American students had been learning at home for more than a year during the pandemic (流行病). When they returned to in-person learning, teachers began to see more behavioral problems.

Sarah Potpinka is an art teacher at Putnam High School in Connecticut. She said she saw more fights and arguments among students online and in person. Some refused to wear the required face coverings. Other students broke school rules by leaving in the middle of class to meet up with friends. Obviously throughout this pandemic, the students spent a lot of time at home and because of that they lack in those social skills.

Bad behavior among students is part of what experts are calling a mental health crisis among children. Even before the pandemic, research found that bad behavior in the classroom was increasing.

A group of mental health organizations say in a recent Hopeful Futures Campaign report that one in three students reported feeling lonely or hopeless. Half of all mental illnesses are present by the age of 14 but few students get the services they need. The report, released last month, also warns that suicide is the second leading cause of death among those aged 14 to 18 in 2019.

Richard Douglas is a school psychologist at Putnam High School with over 30 years of experience.Douglas said that during the pandemic there have been many things that disrupt (破坏) families. More time at home could lead to more arguments with family members. Douglas feels school officials provide enough support to deal with the mental health crisis at Putnam. For the school of around just 250students, there is also a counselor, a social worker, and two recently hired interventionists (干预者). Interventionists help identify learning and behavioral problems among students.

Despite behavioral problems among students after returning to in-person classes, Potpinka said the change has been better for the students. She said it is easier to keep students engaged in schoolwork face to face. It is also easier to seek help for them when there is trouble.

Most of us don’t go out at 8 o'clock every morning to buy meat and vegetables for 200 poor children. But artist Yvonne Bezerro de Mello does that daily. Leaving her home in a wealthy district of Rio de Janeiro each day, she spends much of her time in the slums.

There, in a small house she bought, she feeds homeless children. She also gives them affection and protects them from violence. She and a few coworkers teach them to read and write. What motivates her to do this?

“How can I not help?” she says. Yvonne’s mother had taught her from a young age to care about other people. At age 13, she read to blind children twice a week. Since that time, she has helped homeless children.

What happened in 1993 brought more attention to Yvonne’s work. That year, police fired upon 72 homeless children, killing eight of them. Yvonne knew all those children. Shocked and annoyed, she made the incident known around the world. She wrote to newspapers and human rights organizations. Three years later, a policeman was convicted (证明有罪).

Yvonne believes working with street children is a crusade（正义运动）. Now in her 50s, she heads up Projeto Uere (Children of Light). The goal of the project is to help children escape life in the streets. Around 120 children from age 3 to 16 come to a special school in one of Rio’s slums. They learn reading, writing, math and art. They also learn how to survive without using violence.

Telling lies is usually seen as a misbehavior. 【小题1】. Under certain circumstances, it is understandable that you tell untruth if you believe telling a lie is a sensible choice.

Sometimes, telling a lie serves certain purposes. A lie may end up encouraging you if you have been struggling for a long period of time to achieve something, 【小题2】. At that point, what you need to keep on is encouragement as opposed to truth that can make you give up altogether. Take English learning as an example, You may feel frustrated for not making any progress despite all your efforts. However, if someone tells you that your English is much better than before, you will regain your confidence. 【小题3】.

On some occasions, we have to tell white lies to protect our beloved ones from being struck by discouraging news. 【小题4】. It is wiser for you not to tell the truth that may shock the person and make his disease even worse. White lies can cushion the blow and protect the people from tough reality.

Still and all, long-term relationship between people is based on honesty and trust. 【小题5】, we might as well think twice and weigh the pros and cons before telling a lie. Just like things are never one-sided, I think it is not appropriate to judge whether we should never tell lies or we should tell lies. Instead, whether we should tell a lie depends on the situation, and we should judge these situations carefully.