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In this issue of The Upworthiest, Tod Perry explains what your grandmother meant when she said she'd have plaid puppies. Plus, a fitness instructor posts the mid-race photo most people would crop, and a teacher-of-the-year nominee lists the five reasons she walked away.
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9 classic ‘grandma sayings’ young folks may not understand (so we explain them) | ||
“If had to sit in line that long, I’d have plaid puppies.” | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
One way grandparents share their wisdom with the younger generations is through their unique sayings. Sometimes funny, other times poignant, grandparents tend to package their life experience into quips they hope the next generation will live by. | ||
As with all slang, however, it comes from a specific time and place. And as the world keeps spinning, an old-timey saying, no matter how full of wisdom, can lose its meaning. That’s why it’s up to the next generation to find new ways to pass down the same timeless ideas. | ||
A Redditor on the Ask Old People forum asked people to share “your grandmother’s ‘saying’ that this generation wouldn’t understand,” and it inspired people to share timeless wisdom that could only come from a certain time and, in some cases, a specific grandma. | ||
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Fitness instructor shares photo of her cellulite during a race, sparking vital conversation | ||
Between 80% and 90% of women have it, even those who are in excellent shape. | ||
By Annie Reneau | ||
Ah, cellulite. The dimpled, cottage-cheesy texture millions of women view as an enemy to vanquish from our thighs and butt. We battle it with creams, oils, massages, coffee grounds, fake tans, and all manner of workouts in hopes of eliminating the shameful evidence of imperfection. | ||
Like so many of us, fitness instructor Riva Siggins has fought that war with herself. But a powerful photo series she shared is inspiring people to raise the white flag and put down the cellulite shame for good. | ||
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Teachers seeing their students outside of school can be awkward, but some of these stories take it to another level. 😭
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Footage of Rod Serling and students from the vintage TV special "Writing for Television." | ||
‘Twilight Zone’ creator Rod Serling was asked where his ideas came from. His response was profound. | ||
Serling’s grounded approach to storytelling shaped everything from searing dramas to his work on “Planet of the Apes.” | ||
By Patrick Hamilton | ||
When we think of legendary television creators, few names carry the profound aura of Rod Serling. As the mastermind behind The Twilight Zone, he transported millions of viewers into dimension after dimension of imagination, shock, and surprise. | ||
He scripted beloved episodes like “Time Enough at Last,” which finds Burgess Meredith’s character pining for time to read, only to survive a nuclear blast because he was inside the bank vault at work—and then break his only pair of glasses. Then there’s “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” one of the most searing allegories of mob mentality ever broadcast. | ||
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An Upworthiest Quiz
When someone says "the whole shebang," what was a shebang?
Yesterday’s Results
In yesterday's issue, we shared Cecily Knobler's story on the Harvard psychiatrist whose fastest way to change your life fits on a Post-it note.
And we asked: Why are classic Post-it notes canary yellow? 26% of you knew the lore. The lab next door to Art Fry's team happened to have a pile of yellow scrap paper, so the early samples came from that.
Yellow was the cheapest dye 3M had in stock (23.8%)
3M's marketing team tested 40 colors and yellow won (15.0%)
The lab next door only had yellow scrap paper (26.0%) 🏆
To match the legal pads they were designed to sit on (35.2%)
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Teacher-of-the-year nominee’s 5-point explanation of why she quit goes viral | ||
“The people making these decisions are NOT looking out for the students’ best interests.” | ||
By Annie Reneau | ||
When I studied to become a teacher in college, I learned what education can and should be. I learned about educational psychology and delved into research about how to reach different learners, and couldn’t wait to put that knowledge into practice in the classroom. | ||
But after graduating and starting to teach, I quickly saw how the school system makes it almost impossible to put what we know about real learning into practice. The structure and culture of the system simply isn’t designed for it. | ||
The developmental default of childhood is to learn. That’s why four-year-olds ask hundreds of questions a day, why kids can spend hours experimenting and exploring in nature, and why kids are so much better at figuring out how to use technology. Children are natural, fearless learners when their curiosity is nurtured, and they are given an environment where learning can take place. | ||
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