Essay depends on "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere"

Depends on "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" - Essay Example Packer’s characters also learned to change their perceptions in relation to the people and the world with those experiences. The theme of loss of innocence indicates how the increase in knowledge about the world impacts the character and his/her personality. Packer has used Loss of innocence as the central theme in her short stories ‘Brownies’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’. This paper will analyze how the author has characterized loss of innocence in these stories to influence the readers. The selected two stories based on loss of innocence are ‘Brownies’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’. In ‘Brownies’, the author wants to show that anger and hatred that developed in the black and white races had no origin rather each of them did not even know why they hate others. They just show to the world what they see, observe and experience. In the story ‘Speaking in Tongues’, the author has shown how the main character lost her innocence due to pressurized sexual experience at a very young age. ZZ Packer projected loss of innocence in her stories as a transition from childhood to adulthood without any relation to gender, religion or culture. ‘Brownies’ is a story focusing on racial segregation and prejudice that existed between white and black Americans. The author showed that the girls in both troops were innocent but when they watched the behaviors of others around them their perception changed, and that’s where the loss of innocence is applied in the story. The black girls’ troop identified that the white girls’ troop called them names based on racism. The author showed in her text that the white girls did not even know why they hate the black girls or abuse them. It was rather their surrounding that made them think negative and misbehave with the black Americans. Similarly, the black girls found out that the troop of white girls also consisted of some ‘delayed learners’ who were

John Locke on Tacit and Unintended Consent Essay Example for Free

John Locke on Tacit and Unintended Consent Essay In his Second Treatise on Law and Government, John Locke outlines clear and coherent standards for what constitutes a legitimate government and what persons one such government would have authority over. Both are determined by citizens acts of consenting to relinquish to the government part of their natural authority over their own conduct. Unfortunately, the situation becomes much less clear once we consider how his standards would apply to the political situation existing in the real world today. If we continue to subscribe to Lockes account without altering its standards, we would see a precipitous drop in the number of people whose interests existing governments are responsible for serving. In this paper I will show that with certain changes and clarifications to Lockes standards, the responsibilities of existing governments need not be allowed to shrink so drastically. This creates a tradeoff, however. Changing the standards to apply more closely to actual functioning governments has the consequence of making it more difficult to determine the legitimacy of those governments. Some of the clarity of Lockes theoretical model is lost in translating it to apply to actual instances of government. A cornerstone of Lockes political philosophy is the idea that a government holds power legitimately only through the consent of the governed. A civil society consents to grant a particular government rule over it, and each person chooses on an individual basis to become a member of a particular civil society (II, 117). As giving such consent has far-reaching consequences over a persons life, Locke provides further explanation of what consent entails in this context. Only one way exists to become a member of a civil society: express consent. From Lockes account this would have to be a fairly formal business, which the individual enters by positive Engagement, and express Promise and Compact (II, 122). Lockes original wording is important because it seems to imply that unless a person actually makes a public agreement to submit to government law in return for protection of person, liberty, and property, she has not expressly consented. He makes it clear that there are no alternatives to this official process if one is to become part of a civil society, (II, 122). Even if one is not considered part of a particular civil society, she must submit to its authority to the extent of her involvement in that society. Someone who owns land within the territory occupied by a civil society is obligated to obey the law of whatever body has ruling authority in that territory as it applies to ownership and use of property. Someone merely travelling on a public road through a country will have less contact with the civil society of that area and so fewer laws of that society will have application to her behavior. Still, those laws that do cover what activities she carries out have binding force on her (II, 120-121). These people incur the obligation to submit to local authority because that authority is protecting them, perhaps by preventing the citizens of the area from acting in ways that would harm other people including the outsider. For the outsider to be free of those restraints and take advantage of the areas citizens would be unjust; therefore she is obligated to comply with the legal restraints observed by citizens the area. In neither of these cases would the person in question be considered a member of the civil society whose laws she is obeying unless she expressly consented to join that society in addition to her tacit consent to follow its laws. An immediate criticism of Lockes account thus far is that in practice, hardly anyone expressly gives consent to join any civil society. Even in most real-world cases where a person does announce submission to a particular government, the declaration would not meet Lockes conditions of consent that would give legitimacy to the rule of government over that person. Oaths such as the U. S. Pledge of Allegiance are usually only indications that the speaker is prepared to obey directives from the government of a particular state. Consent in the strict sense would have to make explicit what the person is consenting to. Someone joining a civil society under Lockes conception would need to spell out that she is giving up the right to make and enforce her own judgments to the government of that society, in return for that governments protection of her interests. Even promises of blind obedience are far from universally practiced, and in most countries are the practice of reciting such pledges is confined to schools and youth groups as a form of education rather than contractual agreement. (The idea that most civil societies do not consider young people mature enough to consent to become members is discussed later in this paper). Explicit contractual consent is far rarer than these questionably binding declarations. If most people fail to give explicit consent to trade away some of their natural rights, under Lockes terms they have not joined any civil society, and so should not be counted as the citizens of any state or the subjects of any government. This has profound significance because of the relation between civil society and government. The agreement of a civil society is the force and justification behind its governments authority (II, 149); in return for the mandate that grants it power, the government exists to protect the interests of that particular group of people. Anyone not the member of a particular civil society has no legitimate voice in the form or operation of the government that society creates, and she has no right to expect that government to protect her interests. This does not mean that the government will not take any actions that are to her benefit; the laws of that nation which prevent its citizens from killing and robbing may also prevent them from killing or robbing her. When the government enacts laws, however, it need only do so with the interests of its constituency in mind, and has no obligation to create laws conducive to the interests of an outsider. Any benefits the outsider enjoys as a result of the laws of a particular country are purely coincidental to those laws intent. Someone who is not a member of any civil society at all will accordingly have no power over any government, and her interests will deserve the consideration of no government. Since the vast majority of people have not given express consent to join a particular society, the majority of humanity has no right to expect its interests to be served or protected by any of the governments existing on earth. Everyone, however, is required to submit to the control of one government or another depending of where they live, since basically every part of the earth inhabited by humans is under the dominion of one state or another. Rule is solely in the hands of those few people who have actually signed some kind of formal social contract, and needs only to consider their interests. Any government with which no living person has made a formal consent agreement rules illegitimately. The fact that Lockes model leads to an implication that most of humanity is neither the legitimate authors nor the deserving beneficiaries of government does not prove the model is logically flawed. However, the very great majority of people consider themselves members of a civil society, and are considered as such by other people and, most importantly, by governments. However real governments define their constituency, few if any set express consent as the standard. Enslavement of the tacitly consenting masses by the expressly contracted few thus fails to provide an accurate theoretical model of governmental institutions in the real world. Locke himself describes of the formation of government as an action taken by and for the community (II, 149); this wording suggests that he would have disagreed with the idea that citizenship by express consent leading to dictatorship by a de facto minority is, in practice, the most typical form of legitimate government. It is possible that those without citizenship (the majority of people under our present definition) actually benefit by not being contractually bound to any particular civil society. As long as someone who is not an official citizen resides within the territory of an existing government which fulfills the duties expected of government (II, 131), its laws discourage both citizens of the civil society and other outsiders from threatening her life, liberty, and property. Thus someone could enjoy much of the security that membership in a civil society would provide simply by living in a well-governed area without joining in civil society. In PHI 309 lecture, Prof. Sreenivasan pointed out a possible advantage that such a living arrangement could provide for the unaffiliated: in cases where it was in ones best interests to abandon a country beset by war, pestilence, or economic or other disaster, noncitizens could jump ship without that act being considered an injustice. Those who had by express consent tied themselves to the civil society might well be obligated to remain with the community, and would not have the option of fleeing the war or hardship. Yet in most of the world, nomadic living is considered the exception, not the rule. Citizens of the worlds various nations must be considering factors not included in Lockes account. One of the most significant of these is a convention that has introduced a new kind of consent enabling people to become citizens of particular states. Most civil societies have found it desirable to designate officially who is a member of that society, i. e. a member of that state. As a governments power depends on its constituency, government function is expedited by the governments having accurate knowledge of the extent of its power base, that is to say the extent of its citizenry. At the same time, concern for its own integrity and distrust of outsiders drives a civil society to delineate who is and is not a member. These and perhaps other factors have led to the creation of conventions (usually expressed as laws passed by governments) by which a person is declared to be a member of a particular civil society (i. e. citizen of a country) regardless of whether or not that person has actually expressed consent to what such membership entails. The most typical example is a law declaring that anyone born in the territory of a particular nation is a citizen of that nation. When still a juvenile, that person of course has not actively consented to anything, and so is usually considered not complete member of civil society; although part of a community, the juvenile generally lacks certain rights and powers given to full members of the society. Upon reaching the age when she can make her own decisions, laws indicate what society the person is considered a member of in the absence of active consent by that person. The person continues to hold that default membership until she makes an active decision to join another civil society. The conventional reflection of this active decision is generally a naturalization process by which someone can become a citizen of a country she did not belong to by default. By going through the naturalization process, a person is understood to consent to the tradeoff which would make her a member of that civil society. It could be objected that being considered the member of a civil society by default is another matter entirely from consenting to join that society and willingly relinquish ones rights. Where is the consent in this instance? This question is less troubling before the person has come of age, because most would agree that a juvenile generally lacks the judgment to be signing any kind of binding social contract. But can a government legitimately assert that a person has consented to cede her rights to it simply because she has not actively protested? This question could be answered affirmatively. A person can choose not to consent to membership in her default civil society, or give up her membership in a civil society she already belongs to, by joining another civil society through a more active process such as naturalization. This means that if she does not take such an action, she is accepting the convention that interprets her inaction as an expression of consent to join the civil society she was assigned to by default. By systematizing and codifying standards for consent, then, states in actual practice ensure that the great majority of people are not lone agents. One might still question how conscious most people are that they are held to be making this sort of contract, even in the most open societies. A case can be made that essentially, they are aware. No one is unaware of what society she belongs to. Each person is effectively the member of whatever civil society exerts control over her, usually through its government. As soon as that person is conscious of the control being exerted over her, she is made unmistakably aware of what her citizenship is. With the realization of what government she is under comes the option to change her membership. The final and most damaging criticism of the consent model is the question of what happens when a person does not have the option to move to a new territory and join a new civil society. This may occur because of a persons own lack of means to carry out or simple ignorance of the options ostensibly available to her. It may also be the result of oppression by the government, preventing citizens of the country from leaving. Any of these conditions can force a person to remain an official member of a particular civil society. However, the standard of conventionalized explicit consent introduced above is only able to maintain that most people consent to join a civil society because it assumes those people have options besides their initial citizenship. If people are not being given other options, the model is still not logically flawed. Rather, it suggests a situation similar to that originally introduced as the consequence of applying Lockes model to the real world: the people in such situations are not really part of the civil society that created the government to whose control they are forced to submit. As such, they retain undiminished the right to join another civil society through a new social contract. If they do so, they may create a new government to follow instead of the one they currently submit to by tacit consent. Of course, there is no guarantee that the government ruling them in the status quo will allow them to replace its control. If it retains control over them by force, Lockes model would still hold them to be tacitly consenting to its authority by enjoyment of its dominion. This counterintuitive conclusion is avoided by the model requiring choice for real consent. If we follow that paradigm, we come to the conclusion that the government is ruling without any consent from the governed in those cases. According to Locke, such government is mere enslavement and so is illegitimate. To say that a government is wholly illegitimate if it hold power over even one person without her consent is clearly excessive; probably no government could ever achieve legitimacy under that criterion. However, we can say that a government is legitimate to the extent that its citizens are aware of other options and consider membership in their current civil society with its ruling government preferable to those options. The problem with such a standard is that it depends on what is thought by the citizens of a country, and to ascertain a persons mentality is difficult. The most reliable test is to provide citizens with realistic options and observe whether they remain with the status quo or seek a change in their situation. That change may involve leaving their current civil society, or it may mean seeking to change the structure or behavior of that societys government. The countrys citizens can be said to consent to the government ruling them to the extent that they posses the power to change their situation, but still maintain the status quo. Thus, the legitimacy of a government can be measured by the effective options available to its citizens. If we had held to Lockes standards for consent to membership in a civil society and submission to government rule, we would have concluded that most people in the world are tacitly consenting to the rule of governments created by very small groups of explicit signers of social contracts. This would lead to a bizarre picture of the political landscape very much at odds with intuition and with modern reality. By changing standards for consent to mean compliance with official requirements for citizenship when other options are available, we are able to account for those who consider themselves and are considered members of a civil society without having given explicit consent, while at the same time freeing those not given a choice from the appearance of having given consent. A government is then legitimate to the extent that its citizens have given consent according to these standards. It is one of those rare examples where laws have made the situation clearer. Sources: Locke, John. Second Treatise. From Two Treatises of Government, Laslett, Peter, ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Port of Ostia During a Tempest by Leonardo Carlo Coccorante Essay examp

As I stood staring at the beautifully detailed oil-on-canvas painting, my mind began racing, conjuring up random stories behind all the people, the place, and the weather in this painting. This painting, titled Port of Ostia During a Tempest by Leonardo Carlo Coccorante, is nothing more than just a story portrayed on a canvas and its words, the oils, are scattered all over it, depicting a story about a populous port going through some horrible weather and the people experiencing it first-hand. The interactions between the people are perfectly portrayed and from each one a different story can be contrived—each sharing the subject of the brutal weather. The amount of detail in this scenic painting is overwhelming; thus, countless thoughts rush the mind when carefully studying every little section of this painting. One basic point that I dwelled on while studying the painting was the lighting and the way Coccorante seemed to separate the painting in half with the contrasting dark and light. The dark half shows two suffering boats out at sea being caught up in the tempest, while the lighter side shows the caravans of people that have made it out alive onto the shore and rocks. As for the people caught in the middle of the light and dark, they are seen trying to make their way off the boat and it appears as if they’re trying to step into the light and away from the dark. One can deduce that the ship in the middle has recently harbored next to the rock site since the majority of the people in the painting can be found atop the rocks; the impressions of relief on their faces point to the idea that they have just finished unloading themselves from the docked ship and have found safety among these rocks. On the other hand, the paintin... ...ifferent times of observation. It just goes to show you that according to Hume and psychological topics (mostly relating to the cerebral cortex) the old saying, â€Å"we begin by being foolish and we become wise by experience", can be directly related to life and to our pursuit of knowledge. Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. 14. . Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. 2003. Project Gutenberg. 27 Sept. 2006 . Instituto De Fisiologia Celular. "A Close Look to the Cerebral Cortex." About.Com. 28 Sept. 2006 . Wikipedia. "Malcolm Gladwell." Wikipedia.Org. 19 Sept. 2006. 28 Sept. 2006

Irony in Antigone: King Creon Essay

In the tragedy Antigone, Sophocles pens a tale about a stalwart and distrustful king, Creon, and his misuse of the power he possesses. In the play he disregards the law of the gods to fit his whims, something that the heroine of the play, Antigone, wholeheartedly disagrees with; she disobeys his order to leave her dead brother, Polynices, unburied and sentences herself to death in the process. Antigone is engaged to Creon’s son, Haemon, who does not agree with his father’s actions in regard to the burial of Antigone’s traitorous brother. The disagreement between father and son leads to Haemon’s suicide; ironically, Creon thinks it is his life that will be taken and not his son’s. Creon and Haemon argue about Antigone’s impending fate; their disagreement on the subject prompts a threat from Haemon: â€Å"No. Don’t ever hope for that. She’ll not die with me just standing there. And as for you— your eyes will never see my face again. So let your rage charge on among your friends Who want to stand by you in this (870-875)  Haemon declares that Antigone will not die without reaction from himself; Creon will never see Haemon again because if Antigone is killed Haemon plans to join her in death: by his own hand. Haemon then says that Creon’s rage will force Haemon’s own hand to do something that Creon will regret. Creon does not understand that Haemon is threatening his own life; instead, he believes that his own life is being threatened, and his reactions to Haemon ’s words are lined with fear, ignorance, and irony. The irony of the situation is that Creon is so blinded by his own ego that he thinks his own life is in danger, when it is actually his son’s that is. Creon only realizes the error of his assumptions and actions after Haemon commits suicide. More irony arises with the death of Haemon; he has joined Antigone in death to have what Creon denied them while living: each other. At the close of the play Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, have all committed suicide because of Creon’s actions. Creon is suspicious through the entire play; in the beginning he accuses Antigone and Ismene of plotting to steal his throne, saying: â€Å"You there—you snake lurking in my house, sucking out my life’s blood so secretly. I’d no idea I was nurturing two pests, who aimed to rise against my throne. Come here. (607-610)† These words are directed towards Ismene more so than Antigone because Creon already suspects her of wrongdoing. He is surprised to see Ismene lurking in the shadows as she eavesdrops on the judgment of Antigone; upon seeing Ismene, Creon is convinced that she has conspired with Antigone to steal his life and throne. In short, he is aware of one pest, Antigone, but does not consider Ismene as a pest until she is discovered eavesdropping. After Ismene is discovered Creon calls her over to be judged alongside Antigone. This is the first sign of Creon’s extreme suspicion that the reader sees; not only does he accuse Antigone and Ismene of conspiring to steal his kingship, but he accuses them of trying to take his life as well. Creon’s suspicion of his impending death is ironic because at the end of the play both Antigone and Haemon take their own lives instead of Creon’s. Creon does not realize the damage he has caused until it is too late to fix; the time for rectification of the situation has passed and he feels deep anguish at the loss of his son. He never imagines that Haemon spoke of killing himself when they had their exchange of words earlier in the play; when next to Haemon’s corpse Creon says: Aaiii—mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death. You see us here, all in one family— the killer and the killed. Oh the profanity of what I planned. Alas, my son, you died so young—a death before your time. Aaiii . . . aaiii . . . ou’re dead . . . gone—not your own foolishness but mine. (1406-1414) Creon explains with grief that he now realizes his actions caused the death of Haemon; his mistakes are cruel and Haemon is gone not of his own foolishness, but of Creon’s. Further irony shows after Creon discovers that his wife, Eurydice, is also dead; he asks for death by double-edged sword, when earlier he was extremely fearful about his own death and vehement about not dying. He says, â€Å" Aaaii . . . My fear now makes me tremble. Why won’t someone now strike out at me, pierce my heart with a double bladed sword?  How miserable I am . . . aaiii . . . how full of misery and pain . . . (1453-1457). † Creon begs for the death that he is unreasonably obsessed with earlier in the play; it takes the fulfillment of Haemon’s threats to make Creon seek death, and is most definitely ironic in comparison to his attitude towards death earlier in the play. Ironically, Creon now feels the misery of Antigone and Haemon, which he caused; he pierces each of their hearts respectively when he denies Antigone proper burial of her brother, Polynices, and when he denies Haemon his bride, Antigone. Creon’s final words are: Then take this foolish man away from here. I killed you, my son, without intending to, and you, as well, my wife. How useless I am, I don’t know where to look or find support. Everything I touch goes wrong, and on my head fate climbs up with its overwhelming load. (1485-1490) Once filled with immense confidence and arrogance, Creon now feels helpless and useless; ironically, he feels hopeless and distraught not because of anyone trying to steal his power or take his life, but because of his own distrustful actions and ignorant thoughts that cause his world to unravel before his very eyes.

Developmental Assets in Education

The rate of growing awareness and evident usefulness of the developmental assets leaves the thinking human with only one option, to explore it. This piece tries to select from the forty listed three, which include: Caring School Climate, School Engagement and Achievement Motivation. Most of these pose as a form of indirect though highly effective helping. According to Dewey and Tufts (1908, 390), the best kind of help to others, whenever possible, is indirect, and consists in such modifications of the conditions of life, of the general level of subsistence, as enables them independently to help themselves. Most of these assets empower people to help themselves. We will carefully throw more light on these in this informative essay.Caring School Climate — The School makes a caring and encouraging learning and playing environment available. An atmosphere that considers others above oneself, where each person takes responsibility for the good of others, reduces emotional clutters as it fosters free flow of constructive positive emotion. This asset is needed by both pupils and teachers because it builds a climate of trust, which serves as the foundation of good leadership. The essence of a good learning environment, however, is making useful contribution to society.Education derives its full meaning when we are able to give of the much we have received back to others to make living easier thereby. A caring school climate is a potent tool that fosters sharing and good nurturing while scripting good habits into the being of all the people immersed in such a culture. It provides forgiving and giving to pupils and teachers alike, which is at the core of all form of significant lifestyle.Lack of self-esteem is a product of learned helplessness. Introduction of a caring school climate will help build the proper estimation in pupils of themselves thereby curbing the occurrence of harmful practices.The school can commit to building this caring climate by nurturing a culture that recognizes people on assembly grounds and in public places by their names and praises pupils’ positive performance. Treat the negative practices as non existent and speak highly of the positive ones. These will give rise to more of what is verbalized.School Engagement — The School engages each young person actively in the endeavor to pass across knowledge. This often requires a deliberate exerting of influence. David Korten (1983, 220) terms it the â€Å"central paradox of social development: the need to exert influence over people for the purpose of building their capacity to control their own lives.† The art of learning involves moving from the known familiar terrain to the unknown remote knowledge issues. In the bid to bridge the gap, the school makes use of varying useful alternatives that make use of the human input zones i.e. the five senses.The more actively information is passed across through multiple channels the better for the learning pu pils. Some students learn better through what they see while many others through their experiences. The more options a teacher engages in actively passing across message in creative ways the more the likelihood of delivering information in sustainable excellent ways. Schools should make use of words, pictures, videos, texts and animations in passing across knowledge to her pupils. Since the whole essence of learning is understanding school teachers need to be more focused on creative techniques that actively engage the mind of the concerned pupils. Active learning holds the human attention span for longer periods.A risk factor that could be strengthened is the encouragement of secrecy. Ill behavioral patterns grow in secrecy. Should a school encourage proper engagement of each pupil, openness will be fostered as each student gains the confidence to share their heart burdens with others who are ready to help. Education is a total sum that must not be isolated.A useful activity that w ill promote the school engagement is the introduction of instructive games in the explanation of complex course modules. This may be a little tough but will help a lot of pupils see the fun side of learning as they reach new levels of understanding thereby.Achievement Motivation — Schools will need to help their pupils create and meet goals that give them a sense of fulfillment on realization. The use of class positions is not entirely bad in itself; however, some more motivations need to be built into the learning system. Learning ought to be fun and that all the time. It will be observed that young people in the kindergarten enjoy learning more than those in the higher classes. This could be traced to the fact that they look forward to the fun of learning as each day approaches. Simple gift items and awards could be introduced to the normal school systems.This, where used, makes learning worth the effort to those who receive them and others who yearn to have such. The direc tion of learning also should be made to traverse the major life skills, not just academics, so as to enhance robust success. Schools need to introduce rewards first on a general level and then for special performances and behavioral patterns. The general reaffirms the confidence of each pupil, while the special places demand on their ability development. Rewarding good behavior will likely promote more of its occurrences.Students who under-perform do so primarily because of their levels of confidence. Pupils need to be helped to believe in themselves when it relates to learning new things. Helping students have a sense of drive towards achievement reduces the risk of failing with low grades for such students. Under-performance is not the core challenge but knowing how to combat it is more pertinent. Student who under-perform fall into one of several categories. Some have given up trying while others are not enjoying the fact that there is only one goal everyone strives to get. Incre asing the opportunities for a sense of achievement for students will definitely promote better grades on end, but good grades should not be the sole motivation for all students in a class.To foster achievement motivation the school can provide plaques and certificates to reward punctuality, students’ attempt to answer teachers’ question and cleanliness. People who try and fail in life are better of than those who never make an attempt. Hence schools should find creative ways to encourage and reward attempts.My personal philosophy of education is â€Å"Adding Value to Others†. I believe strongly that education cannot be said to be complete until the student has been guided to give back – contribute. From its Latin origin, ‘educos’ the root word from which education flowed out stands for ‘outflow’. Hawkins (2000, 44) says that if we ask how the teacher- learner roles differ from those of master and slave, the answer is that the pro per aim of teaching is precisely to affect those inner processes that†¦cannot in principle be made subject to external control, for they are just, in essence, the processes germane to independence, to autonomy, to self-control. These virtues: independence, self-control and freedom are at the core of every truly educated mind and foster the habit of giving. This in essence means that the intrinsic purpose of learning is giving. Hence the developmental assets contribute thus:Developmental assets take on a holistic perspective to learning while it seeks to integrate learning as a societal cultural value; and the interest of others as of higher priority than ours.These assets will contribute in enormous ways at all levels of the human development. These levels include primary, secondary and tertiary education levels. Each of the asset shows a continued two-way contributory flow of support i.e. the society adds value to pupil and vice versa.Developmental Assets are natural and not s ome high-sounding artificial concoctions. If implemented consciously, they will transform the educational systems while turning our societal environment into conscious positively charged value adding cultures.Developmental assets will bring more meaning to pupils learning and education as it places others above self, and in retrospect true meaningful living.Developmental assets flow with intrinsic positive energies, which if carefully imbibed returns great dividends to all who experience its effects. In all developmental assets enrich the pupil, family, school, neighborhood and the larger community. If learned consciously with close attention, these assets have the intrinsic potential to revolutionize education through the creation of a holistic and integrated system.REFERENCESDewey, J. and Tufts, J. (1908). Ethics. New York: Henry Holt.Hawkins, D. (2000). The Roots of Literacy. Boulder: University Press of Colorado.Korten, David C. (1983). Social Development: putting people first. In Bureaucracy and the Poor: Closing the Gap. David Korten and Felipe Alfonso Eds. West Hartford CN: Kumarian Press: 201-21.

The Issues That Postmodern Parents Face

The Issues That Postmodern Parents Face Parents today face significant challenges when it comes to raising children, and many of those issues were totally unheard of 50 years ago. In fact, many of these issues involve technology and gadgets that didnt even exist a few decades ago. Sending your child to the right school might be one solution, as a proper educational environment is more controlled and in line with your core values. Lets look at some of these issues and how they impact your choice of a school. Cell Phones When parents raised their sons and daughters back in the 70s and 80s, we didnt have cell phones. Now, most people would say they dont know how we lived without them. Having the immediacy of contact through voice, text messages, and video chat is reassuring to a parent - not to mention the ability to locate your child at the  touch of a button. Unfortunately, cell phones often raise other issues for parents. Many parents wonder who their children are constantly texting and chatting with. They worry about whether the kids are sexting or sending inappropriate pictures using an app that the parents have never even heard of, and parents especially worry about the potential for cyberbullying.   Sometimes school can help. Many schools limit cell phone use during the school day while others use them as a teaching tool, reducing the chances of them being misused during the school day. Even more important, many schools teach the proper use of mobile technology. Even if a digital citizenship course isnt available, cell phone use is often mitigated simply because of constant supervision and students being too engaged in classes to have time to goof off on their phones.   At private schools, in particular, the small size of classes, low student to teacher ratio, and the school environment itself all lend to the fact that students really cannot hide anything they are doing. Its both a matter of respect and one of privacy and safety. Private schools take your childs safety and security very seriously. Its everybodys responsibility - students,  teachers,  and staff - to be aware of whats going on around them and to take appropriate action. Developing character, respect for others and a sense of community are core values in most private schools. You also cant use your phone to get into trouble if youre using it to study. Many private schools are finding ways to incorporate cell phones and tablets into the learning process. Bullying Bullying is a serious issue of harassment  and can have negative consequences if gone unnoticed. Fortunately, most private schools train teachers to identify and address bullying, and also empower students to take responsibility for living in a welcoming and supportive environment. In fact, many students escape situations of bullying by switching schools and attending private school.  Ã‚   Terrorism   Terrorism used to seem like something that happened in other parts of the world, but in the past few decades, the United States has suffered from some major terrorist attacks and threats. Now, that fear is all too close to home. How can you keep your child safe? Many schools have installed metal detectors and hired more security. Some families have even considered enrolling at private schools as a means of protection. With many private schools offering gated communities, 24/7 security patrols, constant supervision, and considerable funding available to ensure that campuses are protected, the added cost of tuition may feel like a worthy investment.   Shootings Acts of terrorism may seem like an extreme concern for some, but theres another form of school violence that many parents are growing increasingly afraid of: school shootings. Two of the five deadliest shootings in American history took place at educational institutions. But, the silver lining from these tragedies is that they have forced schools to be more proactive in preventing shootings, and schools have become more likely to prepare for what to do should there be an active shooter situation. Active shooter drills are common at schools, where students and faculty are put into mock situations to simulate a shooter on campus. Each school develops its own protocols and safety precautions in order to help keep its community safe and protected.   Smoking, Drugs, and Drinking Teens have always experimented, and for many, smoking, drugs, and drinking seems like no big deal, unfortunately. Todays children arent just using cigarettes and beer. With marijuana becoming legalized in some states, vaping has become trendy, and high-end cocktails of drugs are easier to get than ever. Children today are becoming increasingly savvy about ways in which they can get high. And the media doesnt help, with endless movies and television shows portraying students partying and experimenting on a regular basis. Fortunately, tons of research and education have changed the way we parents view substance abuse. Many schools have taken a proactive approach as well to ensure that their students learn the consequences and dangers of substance abuse. Most private schools, in particular, have zero tolerance policies in place when it comes to substance abuse. Cheating With the increasing competitiveness of college admission, students are starting to look for every opportunity to get ahead. Unfortunately for some students, that means cheating. Private schools tend to emphasize original thinking and writing as part of their requirements. That makes cheating harder to pull off. Besides, if you cheat in private school, you will be disciplined and possibly expelled. Your children quickly learn that cheating is unacceptable behavior. Looking into the future, issues such as sustainability and the environment will probably be very high on most parents list of concerns. How we guide and direct our children is a critical part of parenting. Choosing the right educational environment is a major part of that process.

How to Analyze a Historical Document

How to Analyze a Historical Document It can be easy when examining a historical document that relates to an ancestor to look for the one right answer to our question - to rush to judgment based on the assertions presented in the document or text, or the conclusions we make from it. It is easy to look at the document through eyes clouded by personal bias and perceptions engendered by the time, place and circumstances in which we live. What we need to consider, however, is the bias present in the document itself. The reasons for which the record was created. The perceptions of the documents creator. When weighing the information contained in an individual document we must consider the extent to which the information reflects reality. Part of this analysis is weighing and correlating evidence obtained from multiple sources. Another important part is evaluating the provenance, purpose, motivation,  and constraints of the documents which contain that information within a particular historical context. Questions to consider for every record we touch: 1. What Type of Document Is It? Is it a census record, will, land deed, memoir, personal letter, etc.? How might the record type affect the content and believability of the document? 2. What Are the Physical Characteristics of the Document? Is it handwritten? Typed? A pre-printed form? Is it an original document or a court-recorded copy? Is there an official seal? Handwritten notations? Is the document in the original language in which it was produced? Is there anything unique about the document that stands out? Are the characteristics of the document consistent with its time and place? 3. Who Was the Author or Creator of the Document? Consider the author, creator and/or informant of the document and its contents. Was the document created first-hand by the author? If the documents creator was a court clerk, parish priest, family doctor, newspaper columnist, or other third party, who was the informant? What was the authors motive or purpose for creating the document? What was the author or informants knowledge of and proximity to the event(s) being recorded? Was he educated? Was the record created or signed under oath or attested to in court? Did the author/informant have reasons to be truthful or untruthful? Was the recorder a neutral party, or did the author have opinions or interests that might have influenced what was recorded? What perception might this author have brought to the document and description of events? No source is entirely immune to the influence of its creators predilections, and knowledge of the author/creator helps in determining the documents reliability. 4. For What Purpose Was the Record Created? Many sources were created to serve a purpose or for a particular audience. If a governmental record, what law or laws required the documents creation? If a more personal document such as a letter, memoir, will, or family history, for what audience was it written and why? Was the document meant to be public or private? Was the document open to public challenge? Documents created for legal or business reasons, particularly those open to public scrutiny such as those presented in court, are more likely to be accurate. 5. When Was the Record Created? When was this document produced? Is it contemporary to the events it describes? If it is a letter is it dated? If a bible page, do the events predate the bibles publication? If a photograph, does the name, date or other information written on the back appear contemporaneous to the photo? If undated, clues such as phrasing, form of address, and handwriting can help to identify the general era. First-hand accounts created at the time of the event are generally more reliable than those created months or years after the event occurred. 6. How Has the Document or Record Series Been Maintained? Where did you obtain/view the record? Has the document been carefully maintained and preserved by a government agency or archival repository? If a family item, how has it been passed down to the present day? If a manuscript collection or other item residing in a library or historical society, who was the donor? Is it an original or derivative copy? Could the document have been tampered with? 7. Were There Other Individuals Involved? If the document is a recorded copy, was the recorder an impartial party? An elected official? A salaried court clerk? A parish priest? What qualified the individuals who witnessed the document? Who posted the bond for a marriage? Who served as godparents for a baptism? Our understanding of the parties involved in an event, and the laws and customs which may have governed their participation, aids in our interpretation of the evidence contained within a document. In-depth analysis and interpretation of a historical document is an important step in the genealogical research process, allowing us to distinguish between fact, opinion, and assumption, and explore reliability and potential bias when weighing the evidence it contains. Knowledge of the historical context, customs,  and laws influencing the document can even add to the evidence we glean. The next time you hold a genealogical record, ask yourself if you have really explored everything the document has to say.