Problem: Article: Push for more frequent and extensive evaluations of individual schools. Brainstorm potential consequences for low testing scores and then implement them so that the teachers and administrators at schools are more motivated to help their students test well. This should help keep individual schools from slipping through the cracks by encouraging all public schools to strive for the same standard. Push for school choice, so that parents have the ability to move their children to a better school if the one they’re currently attending is failing. This can also act as a motivator for teachers and administrators to provide the best education possible, so that the most motivated students want to attend their school. Innovation provides learning alternatives and can also make learning more efficient. Encourage innovation and allocate money towards it if possible, as new technologies can aid students with learning disabilities, serve as an alternative teaching method, and engage students more. Support higher standards in curriculum and also encourage programs like STEM that teach students about subject areas that are highly valued in the working world. This should help more students graduate high school, get into college, and become successful in the long run. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
Summary: Hold underperforming schools accountable so that they evolve. Allow parents to choose where their children attend to motivate schools. Support technology in the classroom to vary the learning process. Push higher standards and support STEM programs to prepare students.

Problem: Article: About a week after your initial conversation with your mom, ask her if she has more questions or thoughts she’d like to share. Try to show her that you’re still a part of her family and interested in being connected.  For example, say something like, “It’s been about a week since we talked and I thought you might have more questions for me. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” If you’re unsure of your mom’s feelings, try saying something like, “I know we haven’t talked much since our conversation. I’d like to know what you’re thinking.” Try to remind yourself that you’ve had a long time to think about this and process it, but to your mom, it’s completely new. You can even say this to her if you think it would help. She may need a few weeks or even months before she can acclimate herself to this change. Even moms who initially respond negatively to this kind of news can come around. In the meantime, take solace in your friends and support system. Your mom is probably experiencing her own range of strong emotions, even if she was happy for you and super supportive. Instead of expecting her to adjust quickly, allow her the space she needs to figure out what she thinks and how she feels. Your mom may feel guilty that she didn’t realize you were gay or that you felt you couldn’t tell her about it earlier. It may be super helpful for your mom to read about other families that are similar to yours. PFLAG is a great resource for parents, friends, and families of people in the LGTBQIA+ community. Or maybe you have a friend who is gay whose parents have been through the coming-out discussion, too. It could be helpful to connect them and your mom so they can talk. If your mom is willing and interested, invite her to come along to pride parades and rallies and try to include her in your life. She may end up becoming your greatest advocate!
Summary: Keep the lines of communication open. Give your mom time to process the news. Understand that this is a journey for your mom and try to be empathetic. Offer your mom some LGBTQIA+ material so she can educate herself.

Problem: Article: The amount box is located on the right side of the check, below the “Date” line and to the right of the “Pay to the Order Of” line. It has a symbol to the left of it indicating the currency — $ or £, for example. In this box, write out the amount of the check you want to write using numbers. Separate the dollar amount and the cent amount with a decimal point — 47.50, for example. You may write a check in which there are no cents to be paid — for example, 47 even dollars. In this, case, you still need to indicate that there are “zero” cents to be paid. You do this by continuing to include the decimal point, but following it with two zeros: 47.00 Underneath the “Pay to the Order Of” line, you will see a second line that has the currency written out at the end of it. In America, for example, this blank line ends with the word “dollars.” On this line, you will write out the amount to be paid in words, rather than numbers. The dollar amount is always written out as words, and the cent amount written as a fraction out of 100. This is because there are 100 cents in a dollar, so if the check amount includes 45 cents, it is 45/100 of a dollar. While this is the basic rule, there are a few different ways to format the actual content of the line.  Written dollar amount + “and” + fractional cent amount: forty-seven and 50/100. Written dollar amount + “dollars and” + fractional cent amount: forty-seven dollars and 50/100. Some people choose to draw a straight horizontal line after the fractional cent amount to fill out the line: forty-seven dollars and 50/100 —————. This prevents other people from adding to or changing the amount you write. Compound numbers do not fall evenly on decades (ten, twenty, thirty), centuries (one hundred, two hundred, etc.) and so on (one million, two billion, etc.) If you have a compound number like 47 (as opposed to 40), you should always place a hyphen between the two parts of the word when writing it out.  Correct: forty-seven Incorrect: forty seven or fortyseven An amount for several hundred, thousand, or even million dollars should still be written out in words on the appropriate line. This might mean you have to write with very small script, so make sure you have enough room.  Correct: two million, five hundred fifty-two thousand, eight hundred forty-seven dollars and 00/100 ——. Incorrect: 2,552,847 dollars and 00/100 ——————.
Summary:
Fill in the “amount” box with a numeric amount. Include the decimal and cent amount even if the amount is in even dollars. Fill in the textual amount. Hyphenate compound numbers. Write out the textual amount even if it is very large.