Ashleigh Braggs
Down to a Fine Art
Getting students at BWYA to see that you can't cram for art
KC Vienna Connolly started doing art as a way to keep from getting too bogged down with the trials of high school. A trained sculptor, she decided to join her sister, also in the arts, in Beijing three years ago and now teaches at the Beijing World Youth Academy. tbjkids sat down with KC to discuss her students’ upcoming exhibition, the fairness of grading art and why she once refused to hug a teddy bear.
What’s the most challenging part of teaching art?
I always try to stress to the students that art is not like math or science. You can’t cram all night. You can’t study 24 hours and do really well on a test. I explain to them that its probably one of the hardest subjects in the IB program because it’s really demanding and it’s something that you have to keep up with.
Viva La Leche
Conquering the challenges of breastfeeding
If such an elixir exists in which its first quaff can alter the course of human life, surely it is breast milk: One swallow jumpstarts antibodies that protect newborns from germs, food allergies and jaundice.
During the first six months of life, the exclusive consumption of breast milk meets every nutritional need an infant has. Its antibacterial properties stave off respiratory infections and diarrhea. Its tranquilizing components may mollify tantrums as babies grow into toddlers. It may quicken speech development and lead to superior hand-to-eye coordination.
As children stop nursing, the benefits linger: Children who were breastfed tend to have fewer cavities and need for orthodontia; in adults, they show a pattern of having higher IQs, lower obesity rates and lower chances of diabetes and certain cancers. Study after study has shown that breastfeeding has tremendous benefits, and the World Health Organization recommends that every baby should breastfeed for at least six months and continue for up to and even past 24 months.
