Rashema Melson, 18, will graduate from Anacostia High School on June 11. She lives with her mother and two brothers in one room at the D. C General homeless shelter. Here is an interview with her.

What will you talk about at graduation?

My speech is going to be for all the teachers who pushed me and who 1 could talk to in a time of need and who helped me when I didn't have anything like food or clothing.

Your mom must be excited about your being the valedictorian

My mom knows how happy I am to be the valedictorian, but sometimes she tells me to stop stressing and to relax and just live life. I've been stressing for years about grades. It has to be A, A, A. I can’t accept a B. I’m going to be the first one to graduate and get out of college and get a real job something that can really help me.

How hard is it to study at the shelter?

It's very hard. I have to put my headphones on to focus. It's hard because sometimes I have bad days, and I don't want to get up. Like, what's the point? After all these years, we're still in the same situation. We haven't had a home in five or six years. But you have to keep going because education is the only way out.

What will your classmates remember you for?

I'm really understanding. I don't really judge people. And I try to help people as much as possible, even when I'm down.

Children of all ages gathered in New York City recently for the International Toy Fair. Hidden among already popular toys were new, high-tech educational products.

Educational products are important to the toy industry. In recent years, parents have shown an interest in STEM-related toys – ones that help teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. But now, toymakers are working to create products for improving a child's emotional intelligence. These toys reportedly not only help raise intelligence in children, but also their emotional quotient, or EQ. Companies showed off their products last week at New York's Jacob Javitz Convention Center.

PleIQ is a set of plastic toy blocks. It uses augmented reality(增强现实) technology to teach words, numbers and other things. Edison Durán directs the company that makes PleIQ. She showed people at the toy fair how virtual images appear on the blocks when they are held in front of a tablet camera. Intelligence includes intrapersonal skills -- processing information within one's mind -- and interpersonal skills, or dealing with other people. Durán said PleIQ builds on both by having children act as teacher or guide to a companion character.

On the other side of the convention center, Karen Hu demonstrated an educational robot called Woobo. Hu asked the hairy green robot: "Hi, what's your name?" With a childlike voice, the toy answered, "Are you trying to trick me? My name is Woobo."  The robot comes programmed with educational games and activities. Children use its touchscreen face to get them started. Toys that work as companions also aid in social development. Hu described how the robot can help a child who has autism.

"He can communicate with Woobo and he can follow some of the instruction Woobo is giving because he thinks of this as a companion instead of a parent or someone else telling him to certain things."

A more low-tech companion is a toy animal called Manimo. The manufacturer says this toy can help reduce hyperactivity in children and improve their ability to pay attention to a subject. Whether it's a snake, dolphin or other animal, Manimos can be placed across a child's arm, chest or neck. Karine Gagner, president of Manimo, explained that adding deep pressure to one's body can help calm a child before bedtime.

It remains to be seen whether a game or toy can improve emotional intelligence. But toymakers are doing what they can to help parents in their efforts to raise well-rounded children.

The first week of September was a week that I had been expecting (期待) all summer. I didn’t want summer to end, but I was excited about going to high school for my first week.

When I got to school in the morning on the first day, I realized how large the school was, and how many students went there. I ended up in the wrong classroom because of the size of the school. Luckily, a kind senior showed up and guided me to my homeroom before I was late. I was happy to see that in a class of unfamiliar (不熟悉的) faces, the only open seat was next to my good friend Casey. My science teacher seemed like a good teacher. She was exciting and fun.

After finishing four classes without too much of a challenge, I didn’t feel too bad about ninth grade. However, the fifth class changed everything. I didn’t feel ready after all. My teacher’s name is Mr. Valassidis but he told us to call him Mr. V. Mr. V told us that we would have to write 40 essays (文章) and read AP-level books such as The Odyssey this year. I love reading and writing. But come on. 40 ESSAYS? AP-level books? Now I was afraid.

The courses in high school seem like they’re going to get much harder, but they haven’t yet. Even though my classes look hard, they look really exciting too.

The first week passed quickly. Although a lot of things were overwhelming (令人不知所措的): the size of the campus, the crowds (人群) and the seniors, having a totally different experience than I had ever had before was really exciting. Now, I’m really happy about high school. I have lots of friends in my classes, I really like my teachers and I’m meeting new people.