Travel & Culture

What to Do in Houston in 3 Days

What to Do in Houston in 3 Days

Travel & Culture February 17, 2017 at 10:27 am

Let me start by telling you about the Houston psyche. We’re proud of our city but not boastful. We know that we don’t have snow-capped mountains or crystal blue oceans, but we do know that this swamp is still a great place to live. According to U-Haul, Houston has placedRead More

What to Do in Houston in 3 Days – A Local’s Guide for Super Bowl Visitors

What to Do in Houston in 3 Days – A Local’s Guide for Super Bowl Visitors

Travel & Culture January 22, 2017 at 3:18 pm

Houstonians like me are excited to welcome you to the nation’s fourth largest city, our home, for Super Bowl 51. I have lived and traveled extensively throughout the US, Asia and Europe, but am proud to call Houston my home and excited to show it off to you. (Space Shuttle Endeavor andRead More

Cheap Flights to Europe for Thanksgiving and Spring Break

Cheap Flights to Europe for Thanksgiving and Spring Break

Travel & Culture June 8, 2016 at 11:11 am

Attention parents, Europe is on sale from the mid $400s for travel between September 2016 and March 2017. Valid travel periods include Thanksgiving vacation (11/21 – 11/25) and Spring Break (March 13 – 17). Example fares from Houston for travel during Thanksgiving include: Berlin for $512 Frankfurt for $470 Munich forRead More

Op-Ed: Dress Codes are Sexist

Op-Ed: Dress Codes are Sexist

Opinion, Travel & Culture May 27, 2015 at 7:30 am

Dress codes in schools make sense – they set out concrete guidelines to keep students decent and at least somewhat professionally dressed. In theory, they can help to set students on an equal footing and reduce the disparity in dress between the economically disadvantaged and the well-off. Some administrators alsoRead More

Image courtesy of DepositPhotos.

Arts Access Initiative To Expand Programs In 11 HISD Schools

HISD, Travel & Culture May 14, 2015 at 7:30 am

Earlier this week, HISD announced the first concrete programs created under the Arts Access Initiative. The initiative, which is organized by the local nonprofit Young Audiences of Houston, focuses on creating opportunities for arts education in Houston’s public schools. In 2013-2014, the initiative conducted preliminary research in HISD K-8 schools. InformedRead More

A Thank-You to Teachers who Challenge their Students

A Thank-You to Teachers who Challenge their Students

Opinion, Travel & Culture May 8, 2015 at 4:34 pm

Mr. Gallo’s AP European History class was legendary. I heard about it even before my freshman year, from older friends who were preparing to take it in the fall. They told me about the infamous summer assignment and the sheer volume of work which it entailed – extensive textbook readingRead More

Nancie Atwell at the Center for Teaching and Learning. Image courtesy of globalteacherprize.org.

The Instructional Philosophy of the “World’s Best Teacher”

Best of the Web, Travel & Culture May 5, 2015 at 7:30 am

In March, an American educator was awarded the highest honor in teaching – the inaugural Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which some have called the “Nobel Prize of Teaching.” Nancie Atwell of Edgecomb, Maine, is the founder of the Center for Teaching and Learning, an independent private school. At theRead More

Spotlight: Embracing Tolerance Essay Contest Encourages Houston Students to Think about Religion and Culture

Spotlight: Embracing Tolerance Essay Contest Encourages Houston Students to Think about Religion and Culture

Community Events, Travel & Culture May 1, 2015 at 7:30 am

Each year, Rice University‘s Boniuk Institute hosts a writing competition called Embracing Tolerance. The contest, open to high school students in the greater Houston area, encourages young people to think about and engage with the idea of religious tolerance and coexistence. The 2015 prompt asked students to consider the qualitiesRead More

MFAH Provides Some Family Fun with Spring Break at Bayou Bend

MFAH Provides Some Family Fun with Spring Break at Bayou Bend

Community Events, Travel & Culture March 11, 2015 at 4:09 pm

Spring break is upon us. Several Houston private schools are on break this week, and many more will be on break next week; HISD spring break is next week, too. For students, this means a week of relaxation and no homework, but for parents, spring break can be a littleRead More

50% Cotton, 50% Polyester… 100% Happiness? The Psychology Behind Clothes and Our  Emotions

50% Cotton, 50% Polyester… 100% Happiness? The Psychology Behind Clothes and Our Emotions

Best of the Web, Goods for Teens, Travel & Culture February 17, 2015 at 5:05 pm

Back when I was in high school, it was all about Ralph Lauren and Nike Air Force 1’s. Nowadays – or at least when it comes to the state of General Academic’s Study Lounge – it’s all about Vineyard Vines and Sperry’s. It seems like even when students aren’t inRead More

Retired Teacher’s Home Transformed into Folk Art Attraction

Retired Teacher’s Home Transformed into Folk Art Attraction

Best of the Web, Travel & Culture January 23, 2015 at 5:17 pm

Ramona Otto’s name may not ring a bell instantly for art lovers, but her folksy, Americana approach to art is turning a lot of heads in LA. The retired elementary school teacher recently transformed her home into a “folk art mecca,” putting her pieces on display for the public toRead More

Presbyterian School Students Benefit from Relationship with Houston’s Museums

Presbyterian School Students Benefit from Relationship with Houston’s Museums

Private Schools, Profile, Recommendations, Travel & Culture January 21, 2015 at 10:42 am

Nestled in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, Presbyterian School is a testament to the value of the arts working in tandem with education. As you enter the parking lot, there’s a bit of commotion as cars, buses, and pedestrians share the road in a hurry to drop off andRead More

Photo: Annie Slizak via Wikimedia Commons.

Michelangelo’s David At Risk of Earthquake Damage

Best of the Web, Travel & Culture January 16, 2015 at 1:25 pm

Michelangelo’s David (1501-1504), a central piece of the Renaissance, is under threat of tremors after 250 small earthquakes hit Florence in December. Italy’s Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, announced that the country will spend €200,000 ($230,906) on what is described as an “anti-seismic plinth” to make the statue’s platform more stable. ARead More

Strategies to Make Art Come Alive for Kids

Strategies to Make Art Come Alive for Kids

Recommendations, Travel & Culture January 9, 2015 at 8:30 am

Some time ago, we posted a piece about the importance of arts education and a recent study measuring its effects. In response to that same study, The Huffington Post‘s Sarah Virginia White wrote an article advising parents on how to optimize museum tours for their children. In addition to aRead More

Curie, Einstein, and Encouragement for Girls in STEM

Curie, Einstein, and Encouragement for Girls in STEM

Travel & Culture December 17, 2014 at 12:06 am

As is frequently discussed in the media, there are fewer women than men, on average, in STEM fields. As of 2011, less than a third of all STEM jobs in the US are held by women. Of course, today’s high water mark of 30% is a considerable improvement on theRead More

Fun and Challenging Trivia for Your Holiday Party

Fun and Challenging Trivia for Your Holiday Party

Opinion, Resources for Parents, Travel & Culture December 15, 2014 at 1:29 pm

The holiday season is in full swing, and many want their holiday party to be both enjoyable and unique. At General Academic, we always make room for trivia at our parties–have to keep our people on their toes, after all! This year, I’ve decided to share that trivia with you,Read More