I started working with my hands at a young age. The youngest of five brothers, I took on   the role as a “maintenance ( 维 修 ) man” at an early age for our family’s small grocery store. Often my dad wouldn’t give me a clear idea of how something should be done, so I just had to figure it out by researching or through trial and error.

Fast forward to 2016 and those problem-solving skills would become the focus of Tippecanoe High School’s Homebuilding class. I knew I wanted to teach the students skills that went beyond just being able to hammer nails or cut pieces of two-by-fours. The problem was   that we didn’t have the resources at the time to do much else. The idea of attracting some type of funding seemed very important. Designing, building and selling a tiny house on wheels seemed like the perfect project to accomplish the task. I reached out to a number of local businesses and most of them responded with the greatest support for what x k w we were doing.

This year we added a new element to the program. Through one of our partners, we were able to connect with the nonprofit Veteran’s Ananda Incorporated. Students in the Homebuilding class are leading the design and production of micro houses to be donated to this organization. The new partnership gives the students another focus to consider when designing and building the houses.

There has been no shortage of students since our first year. Three years ago we had 41 students, the next 191, and this year it was limited to just over 160 students so we could have a safe and manageable classroom environment. The number of girls taking the class has risen steadily over the last few years as well. This class offers something for everyone and the skills are universal.

There’s another universe where there are no buildings, trees, cars, cellphones or the Internet. You don’t have to travel a great distance to discover it. At 10 miles offshore, you’re already there. At 100 miles, the effect is complete: Civilization disappears, along with any sign of humanity. It’s the closest to the isolation of outer space. And it is why I’m really into sailing.

I was always more intrigued, though, by wind-driven boats than any relying on engines. As a kid, I was interested by the adventures of Robin Lee Graham, the teenage global traveler. However, it wasn’t until about 20 years ago that I took sailing seriously, and I quickly learned the art of monitoring the sails. I’ve made voyages in fair weather.

Still, I’ve made lots of mistakes. While living in Asia, a friend and I set off across the South China Sea destined for Thailand, only to be stopped by a typhoon that forced us to make landfall in Vietnam. Along the way, however, I also learned the essentials-navigation and maintaining a boat’s system. Years later, my wife and I lived aboard our Symbiosis. We visited many places nearly accessible to reach on a small boat. Far from shore, it’s the responsibility of the crew to keep the water out, the people in, the boat on course and everything working, which adds to the excitement of the voyages.

It appeals to me, so does the company or fellow sailors. But boats are expensive and time-consuming. After returning from the Caribbean, we decided to sell Symbiosis, deciding to sail only other people’s boats, but it wasn’t eight months before we found a good deal on a smaller boat—easier to maintain but still capable of some offshore voyages. I think we’ll name her Talisman.

Four Efficient Ways to Improve Your Speech

One psychologist feels that our facial expression is responsible more than anything else for the impression others have of us. 【小题1】 People tend to mirror your expression, so try to show how you feel about a topic or an idea or the audience through your facial expression.

【小题2】 The way to handle it is to put it to work for you, get into action, as Shakespeare observed, action cures fear. There are only a few known ways to control fear. If you're thoroughly prepared, apart from admitting it, taking deep breaths can add your confidence and calm. Other known ways to control nervousness and fear are to give yourself a pep talk or take some physical exercise, simple calisthenics（健美操）can work wonders in you. 【小题3】 you

Our voice is the main instrument we own for communicating with people, we're all sound sensitive. 【小题4】 I've done the same thing and I can promise you that even if you use candies instead of stones you can quickly develop excellent pronunciation. Do believe that am kind of practice will help improve your emphasis, pausing and other qualities of your voice.

Psychologists tell us that most individuals don't use above ten percent of their inherent capacity for memory. Because they don't practise the fundamentals of remembering. It's difficult to recall anything without wanting to have a burning desire to remember. Moreover, our success depends greatly on our ability to concentrate. The next principle is repetition. Next time you intend to keep things in mind in school, try to repeat them over and over again. 【小题5】.