An Oral History Of A Young Jewish Women In World War Ii Essays

An Oral History Of A Young Jewish Women In World War Ii It was 1940, I was 23, and there was a war going on. Everyone knew that Adolf Hitler, Germanys Fuhrer, was campaigning against several countries in Europe. He had started another war by invading Poland months earlier, and now it seemed that he was taking other countries as well1. It was being talked about, but not much was known specifically about what exactly was happening in Europe. The United States was not getting involved in another great war. There were so many lives lost from the first war, and the country was still feeling effects of the depression that we could not afford to get into another war so suddenly. After all, for Germany to attack us they would have to go all the way across the Atlantic Ocean; and seeing as how we were not directly participating in the war, they had no reason to attack us. Their war was in Europe, not here in the United States. There was almost a sense of sureness that we were not going to take part in this war. Most importantly was the fact that t here were more important things going on in Brooklyn, besides this war. People were looking for jobs and trying to make ends meet. The great depression had left many people without employment and caused many families to struggle. This was one of the main reasons that people did not want to go to war, because of the disastrous effects left over from the Great War. By 1941, there was a greater sense of the war. The people seemed to know more about the war and see how powerful and dangerous Hitler and Germany were. More and more people were beginning to feel that America should take part in this war, yet most of us still felt that it would be a lot safer and be in the countries best interest to stay away from the war in Europe. The country had to remain out of the war to once again become stabilized, but more importantly because the country was just not ready for another Great War2. People were struggling, yet there was a sense that progress was coming, and that the main focus had to be emphasized on the countries own issues, rather than the involvement in other countries conflicts and affairs3. However, there were still other people who felt that it was Americas duty as a free and democratic nation, to go and prevent the tyranny caused by those Nazis and Communists4. As time went on, and the war were perceiving to be a lot more threatening and realistic to the people of the United States, more and more people began to feel that our country needed to prepare for war against the Germans. It was December and this horrible feeling seemed to spread from person to person, after hearing the news, the news that would change the whole country and eventually the whole world. On December 7, 1941, the radio was playing. The presidents voice, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was on the radio sounding more serious than ever imaginable. The presidents most memorable remark can still be heard clearly, A day that will live in infamy! The Japanese bombed the Pearl Harbor Naval Base on that day, killing over 2,000 people and destroying or sinking almost all the ships stationed5. For the next several days all that was being talked about was the horrible attack on Pearl Harbor, by those awful Japanese. This was a shock to all of us because we didnt know what to expect. Our country hadnt been in war for a while now and it was scary. A fear stayed with us everyday until the war was over. A fear that the Nazis were going to win and all things were going to change all the people in the United States . Very little was known about Hitlers actions against the Jews, especially the Holocaust. People just had an idea of Hitler wanting to take over all of Europe and do what ever he pleased with whichever group of people. Along with that was the fear of the United States being bombed. The

SAT Prep for ESL and Bilingual Students

SAT Prep for ESL and Bilingual Students SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is a challenging test for all students, but especially for those whose native language isn't English. Even more so than its counterpart, the ACT, the SAT focuses on high level vocabulary words and reading comprehension. Most four year colleges require the SAT or ACT from ESL students, often along with the TOEFL or IELTS. This guide is for ESL and bilingual students who have college in their plans and want to know how to prep for the SAT. Before delving into your approach to test prep, let's discuss what exactly the SAT tests, and why it can be so demanding for non-native speakers of English. What Does the SAT Test? Some students ask, can you take the SAT in another language? What about the SAT in Spanish or Mandarin? What about just the SAT instructions in another language? The answer to all these is, sadly, no. There is no special SAT ESL or SAT bilingual version. The SAT is meant to assess your college readiness. It tests whether you have the math and verbal reasoning skills to do well in college classes. Since your college classes will be in English, it wouldn't be very helpful to offer SAT dual language or translations for the questions or instructions. The SAT has three main sections: math, Critical Reading, and Writing, which includes an essay. ESL, bilingual, and international students often score higher on the math section of the SAT than the Writing and Critical Reading sections. While the math does require some knowledge of math terminology and understanding word problems, it doesn't require as advanced English skills as the verbal sections (perhaps stating the obvious). The Writing section tests your understanding of grammar rules and sentence and paragraph structure. Multiple choice questions will ask you to identify errors in a sentence or rearrange ideas within a paragraph. Because the sentences are often complex, this section is challenging for ESL students. Some ESL students have an advantage on the Writing multiple choice, however. ESL students often study rules of English grammar more explicitly than native speakers do, who might just rely on their sense of "what sounds right." SAT scores of bilingual students who can identify and apply specific rules, like subject-verb agreement and parallelism, can do very well on this section. Writing also includes a 25 minute essay, which accounts for about 30% of the overall Writing score. This persuasive essay is tough for non-native speakers, since points are deducted for any errors in grammar or structure. Luckily, this essay is very coachable. By familarizing yourself with exactly what graders want to see and practicing essay writing before the exam, you can prepare yourself and improve your score. Finally, the most challenging section of the SAT for most ESL students is the Critical Reading section. To do well on this section, you have to be able to read and understand passages quickly. You also have to use reasoning skills to make inferences, interpret details, and determine main purpose. Doing well on the Critical Reading sections is no easy feat for any student. By improving your English level overall and studying specifically for the SAT, in terms of both content, and strategy, you can improve your scores a greal deal. The first step is asking yourself whether you're ready to start prepping for the SAT. Do you have the level of English necessary to study for and take the SAT? Let's try to answer this question for students in each of the three main levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. If you're a High Beginner or High Intermediate, you might fall somewhere in between and can take advice from both sections. Three delicious levels. What's Your English Level? Are you at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level in your English language learning? As I mentioned above, many colleges require you to demonstrate your English proficiency with the TOEFL (another accepted exam is the IELTS) if you've taken one or more ESL classes in high school. Not only can this test help you get into college, but you can also use it to decide whether you're ready to take the SAT. SAT experts generally agree that you'll have trouble prepping for and taking the SAT until you've achieved at least a 90 on the TOEFL. The minimum TOEFL score I've seen to get into U.S. colleges is a 79, so this is another minimum benchmark to use. The TOEFL requires a lot of prep too, but at least all this studying will get you in the right mindset for the SAT. If you haven't taken the official TOEFL, you can try TOEFL sample questions and gauge your level that way. At the very least, you'll have a sense of your English level based on your class placement in school. If you're a beginner or high beginner ESL student, what can you do to start prepping for the SAT? Many colleges offer ESL bridge programs for beginner ESL students. SAT Prep for Beginner ESL Students If you're a recent ESL student at a beginner level, then you're probably not at the point yet where you can start planning for the SAT. The SAT is a measure of the math and verbal reasoning skills you need for college. Beginner ESL students would have a hard time keeping up with college classes in English. The best thing you can do at the beginner level is to keep studying and improving your English and all your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Build up your vocabulary and knowledge of English idioms (some idioms will appear on the SAT). You might begin to familiarize yourself with what the SAT is all about, so you can incorporate relevant material into your English learning. By this I mean you could make sure you're learning geometry and algebra terms or focusing on a detailed understanding passages when you read. If you're looking to go to college at the beginner level, many colleges offer an ESL bridge program for bilingual and international students (and those who score lower than a 79 on the TOEFL). In a bridge program, you can keep learning English and eventually go straight into the school's undergraduate program. Some colleges with ESL bridge programs include UMass Boston, Roger Williams, and the University of New Hampshire, among lots of others. Another possibility is enrolling in a community college (which doesn't require the SAT, but usually wants to see the TOEFL), and then transferring to a 4-year school after a year or two. This can be a great option to give yourself time to build up your English, experience the U.S. if you're not living here already, gain college credits, and then ultimately get your diploma from a 4-year college. Keep working on your English so you'll have the language skills you need to take the SAT and succeed at the college level. Once you've brought your skills up to the intermediate or high intermediate level, you can begin to do more focused prep for the exam. Keep reading to improve your English skills. SAT Prep for Intermediate Students Intermediate students may be in a better position to score between a 79 and 90 on the TOEFL and find the SAT more accessible. If you're an intermediate ESL student, you should familiarize yourself with everything about the SAT. Find out what's tested on the Math, Critical Reading, and Writing sections. Learn all about the different question types. Understand how much time you have in each section. Math is typically easier for ESL students, but you still need to focus on the math concepts and making sure you can understand word problems and math vocabulary,like integer, mulltiples, and isosceles triangle. For Writing, study the most commonly tested grammar rules and read widely to improve your understanding of syntax and structure. Practice writing essays; hopefully you have someone who can give you feedback on them. Finally, for Critical Reading, practice reading texts closely(and quickly) for main purpose, vocabulary, and details. Figure out where you need to focus your studying the most. Then you can determine your approach to test prep. What Are Your Prep Options? There are a few options for SAT prep, but I wouldn't recommend all of them for intemediate ESL students. These options include self-studying from books, SAT classes, one on one tutoring, and online programs. Self-studying can be tough and even ineffective for intermediate ESL students. You have to figure out everything on your own. Students can improve a lot by studying their mistakes and reading through answer explanations. If you don't have the language skills to understand your mistakes, then you could keep repeating the same ones without learning what you're missing. SAT classes are a slightly better option, but they can be difficult if they're not geared toward ESL students. They might move at a faster pace and teach to native speakers. In large classes, you might not get enough individual attention to really understand problem types. I would recommend online programs or one on one tutoring (or online programs that include a one on one tutoring component). That way you can match the prep to your pace and language level and get the thorough explanations you need. PrepScholar's program, for example, helps you figure out your strengths and weaknesses and target the areas you need to improve most. It also gives you lots of lots of practice writing essays and getting feedback. One on one tutoring can also accomplish this, but it works best if the tutor has experience working with non-native English speakers. It also may just be a weekly meeting, whereas you could access an online program anytime you wanted. The key thing to remember is that you should target your weaknesses, understand your mistakes, and find a prep method that best meets your needs as an ESL or bilingual student. All of this takes time and a plan, so it's best to start a year or more before your test date to give yourself time to prep and additional test dates to retake the SAT, if needed. Meanwhile, continue improving your English, as ultimately a strong score on the SAT, and especially the verbal sections, requires advanced English skills. Full speed ahead! SAT Prep for Advanced Students Advanced ESL students or bilingual students who are fluent will benefit from SAT prep in much the same way as native speakers. The difference is that they may have to focus more on understanding idioms, high level vocabulary, and essay writing, and work on their ability to read quickly under time pressure. There are a number of resources for free official practice tests that students can use to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses. As you review content and concepts, you can also try out strategies for saving time and approaching each section. Analyze your mistakes and keep trying out timed practice tests to improve your pacing. Is there a method of test prep that works best for advanced students? What Are Your Prep Options? In terms of your options - self-study, classes, one on one tutoring, and online programming - you have more flexibility as an advanced ESL student or fluent English speaker. If you can deeply understand test prep on your own from books, then you could benefit from using them to prepare. You also might learn in a class, though generally classes don't offer insight beyond the ordinary or give much individualized attention. The strengths of customized online programs and one on one tutoring still stand for advanced ESL students and native speakers, since they help you design a study plan, understand your strong points and weak areas, and prioritize the material in a way that will maximize your score improvement. Many schools waive their TOEFL requirement if you score a minimum score on the Critical Reading section of the SAT. UMass Boston wants to see a 450 for bilingual SAT scores, and Columbia and Brown want to see at least a 650. If you're an advanced speaker who can score high enough to waive the TOEFL, then you definitely want to get started on prep early. That way you'll know whether or not you have to take TOEFL before it's too late. The SAT is a challenging test that plays a huge role in your college plans. To do your best, you want to choose the best materials and method of test prep. Then you can design the study plan that will help you most increase your scores. And if you come up with the best design, Heidi Klum will wear it to the Emmys. Design Your SAT Study Plan While you should focus on prepping for all aspects of the SAT, you probably want to focus most of your energy on the Critical Reading section and the essay. These tend to be the hardest to score highly on if your native language isn't English. Official books, online programs, and tutoring can provide you with high quality materials, individualized attention, and detailed explanations. It also helps to keep improving your English and reading. There are even some SAT vocabulary novels that can be an engaging way to learn vocabulary in context. Once you figure out your target scores and check out the different test dates, you can divide your time according to your schedule. This is one possible study plan that starts early in high school. Some students may push this forward, but it's good to start early so you have available test dates to retake the SAT. Start prepping in sophomore year 2 to 3 hours a week. This would add up to 80 hours or more by the end of the school year! Take the SAT in the spring of junior year, like May or June. If you're not satisfied with your scores (which you very well may not be at this point), do intensive test prep over the summer, while continuing to advance your English. Test again in the fall of junior year, and again in the spring of junior year if you still see room for improvement. Keep in mind that the fall of senior year would be the last time you could take the SAT and make your deadlines. Don't wait too long to take the TOEFL if you'll need it for colleges. While you want to start early, you also need to have sufficient working knowledge of English and the content knowledge, like geometry, algebra, and certain literary terms. If you haven't studied geometry yet in sophomore year, then it might be tough to take the SAT then and better to wait a little longer. Even if you're just starting to study, adding an SAT Question of the Day is an easy way to slowly get familiar with the questions. You can also create vocabulary flashcards specific for reading and math to quiz yourself and build up your vocab. The SAT is meant to measure college readiness. Achieving your target scores shows you have the English and study skills you need to succeed in college level courses. What's Next? Check out these other free resources for learning about SAT content and strategy! How to Improve Your SAT Reading Score: 6 Strategies How to Improve Low SAT Math Scores: 6 Key Strategies How to Improve Your SAT Writing Score: 8 Key Strategies The Best Way to Read SAT Critical Reading Passages How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Math How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Reading How to Write an SAT Essay, Step by Step We have lots more guides to help students at all levels improve on the SAT and learn strategies to beat the test. Check them out and find the tips and strategies that work best for you! Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

CULTURAL AND ETHICAL VALUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

CULTURAL AND ETHICAL VALUES - Essay Example All rational actions carried out by men will always aim at achieving something good. There is a hierarchy to the end as the end point or purpose of some actions could lead to the beginning of a totally new action. The ends in the hierarchy might themselves vary in their value; however, the ultimate end is valued on its own measure and that which is sufficient and completely good. People might do things for the sake of achieving something else and this chain would continue, but Aristotle feels that every human being would definitely possess one supreme goal in life and all the other tasks which one undertakes would lead towards this goal. Aristotle then goes on to explain what, according to him, is the ultimate goal in human life that is over-all happiness in one’s life. The Greek word â€Å"eudaimonia† provides a close enough explanation to what Aristotle views as ultimate good. Eudaimonia stands for eternal and ever-lasting peace and happiness and whether a person has truly led a eudaimoniac life can be ascertained only after the end of one’s life. His argument for stating that ever-lasting happiness is the final goal in a human’s life is that every action performed by man is only to achieve happiness, which alone can make a man self-sufficient. Aristotle further explores the means to achieve happiness. He believes that every human possess a characteristic activity much like the animals and this activity would ultimately help one to achieve a state of eternal happiness. According to him, this characteristic activity possessed by every human is the power of reasoning, which when used in t he correct manner will help a person to achieve a happy life. It is this unique ability that distinguishes mankind from other animals and is the key that would lead each of us to our ultimate goal. In other words, he believes that the power to achieve the final goal lies within the reasoning capability of the individual and the degree to which the goal is

Individual Compensation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual Compensation Paper - Essay Example interpersonal relationship, the relational satisfaction will be judged by the individual perception of resource distribution being fair or unfair (Adams, 270)†. The application perspective of the theory says that the employee has certain types of input (time, effort, ability, trust) and produces output (salary, recognition, responsibility, job security) and he compares both on the constant basis to determine the equity between efforts and rewards (Yum and Canary, 390). Russell is a pharmacy professional and works as an administrator of a Health Care Center. He needs to know if he is paid fairly by his organization. In order to answer the question, the paper proceeds with components of his total reward package. Russell enjoys handsome salary and perceives it higher than the one offered in market to other professionals of same cadre. Hence, he can afford standard of living consistent with market pay levels. He is an administrator which shows career progression is provided to him. His base pay level is also the evidence that his organization rewards him for his performance. Russell is also entitled to receive 6 bonus salaries per year (18 in total). It is an opportunity to earn additional direct compensation. This additional compensation is not possible without the effective performance of his team members and achieving organizational goals. Organizations pay salaries out of their revenues and revenues are dependent on the employees’ performance. Russell’s organization promises him for many benefits other than the ones mentioned under the above headings. These benefits win Russell’s loyalty and provide win-win solution for him and his organization. Russell expects his organization to pay him fairly against his time and efforts that he dedicated to the organization. He assumes that the efforts he puts on workplace will lead to good performance and achievement of organizational goals. He is justified to expect reward of his performance and the organization

Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Buddhism - Research Paper Example Siddhartha got distressed by all the sufferings around him and decided to leave his family and all the material comforts he possessed, and set out on a wondering life. It was in this journey that he sat under the Bodhi tree and staunchly decided not to move until he got enlightenment (Harvey 45). Buddha decided to leave the palace at the age of 29 on four different occasions to explore. During his first visit outside the palace, he witnessed an old man who was bent over and had problems walking when Siddhartha passed by; the man faced him, his red eyes squinting from his terribly wrinkled old face. In his second trip, he saw a sick man, crying in pain. On his third outing, Siddhartha came upon a corpse. He was saddened by these sights of sickness, old age and death. On his fourth outing, he met a monk who inspired him to leave the palace and all his mundane possessions, including his wife and son (Harvey 46). He sought to understand more about life and why human beings suffer, and ho w he would help in ending suffering in the world. During his enlightenment, he found the power to observe his former life, the power to see the rebirth of all forms, power to see death as well as the realization that he had left all the desires and ignorance that he had possessed. He had by all ways become a Buddha, meaning the â€Å"awakened one†. ... The Basic Tenets of Buddhism Reincarnation According to Buddhism, human beings possess the ability to get free from sufferings by observing, meditation and cultivating a lifestyle as prescribed by Buddha. Buddha gave a number of teachings known as Dharma. The wheel is a distinguished symbol in Buddhism since it depicts the perpetual cycle of life and death. According to Buddhism, after human beings die, they are born in a new form. They could either take the form of a deity, a human being, a ghost, an animal or even an inhabitant of hell. It is the belief that all the positive thoughts and people’s actions bring good karma, and may direct an individual into getting reborn in a higher form. The consequences caused by a person’s negative deeds, or evil karma, may lead to rebirth in a lower form (Gethin 22). Buddhism as a religion does not agree with the existence of a permanent self that will reincarnate from this life to the next. The assumption of an existing self gets created by the following five aggregates: Skandha, that suffers from a constant becoming and possesses a functional cause-effect relation; the body is the material form. Feeling, or Vedanta, is the sensation that develops from the sense organs in the body. Cognition, or sanna, is the process of classifying and labeling of experiences. Mental constructions, or Sankara, are the states that initiate action. Consciousness, or vijnana, is the awareness of a mental or sensory object. These five elements become impermanent, pass constant transformation, and have no abiding principle or the self. All human beings think that they got a self because of the consciousness. However, consciousness by being in a constant process of becoming and

Factors Affecting Millennium Development Goals Progress

Factors Affecting Millennium Development Goals Progress Abstract Water and sanitation is a global canker facing the most world population especially in Africa. Policy makers anticipate 80 billion Euros are needed every year to provide basic sanitation to the rural poor to ease poverty, therefore the need to get an in depth view of sanitation lagging behind is paramount. This paper aims to assess the factors causing the slow of progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals(MDG) in low-income countries. The pace are due to inadequate infrastructure systems, skilled labour constraints, insufficient political will and growth of population. It will review current studies in the sector and analyse various constraints that jeopardise the achievement of the sanitation development precisely Ghana. In this review article, published journals, reports, conferences are observed. As a results of the above review factors that is hampering MDG sanitation for Goal 7, it was concluded that policy framework should be put in place whereas government and dono r organisations enforced and invest more in sanitation. The research should assist in the development process in an optimised way of addressing water and sanitation issues and allow better understanding of environmental differing that is triggering the success of MDGs. Keywords Millennium Development Goals ; Ghana; Factors affecting water and sanitation development 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Currently, 2.6 billion people in the world has no access to adequate sanitation(Marion W.jenkins ,2007) and 1.1 billion lack safe drinking water . (Water Aid,2008)representing to two fifth of the world population, leading up to range of diseases like cholera, a devastating cause of child deaths(Marion W. 2007). In Asia 675 million people are without improved drinking water sources and in sub-Sahara Africa, only 36% has no access to basic sanitation (Christine L. And Richard D.2006).The ability of low-income countries to productively solicit external support to scale –up aid is the major confronting issue today. As vast number of international organisations on the verged to address the problem in developing world whiles envisaging the need for every humanity to have access to basic sanitation, Ghana as part of the sub Saharan Africa will not be able to achieve the MDGs (DFID,2006). UNICEF The World Summit on Sustainable Development(WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002 adopted an international sanitation target to halve the number of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015.This target now transform its self for water supply in support of the Millennium Development Goal of ensuring environmental sustainability(WELL,2003). Considering figures above, indicates the progress and geographic areas of where water and sanitation has covered as of the year 2002.The enormity of the constraints comes with the acknowledgement that poor state of infrastructure impediments are the cause of not achieving the MDGs(refer to appendix2 ) because 50% of the population cannot access improved services serving as an issue(Antonio E.2005), (UN,2007).William Easterly,2008 argued that the MDG are unfair to Africa because MDGs are poorly and arbitrarily designed to measure progress against poverty and deprivation, and that their design makes Africa looks worse than it really was. Most importan tly, another article stated the need for external donors to increase funding although infrastructure systems is another challenging(hlsp, 2009).Contrary the (UNDP,2008) report reveal that lack of framework made monitory difficult to measure and therefore data availability in other cases was unpredictable for the reason been poor system of infrastructure in some countries for collecting appropriate statistics. Empirically, programmes in sanitation in developing countries has been fruitful and yielding results (Marion W. Jenkins and Beth Scott,2007) yet there is an overwhelming number of people who keep on installing latrines or toilet facilities in their homes without subsidy from donors to improved sanitation. Moreover, the global climate change that policy makers have been preaching, the impact in Africa where water crisis is escalating and water table been high especially in the region of Tamale where is terribly hard to drill a sunken borehole a get water even if there is then is possible it may contained 40% of salt(REVSODEP/SIMAVI,2003). Other studies have shown that climate change is a challenge to the success of the MDG(United Nations Economic and social council,2007). A number of studies have reported MDG trend progress of sanitation in Ghana as shown in (appendix1 and appendix 5) shows a series of attainable indicators how Ghana is progressing even though comments regarding poor infrastructure systems exist (Christine L. And Richard D.,2006) which tends to propel the success of sanitation projects in the developing nations . Similar findings have been made via (UN ,2006)department of economic and social affairs. However, most of these studies were based on different country orientations and gross domestic product(GDP) performance raised at the time the survey was made. As such, Aid scaling –up(Peter S.Heller,2005) to the overriding . International Journal on environment resource public health in Zambia 2006 found that lack of well staffed healt h care facilities, electricity, portable water, roads, adequate transportation and communication facilities contributed immensely to not meeting the sanitation target quiet apart from the political instability of other African region. This analysis is similar to less development of in local and national institutions in south Africa(Neville,G.2003) although south Africa is progressing well as compare to Ghana and others. The following Other objectives will enable us dig out further factors. To make a literature review of MDG in sanitation and evaluate current technology options used. Identify factors seen in other studies. To develop, discuss and analyse data. Make recommendations/strategy for promoting sanitation development. 1.2 Ghana The republic of Ghana is a country in west Africa with a population of about 22.1 million people(iicd,2007).The country was the first sub-saharan Africa country to obtain independence from colonial rules on the 6th of march 1957.Despite the country rich in natural resources such as cocoa, gold, timber, bauxite, salt and lately the discovered crude oil, the country is still in perennial sunk with water and sanitation diseases. After colonial rule the country is divided into 10 different regions which include, Northern region-Tamale, Bolgatanga, upper west region, Ashanti region, Volta region, Brong ahafo region, Central region, Eastern region, Greater Accra and western region(see appendix8) . In Ghana rural population who have access to safe water in 2005 stood at 54%, rural population with access to household latrine 25%, urban population with access to safe water 78% whiles 45% of urban citizens can boost of household latrine(WELL,2004). 2. Skilled labour constraints It has been observed that for the Millennium Development Goal to achieve the set target in the sector of water and sanitation the human resources are vital. Shortages of skilled persons (World bank report,2005), (Lancet,2004)affect the health systems as indicative to progress of the MDGs.Erica User in 2005 indicated that international migration is associated with the non achievement of the MDG which seems to be increasing alarming and no resourceful person to deliver sustained latrines. The general conception that the success of MDG 2015 will be met only when african government invest more in sanitation(Arne B. And Abebe S. 2006) than they do now can be in approperiate in some countries without the necessary manpower skill needed. Conventionally, it will also interest the international community to realiseing the poverty nature in developing countries are more than the recoarse (IWA,2008)and therefore should be examine in different perspective way, progress has been hampered by popul ation growth, unbattled HIV/AIDS, wide spread poverty.The view supported by working policy No.45 of (Goerge Essegbey et al 2007) who discovered that innovation in water and sanitation systems were made but was beyond the capacity of of the local people. Unlike in Kumasi a population of 19% of Ghana population census 2000 where technical drawings were made by a consultants for a contractor to implement the work and due to lack of skills required to execute the Ventilated improvement project with respect to the design specifications ,errors were degenerated due to the fact that local people incorporated bamboo sticks in the facility leading to unsuccessful work done. Comparing the situation in Asia to Ghana,(Ljiljana and Ram,2006) in 32nd WEDC international conference in Sri lanka vividly said institutional capacity building can been noticed as the most hindering factor for MDGs. Professional such as engineers who are knowlegeable, skillful and are suppose to assist Non governmental o rganisation and community based organisations in advocating and trainning the latter were seen non available. Again, sanitation projects were constructed in Nepal as shown in the figure3 below similarly described by (JMP ,2008)is a latrine constructed without a slab cover can be considered unimproved. The latrine was contracted to unskilled contractor without the trainee. Moreover, (Maguire,1990) arguable said Lack of knowledge of lower cost technologies and use of technologies in appropriate for developing countries was given in 1988 as one of the obstacles to decade success. 3. Political will Some studies have shown knowledgeablly that lack of political (appendix 11) williness contributed to the slow progress of water and sanitation development in the south(Trocaire,2005),(IWA,2006), (macho ventura,2008). In Ghana for example,Rural areas and small towns had benefited from cross-subsides on water made possible higher tariffs in larger urban areas. But in preparing for privatisation, the government has eliminated such subsidisation by separating out the more lucrative urban water services. This jeopardised the financial sustainability of rural services(UNDP,2007) policy research brief illustrated. On the other hand, this was been carried due to two or more reasons after the implementation of the scheme and as developing change comeby some policy of government will need to change in order not to cause future catastrophe in the long run. Although Subsides need to be provided in oder to promote equitable access to utility services. Some utilitties have introduce life line tari ffs in which minimal levels of utility services are provided free or at a low cost. Essentially, the UNSGAB,2008 undeniably illustrate that 12% of sub-saharan africa national health budget is spend only in providing sanitation and related health services and 50% of the hospital beds are occupied for the same reason. However, experts predicts by 2015 2.1 billion people will still lack sanitation especially in sub-sahara africa untill 2076 (ENS,2008) news. In contrast, some sub saharan African leaders invest a lot of funds in the area of infrastructure and services in water and sanitation primarily into public sectors with other development partners even though these funds are decreasing for various reasons and the share commercial is financing is still very low. The Ghana water and Sewerage Coporation(GWSC), a public utility charged with the responsibility, among others, of achieving self financing status however due to lack of political will by the government over the years to institute adequate tariffs devastated the finances of the GWSC(George Akosa,1995).This situation ,coupled with the general declined of Ghana economy,resulted in most of the operational water supply projects being in a poor state of repair of lacking the installed capacity to provide adequate service.We will probably say the government does invest is only the population in Africa growing leading the people in an extreme poverty from 44.6% to 46.4% as shown in ap pendix 4,10. Furthermore, Ghana is reported to be on track to meet the target of halving poverty by 2015(UNESC,2008) it is yet uncertain if sanitation will be met. There is an improvement in the HIV but the deadlock is still unmet in basic sanitation.USAID argued that should the current progress continue as it is now only water and sanitation in all countries will be met by 2015 whiles (UN News Center,2008)secretary general Ban Ki Mo affirm lack of political will will be the biggest obtacle to imrpoving sanitation on world water day. (vandemoortele,2002) ,considering the perceptions incurr by similar reports and journals that government investment is far less.(Ekow.E,2008)demonstrated that special issue of energy policy on energy in Africa with case studies on Zambia, etc explained at least the political will of many governments to improve the quality and quantity of energy services as a prerequisite for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. More significantly, unwill giness of government or political interest in sanitation per say,J.Edgardo campos and sanjay pradhan(2007) found that tackling corruption in the water and sanitation sector in some part of Africa was the primary reason for the MDGs not been on target as stipulated. Osumanu Issaka Kanton in Ghana mentioned African governments, like most countries in the developing world, face daunting tasks in their attempts to provide effective and equitable water and sanitation services for their ever increasing urban population,the paper however, contrasted that since the early 1990s the government of Ghana and many local authorities have entered into various public-private partnerships in urban water and sanitation using Tamale as a case studies where private has done nothing invigorated public sector not have achieved and therefore concluded that there can be no sustainable improvement in water and sanitation provision without political commitment, stakeholder ownership and strong support for co mmunity driven initiatives(2008) 4.Over population Poulation change seen as the major propeling factor for the MDGs in developing country with regards to water and sanitation(UNWPP,2005), (ENS,2008). fig 8 shows summary in the graph. The data from these graph was available from mainly from the estimates an medium variant. USAID monitoring report for 2006 MDGs, for instance, found that family planning practice will enhance the unmet MDGs to achieve the Goals by reducing the size of the targetted population groups which will then lowering the costs of meeting the MDGs in Sub-saharan Africa. Fig 9 table I.1 illustrates the report survey.Untill recently, (Esmarie Swanepoel,2008) publised article detailing africa falling behind on millennium development goals-UN as the proportion of people in sub saharan africa living below poverty decreased from 55.7% in 1990, to 50.3% in 2005. However, because of the population growth, the number of people in the region living in extreme poverty, grew by 100 million over the period. Using the below proj ections, the author (Dr.Jean –C. 2006 ) and others have reported distinct effect population growth has on Sub-sahara in terms of unsafe drinking water and sanitation in meeting the MDGs by the anticipated or stipulated year. Factually, the world health organisation (WHO,2004) annual assessment report substaintiate by saying that the world is on track to meet the drinking water target, but sub-sahara africa lags behind and conflict and political instability is a contributory factor with high rate of population growth and low priority given to water and sanitation will be a mirage. The paper concluded that whats more is the reason been the breakdown of water supply systems in rural africa is of high rates. One of the effective approaches shown to be accetable and helping the progress process drawn by the paper was decentralising responsibility and ownership and providing a choice of service level to communties based on their willingness and ability to pay.Urban population growt h was estimated to increased in growth in developing countries from 1.9 billion to 3.9 billion 2030, averaging 3.2% per year which is a major challenge for achieving MDG sanitation(UNESCO IHE,2007). The diagramme in fig 8 and fig9 indicates the percentage of the population living in major cities. The arguement goes to intensify the fact that water supply and sanitation will be an acute shorter for a decades to come. Source :UNICEF(data online) 5. Conclusion In short this paper looks at the slow progress of Millennium Development Goals with focus in developing countries especially sub saharan africa with respect to water and sanitation and various factors affecting the progress.The article then went further in reviewing various studies and literature presented by authors , analysing other views in the subject area and detailing sanitation situation in the case of Ghana. It was found that the systems of infrastructure has made it difficult for the MDGs team to montior effectively the progress and concrete availability of data was inevitable for correlation in knowing the exact people in sub saharan africa that are not covered as far as water and sanitation is concern. Governments interest in investing much funds in sanitary projects was seen lagging other projects in Africa even like health sectors was seen stampeding such as water sector was progressing steadily as compared to specifically sanitation due to high poverty in some countries and HIV/AIDS among others demanding. Therefore,the was the need for donor organisations to increase aid for the developing world. High population growth and inapproperiate use of low technologies were another contributory constraints in achieving the MDG since the number of populates in african countries was increased drastically by a substantial amount with diseases and malnutrion been high among children 0-5 years of age and rising in birth was due to either unexpected pregnancy or unaware or misapplication of farmily planning medicine at their possession. Skilled labour constraints therefore was one of the impediments that contributed tremendously bad towards the goals of the MDG in wardly due to the fact that skilled migrates leave the developing countries not only for better salaries and rumerations but virtue of better health care systems in developed world. In some cases institutional capacity building was seen as vital challenge for the MDGs in africa which some where in Asia for example Nepal it was much the same similarity. However, despite various studies been carried out by viable institutions and authors with different methods of approaches in addressing the Millennium Development Goals in water and sanitation, the plans has little consistency between different countries , thus making it difficult for policy makers to measure and track progress and so therefore Septentie appraisal of attitudes of stakeholders to the factors limiting progress to MDG. Acknowledgements The Author wish to acknowledge other writers for their assidious and great workdone and for the support provided by Dr.John Williams of Portsmouth University. It is also our pledge to send our sincere gratitude for the University Liberians for their kind gesture and contributions towards and during the literature review session. 8. Reference Summary of reference; JOURNALS PLUS PDFs REPORTS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS : GOVERNMENT WEBSITES and ICE TWO BOOKS : Marion W. Jenkins and Beth Scott(2007). Behavioural indicators of household decision-making and demand for sanitation and potential gains from social marketing in Ghana. Journal of Social science and medicine,64(2007),2427-2442. Frederick Dubee (2008): Water Aid International-water Aids key facts statistics http://www.clubofrome.org/eng/meetings/winterthur_2008/presentations/Prof_Frederick_Dubee_Wateraid.pdf Christine L. Moe and Richard D. Rheingans (2006). Global challenges in water, sanitation and health. Journal of water and health Vol .04 DFID (2009) factsheets: water and sanitation //www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/mdg-factsheets/water-factsheet-2006.pdf Rebecca S. Et al(2003), Sanitation and the poor: WELL Resource centre Network for water sanitation and environment Health. www.Iboro.ac.uk/WELL Antonio E.(2005),World bank and universite libre de bruxelles: Draft working paper comments welcome. What do we know about sub-saharan africas infrastructure and the impact of its 1990,reform? Vol.4 William Easterly(2007)Global Economy and development working paper 14. How the Millennium Development Goals are unfair to Africa http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2007/11_poverty_easterly/11_poverty_easterly.pdf Mark Pearson,(2009)hlsp institute, technical report paper. Achieving the MDGs:at what cost? http://www.dfidhealthrc.org/what_new/macroecon_health_PearsonFeb09.pdf UNDP(2008).The Millennium Development Goals report: End poverty millennium development goals,make it happen.http://www.undp.org/publications/MDG_Report_2008_En.pdf Peter S.Heller(2005) IMF working paper WP/05/180. Pity the Finance minister issues in managing a substantial Scaling up of Aids Flows. www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2005/wp05180.pdf DESA,(2006).International symposium on international migration and development. Journal number UN/POP/MIG/SYMP/2006/04: International migration and the achievement of MDGs in Africa http://www.uneca.org/sdd/documents/P04_ECA.pdf IICD(2007) Ghana population. www.iicd.org/countries/ghana WEDC,(2004). WELL country note1.1. The poverty millennium development Goal:what water,sanitation and hygiene can do in Ghana. www.Iboro.ac.uk/well/resources/publications/country%20notes/CN1.%20ghana.htm Book: J.Edgardo Campos and Sanjay Pradhan(2007). The many faces of corruption tackling corruption in the water and sanitation sector in Africa-starting dialogue.publish 2007 by world bank. Osumanu Kanton,(2008). Environmental management vol.42 pages 102-110 published july 2008. By springer 233 spring st.New york, Ny10013 USA. Esmarie S.(2008). Africa falling behind UN millennium Goals-UN http://www.polity.org.za/article/africa-falling-behind-on-millennium-development-goals-un-2008-09-12 Dr.Jean et al(2006), powerpoint presentation. The effects of population growth on the achievement of the MDG on child mortality in Urban sub-saharan Africa. www.app-popdevrh.org.uk/publication%20hearings/evidence/jc%20fotso%20oral%20evidence%20paper.ppt Arne B.and Abebe S. (2006). Economic comission of Africa ,policies for growth and poverty reduction in africa:How to reach the Millennium Development Goals. http://www.uneca.org/prsp/cairo/documents/Theme1_Growth.pdf IWA(2008),Global:world water day messages predict MDG problems for Africa. http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=news133 George Essegbey et al (2007),Assessment of community water and sanitation in Ghana. ATPS Working paper series No.45. published by the aAfrican technology Policy studies network. http://www.atpsnet.org/pubs/workingpaper/Working%20Paper%20Series%2045.pdf Ljiljana and Ram(2006). Sustainable Development of water resources , water supply and environmental sanitation. Capacity needs to achieve the UN MDG target 10 in Asia http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/publications/pdfs/32/Rodic-Weirsma.pdf JMP (2008), Core questions on drinking water and sanitation for household surveys. http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/WHO_2008_Core_Questions.pdf D.P.Maguire(1990). Appropriate development for basic needs. Institution of Civil engineers published by thomas Telford 1991,london p.145water and sanitation Khatri K.B and Vairavamoorthy K. (2007), UNESCO-IHE institute for water education. Challenges for urban water supply and sanitation in the developing countries -Discussion Draft paper.Published in Delft Netherlands www.unescoihe.org/content/download/1016/11873/file/9.paper%20urbanisation%20kala% 20draft.pdf Emmanuel Ekow Asmah(2008). Assessing the links between energy services and the MDGs:Isa MAMs application for Ghana possible? An interim paper presented at the CSAE conference 2008 on Economic Development in Africa at St. Catherines College, Oxford. Trocaire(2005)Dublin. The MDGs:A critical discussion. Trocaire development review ,dublin 2005,pp.43-56 ISSN 0790-9403 http://www.nuigalway.ie/dern/documents/tdr_2005_mdg_a_critical_discussion.pdf UNDP(2007),Policy research brief. Privatising Basic utilities in sub-saharan Africa: The MDG impact. No.3 http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCPolicyResearchBrief3.pdf George Akosa(1995), Efficiency of water-supply and sanitation projects in Ghana. Journal of infrastructure systems vol. 1 paper No. 6118. USAID(2006). Making the case for U.S. International family planning assistance. The contribution of fulfilling the unmet need for family planning. http://www.jhsph.edu/gatesinstitute/_pdf/policy_practice/Papers/MakingtheCase.pdf Erica Usher(2005).The millennium Development Goals and Migration. International organisation for migration research series NO.20 http://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/published_docs/serial_publications/mrs20.pdf Jan vandemoortele (2002), Are the MDGs Feasible? United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Development Policy. http://www.socialwatch.org/en/acercaDe/beirut/documentos/VANDERMOORTELE.pdf UN(2007).UN news center, UN mark world water day with calls for integrated management of vital resource. http://www.un.org/apps/news/storyAr.asp?NewsID=21951Cr=waterCr1= WHO/UNICEF(2004).Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: A mid-term assessment of progress. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp04.pdf Khatri K.B. (2007) UNESCO-IHE institute for water Education. Challenges for urban water supply and sanitation in developing countries. Discussion draft paper. www.unesco-ihe.org/content/download/1016/11873/file/9.paper%20isation%20kala%20.pdf Health and Poverty All over the world, the cost of health care is usually quite high. Poor families have worse health conditions than those with higher incomes. Health is paramount for poor people and in most instances, their very environment is a threat to them. Improving environmental conditions including providing water, sanitation and solid waste management services is basic to the creation of sustainable livelihoods and the elimination of poverty. Water related diseases like guinea worm and trachoma still plague portions of West Africa. A person suffering from guinea worm looses a lot of productive farm time which reduces their income. Ghana is currently one of the leading guinea worm endemic countries in the world. Lack of political will biggest obstacle to improving sanitation – Secretary-General 22 March 2008 – A lack of political will remains the greatest obstacle to efforts to drastically reduce the number of people without access to basic sanitation and clean, running water, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on the international community to take firmer and faster steps to tackle the problem. If we take up the challenge, the positive impact will reverberate far beyond better access to clean water, Mr. Ban said in a message to mark World Water Day, which is celebrated today. This years Day also coincides with the International Year of Sanitation. Every dollar invested in water and sanitation yields an estimate seven dollars worth of productive activity. And that comes on top of the immeasurable gains in cutting poverty, improving health and raising living standards. The Secretary-General described it as unconscionable that a child dies on average every 20 seconds because of sub-standard sanitation conditions – a situation endured by an estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide, or more than a third of the global population – that are preventable. Poor sanitation combines with a lack of safe drinking water and inadequate hygiene to contribute to the terrible global death toll. Those who survive face diminished chances of living a healthy and productive existence. Children, especially girls, are forced to stay out of school, while hygiene-related diseases keep adults from engaging in productive work. Halving the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) devised at a global leaders summit in 2000, but the world is far behind the pace to achieve that by the target date of 2015, Mr. Ban said. Experts predict that by 2015, 2.1 billion people will still lack basic sanitation. At the present rate, sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the target until 2076. This years World Water Day also coincides with the International Year of Sanitation. Population growth, widespread poverty and insufficient investment are among the key obstacles, but the Secretary-General noted that the biggest culprit is the lack of political will. Events are being held around the world this weekend to highlight World Water Day, including the staging of a public toilet queue demonstration to raise awareness about the sanitation crisis around the globe. A similar event was held in New Yorks Central Park on Thursday. Wold bank graphic showing the failure of Africa to meet the MDGs.

I Have the Moral Character to be a Teacher :: Teaching Education Essays

I Have the Moral Character to be a Teacher I was inspired to become a teacher for many reasons. Teaching will be a self-fulfilling career. It would give me the opportunity to help my community and have a moral and ethical impact on the students of this area. Also, I desire to be with my children as much as possible, and a teaching profession fits that mold. A teaching profession would be rewarding because it would allow me to fulfill many personal goals, including working with the youth of the area and spending time with my family. For many years I have volunteered with the Boys Scouts of America. Doing this is one of my passions, but recent jobs I have had did not allowed much time for volunteering. A teacher’s schedule would allow me to be able to serve this organization by volunteering as an Aquatics Instructor, teaching life-saving skills. My other passion is my family. Spending time with my children is the best way to create life-long memories. However, it is difficult to spend time with my family and scho ol-age children when our schedules are not alike. As a teacher, I would be able to spend more quality time with my children and help them after school with homework. In addition to meeting these personal goals, teaching would allow me to reach out to area students and help them build character and acquire knowledge. The classroom is a complex society. In each room, there must be an atmosphere in which students of all backgrounds can learn. By being a constructivist one can combine the elements of essentialism, progressivism, behaviorism, perennialism, and existentialism to form a successful teaching philosophy and therefore a successful classroom. Below, I will discuss how these ideas can be combined for success. As essentialism states, the teacher needs to have control in the instruction of the classroom. Lecturing and supervising the improvement of skills are great ways to teach materials. A case in point here shows one of the teaching fundamentals, of the core subjects reading, writing, math, and nature sciences. This give s you the intellectual discipline to solve problems that involve complex ideas. In progressivism, students have more of a democratic voice in the learning process. Although the teacher will be the facilitator of the process, by using a cooperative learning activity the students are designing there own education and are guided in a direction by the teacher.

European Union Essay

During the 20th century, many different views arose concerning the unification of a previously divided Europe. Opinions varied depending on the individuals country and heritage, but largely because unification could improve conditions in some countries, while jeopardizing the conditions in others. Those in favor of a unified Europe usually had something to gain from it, while those who were against it had something to lose. Many countries were tired after WW1 and WW2, and interested in finding a possible source of peace. As Konrad Adenaver states â€Å"Nations cannot continue to live exclusively according to their own desires and inclinations. â€Å"(Doc 6). The ideas of new imperialism and nationalism were being replaced with ideas of peace and unification. In this hope for new found peace , countries such as France, Germany, and many other countries became involved in the European Economic Community(EEC). Sir Winston Churchill wished to be more like the U. S, and to form a council of Europe. (Doc1) Being the former Prime minister Britain, he might want this due to Britain ties and respect for the U. S. Not everyone shared this respect for the U. S, as shown in a Soviet Newspaper, a cartoon of a greedy American destroying Sovereignty of West European Countries. (Doc 4) Spain seemed to also have some hesitation in the idea of a unified Europe. The prime minister of Spain, Felipe Gonzalez, states â€Å"NATO membership and joining the European Community mean the end of the traditional isolation of span. † (Doc 11) Since the U. S was the creator of NATO, Spain might have some hostility towards America for being left out of NATO, while Russians may have hostility left over from the cold war. France seemed to be a bit irritated with the fact that Britain â€Å"first refused to participate and even took a hostile attitude, as if the EEC were a economic and political threat. â€Å"(Doc 8) These words, spoken by the President of France Charles de Gaulle, summed up the attitude of many French. He also claimed Britain had too many ties to America to be fully committed to a Europe Union. Harold Macmillan, the British finance minister claimed that joining the EEC would â€Å"collapse our system of favoring rade with the British common wealth. â€Å"(Doc 7) Britain did want unity but it also needed to do what would be best for the country individually, as summed up in the words of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, â€Å"We want to see Europe more united and with a greater sense of common purpose, but it must be in a way which preserves the different traditions, etc. â€Å"(Doc12) Britain was still a big powerful country, and did not necessarily benefit from the uni ty as much as smaller countries would. Italy Prime Minister Jack Lynch declares his commitment to EEC, saying â€Å"We would naturally be interested in the defense of the territories embrace by that community†(Doc 10) Although there were many different reasons why countries would want a united Europe, it did end up happening. Although there was still some suspicion as Duncan Sandys stated (speaking of Charles de Gaulle) â€Å"Were gravely suspicious of the policy of American and British governments,†(Doc 2) a European Union was formed. The United States did, and still does, have a strong influence over Europe, but Europe’s unification makes it more powerful force as well.

The Value of Self-Reflection for Success in Teaching

The Value of Self-Reflection for Success in Teaching In a profession as challenging as teaching, honest self-reflection is key. That means that we must regularly examine what has worked and what hasnt worked in the classroom, despite how painful it can sometimes be to look in the mirror. Once you self-reflect you then need to take your answers and turn them into positive, resolute statements that give you concrete goals on which to focus immediately. Be honest, work hard, and watch your teaching transform for the better! Ask Yourself These Tough Questions - And Be Honest! Where did I fail as a teacher in the past? Where did I succeed?What is my top teaching goal for the coming year?What can I do to make my teaching more fun while adding to my students learning and enjoyment?What can I do to be more proactive in my professional development?What resentments do I need to resolve in order to move forward more optimistically and with a fresh mind?What types of students do I tend to ignore or do I need to spend more time serving?Which lessons or units am I only continuing to perform out of habit or laziness?Am I being a cooperative member of my grade level team?Are there any aspects of the profession that I am ignoring out of fear of change or lack of knowledge? (i.e. technology)How can I increase valuable parental involvement?Have I done enough to foster a productive relationship with my administrator?Do I still enjoy teaching? If not, what can I do to increase my enjoyment in my chosen profession?Do I bring additional stress upon myself? If so, how can I decrease or eliminate it? How have my beliefs about learning and pedagogy changed over the years?What minor and/or major changes can I make to my academic program in order to directly increase my students learning? What Happens If You Refuse to Self-Reflect Put earnest effort and pure intention into your self-reflection. You dont want to be one of those stagnant teachers that drably presents the same ineffective and outdated lessons year after year. The unexamined teaching career can lead to becoming just a glorified babysitter, stuck in a rut and no longer enjoying your job! Times change, perspectives change, and you must change in order to adapt and remain relevant in the ever-changing world of education. Often its difficult to get motivated to change when you have tenure and cant be fired but thats precisely why you must undertake this effort on your own. Think about it while youre driving or doing the dishes. It doesnt matter where you self-reflect, only that you do it earnestly and energetically. Examine Your Teaching - Any Time of Year One of the best things about teaching is that every school year offers a fresh start. Make the most of this new beginning - any time of year! - and move ahead with the confidence that you are mindful and motivated to be the best teacher you can be! Edited By: Janelle Cox

The Murderous Cult of Roman Diana and Her Sword-Wielding Priests

The Murderous Cult of Roman Diana and Her Sword-Wielding Priests In the US, the President has to retire after eight years in office, but at least they get to live after their second terms as President. Some of the ancient Romans werent so lucky. In order to become the new priest of the Italian sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis (Diana of Nemi), the incoming priest had to murder his predecessor to get the job! Although the shrine was  located in a sacred grove and near a gorgeous lake, so applications for the position must have been through the roof... Priestly Problems So whats the deal with this sacerdotal situation? According to Strabo, Artemiss worship at the grove of Nemi - included a barbaric ...  element. The priestly turnover was quite graphic, for, as Strabo recounts, the priest had to be a runaway slave who killed the man previously consecrated to that office. As a result, the reigning priest (dubbed the Rex Nemorensis, or King of the Grove at Nemi) always carried a sword to protect  himself against murderous interlopers. Suetonius concurs in his  Life of Caligula.  Apparently, the ruler of Rome didnt have enough to occupy his twisted mind during his own reign, so he meddled in religious rites...Supposedly, Caligula got fed up with the fact that the current Rex Nemorensis had lived for so long, so the dastardly emperor hired a stronger adversary to attack him. Really, Caligula? Ancient Origins and Mythical Men Where did this odd ritual come from? Pausanias states that when Theseus killed his son, Hippolytus - whom he believed to have seduced Theseuss own wife, Phaedra - the kid  didnt actually die. In fact,  Asclepius, god of medicine, resurrected the prince. Understandably, Hippolytus didnt forgive his father and the last thing he wanted was to stay in his native Athens, so he  traveled to Italy, where he set up a sanctuary to his patron goddess, Artemis/Diana. There, he set up a  contest for runaway slaves to become the temples priest, in which they fought to the death for the honor. But according to  the late  antique author Servius, who wrote commentaries on major  epic texts, the Greek hero Orestes had the honor of founding the ritual at Nemi. He rescued his sister, Iphigenia, from the sanctuary of Diana at Tauris; there, Iphigenia sacrificed all strangers to the goddess, as recounted in Euripidess tragedy  Iphigenia in Tauris.   Servius claims that Orestes saved Iphigenia by killing Thoas, king of the Taurians, and stole the sacred image of Diana from her sanctuary there; he brought the statue and the princess back home with him. He stopped in Italy - at Aricia, near Nemi - and set up a new cult of Diana.   At this new sanctuary, the ruling priest wasnt allowed to kill all strangers, but there was a special tree, from which a branch could not be broken. If someone  did  snap a branch, they had the option to do battle with the runaway slave-turned-priest of Diana. The priest was a fugitive slave because his journey symbolized Orestess flight westwards, says Servius. This ritual, then, was Virgils source of material for the legends about the area where Aeneas stopped off in the  Aeneid  to find a magical plant and enter the Underworld.  Sadly for these entertaining tales, neither probably had anything to do with the ritual at Nemi. Issues of Interpretation Aeneas and the slave-priests came up again in modern studies of religion. Ever heard of anthropologist James Frazers seminal work The  Golden Bough? He theorized that Nemi was the spot where Aeneas went to Hades, as Servius suggested. The sacred sparkly in the title refers to a bough, golden leaf and pliant stem Aeneas had to grab in Book VI of the Aeneid  in order to descend to  the Underworld. But Serviuss own claims were spurious at best! This odd interpretation has a long history -  well-chronicled  by Jonathan Z. Smith and Anthony Ossa-Richardson.  Frazer took these ideas and claimed that used the slaying-of-the-priest as a lens through which he examined world mythology. His  thesis - that the symbolic death and resurrection of a mythical figure was the focus of fertility cults across the world - was an interesting one. This idea didnt hold much water, but that  theory of comparative mythology informed the works many historians and anthropologists, including the famous Robert Graves in his  White Goddess  and  Greek Myths, for decades ... until scholars realized Frazer was wrong.

The Printmaker and Painter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Printmaker and Painter - Essay Example Studying printmaking enabled him to communicate his artistic notions. He is particularly fond of printmaking as it can be extremely spontaneous and complex; in addition, the combinations and methodologies offered in printmaking lead to endless opportunities. His work stands out as it appears as contemporary as graffiti, although the roots of printmaking can be traced back to the Middle Ages. For him, content is the determinant of the materials and printmaking methodologies that he employs, in the endeavor to push the simple art of printmaking to its limits. He has a deep-seated desire to explore various components of printmaking and draws inspiration from the work of Sean Hillen, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Rene Magritte. Printmaking is an unpredictable art technique as printmakers themselves are not sure of the image until the paper is revealed. More specifically, he utilizes etching to communicate his thoughts and notions. His prints are intricate and fu ll of technical details, perhaps as a response to the evolving and chaotic world around us. These prints are a reflection of his sentimental reaction to the passing of time and experiences. The artist uses biomorphic and geometric images to explore the limitations imposed by time and space and their impact on humans. These portray notions, emotions and various points in time. He follows no sequential order but instead manipulates materials and etching techniques to reproduce feelings. He is of the opinion that humans should not only view themselves as people but also need to consider themselves at various points of time and events. ‘A story of/for M’ has been inspired from the childhood tales narrated by his Russian grandmother, Marina.  Ã‚  

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Research Paper

Analysis of Professional Development Plan - Research Paper Example This paper entails a critical analysis of professional development plan being followed by Jamestown Public School and its detailed comparison with plans developed by other few district schools. Critical evaluation This plan is intended to generate certain planned outcomes such as assisting students in making radical progress in yearly academic curriculums and triggering improvements in students’ reading and mathematical abilities. This in turn shall be influenced by enhancing skills and knowledge of teachers and nurturing them personally and professionally. Thus, the district uses extensive amount of data, collected from several assessment tests taken by students, to evaluate achievements of students, and utilizes information pertaining to teachers, collected through different surveying tools, to identify their needs for professional training and continuing education. These collection methods are very effective as this vital information is helpful in shaping objectives of the plan. One of the essential achievements of this plan is the participation of the entire faculty members in training sessions that enable them to develop coaching and mentoring tactics. This plan is also fruitful as it lays great emphasis on integrating technology into teaching methods so that the tutors stay updated with the latest technologies being globally adopted in educational fields. This plan covers a timeline of one complete year and schedules various constructive activities for teachers’ continuous development including training sessions on instructional techniques and workshops on best global practices. It is mandatory for all teachers to establish atleast one professional goal per annum that they shall achieve during the year. The district has allocated 5 days per year per certified teacher for professional development sessions, which seems inadequate for covering all aspects of development including reading, mathematics and technology. Financial aid for the plan s tems from three different sources including Federal Title IA, Title IIA and general funding. District hires various mentors and specialists to conduct workshops sessions and train teachers on modern teaching methodologies. A very useful scheme has been recently launched by the district whereby teachers have opportunities to spend one complete year with the specialized mentors to grow professionally. The plan, on the whole, is highly effective as it presents some valuable goals and strategies (North Dakota Professional Development Plan, 2013). Comparative analysis We also consider another development prepared by Maryland State Board of Education which primarily focuses on enhancing students’ learning, fulfilling teachers’ needs and complying with Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards. Although, the objectives are similar to Jamestown’s, this plan highlights a pivotal point that the trainings must be tailored according to differing needs and intellec tual levels of teachers. A generalized training session becomes source of demoralization, frustration and wastage of resources as in the case of Jamestown. This plan emphasizes on developing analytical skills of teachers rather than instructional and communication proficiencies. While North Dakota has to offer a highly effective mentoring program for its teachers, Maryland only has generally accepted standards to follow and a state-approved curriculum that could be voluntarily