Education
Great minds lead to great solutions. Our education section features solutions and innovations directed at strengthening educational systems around the world.
A brief history of Groundhog Day
In honor of Groundhog Day 2023, The Optimist Daily shares some background knowledge on this centuries-old American tradition. The first Groundhog Day Groundhog Day was commemorated for the first time on February 2, 1887, at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, thanks to a "rodent Read More...
These 3 questions can help you become more likable
It's human nature to want to be liked. We desire connection and relationships, and we appreciate the affirmation and ego boost that comes from knowing that other people enjoy our company. So, it’s no surprise that many are often preoccupied with whether or not people find them likable. If you Read More...
Secrets of the sea: hidden underwater forests may help fight climate crisis
The Nature Conservancy's marine biologist Frank Hurd spends his days amongst gigantic kelp curtains, studying underwater forests. One of his usual diving haunts is a kelp forest off Anacapa Island, one of the Channel Islands national park's protected rocky volcanic islets off southern Read More...
22 reasons for optimism in 2022 (part II)
Here are eleven more good things that happened in 2022 that gave us cause to hope and celebrate. If you haven’t read part I yet, click here to check it out. Wordlemania hit hard In 2022, the number everyone was begging to hear was your Wordle score. Though the game where you try to predict a Read More...
22 reasons for optimism in 2022 (part I)
Here are eleven good things that happened in 2022 that gave us cause to hope and celebrate. Ukraine still stands Russian President Vladimir Putin and most others expected Ukraine to succumb to Russian control within days of his late February invasion. Few foresaw the force of the Ukrainian Read More...
Two new DC public schools model net zero education
It goes without saying that we should be teaching our children about important environmental matters, especially excessive energy consumption and the need for energy efficiency. But what about the energy that a school itself consumes? While it is a rarely-thought-of area for improvement, new Read More...
Most New Mexico residents can now benefit from free tuition
Facing exorbitant tuition fees, almost all students and families in the United States have no other choice than to borrow money and take on an increasing amount of debt that they can’t pay back. Finding ways to make tuition fees across the country more affordable is essential for those seeking to Read More...
Norway to add gender-neutral pronoun to Norwegian language
The official Norwegian language is set to add a new gender-neutral pronoun within the year, confirms the Language Council of Norway. The gender-neutral third-person singular counterpart to the feminine “hun” and the masculine “han” will be “hen.” Linguistic equality According to Read More...
6 ideas from around the world to help boost happiness
Helen Russell, a journalist and global happiness expert who wrote The Year of Living Danishly and The Atlas of Happiness, says that there are ways in which different nations worldwide enhance their experience of happiness through a mindset or an attitude that runs deep within the Read More...
Another period of world-changing discovery begins at the Large Hadron Collider
10 years ago, at the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, the world changed with the discovery of the Higgs boson, also known as the “God Particle.” This was evidence of the Higgs field, an invisible energy field throughout the universe. The discovery of the Higgs boson explains three Read More...