Tragic Situation In Innu Community Essays - , Term Papers

Tragic Situation In Innu Community Until 30 years ago the Innu were nomadic hunters in the forests of eastern Canada. Today they live in communities with high rates of suicide, alcoholism, child abuse and family violence. Canada seems intent on destroying the Innu's land - their sole hope of survival - with a series of mega-projects, which it is pushing despite the fact that the Innu have never signed away their land. Between the 1950s and 1970s the Innu were settled in fixed communities, under pressure from the government and the church. This abrupt change in their way of life has been a catastophe for the Innu. Stuck in communities where there is nothing to do, and cut off from the land which gives their culture meaning, the Innu's society has fallen apart. They blame the tribe's plight on the Canadian Government policy of moving the Innu into villages and away from their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles. They lost their life in their land where they have lived for at least 7,000 years. They had no motivation to live and couldn't live without alcohol and gas sniffing. As a result, Alcoholism and Gas-sniffing has been a problem in Sheshatshiu for at least 40 years. Many of the children who sniffed gas then are now the alcoholic parents and grandparents of today's sniffers. In this situation, I think both side of Innu community and Canadian government are responsible for this tragic situation in Labrador with the Innu children and gas sniffing. First, Canadian government should have guaranteed Innu's life in Sheshatshiu. The right of any small community can not be disregarded. Government should respect each community equally. Second, Innu people should not live dependent on alcohol and gas sniffing. If they have a strong will to survive, they can enjoy their life wherever they live. Alcoholism and gas sniffing are not the solution for their problem. If they still have weak will for their life, the situation can not be changed. Bibliography http://www.survival.org.uk/innu%20report.htm http://www.innu.ca/ http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/americas/A3729-2000Oct13.html http://cbc.ca Social Issues Essays

base of social work essays

base of social work essays Practice methods that correspond to the levels of Practice are: 1. Micro level of practice- direct practice/service delivered directly to clients (face to face and minimal administrative work. 2. Mezzo level of practice- indirect practice involving administration/leadership roles enabling effective delivery of services. Organizational and Public Relations Monitoring for Improvement of Productivity 3. Macro level of practice- involves the processes of Social Planning and Community Organization Professional Change Agents who assist Comm. Action Systems composed of individuals, groups or Organizations deal with social problems Program planning and development, working with governmental agents and Comm. 4. Research- driving force behind rigorous advancement of knowledge 1. People are capable of making their own change; they have free will 2. Assist people maximize their potential and independence 3. Change environmental influences that adversely impact clients 4. Increase understanding that behavior is purposive and goal directed and this is not readily discernible. 5. People are capable of learning new behaviors 6. Most difficulties can be resolved by focusing on present choices and mobilizing their strengths 7. Increasing people's knowledge and learning new skills produces self growth in the process 8. Utilize strategies that motivate people to implement changes in various types of systems 9. Life's crises represent opportunities for growth and mastery is a source of strain in life 10. People need self-affirmation and self-esteem. Many conflicts are indirect expression of feelings of low self-esteem. 11. Human growth occurs in the context of relationships with other people 12. We model for others open authentic relationship skills/behaviors 13. Increase responsiveness to the needs of others 14. Live in the reality of the present motivates people to exercise...

Phonics Definition and Examples in English

Phonics Definition and Examples in English A method of teaching reading based on the sounds of letters, groups of letters, and syllables  is known as phonics. This method of teaching reading is commonly contrasted with whole language approaches, which emphasize learning whole words in meaningful contexts. During the 19th century, phonics was commonly used as a synonym for phonetics. In the 20th century, phonics acquired its present meaning as a method of teaching reading. In practice,  phonics  refers to several different but generally overlapping methods of instruction. Four of those methods are summarized below. Analytic(al) Phonics During the 1960s, numerous basal reading series included a manual outlining how to teach each story. The manual included a program for ​analytical phonics instruction that recommended that the teacher use known words and ask children to analyze the phonetic elements in these words. . . .Analytic phonics relies on readers knowing a large number of words at sight. Drawing from known sight words, teachers directed students to make inferences about the phonic relationships within words containing the same letter combinations. In other words, the student matched the sounds in a known word with the sounds in the new word (Walker, 2008). . . .However, in the 1960s, some reading programs differed from the mainstream basal readers that used analytic phonics. A few basal readers included instruction using linguistic units that had recurring patterns. The linguistic-phonics system used the idea that the English language had recurring written patterns that were systematic to develop their program.(Barbara J. Walker, History of Phonics Instruction. An Essential History of Current Reading Practices, ed. by Mary Jo Fresch. International Reading Association, 2008) Linguistic Phonics In linguistic phonics, beginning instruction usually focuses on the word patterns found in words like cat, rat, mat, and bat. These selected words are presented to the students. Children need to make generalizations about the short a sound by learning these words in print. Consequently, linguistic phonics lessons are based on decodable books that present repetitions of a single pattern (Mat saw a cat and a rat). . . . Linguistic phonics . . . is like analytic phonics in that it emphasizes word patterns rather than individual letter sounds. However, linguistic phonics is not typically espoused by top-down advocates, because it does not emphasize naturally occurring text.(Ann Maria Pazos Rago, The Alphabetic Principle, Phonics, and Spelling: Teaching Students the Code. Reading Assessment and Instruction for All Learners, ed. by Jeanne Shay Schumm. Guilford Press, 2006) Synthetic Phonics The sounding-out-and-blending approach to decoding is known as synthetic phonics. In a synthetic phonics program, students are taught to decode new words by retrieving from memory the sound that each letter, or combination of letters, in a word represents and blending the sounds into a recognizable word (National Reading Panel, 2000). It is a parts-to-whole approach (Strickland, 1998).(Irene W. Gaskins, Interventions to Develop Decoding Proficiencies. Handbook of Reading Disability Research, ed. by Richa Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen. Routledge, 2011) Embedded Phonics Embedded approaches to teaching  phonics involve students in learning phonics skills by reading authentic texts. This approach may be compared to whole language; however, embedded phonics involves planned skills taught within the context of authentic literature. Embedded phonics formed in response to the intense criticism experienced by the whole language movement, and highlights the role of phonics instructions within the context of authentic literature. (Mark-Kate Sableski, Phonics. Encyclopedia of Educational Reform and Dissent, ed. by Thomas C. Hunt, James Carper, Thomas J. Lasley, and C. Daniel Raisch. Sage, 2010) Summary In summary, deep and thorough knowledge of letters, spelling patterns, and words, and of the phonological translations of all three, are of inescapable importance to both skillful reading and its acquisition. By extension, instruction designed to develop childrens sensitivity to spellings and their reactions to pronunciations should be of paramount importance in the development of reading skills. This is, of course, precisely what is intended of good phonic instruction.(Marilyn Jager Adams, Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print. MIT Press, 1994)

Eco-product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Eco-product - Essay Example The awareness is brought about by passing or disseminating large quantities of information on the effects of goods on the environment and the mitigation measures for any situations related to the goods. Therefore, it is essential that there should be good relationships between the providers of the products and the consumers to ensure the dissemination of this kind of information is done effectively. The products in discussion in this paper are cars (Johnson 280). Over the past decade the world has been hit with several climate change effects, a lot of those have been attributed to the industries, mainly to the vehicles and the fuel used by them. Other major concerns that have come up over this decade include the rise in petroleum prices. This has driven many to think of better ways to conserve energy and they have had a different perception of energy security as a whole. The current market has shifted from using petroleum to light duty vehicles. They have invented the hybrid cars which either use electricity or use very little petroleum. The dependence on petroleum products has begun to bring up major concerns especially when it comes to economic issues. The oil prices are set to go higher over the years to come. This is because the resource is also being depleted and since it is not a renewable resource. It is becoming scarce by the day. With the production of new hybrid vehicles, the usage of petroleum has dropped and the risk of climate change and global warming due to the emission of greenhouse gases has also dropped tremendously. According to the analysis, the amount of fuel being used in the United States alone has reduced dramatically. The results of the analysis show that, since the time that these vehicles entered the market, the amount of fuel that has been saved is an estimated 9 million barrels or three hundred and eighty five gallons of fuel. This simply means that more people are likely to purchase these types of vehicles

Response to quiz questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Response to quiz questions - Assignment Example As well, the signifier and the sign are continuously being used in our modern culture nowadays. Thus, the semiotic method can be used to examine popular culture by inquiring about the sign. The signs direct us to ask queries about its fundamental meaning, hence steering our attention to the system the sign fits and search for related signs that back up our primary hypothesis. Since all is connected, signs hint to one another thus enabling one to view the broad picture and how our culture is affected by them. In the American culture, vampires are so popular since they represent a sense of individuality, immorality, youth, eroticism and an outlaw hero. Thus, the semiotics assists us understand how vampires of in the present day are so popular (Maasik, and Solomon, 2). Typical stories at the origin of our life experience are termed as Myths. Additionally, myths are present in all literatures and cultures. However, myths are true stories founded on facts since all of us lives them at some level. In addition, myths connect and speaks to all of us. Some myths are true stories that achieve mythic importance since individuals involved appear superior to life and live their lives more forcefully than ordinary people. While others rotate around make-believe characters who have the potential of capsulizing for us our entire journeys. Additionally, some behaviours depicted by the make-believe might seem similar to characters we encountered in our dreams (Braumoeller, 23). In many hero stories, the hero is usually presented under ordinary circumstances, in a rational world doing ordinary things. Usually, the hero originates as a non-hero looking humble, young and simple however in the course of the story something different enters the hero’s life thus acting as a catalyser setting the story into motion. In many occasions, the hero is not willing to leave, thus termed as a reluctant hero who is uncertain,

The Basic Unit of Life Essay Example for Free

The Basic Unit of Life Essay One of the hallmark characteristics of living things is that they perform chemical reactions. These reactions are collectively known as metabolism. Cells, the basic units of life, can perform many of these metabolic reactions. In a multicelled organism, the cells group together to form tissues that perform the same functions. Tissues group together to form organs, and finally, several organs exist together in a system. In this lesson, we will see how and why this hierarchy is established. The Basic Unit of Life All organisms from the smallest single-celled protists to huge whales and giant redwood trees are based on tiny microscopic cells. The types and number of cells may vary, but the cell is the basic unit of life. The cell is the minimum amount of organized living matter complex enough to carry out the functions of life as outlined in Lessons 1 and 2. In the most basic sense, a cell is made of a gelatinous living substance we call protoplasm, which contains many small structures, all surrounded by a membrane. Cell Structure The cell membrane separates the living cell from the rest of the environment. However, this membrane is not just a static solid wall. It must allow food molecules and oxygen to enter and wastes to exit. Thus, the cell membrane is semipermeable because it allows some things to pass through, but not others. It must also communicate and associate with the membranes of other cells. Inside the cell membrane is a substance called protoplasm in which many tiny structures called organelles (because they act like small versions of organs) are suspended. Some of the more important organelles and their functions are listed in the following table

The Open Boat Essay -- essays research papers

Open Boat Symbolism allows writers to suggest their ideas within a piece of literature. This is found in most types of writing. Stephen Crane expresses this in his short story, The Open Boat. Through symbolism and allegory, it is demonstrated that humans live in a universe that is unconcerned with them. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature’s lack of concern. This is established in the opening scenes, the â€Å"seven mad gods† and in the realization of the dying soldier. The descriptions that Crane uses in the opening scenes illustrate nature’s lack of concern for their tragedy. He discusses the waves in the ocean that continually roll and crest. The waves are problems or situations that are unavoidable; moreover, the â€Å"waves† continue to flow one after another towards the poor rowers. Also, the â€Å"birds sat comfortably in groups, and they were envied by some in the dingey† because the bi rds were indifferent towards the sailors’ situation. They were sitting happily as if nothing was going on around them. The sailors were envious of this because they were forced to confront nature’s trials. The sun continues to rise and set daily, maintaining this routine regardless of what occurs in the world. The shore is also â€Å"lonely and indifferent.† This indifference causes the men to feel a certain isolation from nature. The men feel as if fate (the â€Å"seven mad gods†) controls their destinies. Their thoughts are given: â€Å"If I am go...

50 Years from Now

What will life be like 50 years from now? In the future, we will be having many different changes, some predictable and some a complete mystery to us. In 50 years we may have a complete breakthrough in medicine. Cancer, aids, and all sorts of ilnesses may be cured. We might even discover a new life form from another planet. There is just so much we can do in 50 years and predictions must be made.In 50 years we will have the ability to go outer space without need of all the training that astronauts nowadays require, and our cars will be nothing like how they are today because within 50 years the world as we know it will be completely different. Life in fifty years will be a lot different then it is now. In most people’s eyes they see the world having flying cars and floating houses, but the way I see it, it’s a lot different. In 50 years we might not have fresh air to breathe or clean water to drink.If humans don’t stop burning oil and coal, the greenhouse gases i nto the atmosphere are about to cause extremely high temperatures and the coldest places on Earth might one day have the best climate for humans. In conclusion, the greatest minds of this planet are saying the possibilities of what can happen in 50 years is endless. There are just way too many theories and too many possibilities to account for. It seems that 50 years from now, it will be a completely different world than it is from the world we live in now .

Prevention Of Elderly Abuse Neglect And Exploitation Essay

There is a growing concern over elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation as it has been lately estimated that its occurrence has increased over the past few decades.   The first reported estimate of elderly abuse stated that approximately 3% of elderly individuals in the United States have been abused (Pillemer and Finkelhor, 1988), which may be equated to approximately 2.5 million elderly individuals. Elderly abuse is closely linked to medical problems such as physical injuries, mental health disorders, poor management of chronic illnesses and disabilities.   The effects of elder abuse have been determined to be damaging.   Most of the abused elderly people are often brought to the emergency room for immediate medical attention for physical injuries.   A recent study conducted by Shields et al. (2004) over a 10-year period has indicated that more than 50% of deaths among the elderly are due to homicidal acts, while a 25% of the deaths were possibly due to elderly neglect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amidst the increasing number of elderly individuals being abused and neglected, there is an insufficiency of reaction amongst medical practitioners, including physicians and clinicians.   It has been estimated that only 2 to 10% of cases of elderly abuse are actually reported to the appropriate authorities.   These cases of elderly abuse involve physical and psychological abuse as well as financial exploitation. Neglect is also another condition that an elderly individual goes through yet is left unable to report such hardship to the appropriate agencies concerned.   Specific risk factors have been determined to be strongly associated with elderly abuse, including living with other people, as well as impairment of the elderly individual’s functional ability.   In addition, depression and excessive alcohol consumption also strongly influence the occurrence of elderly abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A promising prevention strategy for elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation would then be to impose mandatory reporting of cases of abuse in tandem with annual or biannual monitoring of the conditions of an elderly individual.   Such mandatory act of reporting would thus put the people who are responsible for the care of an elderly individual to be responsible for any physical, mental, social or financial burdens that the elderly individual would experience. The people involved with the care of the elderly individual would include the children of the elderly person, as well as the physician, counselor and therapist of the elderly person.   It would also be good if the amount of time spent by each person with the elderly individual were determined, so that it would be easier to determine who spends the most time with the elderly individual.   Another method that could be incorporated into the mandatory reporting of elderly abuse is to conduct interviews with the elderly individual in order to determine if he has succumbed to memory loss or not. If the elderly individual is still cognitive enough to interactive with the interviewing officer, it would be helpful to ask the elderly individual if he is aware whether he still keeps some of his financial resources in his bank or some other place.   It would also be helpful if the elderly individual knew approximately how much money and other valuable items such as jewelry, real estate properties and automobiles he has so that there is an estimate of the resources the individual has.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The comprehensive interview of the elderly individual should thus be conducted every year in order to monitor how the elderly person if doing as time goes by.   In addition, the interview will also provide the social worker or any other interviewing official of the government to determine that conditions of the place where the elderly individual is living.   The medical records of the elderly individual should also be checked every year in order to determine whether the physical and mental condition of the elderly individual has been maintained or is deteriorating.   Should the condition of the elderly individual be deteriorating, the main cause of this change of condition should be investigated in order to prevent further damage to the physical and mental health of the elderly individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The intense monitoring of elderly individual may be tedious, costly and time-consuming, yet it protects these senior citizens from further abuse and neglect.   Time has shown that mandatory reporting of elderly abuse is not as effective as expected because most of the medical professionals do not participate or are not serious enough in reporting such conditions and the elderly people will continue to suffer.   The tandem implementation of mandatory reporting of elderly abuse with regular monitoring of the conditions of an elderly individual thus seems more feasible in protecting the health of elderly individuals. In addition, the regular monitoring of elderly individuals lessens the burden of physicians in reporting abuse and neglect of these senior citizens.   This proposed prevention strategy also provides a way for elderly individuals to speak out for themselves if they still can.   It is actually helpful and enlightening if the elderly individuals are given the opportunity to express their concerns, issues and problems with regards to their senior lives.   Should this proposed strategy be tested and later implemented, it may be possible to save more elderly individuals from unnecessary pain, depression and exploitation.   These seniors deserve to spend the rest of their lives in peace and harmony. References Kennedy RD (2005):   Elder abuse and neglect: the experience, knowledge, and attitudes of primary care physicians. Fam. Med. 37:481-5. Pillemer K and Finkelhor D (1988):   The prevalence of elder abuse: A random sample survey. Gerontologist.   28:51-7. Shields LB, Hunsaker DM, Hunsaker JC (2004):   Abuse and neglect: A ten-year review of mortality and morbidity in our elders in a large metropolitan area. J. Forensic Sci. 49:122-127.

Milton the Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce Essay Example

Milton the Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce Essay Example Milton the Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce Paper Milton the Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce Paper The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce by John Milton led to a great stir in society during his time. Milton used his ideas and made many deferent Biblical names, even Christ, sound Like they agreed with him. In his prose, he took words from the Bible and changed the meaning to make the Bible sound as If It preached the same Idea he tried to convey. The prose argues that the main purpose of marriage Is not to procreate, but to share a deeper, meaningful relationship with your significant other. Milton wanted to propose irreconcilable differences as grounds for divorce. That indisposition, unfitness, or contrariety of mind, rising from a cause in nature unchangeable, hindering and ever likely to hinder the main benefit of conjugal society, which are solace and peace, is a greater reason of divorce then natural frigidity, especially if there be no children and that there be mutual consent. (IPPP) Milton tries to say that if the nature of two people will not produce harmony then they should not have to stay together. If they both agree that the differences they share cause too much negativity then a divorce would be the best resolution, especially with no children Involved cause then they have not followed the basis for the marriage. The first passage Milton uses comes from Deuteron 24:1-4. Deuteron uses the word uncleanness, which Milton puts his own meaning to. The passage follows: When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another mans wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and senders her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord: and thou shall not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God give thee for an Inheritance. L] Milton says that when translated by the Hebrew the terms some uncleanness means any real nakedness. The notion of any real nakedness refers to that of the mind or the body. The cause of divorce mentioned in the Law is translated some uncleanness, but in Hebrew it sounds nakedness of ought, or any real nakedness: which by all of the learned interpreters is referred to the mind, as well as to the body. And what greater nakedness or unfitness then that which hinders ever the solace and peaceful society of the marled couple, and what hinders that more then the unfitness and defectiveness of an uncongenial mind. IPPP) Milton attempts to change the mind of the Parliament by making a suggestion that the Hebrew interpret the passage differently. Although it mess Like a logical way to persuade, the Parliament did not care for the Hebrew, thus not acknowledging Millions attempt to change their minds. The next passage Milton mentions taken from 1 Corinthians 7:8, 9 leads him Into the usage of the word burn. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It Is good for them if they abide even as l. But if they cannot contain, let the marry: for it is netter to marry than to Turn. Ill] Milton takes ten word Turn to mean a easels Tort conversation. The burn suggests that the marriage will not survive without the communication between the husband and wife. Milton agues that without the mental connection, the physical part of the relationship will not exist. Without the physical attraction the marriage could not keep up with the standards set to have children. Milton shows his belief in conversation and mental connection creates the feeling of love not the desire of physical attraction. As for that other burning, which is but as it were the venom of a lusty and over-abounding concoction, strict life and labor, with an abatement of a full diet may keep that low and obedient enough: but this pure and more inbreed desire of Joining to it self in conjugal fellowship a fit inversion soul(which desire is properly called love) is stronger then death, as the spouse of Christ thought, many waters cannot quench it, neither can the floods drown it. IPPP) In another piece of Millions prose he states that the burn could also constitute the need for another person. Milton centers his argument for the basis of marriage on the prevention of loneliness. Marriage therefore was giving as a remedy of that trouble: but what might this burning mean? Certainly not the mere motion of carnal lust, not the mere goad of a sensitive desire; God does not ironically take care for such chattel. What is it then but that desire which God put into Adam in Paradise before he knew the sin of incontinence; that desire which God saw it was not good that man should be left alone to burn in; the desire and longingly to put off an unkindly solitariness by united another body, but not to without a fit souls to his in the cheerful society of wedlock. (IPPP) Milton says that the remedy for such burning can only come from the presence of another person. When Milton states to put off the unkindly solitariness, it shows God made both Adam and Eve to revert solitude. The final piece in the prose where Milton attempts to sway the audience into believing his argument happens with Christ. Milton tries to say that Christ made a harsh statement, not because he meant it, but only to instill strict rules where the Pharisees did not. Where the Pharisees were strict, there Christ seems remises; where they were too remises, he saw it needful to seem most severe: in one place he censures an enchant look to be adultery already committed: another time he passes over actual adultery with lessee reproof then for an unchaste look; not so heavily modeling secret weakness, as open malice: So here he may be Justly thought to have giving this rigid sentence against divorce, not to cut off all remedy from a good man who finds himself consuming away in disconsolate and uninjured matrimony, but to lay bridle upon the bold abuses of those over-weaning Rabies; IPPP) Milton went out on a limb trying to take what Chrisms word and Just say that Christ did not mean what he said. Now the argument Just revolves around the idea that Christ only said that marriage could take place if the partner committed adultery because the Pharisees had become too lenient. Milton tried hard too push this idea into the minds of those in the Parliament. The Parliament did not accept the prose and wanted all of the copies burned. Although Milton did not get what he wanted accomplished he still found a way to keep his ideas. Millions ideas and beliefs became realities far after he passed away. Even though the rational behind his ides sometimes lacked in a following, Milton still Delved In teem strongly Ana wangle-nearly. [I] Baryons. Net/milestone/divorce. HTML Baryons. Net/milestone/divorce. HTML

8th Grade History Observation

I was very excited about this assignment. I enjoy going into the classroom and being able to observe what is going on and how everyone interacts with each other. I decided to attend a classroom at an expulsion school that has 4th- 12th grade students. Every student has a different story of why they are they at this school, some students made a mistake and want to earn their way back to their school site and some do not care about school and to not try to work towards anything positive. The staff explained that working there is a challenge and takes a special type of person that can adjust to a variety of challenging students and still try to accomplish a positive learning environment. I decided to observe the 8th grade history class for an entire chapter. I wanted to get the full experience from the start of the lesson to testing and see how the whole lesson is presented, delivered and received from start to finish. The text book used is United States History: Independence to 1914. I sat in when the students were learning about the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The book seemed difficult for some students to read and comprehend. There was an aide in the classroom at all times. I sat in a class with 31 students in it and 12 of them had an IEP, 504 plan or BSP. The teacher and aide were constantly walking around and helping the students with a diverse set of challenges. Some students I could see clearly could not read the book. The level of reading was considerably lower that what the textbook was. I could see there were students with a 2nd grade reading level trying to read a 8th grade textbook. There was also one student who caught my eye because he had a one on one aide. The first day of class the teacher passes out a page that is front and back. This has a few vocabulary words that are in the text and has sentences from the text with blanks within the sentences. The student is to read through the text and fill in the blanks and define the vocabulary words. Most students are able to complete this task without help. It took them to look in the glossary or dictionary and copy the definition. The student with a one on one aide did not have the skills to find the words alphabetically. He needed assistance finding the words and then was able to copy the words down on the page. The teacher and aide continued to walk around with the class and that kept everyone on task. I thought this was a good idea and the students seemed to know what to do and got right to work. They are allowed to work in a group of two or independently. The students that seemed serious about getting the work done worked independently. The students who worked â€Å"smarter not harder† split to front and back pages and then copied so that they could finish and have free time. The second day of class was for the students to finish their sheet of work. The students that already finished earned free time. I saw this was a distraction for the students who were still working. They were constantly looing at the students that had free time and could not focus on the job they needed to complete. A few students rushed through their work to earn free time. I did not notice anyone checking their completed work. After this class knowing that all the students were finished I asked the teacher if I could see the answer key and review the students work. He gladly granted my request. Out of 30 students, only 5 students did a great job and it showed in their work that they cared about getting a good grade and had little to no incorrect answers. More than half of the students clearly did not care and wrote in bogus answers. The few that were left copied each other’s work and clearly did not care about what was written. The third day of class the students traded papers and corrected their work with the teacher. He went through every question and had them write in the correct answer if they got it wrong. This was the first time I saw interaction between the teacher and the students. There was no conversation about the information and how this may apply to the students today. The correction of the two sided paper took the whole hour period, mainly because the students were uninterested and wasted a lot of time talking. It was almost like the students did not know how to behave when the teacher was in front of the class. After the students were done correcting their work the teacher collected the papers and recorded their grades. The next day, which was day 4 and the 4th hour of instruction on this lesson, the teacher passed out their work with the correct answers and a similar paper that read â€Å"test†. This format was the same as the assignment and had sentences from the text with blanks for the student to write the correct answer completing the sentence. I reviewed the test and see that the answer or black portion for the student to fill in was the question in the assignment. The question in the assignment was the answer or blank portion in the test. The whole concept seemed a little easy for this age and to be honest very boring and redundant. The next day the teacher had the students watch a history movie on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The movie had more interest to the kids than the assignment that week. I was disappointed with the teaching aspect of this class. The teacher said he feels this â€Å"packet method† gets through the material and is repetitious for the kids to learn the material. I felt the kids were bored and had no desire to read the material. These kids especially strive for attention and most of the times do not have positive interactions with adults. The Constitution and Bill of Rights is a LARGE part of our history and after this week these kids did not have a better understanding or respect for our country and the rights they take for granted. The teacher and the children were not involved with each other at all with exception to correcting the assignment together. There are many things I would do differently. I would first, to get their attention, had out a blank piece of paper and ask them to make their own rights and make their own Constitution. I would have them do this to grab their interest in the lesson. These kids are more interested in what they think and what they want than anything else so I would use that and ask them what they want. I would then let them speak to the class about what they feel like they should have as right and why. This would teach the kids to respect the student speaking and also teach the kids courage to get up and speak in front of a group of their peers without using foul language. I would want to spark up a conversation about right and how important they are to each and every person. After that I would use the study guide the teacher created and read and answer the study guide as a class. I would also relate the lesson to what the students wrote in their own Bill of Rights. This was a great learning experience for me as an aspiring teacher. I would want more interaction within my classroom and my students. The students were very diverse in the aspect of some wanting to work, some not caring about the work, some unable to do work and some tweeners. I think having control of the classroom is the key in this environment. Being in front of the students and showing them you care about this and they should too, this is the philosophy I would do every day in class. I would have very little time in this environment where the student has the option when they are finished they would have free time. The only incentive there is the quicker you finish the quicker you can do whatever you want. I would have different incentives and a more positive environment that the kids could participate in with me, the teacher, the leader and their peers. In this type of school I feel with the curriculum you are also teaching life skills that they have not had the privilege of learning in their home environment. I cannot wait to have my own classroom and see the outcome of constant interaction and having the students give their personality to the lesson and assignments.

Letter to Colombian Government (Writing to Argue) Assignment

Letter to Colombian Government (Writing to Argue) - Assignment Example The situation is further exacerbated by the displacement of children due to the armed conflict and the forced recruitment of minors by armed groups, such as the FARC (IACH Report). The commission’s conclusion is clearly a clarion call for government action. Unfortunately, the Colombian government’s enactment of the 1989 Minor’s Code facilitates the exploitation of the very children it aims to protect. In Medellin, the Minor’s Code encourages contempt of the law, engenders child assassins, brings children under the control of exploitative bosses, pushes children into guerilla forces, and prevents the reintegration of children into society. The Minor’s Code’s position that those who are under the age of 18 will not go to jail on committing a crime, only gives carte blanche to children to break the law with impunity. While its provisions may superficially claim to protect the child, the ground-reality is markedly different: the Code, designed to protect kids from adult prisons, actually puts them above the law. It effectively absolves children from taking responsibility for their actions. This makes them effective instruments of crime, as they can easily evade the long arm of the law. Just as civilians are used as shields in unfair wars, the Minor’s Code is responsible for children being used as shields for crime on the streets of Medellin. There is widespread contempt of the law and crimes are delegated to children. The Code is as good as a license to kill.   As the Minor's Code allows kids under 18 to kill without being held responsible, the streets of Medellin teem with child assassins. Contract killings, which are common here, are largely executed by minors. The client contacts a boss, identifies the victim and pays the contract price. The boss then executes the contract using child assassins. Capt. Luis Francisco Marino Florez, a homicide detective in Medellin, perceives child assassins to be more dangerous t han adult ones. He says, â€Å"They're less predictable, and they know they can't be touched.† Minors literally thumb their noses at him. â€Å"In the cases of 12- and 13-year-olds, we have kids who we know have murdered 10 to 15 people, but nothing happens to them† (Griswold, New York Times). Secure behind the walls of the Minor’s Code, Medellin’s adolescent sicarios, or assassins, are the gang bosses’ preferred instruments of execution. The Minor’s Code puts children under the exploitative control of gang bosses, who keep their young charges on a tight leash. The gang leaders of Medellin are often affiliated with the paramilitary forces from whom they receive cash and weapons. The immunity conferred on children by the Minor’s Code makes them ideal as the bosses’ underlings. The bosses hire child assassins and equip them with weapons. The children are provided with drugs, as another way in which the bosses can retain control o ver them. They depend on the gang bosses for drugs, approval and money. In the frequent absence of fathers, these children even see the bosses as their role models. They get paid at the bosses’ whim. Once they are caught in this vicious circle, children cannot break out. They have to continue killing, or be killed. As the minor reaches the age of eighteen, which places him outside the protective umbrella of the Minor’