I once had a student who got his finger stuck inside a test tube in science class. It was really quite stuck. I knew something was up when I saw about 12 different shoulders around the room shaking as they heroically tried to hold back their laughter. This young man’s finger continued to get whiter and whiter right before my eyes.

Remaining calm, I suggested he carefully rotate (旋转) the tube. It wouldn’t move a bit. He tried soap and cold water. Still stuck. Meanwhile chaos was breaking out in my class, as my lesson became completely derailed. Finally, I sent this young man to the secretary, who raised six children of her own. With her in charge, I was completely confident all would be OK.

Forgetting about the lesson of the day, I masterfully got the students back in some degree of order by sharing my own story of getting my knee stuck between the rails of a balcony. Same kind of curiosity, I remembered wondering at the time how far I could thrust (塞) my knee between the rails. Inch by inch, I kept pushing and before I knew it, my knee was stuck swelling right before my eyes and in front of lots of strangers at a popular Las Vegas hotel!

Many of the students listening to my story of humiliation (丢脸) shot up their hands eager to tell their own stories of heads, arms, fingers stuck in places they shouldn’t be. The laughter was refreshing while we waited for the finger tube boy to return. We returned to the science lesson on “total internal reflection” carefully now to use the equipment properly.

A few minutes later, the young man came back with a grin ear to ear, test tube unbroken and finger returning to a lovely shade of pink. I just couldn’t get mad at this kid. He’s only twelve after all. I too got my knee unstuck, but not without a tremendous amount of embarrassment. The excuse for me, however, was not youth but sheer stupidity. I was after all 51 years old when this happened.

When starting college, most students enjoy a week’s stay on campus before classes actually begin. What should you do with that time? Below are several tips to ease yourself into college life.

Participating in Campus Welcome Activities

Most universities hold welcome events before the academic year officially begins, including freshmen orientations, campus picnics, and entertainments like concerts.

Participating in such events is a great way to learn about school facilities and understand campus culture: What do students do for fun? What are their favorite classes? What is the history of your university? It can help you observe campus life outside the classroom.

Exploring Campus

Getting to know where essential campus resources are—such as the student advising center, psychological services, and the tutoring center—will make your first few weeks on campus a lot easier, because you won't have to look for them while still getting used to your classes.

Take some time to check out the buildings where your classes will be held. This will prevent you from getting lost in the first few days of classes, and familiarize you with how long it takes to get from place to place. If you’re worried about taking classes one after another in different buildings, a quick test run won’t hurt. That way, you will avoid potential time delays in getting to your classes.

Starting a Routine

Before getting too excited about all of the fun things you will be able to do during the week, remember that you do have a pretty big schedule change coming up. Starting classes means being in different places at different times, so it’s a great idea to start getting used to that routine right this week.

What helps you most is to schedule your sleep. Following the planned time will ensure you have enough sleep to get to those early classes and stay wide awake.

If you have other daily routines, such as exercising or talking on the phone with family, work those into your day-to-day life before classes start so that you get a better idea of how they fit in with your schedule.

The Internet has become part of teenage life. There’s a report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities. It says that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often. While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way. Many are playing online games too much. A few even visit websites they should not look at. Bad things can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet.

In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. It uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. It gives useful advice such as it’s good to read news or find helpful information to study. Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend offline, let your parents know.

Teachers and parents all think the book is a very good idea. It will teach students how to be a good person in the online world. It will be a guide for teens to use the Internet and keep students away from bad sites.