作者： chenchen

超过2,200名青少年提交了 how to do everything 从修理厕所到与袋鼠搏斗的所有事情的文章。学生们以《纽约时报》的“ Tip ”专栏为本次比赛的灵感来源。

Winners

按作者名字的字母顺序排列

“How to Befriend an Introvert”: Ashley Zhang, 14, Collingwood School, West Vancouver, British Columbia

“How to Do the Worm”: Camille Gonzales, 18, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston

“How to Find Your Balance”: Chelsea Hu, 18, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

“How to Make Bubble Tea”: Hanyi Zhou, 14, Chinese International School, Hong Kong

“How to Make the Perfect Sandwich”: Jackson DeNichilo, 15, Fallston High School, Fallston, Md.

“How to Wrap a Dumpling”: Jacob Wang, 16, Charterhouse School, Godalming, England

“How to Conduct a Podcast Interview”: Matthew Jeong, 17, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston

“How to Be a Kid Forever”: Raniya Chowdhury, 17, John Fraser Secondary School, Mississauga, Ontario

“How to Become Friends With a Wild Bird”: Shannon Hong, 16, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, N.Y.

“How to Host Unexpected Guests”: Sofia Fontenot, 18, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston

“How to Make Fear Your Friend”: Zoe Brown, 14, Summit High School, Bend, Ore.

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Runners-Up

“How to Recover After Yet Another Disappointing Season by Your Favorite N.F.L. Team”: Alden Comes, 13, Briarcliff Middle School, Mountain Lakes, N.J.

“How to Tell the Ugly Truth”: Alex (Hayoung) Jung, 16, Seoul Foreign School, Seoul

“How to Remember Names”: Anahita Driver, 13, Gregory Middle School, Naperville, Ill.

“How to Find Gratitude in Everyday Life”: Andrew Coraggio, 16, Arrowhead Union High School, Hartland, Wis.

“How to Antique Shop”: Callisto Lim, 17, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston

“How to Build an Optimal Environment for Your Fish”: Chasity Rolon, 16, Deer Park High School, New York, N.Y.

“How to Snowball Attack Your Sister”: Harper Mooney, 14, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.

“How to Achieve Inner Peace by Washing Your Dishes”: Jackson Cooke, 18, Briarwood Christian High School, Birmingham, Ala.

“How to Spot Counterfeit Currency”: Kaylie Milton, 17, West High School, Iowa City, Iowa

“How to Pee On a Hike”: Lauren Acker, 17, Lakeside High School, DeKalb County, Ga.

“How to Mimic an Accent”: Michael Noh, 14, Korea International School Pangyo Campus, Seongnam, South Korea

“How to Speak Like a British Person”: Owen Wilde, 16, Maynard High School, Maynard, Mass.

“How to Ask a Teacher for Help”: Sarah Harris, 15, Boothbay Region High School, Boothbay Harbor, Maine

“How to Spin Pens”: Siddharth S., 16, Peepal Prodigy School Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

“How to Make Kids Excited About History”: Vivian Wenan Chang, 17, BASIS Chandler, Chandler, Ariz.

“How to Ride a Roller Coaster Without Fear”: Wang Ziyun, 16, Raffles Girls’ School, Singapore

“How to Make a Three-Point Shot”: Will Peña, 17, Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes, Fla.

“How to Play Darts”: Xizhe Yang, 15, Shanghai High School International Division, Shanghai

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Honorable Mentions

“How to Survive Middle School Hallways”: Alice Liang, 13, Islander Middle School, Mercer Island, Wash.

“How to Learn a New Language”: Andrew Chen, 14, International School of Beijing, Beijing

“How to Let Go of Someone”: Ariel Ting, 16, Taipei American School, Taipei, Taiwan

“How to Cope With Your Anxiety”: Ava Cho, 18, Daegu International School, Daegu, South Korea

“How to Live Openly As a Lesbian”: Ayco Phlypo, 17, Atheneum Gentbrugge, Ghent, Belgium

“How to Make Homemade Pasta”: Bella DiBernardo, 16, Alta Vista Middle College, Santa Barbara, Calif.

“How to Prepare for Running a Marathon”: Brett Barker, 17, Arrowhead Union High School, Hartland, Wis.

“Keep the Sandman at Bay”: Bryant, 18, Bandung Independent School, Bandung, Indonesia

“How to Fix a Toilet!”: Carla Lopez, 16, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Union City, N.J.

“How to Order at a Specialty Coffee Shop”: Cassandra Garcia, 16, home school, Portland, Texas

“How to Trip Gracefully”: Eileen Kim, 15, Urbana High School, Ijamsville, Md.

“How to Drive Your Siblings Mad”: Elaine Kim, 15, West Ranch High School, Stevenson Ranch, Calif.

“Being Objective”: James Yi, 17, Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, Calif.

“How to Accept Failure”: Jamie Park, 16, Yongsan International School of Seoul, Seoul

“How to Cope With a Panic Attack”: Jason Kim, 15, Georgetown Preparatory School, North Bethesda, Md.

“How to Escape a Night Market”: Joyce Chang, 16, Stella Matutina Girls’ High School, Taichung City, Taiwan

“How to Overcome Assault: A Survivor’s Guide on Trauma-Related Shame”: Juliana Segal, 17, The Montessori School of Raleigh Upper School, Raleigh, N.C.

“How to Play Out of Tune On the Flute”: Kavya Muralidhar, 13, Islander Middle School, Mercer Island, Wash.

“How to Write a Poem”: Lareina Yuan, 14, YK Pao School, Shanghai

“How to Make Tanghulu”: Lehan Gu, 15, Northwood High School, Irvine, Calif.

“How to Be When Meeting New People”: MaryEden Rall, 13, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, Montgomery, Ala.

“How to Make the Perfect Playlist”: Rachel Wieland, 17, Arrowhead Union High School, Hartland, Wis.

“How to Talk to Your Crush Without Sounding Like a Talking Potato”: Roxanne Wu, 16, International School of Beijing, Beijing

“How to Help a Child With Autism”: Sarah Zeng, 15, Victoria Park Collegiate Institute, Toronto

“How to Deal With Nerves”: Sasha Luhur, 14, Northwood School, Lake Placid, N.Y.

“How to Watch Clouds”: Shio Kim, 14, North London Collegiate School Jeju, Seogwipo, South Korea

“How to Discuss Controversial Issues With Parents”: Siyao Feng, 18, Linden Hall School for Girls, Lititz, Pa.

“How to Write a Song”: Sophia Kim, 15, Chadwick International School, Incheon, South Korea

“How to Write a Song”: Stephanie Ma, 16, The Webb Schools, Claremont, Calif.

“How to Be a Good Dukjil-er”: Suevean (Evelyn) Chin, Asia Pacific International School, Seoul

“How to Win an Argument”: Suri Boryang Kim, PTGMS, South Korea

“How to Tie a Shoe”: Vivian Olivera, 17, Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes, Fla.

“Grilling Pork Belly For the Best Flavor”: Yoonseo Cho, 17, Portola High School, Irvine, Calif.

This essay, by Zoe Brown, 14, of Bend, Ore., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Make Fear Your Friend

“The best part about fear is that it’s the only emotion that will bring out your true potential,” says Matthias Giraud, a big mountain skier and BASE jumper. His “ethos” highlights the shift in perspective that occurs when one refuses to let fear dictate one’s limits.

Giraud, otherwise known as Super Frenchie, is an extreme athlete who skis off mountains, such as the Matterhorn for fun. Not only is he an expert at leaping off mountain peaks in the Alps Trilogy — the Matterhorn, Eiger, and Mont Blanc — he’s also an expert on harnessing fear.

“I try to breathe in fear,” explains Giraud, 40, who talked to me from his home in Bend, Oregon. Giraud, originally from Evreux, France, spent his childhood at a ski academy. Now he regularly attempts death-defying feats that seem to require fearlessness but actually he uses fear to his advantage. “You have to listen to your fear, not overcome it,” says Giraud.

Fear is not a bad emotion, says Giraud. Rather than ignoring one’s instincts, a systematic analysis of your environment and the factors involved will help you move into a better place. “It’s not about talking yourself into doing what you’re afraid to do,’‘ says Giraud. It’s about understanding personal limits and accepting the risks.

Once you understand that fear is a result of uncertainty, you can embrace it as a tool, according to Giraud. The action is less “fearful” if you assess the unknown variables and make an informed decision to accept specific risks. For example, on numerous occasions, Giraud has spent a lot of time, money, and effort in planning ambitious expeditions but turned around due to unacceptable risks such as bad weather.

When you shift your paradigm to understand fear is an advantage instead of an obstacle, “fear will unleash super powers,” says Giraud. It can change how you see the world. His philosophy allows one the freedom to set ambitious goals and give opportunities to move out of one’s comfort zone.

“Once you push through your fear enough you are able to reach a place of serenity where your experience and confidence in yourself is high enough that you reach a ‘quiet’ in your mind,” says Giraud. “Breathing becomes easy and you have achieved serenity.”

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This essay, by Sofia Fontenot, 18, from Houston, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Host Unexpected Guests

“It’s a little delight, a little bonbon of a thing,” says Miah Arnold, the 51-year-old co-founder of Grackle & Grackle, a business hosting creative writing classes out of Arnold’s backhouse in Houston. Visitors drop in often at the dual business/residence; sometimes guests walk directly into Arnold’s living room by mistake. From childhood, Arnold’s home has always been a public space. She grew up behind a bar in small-town Myton, Utah, where her father owned a saloon, and she learned how to listen to — and ask for — the stories of unexpected guests.

First, don’t let your house be too clean. Don’t let it be filthy, either. “Having that in-between state of a house puts people at ease,” Arnold says. “Your house is in a certain state of the world. And that helps you decide the stories that you’re going to tell.” You want your guest to have a place to sit, but you also want enough tchotchkes and knickknacks strewn on side tables and hung on the walls that there’s always something to talk about. Offer your guest tea, snacks, leftovers, water at the minimum. “Go in and find whatever crackers you have,” advises Arnold. “Then ask them what stories they have.”

Be open to letting guests into your home at a moment’s notice. You may not always have the dishes cleaned or your schedule cleared, but saying “Yes, and,” to these social situations opens the door to once-in-a-lifetime relationships and experiences. “You have to let yourself be thrown off course,” says Arnold. “The guests can feel you make that decision and that makes them happier.”

In today’s world, when productivity and “the grind” are so highly prioritized, it can be difficult to dedicate a half-hour or hour of your schedule to building a new relationship, but it brings casual connection and a change in routine that we’ve been missing since the pandemic started. “When someone new comes, it turns everything off balance in a way that it needs to be,” Arnold says.

To post-guests and potential guests, remind them that they are always welcome. “You have to let people know that you enjoy it when they stop by,” says Arnold. “Just reiterating it. Just to remind each other that you live in a world together.”

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This essay, by Raniya Chowdhury, 17, of Mississauga, Ontario, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Be a Kid Forever

“The best part of being a kid is getting candy when you’re sad,” says eight-year-old Lolia Almasri, who is a Mickey Mouse-loving third grader living in the sleepy suburbs of southern Ontario, and a leading expert on all things kid-related. For many teenagers like myself who dance on the cusp of “adulthood” — in the legal sense, anyway — grappling with growing up has felt like an impending apocalypse of responsibilities. To those counting down the doomsday clock of turning 18, you might be hoping to hold onto the feeling of youth and postpone the inevitable. Or maybe you’ve already been a grown-up for some time and long to reclaim that balmy, magical, wide-eyed wonder of childhood.

Well, according to Lolia, it’s not hard to keep being a kid, as it revolves around the core tenets of remembering the value of kindness and having fun. Empathy is the bedrock of her ethos and she expresses its importance through a personal anecdote: “When my friend needed scissors, I gave him mine and got another one.” The economy of kids is barter-based (e.g. if you give me your Pokémon card, I’ll give you my strawberry-scented eraser). Their transactions are exchanges of happiness, so a good place for you to start is by sharing things with others, even though that grows difficult with age.

Once you’ve mastered this, it’s time for the fun part. “Kids have to behave nice and also play,” Lolia says, which is a facet of childhood that I wonder why we ever let go of. A return to playing outdoors is imperative. Suspend your disbelief. Instead, make-believe! Don your light-up sneakers and search the woods for fairies, play hopscotch in the backyard, kick a ball around — allow yourself to sincerely enjoy it, the little things.

But, truly, what strikes me most about Lolia’s philosophy on living life like you’re in Neverland is her final step: a gentle reminder that “even if you’re a grown-up, if you’re scared at night you can still snuggle your parents.” After all, in Lolia’s world, there is no reality in which there won’t be someone to console her after a nightmare. To her, unicorns and dragons exist, and so does love, always. Ultimately, the best advice Lolia gives on being a kid forever is to have faith that you aren’t alone in life and to turn to someone when you’re afraid of the dark.

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This essay, by Matthew Jeong, 17, from Houston, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Conduct a Podcast Interview

“You’ve got to do the homework,” says Brian Sebastian, podcast host of Movie Reviews and More, which has garnered millions of views on IHeartRadio, Comcast and Apple TV. Conducting an interview for a podcast isn’t just your standard Q&A or casual chat. It requires preparation and practice. “It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t do that. It’s not a recommendation, it’s a requirement.”

The interview should never be your first exposure to the subject. Your job is to broadcast your interviewee’s story, so it’s necessary to know enough about the subject to hold an informed conversation. Have a list of questions loosely based on the subjects you want to cover. This means making yourself familiar with their work. “If it’s a producer, well, you have to watch the movie. For an author, read their book. You have to stay as knowledgeable as possible, because if you haven’t seen it or read it, your audience will know,” Sebastian says.

An interview isn’t just about research; it’s a story tailored to the speaker. Your role is to pull it out of your guest one question at a time. Prepare more questions than you’ll need just in case, but be prepared to skip over them during the interview. Match the intensity and personality of your guests. “For me, it’s about the energy given and taken, cause and effect,” Sebastian says. A loud, boisterous speaker may need something a bit more calm, while someone quiet and reserved may need more spirit to pull them out of their shell.

On the other hand, over preparation can cause your interview to feel artificial and the conversations too stilted. “Be fluid, be adaptable. Most of all, ask about what you’re really interested in,” Sebastian says, warning against memorizing a script. Don’t be afraid to improvise during the interview. Keep the conversation flowing through unique and genuine questions. An interview should feel not only in depth, but interactive. “It’s like a book, really — only you get to choose what content the pages will cover.”

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This essay, by Jacob Wang, 16, of Godalming, England, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Wrap a Dumpling

“Any successful dumpling’s dough must be as soft as an earlobe,” says Andy Ma, the Chef de Cuisine for 12 years at the Michelin-starred Bo Innovation. Start with store-bought dough until you’re ready to make your own. Having a “Q texture” (the Chinese’s al dente) keeps it together when wrapping, which, in Ma’s words, “is the most important part!”

The consistency of the dough makes or breaks your dumplings, literally. Only flour and water are needed. First, measure out your ingredients into a large mixing bowl. General rule of thumb is one-part water, two-parts flour. The water should be lukewarm; the flour should be all-purpose. “Don’t let its simplicity fool you,” Ma adds.

Dumpling dough is like no other: it’s not as stretchy as pizza dough, nor as chewy as pasta dough. To knead it together, only use your hands. Toss it; twirl it; toy with it. “Dig your fingers in, like a claw machine,” Ma says, until the dough feels smooth and tacky. Put it into a covered container to rest for no longer than an hour.

Unlike their dumplings, chefs have little time to relax. As Ma says, “Dumplings show a chef’s experience.” Novices tend to over-roll the dough. The kneading should be intuitive, but the portioning should be numerical. Sculpt the dough into a log, then segment off equal pieces.

To make the wrappers, you’ll need a rolling pin. Dust your table with flour; palm the dough into a circle, then, hold the pin with one hand and the wrapper in the other; roll halfway through, all while spinning the dough. Repeat, repeat, repeat: “Eventually you will get a flat round circle at around 2-3mm thick.”

Finally it’s time to seal the deal … and the dumpling. Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of your wrapper. Kiss each side into a half-moon. Pinch from the top to fold pleats with enough pressure to seal the dough, readying them for the next stage: boiling.

However, there are countless types of dumplings, each with countless folding techniques. “It’s like trying to count all the stars in the sky,” says Ma.

Yet, Ma figures he has made thousands of dumplings: not at Bo Innovation, but at home. Such careful dumpling wrapping fosters his deep appreciation for the food that most people take for granted. “Wrapping dumplings brings all the components together,” he says. “They’ve brought my family together, too.”

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This essay, by Jackson DeNichilo, 15, of Fallston, Md., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Make the Perfect Sandwich

“It’s got to be something really unique,” says Ben Gollan, sandwich connoisseur and founder of A Man and His Sandwich, a touring experience where Gollan takes guests throughout New York City in search of the most mouthwatering sandwiches. “It can’t be the same standard thing that we all get so used to,” he says. Constantly eating the same sandwich gets boring, especially for Gollan. Try to put your own twist on a traditional sandwich. Use unorthodox ingredients to help break the mold. You don’t necessarily need rare ingredients; what you need are rare combinations.

When making your sandwich, the number one rule is balance. Avoid adding too much of one certain ingredient. Instead, distribute different types of ingredients throughout the sandwich evenly. Using hot-cold, soft-crunchy, and sweet-sour combinations will benefit you in making a balanced sandwich. Focus on beginning your sandwich’s assembly with the condiments. Pick out your favorite condiments and sauces, then choose your meats based on them. Condiments make the sandwich. “If I ever see a chili jam or a fig jam or something in that world, I know it’s going to be a pretty bangin’ sandwich,” says Gollan.

Try splitting up the sandwich into two levels. Put all the dry ingredients on the bottom half, and the wet ingredients on the top half. This protects the base of the sandwich from the wet ingredients’ juices. Pick breads that add texture and crunch. It is important to ensure your sandwich won’t crumble and fall apart. “If everything is soft and sloppy, it doesn’t matter how good the ingredients are; the sandwich is not going to be great,” Gollan says. Make your sandwich look nice, as making a good first impression with your eyes is important. “You eat with your eyes first,” says Gollan. Cut your sandwich into rectangles for a more visually appealing look, or into triangles if you want to trick your brain into thinking there is more sandwich than there is.

Even after amassing over 14,000 followers on an Instagram account dedicated to reviewing sandwiches, Gollan is still left searching for the perfect sandwich. “I think it gets very, very close to being perfect, but perfection is really hard to attain. I almost don’t want to find the perfect sandwich, because what does that mean for all the other ones that I want to try?” Gollan says.

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This essay, by Chelsea Hu, 18, from Andover, Mass., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

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How to Find Your Balance

“Find your central axis, then build movement around it,” says Judith Wombwell, the founding director of DeadFall Dance, who has brought genre-blending dance to the stage for 40 years and counting. In her choreography, Wombwell explores movement and its necessary companion: balance.

Odds are, balance is on your mind too — and not just figuratively. Whether you’re taking a stroll or sitting at your desk, your brain automatically sends nerve signals to your body that help you recenter yourself. Marvel at the wonders of anatomy, but don’t overthink balance. Even when the stakes — and stages — are high, Wombwell notes that “balance, a state of equilibrium, begins from the inside out.” So, find your inner equilibrium first. Calm your thoughts. If your mind is spinning out of control, your body will too.

Before attempting to balance in a pose of your choosing — from a tree pose to an arabesque en relevé — evaluate your surroundings. Are you balancing on level ground or on an incline, on grass or loose cobblestone? Your specific environment informs how you should seek balance. You may proactively lean forward to offset an incline or grip the cobblestone with your toes. Are you balancing in sneakers or ballet slippers? No matter what, Wombwell advises her students to “feel the ground and draw strength from it.” Embody the stability of the earth.

When you’re ready, create your pose. Dancers may require multiple counts to complete their grand développé — a high extension of one leg into the air. With a slower approach, you’ll be able to shift your weight incrementally and pinpoint your center of gravity. “Find your core and engage it,” Wombwell says. As you do, imagine that there’s a string pulling the top of your head skyward. “You should feel tall, as though in suspension,” says Wombwell.

To reintroduce movement while staying balanced, try “spotting,” or fixing your sights on a stationary object. Ballerinas may keep their gaze on an exit sign or a vacant seat while twirling around the stage in a pirouette sequence. But be sure to “stay within your control zone,” Wombwell says. “Overextend and you’ll tip over!”

For Wombwell, the challenge of finding balance transcends the eight count. When choreographing, Wombwell combines athleticism and artistry in balance. “Many of the balancing techniques dancers use are applicable to work and life,” Wombwell says. The next time you’re feeling a bit off-point, try a dance pose and recenter yourself.

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