to, whether it’s in a romantic or a social relationship. Is it that opposites attract, or do birds of a feather flock together? The evidence overwhelmingly shows that likability has much more to do with what we share with others than with the traits that set us apart.
In fact, a 2023 study from the University of Colorado Boulder found that historically, romantic couples tend to share between 82% and 89% of the same personality traits.
“Our findings demonstrate that birds of a feather are indeed more likely to flock together,” said study author Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, in a press release.
Two friends who are similar. Photo credit: Canva Knowing that people tend to like those who are similar to them, you should focus on amplifying what you share in common when you meet someone new.
Vanessa Van Edwards, founder of The Science of People and author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, shared a three-step process to increase your likability that taps into a psychological phenomenon known as the “similarity-attraction effect.”
How to be more likable
“How can we use the similarity-attraction effect to be more likable? Easy. You want to highlight your similarities. Here’s how to do this in an authentic way,” Van Edwards says in her video before sharing her three-step process:
Step 1: Search for similarities
“When you first meet someone, you should constantly be on the lookout for similarities. Are you both drinking red wine? Do you both know the host from work? Do you both love Thai food? Orient your first few conversational topics to find mutual likes and dislikes.”
Step 2: Capitalize on similarities
“Once you find a similarity, don’t let it pass you by. For example, if they think cilantro tastes like soap—because it does—share in the grossness. Double down on that disgusting little herb by saying, ‘Oh yeah, cilantro is the silent food killer. I’m totally on the same page.’ I’m a big fan of the high five, too. If I hear someone also loves Seinfeld, I’m like, ‘High five.’”
Step 3: Extend similarities
“This means using the similarity as a conversational diving board. If you both love watching soccer, ask if they’ve ever played. If they’re big into hiking, ask for their favorite trail and maybe throw out an option to go hike together. This builds on the similarity-attraction effect and creates rapport.”
Two people hiking together. Photo credit: Canva It’s also important that when we meet people, we ask them about their likes and dislikes, because one of the quickest tricks to being likable when you meet someone new is to ask plenty of questions. Harvard University performed a study and found that after you ask someone the first question, ask two follow-ups, and they’ll be much more likely to like you. Studies show that the most likable people like others.
Now, for a tongue-twister takeaway from this likability story: We like people who are like us, and we also like people who like us. “So get real on what you love, and then highlight that love in other people,” Van Edwards says at the end of her video.
-
Singer who lost both parents in five years moves people to tears with ‘grief is like glitter’ analogy
“It’s lovely at first in small doses, but like grief, you don’t know when it’s coming.”
Vincint Cannady, who uses they/them pronouns, recently opened up about the grieving process a year after losing their mother. On the podcast Tell Me Something Messy, the musician explains that the loss of their mother came four years after the death of their father. “It is the strangest feeling not having them here,” Cannady says.
Losing a loved one is an unfortunate part of life that most people will experience. No two people grieve the same, but some things about grief remain consistent for everyone. Grief is not linear, and it can show up unexpectedly. But for viewers of the podcast, Cannady’s analogy about grief moved some to tears.
Grieving people embracing. Photo credit: Canva “Grief is like glitter”
Admittedly, the grieving child did not create the analogy, but read it somewhere and found it helpful. The singer explains that losing your parents takes away a certain amount of joy that you don’t realize until you experience it.
“I read something the other day that I thought was really beautiful,” Cannady says. “Grief is like glitter. I don’t know about you, but I hate glitter. It’s lovely at first in small doses, but like grief, you don’t know when it’s coming. You don’t know how much of it is going to be there, but like glitter, glitter gets everywhere.”
Mourners. Photo credit: Canva They go on to explain that, like after coming into contact with glitter, you find grief everywhere. “It comes in doses, and you’re overwhelmed, and you hate it, and you want to get it off, and you don’t know how to, but it’s there.”
As time passes, the person wearing the glitter showers some of it away, but some still remains. No matter how much you try to rid yourself of it, glitter still shows up. The same goes for grief. No matter how much you try to rid yourself of grief, it still pops up in unexpected places.
It’s then that Cannady shares something beautiful. After fighting with the sticky, sparkly grief for what feels like an eternity, it’s not as present.
Grief never fully goes away
A young man looking troubled. Photo credit: Canva “And then days pass, and weeks pass, and months pass,” Cannady tells the podcast host, Brandon Kyle Goodman. “And then someday you’re in your closet, and you pull out a coat or a jacket, and a bit of glitter falls on your hand, and you get sad because you remember what that glitter means. But it’s not as heavy as it was before, and it’s not as messy as it was before.”
As time passes, glitter is found less often. However, Cannady explains that glitter is part of you now: “Even though it is annoying at times, and sometimes it gets in your eye, but you get it out, and you move on. You remain shiny. It’s just a remembrance of a lot of love.”
The singer shares advice for those experiencing grief, saying that people should give themselves grace. They encourage others not to focus on how other people feel about how you feel about your grief. Grieving is personal, but talking about it with others is therapeutic, according to Cannady. They share that pouring grief into other things, like work or creativity, can be helpful.
“You have to find ways to pour your grief into other things,” they advise. “You pour your grief into your work. You pour your grief into life. You pour your grief into your friends and your relationships, and you make sure that they know how much it means to you. Because it’s not just grief, because before it was grief, it was love. It’s still love. It’s just love in absence.”
When the clip was shared to Instagram, people were moved to tears.
One person comments, “Whew, and just like that — my glitter is back.”
“Whew, I think I have a piece of glitter in my eye because…. I lost my father in July and it truly changes you,” someone else writes.
“I remember I couldn’t say my mom died out loud,” another person shares. “If I did, I would burst into tears. It felt too real!! Saying it out loud almost 2 1/2 years later, it still feels unreal, but it doesn’t hurt as much. I still cry a little while saying it.”
-
People are falling in love with Staples all over again thanks to one employee dubbed the ‘Staples Baddie’
Her viral videos showing all the hidden services you can get done are bringing the brand back to life.
Everyone’s heard of Staples. But now people are actually going there in droves thanks to one employee affectionately known online as the “Staples Baddie.”
Back in January, Kaeden Rowland, a Staples employee, filmed a brief clip of herself during a work shift. Donning the recognizable red shirt and lanyard, she quipped, “You finna need something printed? I gotchyu.”
That single video quickly turned into a mega-viral series. It’s a fun combination of slang-filled humor, nail-clacking ASMR, and genuinely helpful tutorials and insights. The content is breathing new life into the brand and being hailed by fans and experts alike as “marketing genius.”
A major aspect of Rowland’s shtick is explaining certain lesser-known services you can get at Staples. In one particularly popular video, she quips:
“It’s come to my attention that y’all don’t really know the full scope of what Staples, like, does. We can make ornaments. We can make mugs, shirts, backpacks, signs, posters, whatever you could need. A banner that’s like eight feet long? Sure. Why not?”
In another video, she explains the difference between Staples’ direct-mail services. One is for business and can generate a mailing list based on a target demographic. The other is for personal use, like wedding invitations. Though she jokes that either service is too pricey for committing “evil against your ex.”
Other times, you might catch her letting you know when certain things go on sale: “You’re not getting your shawty a 40% off mug from Staples? And men wonder why women cheat.”
She also dissects the different personalities of the printers (the Xerox PrimeLink C9200 has “clean girl” vibes, apparently). Finally, she hits a groove showcasing some of her favorite stationery products. At the moment, she’s very into a tiny botanical planner that fits into her small purse.
Despite not having any formal marketing training, Rowland has made an undeniable impact. A company struggling to stay competitive now has fresh enthusiasm. Folks are getting their personalized mugs there. They’re switching suppliers. They’re even using Staples to supply their best analog life. The best part is none of this is because of an expensive micro-influencer, but someone who actually works there.
In a video analyzing the Staples Baddie, marketing analyst and PR expert Katie Omstead said, “Just a scan of the comments on any of these videos will show you that people are thinking about Staples more than ever before.”
Rowland is just the latest in a growing trend of people who happened to share their creative ideas at just the right time, somehow skyrocketing to full-blown brand collaborations. Think back to Romeo, whose silly Dr Pepper jingle went viral.
MarketerMilk calls this “human-first media,” where corporations rely on the fact that “people buy things from people they trust, not from businesses.” This can look like companies “leveraging their existing employees to become influencers.”
This, of course, can also look like corporations trying to recreate something organic, thus squelching its spark. One Staples employee lamented on Reddit that their team is being encouraged to replicate the Staples Baddie moment in their own stores.
On the bright side, Staples has shared their appreciation for their resident “Baddie.” Not only have they sent a care package Rowland’s way, according to Fast Company, it’s also “exploring opportunities to collaborate and continue supporting her creativity and engagement with the community.”
We very well might be seeing much more of the Staples Baddie in the future.
