Current Events and Reading the News

Here at Infinite Potential Tutoring, we firmly believe in keeping up to date with current events. Students should have a basic understanding of major events happening in their own nation, and in this increasingly global world, a firm grasp of what is happening elsewhere as well.

You've undoubtedly been told time and time again in school that learning about history is a vital component of a good education, and while that is absolutely true, many of us forget that what is happening right now will be history in twenty, or fifty, or one hundred years. The world is changing every single day, and a well-educated, well-spoken, well-rounded person should be aware of those changes.

Please note that this doesn't always apply to elementary and middle school students. The world can be a violent, scary place and while it's still important for you to learn about history, there is no need to expose yourself to the sometimes brutal realities of life just yet.

High school students, however, should dedicate at least ten or fifteen minutes a day to catching up on world affairs, current events, and political developments. If you are an American high school student and you cannot tell me about the various instances of police brutality towards minority groups that occurred in 2014, you are missing a vital piece of knowledge that every American citizen should know about. You should also be able to connect these events to the history of African Americans in this nation, from the colonial slaves to the Civil War to the African American community's continuing struggle for equality, civil rights, and basic human rights.

Now that we've established that you should be reading the news a few times a week, let's discuss where you should go about finding that news. A simple google search reveals millions of results, but not all news sites are created equal. Some are biased, some are written from a radical perspective, and many of them aren't as neutral towards the events they're reporting upon as they should be.

I personally find BBC News to be a good source of mostly unbiased, reliable information. The site also has special sections dedicated to each region of the world, from Europe to North America to the Middle East to Africa to South America to Oceania. They also have science, business, and entertainment news sections in case you're looking for something specific.

http://www.bbc.com/news/ generally focuses on world news, so you'll find current stories and updates from all over the world.

The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/) is also one of the most trusted newspapers in the world, as is the Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/us).

Feel free to explore other news sites as well. Don't take one site's word for it. Get a second, and a third, and a fourth opinion. Explore all the different perspectives of an issue. There's many sides to every story, and your job is to examine as many as possible to form an educated opinion of the issue at hand.

The best part of making a habit of reading the news (besides learning a lot and keeping up to date on what's happening in your world) is when you're able to impress your teachers and friends by making an insightful connection between a conflict going on right now and a historical event that's been over for a century or two.

So, got out there into the digital forest. Chances are that something important is happening somewhere in the world right this very second. Be the first to know about it. :)