The Fear Of Terrorism Criminology Essay

The Fear Of Terrorism Criminology Essay Fear is an alarming emotion that is aroused by any danger or perceived threat. It is an emotion that helps us survive occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. Terrorism is the use of violence to create fear for a political or ideological goal. The fear that terrorism has on people escalated highly after in-voluntary terrorist attacks around the world. The effect being that it creates a fear of danger in peoples minds affecting them highly in everyday life. The effect of terrorism varies among people; most have a multivariate aggression of worry and avoidance, including demographic factors, estimated color-coded alert levels, and daily activities. Much of the effect of terrorism comes from different types of demographic factors. The effects of these demographic factors correlate into the psychological minds of people to determine an arousing fear from such various activities. Recent studies show that before and after terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 have raised fear on peoples minds of an on-coming terrorist attack. The events of September 11, 2001, influenced well-being and security beyond the regions directly attacked (Tseng others 168-174). Many people throughout the United States felt they were at risk from terrorism. Risk perceptions, along with antiterrorism program, laws, and policies affected Americans lifestyles and behaviors. In the months following the attacks, 40% to 50% of US adults still feared for their safety (Silver RC others 1235-1244) and 11% reported changed behaviors such as avoiding public gatherings (Blendon RJ, Benson JM survey). Risk perception theories and research posit that individuals assess risks based on a balance of many factors, including the probability of a hazard or risk personally affecting them, the severity of the personal consequences from risk exposure, feelings of personal control, the perceived inequality of risk distribution across society, and trust in institutions managing risks (Gilk others 168-174). For instance, a national survey conducted 2 months after the attacks of September 11 found that the distance between ones home and the World Trade Center was inversely correlated with perceptions of terrorism risk among non-Hispanic Whites (Solvic P, Fischhoff B, 14-20). By contrast, Latinos and African Americans judgments of future terror risks were not affected by how far they lived from New York City (Fischoff B, Gonzalez RM, 137-151). The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) is a post-September 11 program that may influence risk perceptions and avoidant behavior although that is not its intended purpose (Long others 164-174). The HSAS announces the Department of Homeland Securitys assessed risk of a terrorist attack on the United States via a color coded threat level and disseminates information regarding that levels risk to public safety officials and the general public (Asch others 164-174). The HSAS has 5 color-coded conditions: green, blue, yellow, orange, and red corresponding to threat levels of low, guarded, elevated, high, and severe, respectively (Long others 164-174). At each level are recommended actions for the public and government agencies to implement to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack (US Department of Homeland Security). The value of the HSAS is debated, considering its adverse effects on well-being cause by unnecessarily raising fears and anxieties (Aguirre 103-115). The estimation of personal risk and vulnerability to terrorism may act as a key motivator to behavioral adaptations, including avoidance of usual activities or increased adoption of protective behaviors (Lindell 461-501). Those who believe they are particularly vulnerable to a risk may be motivated to perform risk reduction. Studies document that vulnerable populations, such as chronically ill, the physically disabled, non white racial/ ethnic minorities, and immigrants, bear a disproportionate burden of harm from natural disasters (Fothergill 156-173) and that there are racial/ ethnic differences in perceived risks of natural disasters (Fothergill 156-173). Similarly, research finds specifically that African Americans and Latinos perceive they are at greater risk from terrorism than do non-Latino whites (Boscarino 505-513). A survey conducted less than a year after September 11, 2001, reported that African Americans were most likely to limit their outside activities and change their mode of transportation in response to fears of terrorism (Torabi 179-192). Also a national survey found that persons with disabilities were more anxious about their personal risk from terrorism than were persons without disabilities, even when equally prepared (Harris Interactive Inc.). Another study reported that persons who increased their disaster preparations in response to the possibility of terrorist attacks included African Americans, Latinos, Persons with disabilities or household dependents, and non US-born populations (Eiseman 1-6). As with health and disasters generally, these populations may experience disparities in the effects of terrorism and terrorism policies including their risk perceptions and avoidant behavior (Long others 164-174). An Israeli survey found that large social groups, including women, had adapted their daily behaviors to minimize the impact of terrorism risks (Kirschenbaum 1-33). As studies continue to document the long-term and indirect health effects of September 11 attacks, it remains important to understand how long these risk perceptions and behavioral effects have lasted and who have been most affected (Asch others 164-174). Fear the distressing emotion that is aroused by danger and pain has been shown in terrorism highly. Many people are shown with adverse effects of this daily and must cope with it in their own difficult ways. The fear of terrorism has been escalated highly to a standpoint of psychological and physical pain. The effect of terrorism varies among people; most have a multivariate aggression of worry and avoidance, including demographic factors, estimated color-coded alert levels, and daily activities. The fear of terrorism affects everyone in their own ways. Work Citied Eisenman, David P., Gilk, Deborah, Ong, Michael, Zhou, Qiong, Tseng, Chi-Hong, Long, Anna, Fielding, Jonathan, Asch Steven. Terrorism- Related Fear and Avoidance Behavior in a Multiethnic Urban Population. American Journal of Public Health, Jan 2009, Vol.99 Issue 1, P168-174. Silver RC, Holman EA McIntosh DN, Poulin M, Gil-Rivas V. Nationwide longitudinal study of psychological responses to September 11. JAMA. 2002;288: 1235-1244. Blendon RJ, Benson JM. Harvard School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Survey Project on Americans Response to Biological Terrorism. Boston, MA: Harvard School of Public Health; 2001. Slovic P, Fischhoff B, Lichtenstein S. Rating the risks. Environment. 1979; 14-20. Fischhoff B, Gonzalez RM, Small DA lerner JS. Judged terror risk and proximity to the World Trade Center. J Risk Uncertain. 2003;26:137-151 US Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security Advisory System: Current Threat Level. April 1, 2008. Aguirre BE. Homeland Security warnings: Lessons learned and unlearned. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2004;22:103-115. Lindell MK, Perry RW. Household adjustment to earthquake hazard: a review of the research. Environ behav. 2000;32:461-501. Fothergill A Maestas E, Darlington J. Race, ethnicity and disasters in the United States: a review of the literature. Disasters. 1999;23:156-173. Boscarino JA, Adams RE, Figley CR, Galea S, Foa EB. Fear of Terrorism and preparedness in New York City 2 years after the attacks: Implications for disaster planning and research. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2006;12:505-513. Torabi MR, Seo DC. National study of behavioral and life changes since September 11. Health Educ Behav. 2004;31:179-192. Eiseman DP, Wold C, Fielding J, et al. Differences in individual-level terrorism preparedness in Los Angels County. Am J Prev Med 2006;30:1-6. Kirschenbaum A. Terror, Adaptation and preparedness a trilogy for survival. J Homeland Secur Emerg Manage. 2006;3:1-33.

Preparing a reflective report

Preparing a reflective report Reflective report is the report which covers different stages of the business plan that includes development, idea initiation, business plan development, generating the presentation and feedback. Also is personal role and reflection of the meaning of business plan to determine the knowledge and our involvement in preparing the report which help the student to analyse the whole process of developing business plan from ideas developing to generation of plan. 2. THE TEAM WORK Our business plan group was made up of four members including myself and Saida M. Bandawe, Edna Mtema and Grace Sikaona with the help of our tutor. After we form our group we planned to meet after classes and discuss different business ideas from each member of the team and we decide to work on the Trash Collection project after confirmation with our class lecture. The reason of choosing this project is to prevent environmental pollution in Mikocheni society as well as Dar es Salaam city in the future. The roles distribution ere based on the area of specialisation so as to be able to give contributions in the form of ideas to progress with business plan preparation. Criteria for distribution of roles were convenience, experience, comfort and awareness in terms of how things are done for the success of the company. 2.1 The role In our team we discussed all tasks together in order to give everyone a chance to suggest not only the task they agreed to work on, but also to be aware on how to prepare the parts in business plan. For example every week we had to work one task, everyone on her own and at the end of the week we meet to discuss the ideas and then conclude which is the best. The roles were as follows: Saida M Bandawe did on operational plan and management team and report writer. Edwardina N. Karugendo worked on financial plan and risk assessment. Edna Mtema ,has worked on the business opportunity and industry analysis of our business Grace Sikaona has prepare the details on marketing and also financial plan. 2.2 Specializations Every team member specialised in those roles based on the criteria put forward earlier above which she felt comfortable to deliver the best of the ideas on the field. I worked on Marketing and financial plan as Im currently working in the bank as payment officer. It was easy to me to do financial statements for our business project. 2.3 Contributions of team members All members participated actively in preparation of all the business plan from ideas to complete document, members worked together in all stages until successful submission of the business plan. There were different kinds of contributions from members such as voluntary report writing and collection of data a round different Municipal Council stationeries etc. 2.4 Team forming process The team forming in our class was done by each classmate looking mates she/he can work well and form the best group. After we form our group, the lecture ask each group to find four business ideas, then discuss with her the best based challenging, helpful to the society and not common business among four ideas. 2.5 Efficiency of team work We managed to finish our business plan as planned and submitted on time. The fact that we used to work together and discuss all as a group which has minimised complaints towards a person assigned on that task in case something went wrong or not clear. 3. PROCESS OF IDEA INITIATION 3.1 Arriving at the idea of the business plan The training we got at IIT on Small Business Development for almost six month, has made us to understand how to plan and start up a business and see the need of selecting a specific segment to focus upon. 3.2 Choice from the possible ideas Idea is a purpose or guiding principal. Our group had different ideas such as: Restaurant Tailoring Trash Collection We decided to take the idea of Trash Collection project because we were concerned with preventing environmental pollution in Mikocheni society as well as Dar es Salaam city for the future. Also by considering the World environmental crisis, so by doing this business not only we will be benefit financially but also we will play a big role in protecting our environments. 3.3 Lesson I learnt from the process of idea initiation (Theories) Through business plan preparation I learned a lot and one is time consuming and a tedious work, one need to be passion in a subject and free his or her mind so as to grasp exactly the knowledge that the subject carries. Also I get chance to practice what we learn in class from first year Diploma to my third year. For example a) Marketing theory i) selecting a target market( A niches market) We chosen Mikocheni area as a narrow group of Dar es Salaam city resident but similar interest. (Barringer, B.R. and Ireland, R.D pg 318) b) Financial Theory For any entrepreneur has to have four financial objective which are i) Profitability -Our company ability to make profit ii) Liquidity -Our company ability to meet its short term obligation iii) Efficiency- How productively a firm utilizes its asset iv) Stability -The overall healthy of the company financial structure of our business, particular as it rrelates to its debt-to- equity ratios.( Barringer, B.R. and Ireland, R.D pg 222) I also learnt that sharing ideas with others is very important as it gives a chance to students to examine the ideas deeply as a way to see if it can be implemented, possible merits and demerits, challenges and issues which need a close attention before moving into consideration 4. PRESENTATION EXPERIENCE It is important to present a business plan because it builds a confidence and ability to express she/he ideas and views to the panel 4.1 Importance of the presenting the business plan Presenting in a group might not be a good way instead in our class we had an opportunity for each one of us to present their business plan singly and each members has to present at least two slide, for me this was an excellent way as it helps us to build confidence in defending our opinions and thoughts when answering the questions raised by the panel. During presentation I learnt the following: During presentation is important to be prepared and well organized, otherwise you will end up shaking and get nervous, and hence no massage will be delivered to the audience. In presentation one must focus on what s/he is going to accomplish with the requested capital and less on high level markets statistics. Its important to hold presentation for less than one hour in order to maintain panel attention and not get tired or bored with the presentation. Also in presentations, awareness of the time available to cover important points within that period and maintain presentation flow. Ability to jump back into the presentation after having answered the questions from the panel,, where more clarification on solution of a problem was demanded. Presentation help me to builds more confidence as it was my first time to do presentation, and hope next time it will be more enjoyable and much I learned from this presentation will help me 4.2 Learning Experiences Through the course of small business development I have learned that in order to develop any kind of business someone need to understand the market opportunity either by finding the gape, observing the trend or solving the problem, then the next step will be the business planning. 5. ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS The prediction of growth in our business plan was optimistic; thus why we put our business idea in the market, get loan from EXIM Bank for the remaining part of the capital required in order to operate business and hoping after three to five years we might manage to return the loans due to high demand of our services. As Entrepreneurs we know every business has its negative and positive outcomes, if EGES Trash Collection does not grow as predicted we will ask help from the AJM Company which has experiences in the trash collection industry to boost the growth depending on what was the reason behind the failure. For example, if the failure was operational, we may ask them to train the operation manager to be trained by their experienced operational manager. 5.1 Usefulness of the business plan By using our business plan, our company can use it as a guide and means to see how well the results of the business are. Also the business plan has put all necessary strategy down which will help the management to use it as guidelines in daily operations activities. For example, the marketing plan guides as an instrument which creates public awareness to potential customers, maintain relationship with the present and retain loyal customers, plan and schedule by taking actions. Also it helps to get feedback from customer on how we are providing the services. Also financial plan will help us to see the direction of the business in terms of income and expenses of the company as are mentioned and projected in years to come, showing where the company would be and where the company stands at present. 5.2 Limitation of the business plan Our business plan if it happens to be implemented the following could be the limitations: Government Law- according to our government law that no one can register the company for trash collection like other company providing services instead has to be sub-contracted by respective municipal or approved trash Collection Company. Bad Infrastructures- with respective to our area of trash collection of Mikocheni resident the street are not organised/viable, this results in hindering the process of collecting trash to be difficult or not possible at all to pass through the street roads especially during rain seasons Resident movement- Most of families in Dar es Salaam, particular in Mikocheni area, the residents are moving from one area to another due to yearly increase of the lease. This will results to bad debtors to our company as there are no National ID to track them to pay their bills accordingly. 6. Conclusion Business plan play all the above mentioned roles in our business development, this is an important document for the life of the company and should be confidential. Business plan needs team dedication in terms of time and idea sharing. For sure each part needs critical analysis for the business to grow and that financial plan is company backbone even if it hectic work to come up with accurate figure in preparing financial projection. All required is the that all members to be proactive on each section such as industry analysis, viability of the business and marketing plan for the business plan for the benefit of their business, Also the Government need to change the law for trash Collection Company registration to be like other companies providing different services. This will help to have best company as the city cleanness is not yet met International standards and also more companies registration will increase competition which might improve the quality of the service provided to the resident and the services cost might decrease.

There is always room for pie. :: essays research papers

There Is Always Room For Pie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout my life my parents have always taught me that a child is a product of its environment. As time has passed and I have grown older and observed the people around me I have seen this fact become more evident. I believe that no one person can mimic another’s actions or behaviors so precisely that they become identical. A person’s personality seems to be an infinitely large empty pie plate. The actions or behaviors that people portray are a small slice that they have taken from others to fill up their plate. These actions and behaviors are taken from the influential people in their lives. I do not think any one will ever have a full pie plate because it seems to me that we never stop learning new behaviors from people around us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I have began to talk with my mom more and more through the years I have found her constantly telling me that I act or sound â€Å"just like my father†. Whenever I do or say something around my mom I wait to hear those four words, and it seems that she says them about every four minutes. Even though I mimic many of my father’s actions and behaviors, am I my father? In my mind I do not think I could ever be my dad. I do know why I emulate him so much, because I look up to him. Quite a few sons say that sort of thing about their fathers. Even though it is a generic saying it seems to bring a unique feeling each time it is said. I am glad that I am able to take large pieces from my dad’s personality pie and add them to mine. It does not mean that I have not take anything from my mother’s, it just appears to me that a son imitates more of his father and a daughter imitates more of her mother. I know that this is a sexist statement, but in my observations I have found this to be exceedingly true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What things make up the pieces of the personality pie that we copy? A good example would be self-concept/self-image. Self-concept is a person’s impressions, opinions and attitudes toward their physical, mental and emotional makeup. My father had always been a physically strong person. My physical strength that has come from him, as well as body shape, is more genetic than personality.

My Memories of the State Park Essays -- Personal Experience

When I think about my favorite childhood places to visit, one spot stands out above the rest. My parents took my family to the State Park every year on Columbus Day weekend. Cramped in a station wagon between my three other brothers in the back seat, I remember the car ride to seemingly take triple the amount of time it really took. The time that it took to get to the state park was always increased when my parents would stop for lunch at the half way point, something they did each and every time. I knew we were close when I saw a sign for the Mall. It was a very weathered sign on the side of an even more deteriorating barn that could not have been larger than a classroom. I always laughed to myself about this sign because even though the sign advertised the mall was four miles ahead, the lettering of â€Å"4 miles ahead† was in a text size that you could barely make out as a passenger in a car traveling fifty miles per hour. If you were not paying attention, you would mistake this element torn building as the actual mall and feel a slight pity for the poor town. Though, seeing this sign and feeling the pity was a small price to pay for nearly being at your favorite place on Earth and out of your cramped conveyance. Shortly after the sign, there are road signs for the State Park which lead you to a steep, winding mountain road. Going up this incline in an overstuffed, late model station wagon seemed like it took more time than the two hour car ride it took to get to it. Then, finally, a carved boulder on the right side of the road appeared and proclaimed â€Å"STATE PARK.† This rock always had special meaning to me. It was a massive stone that never shifted from where it settled probably several decades ago. Th... ...ss visitors great experiences and upon arrival to it, it will be your turn to have them. The State Park holds many other places that offer different sorts of ventures, but when you truly respect the land, the tiniest encounters often yield the largest rewards. When you forego visiting the popular tourist destinations and decide to make your own exploits, the possibility of experiencing true freedom is increased. Going to a crowded beachfront by the lake, waiting in lines for bathrooms or to buy worms for fishing has less potential for adventure than simply walking into the woods without so much as a destination. There, in the woods, you will forget for hours that you live in society. Shortly after that absence of thought, you will find yourself doing unexpected and fulfilling activities that will shape your mind and outlook on life for as long as you live.

Describe Two Opposite People

Describe two opposite people In the small community of Culmersville there are only two adults that I could spend time with and never be bored. One of which was a kind lady by the name of Ms. Kelly and the other was the funniest man in the world by the name of Mr. King. Ms. Kelly is a kind person. She always teaches me to help those people who are in need and she also never got tired of helping others. For example, one of my friend’s family financial situation wasn’t so good and therefore Ms. Kelly buys him breakfast almost every morning. She hopes that he will not feel hungry during the school time and knows it can help him to concentrate in his studies. Ms. Kelly is also a sympathetic lady. Although she was not high-educated, she always teaches her kids and me to help other people. During weekends she would visit the Children’s Hostel and help the workers to teach and feed the children. She also always invites me and my family to be a volunteer and join her to do social works. On the other hand Mr. King was the complete opposite. He was an electrician and one of the most selfish people I knew. Mr. King would have two bottles of water and would rather throw a bottle of water in the garbage or put it in his car before he would give it to you. But yet I found Mr. King to be a funny man and spent lots of time with him playing dominoes. I had the best relationship with Mr. King in Culmersville. This probably was because I never asked him for anything. But Ms. Kelly and Mr. King was the worst of friends. I would call them enemies. All of this started when Ms. Kelly asked Mr. King to donate some of his funds to the Children’s Hostel. Mr. King could have told her a simple ‘no’ but he loudly told Ms. King, ‘if you don’t get off my property talking foolishness about donating money I would throw you off myself’. This was where the commotion started. Ms. Kelly then asked, ‘Do you call homeless children foolishness? ’ Mr. King then said, ‘The children aren’t the foolishness. You are. ‘Mr. King then slammed the door in Ms. Kelly’s face like she was coming to rob his house. Ever since this day every time Ms. Kelly sees Mr. King she would start pointing fingers at him telling people he hate homeless children and unfortunate people. These are the two people that thought me that people with opposite personalities would never be able to be together. But, although Ms. Kelly and Mr. King are two completely opposite people I enjoy being with either of them.

How We Are Teaching Children to Think Inside the Box Essay

When children come home from school, parents usually sit down with them, go through their homework folders and ask their child, â€Å"so, what did you learn at school today?† Twenty years ago, the child may have commented on what they learned in art, music, social studies or geography. Now, a child will comment only on what they learned in their reading circle or in their math book. The fault for this lies within the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Standardized testing has turned teachers into test proctors and schools into testing facilities. Students are no longer receiving a broad education that covers many subjects; instead, their learning is streamlined to fit the content that is on the standardized tests. The NCLB Act is not working as it was intended, and as a result the American children are falling even further behind other developed nations. In fact, American students are ranked 19th out of 21 countries in math, 16th in science and last in physics (DeWeese 2). The No Child Left Behind Act needs to be tossed out before we do irreversible damage to the education system. It is not too late – we can turn everything around by getting rid of costly standardized tests, ensure students receive a broad education that includes classes in arts and music, which will better prepare them for higher education, and give control back to the individual states. In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted by Congress, which was intended to close the learning gap between Caucasian students and minority students. The NCLB promised to promote accountability amongst teachers and school administrators, as well as assuring that all children would be proficient – according to standards set by the individual states – in reading and math by the end of the 2013-2014 school year (Ravitch 2). In addition, NCLB stated that by the end of the 2005-2006 school-year every classroom in America would have a highly qualified teacher (Paige 2). The most reliable way that the drafters of No Child Left Behind proposed collecting the data that they needed in order to keep track of accountability and proficiency was by mandating that each state issue their  students in grades 3 through 12 a standardized test annually that covers the subjects of reading, writing and math (Beveridge 1). The test that is issued is given to all students, whether they are Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, disabled, etc. and schools are graded based on the proficiency of their students. Each state sets a yearly goal that increases each year based on the mandates of the NCLB Act, in which all students will be 100 percent proficient in those three subjects by the year 2014 (Ravitch 2). On paper, the NCLB Act looked like a blessing to schools that are located in areas of low-income, minority areas and advocates for children with learning disabilities because these tests were meant to highlight the schools that are doing poorly and ensure they receive funding and training in order to turn the scores around (Darling-Hammond 1). In a letter that is addressed to parents on their website, the U.S. Department of Education explains that the NCLB Act provides â€Å"more resources to schools† through funding and â€Å"allows more flexibility† when allocating the funds (3). According to Linda Darling-Hammond, a Professor of Education at Stanford University, â€Å"the funding allocated by NCLB – less than 10 percent of most schools’ budgets – does not meet the needs of the under-resourced schools, where many students currently struggle to learn† (2). Another way schools get their funding is through the taxes that we pay. It makes sense that schools located in an area that has higher income would receive more funds than schools located in a low-income area. What happens is that with the limited funding, schools in low-income areas need to prioritize funding to raise the standardized test scores of their students because once a school fails to show improvement in their standar dized test scores, they are placed on probation the second year and parents are given a choice to leave the failing school, taking their child and the funding attached to that child to a school that is rated better. â€Å"In the third year of a school’s failure, students are entitled to free tutoring after school† according to Diane Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University (2). The funding provided by NCLB is supposed to help pay for the free tutoring, but, like was stated before, the funding provided is not enough. What happens when a school is mandated by law to provide resources, but it cannot find room in their budget? That’s  right, they cut funding elsewhere. In an article written by Angela Pascopella, the Austin Independent School District superintendent Pascal D. Forgione explains that â€Å"NCLB also requires that schools in need of improvement set aside 10 percent of their local Title 1 funds for professional development †¦ this creates no flexibility in budgeting† (1). When schools need to restructure their budget in order to pay for tutoring and retraining teachers, the arts and music programs are the ones that suffer most. NCLB places so much emphasis on the outcome of the standardized tests. Can you really blame the school districts for re-emphasizing the importance of standardized tests when their funding relies on it? States were put in charge of providing their own assessment tests in order to provide a more focused education to their students and ensure that the students meet the state’s standards of proficiency. Tina Beveridge explains that â€Å"in 2007, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) cost the state $113 million †¦ [and] many districts eliminated teaching positions as a result, despite the use of stimulus money. As budgets are cut nationwide, the funding for nontested subjects are affected first† (1). The fact that the distribution of funds is based on the outcome of the standardized test scores mea ns that we are blatantly failing the inner-city schools. A school will be placed on probation if they fail just one category ranging from proficiency of Caucasian students all the way down to the proficiency of the students who are just learning the English language. Schools located in higher income areas don’t really have to worry as much about budget cuts because those schools are located in areas that are predominately white and with parents who are active in their children’s education. On the other hand, schools in low income areas have to provide tutoring and other mandated actions in order to improve their proficiency rates, all the while their students are learning in â€Å"crumbling facilities, overcrowded classrooms, out-of-date textbooks, no science labs, no art or music courses and a revolving door of untrained teachers† (Darling-Hammond 2). After a few years of a school not showing improvement through their test scores, their entire teaching staff could be fired. We just saw this happen last year in Providence, Rhode Island. The school board terminated 1,976 teachers because of insufficient results and the need to make budget cuts (Chivvis 1). The turnover rate for  teachers is already extremely high, as much as 50 percent leave within 5 years in urban areas (McKinney et al 1) and the pressure of working in a low-income school district where schools are lacking basic teaching necessities is not all that appealing. The inability of low-income schools to offer teachers incentives because of funding, and with the added stress of job security, it makes one wonder how any highly qualified teachers are in the classroom. On top of that, the curriculum for students has gotten so narrow that it has taken a lot of the creativity and individualization that once attracted the best of the best to the teaching profession. Susan J. Hobart is an example of one of those teachers who used to love doing her job because she was leaving her mark on her students, in a positive way. In Hobart’s article, she tells of a letter she received from one of her students prior to the NCLB Act. The letter explained that Hobart was â€Å"differen t than other teachers, in a good way. [They] didn’t learn just from a textbook; [they] experienced the topics by ‘jumping into the textbook.’ [They] got to construct a rainforest in [their] classroom, have a fancy lunch on the Queen Elizabeth II, and go on a safari through Africa† (3). The student goes on to explain that the style of teaching she experienced during that time is what she hopes she can do when she becomes a teacher too. Unfortunately, that student’s dream will most likely not come true because the fact is that when schools are placed on probation, like Hobart’s school, they â€Å"teach test-taking strategies similar to those taught in Stanley Kaplan prep courses †¦ and spend an inordinate amount of time showing students how to ‘bubble up’† (1). With all the time and energy being placed on teaching children to read and write, you would think that they would be proficient by the time they enroll in college, right? Wrong. â€Å"42 percent of community college freshmen and 20 percent of freshmen in four-year institutions enroll in at least one remedial course †¦ 35 percent were enrolled in math, 23 percent in writing, and 20 percent in reading,† according to the Alliance for Excellent Education (1). Scho ols are so reliant on the standardized tests in order to gauge how students are understanding material that they have slacked-off in other areas like teaching basic study skills and critical thinking skills. When most of these kids graduate from high school and enter into a college setting, especially the ones who need to take remedial courses to catch-up to where  they should be when they graduate, they’re taken completely off guard with the course load and they will either succeed in managing it or struggle for the first few semesters, but the majority will drop out without a degree (Alliance for Excellent Education 1). High school is meant to prepare students for higher education or to enter the workforce, but the government is spending millions of dollars in order to remediate students and doing what high school teachers were meant to do (Alliance for Excellent Education 3). So, who is to blame? The supporters of No Child Left Behind acknowledge that there are some faults to the Act, but those like Kati Haycock believes that â€Å"although NCLB isn’t perfect, the Bush administration and Congress did something important by passing it. They called on educators to embrace a new challenge – not just access for all, but achievement for all †¦ there are no more invisible kids† (1). Supporters feel as though benefits such as holding teachers accountable for all students, including those with disabilities, and weeding out the schools that have a long history of doing poorly outweighs the negatives and that with time, the NCLB Act can be reformed to work as efficiently as it was enacted to work. Ravitch disagrees, stating that â€Å"Washington has neither the knowledge nor the capacity to micromanage the nation’s schools† (3). We have to agree with her as concerned citizens and parents. While the NCLB Act meant well when it was passed, it’s time to acknowledge that the government has spent billions of dollars trying to improve the education of America’s youth, yet 10 years later American students are still falling behind the mark set by other industrialized nations and the 201 3-2014 school year is quickly coming upon us. Not only are we falling behind globally, but minorities are still struggling behind Caucasian students. The gap between Caucasian students and minority students, that was intended to close through the NCLB Act, has remained just as far apart. E.E. Miller Elementary School, located here in Fayetteville, NC, just released their annual report card to parents. The chart below shows the break-down of students who passed both the reading and math tests provided at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. African American children, Hispanic children, and children with disabilities are still lagging far behind their Caucasian peers. African American children passed at 49.4 percent, 25.5 percent of students with disabilities passed and Hispanic children passed at rate of  56.9 percent. Remember that the NCLB expects this school, along with every other school in the Nation, to be at 100 percent proficiency by the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Source: Education First NC School Report Cards, E. E. Miller Elementary: 2010-11 School Year, Public Schools of North Carolina State Board of Education, Web, 26 Oct. 2011. In order to put this chart more in perspective, below is the 3-year trend for E.E. Miller. [pic] Source: Education First NC School Report Cards, E. E. Miller Elementary: 2010-11 School Year, Public Schools of North Carolina State Board of Education, Web, 26 Oct. 2011. While math scores are steadily improving, reading scores (the solid line) are declining. E.E. Miller has been on probation for at least 3 years, having provided tutoring to children who were struggling last year. Even with those efforts, the end of the year test suggests those students are still struggling in reading. These mandates are not working. States are spending millions of dollars per year to fulfill all of the required obligations without any fruition. We need to put education spending back into the hands of the states with more substantial federal funding. The federal government cannot expect every public elementary school, middle school and high school in this nation to fix a problem that has been prevalent for many, many years with this one-size-fits-all approach to learning. It will not happen with No Child Left Behind, and it definitely will not happen by the end of the 2013-2014 school year. We can no longer sit and watch while students in America struggle to compete o n a global level in nearly all subjects. Teachers are not educating our nation’s students to think critically and to form their own ideas or opinions; instead, teachers in failing schools are stuck teaching a curriculum that directly corresponds to what is being tested, and we are failing to prepare them for higher education. The future citizens we are molding will be of no use to society if they cannot think for themselves, which will happen if they remain in the current system. We need to undo this one-size-fits-all curriculum and re-broaden our children’s education to include subjects that will teach them think outside the box. Works Cited Alliance for Excellence in Education. â€Å"Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community College Remediation.† Issue Brief: August (2006). All4Ed.Org. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. Beveridge, Tina. â€Å"No Child Left Behind and Fine Arts Classes.† Arts Education Policy Review 111.1 (2010): 4. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. Chivvis, Dana. â€Å"Providence, RI, School Board Votes to Lay Off All Teachers.† AOL News (2011). Web. 28 Oct. 2011. Darling-Hammond, Lisa. â€Å"No Child Left Behind is a Bad Law.† Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. DeWeese, Tom. â€Å"Public Education is Failing.† Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. Education First NC School Report Cards. â€Å"E. E. Miller Elementary: 2010-11 School Year.† Public Schools of North Carolina State Board of Education. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. McKinney, Sueanne E., et al. â€Å"Addressing Urban High-Poverty School Teacher Attrition by Addressing Urban High-Poverty School Teacher Retention: Why Effective Teachers Persevere.† Educational Research and Review Vol. 3 (1) pp. 001-009 (2007). Academic Journals. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. Paige, Rod. â€Å"No Child Left Behind: A Parent’s Guide.† U.S. Department of Education (2002). PDF File. 28 Oct. 2011. Pascopella, Angela. â€Å"Talking Details on NCLB.† District Administration 43.7 (2007): 22. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. Ravitch, Diane. â€Å"Time to Kill ‘No Child Left Behind’.† Education Digest 75.1 (2009): 4. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

The novel entitled â€Å" Bee Season,† which is written by a great American Novelist and Musician named Myla Goldberg tells about the profound story of young girl whose intent is driven by her admirations of conquering the national spelling bee contest and her journey of facing the aftermath of her achievement.Basically, the story of this novel is bound within the limits and narrative of a family, which tackles the broad range and the various faces of domestic problems and difficulties among the family members.As for this novel, the conflict of interest within the family is considered to be one of the main aspects in the story, which dictates the progress of the novel's narrative. More so, the awareness of practicing personal autonomy, individual desire and differences in the family are of the most signifant features of the novel.On the other hand, this novel also enlightens the narrative as to how and why the young ones are affected by the various difficulties and negatives a spects of life. Thus, through the representation of Eliza Naumann, one of the main characters in the novel, the author, Myla Goldberg, provides a clear picture as to how the younger members of the family would lose their innocence and pollute their young percpetions as they slowly began to witness and face the harsh realty of life.Overall, this novel tells about the story of Saul Naumann who â€Å"spends the first portion of his life as Sal Newman, son of Henry and Lisa Newman, decorator of Christmas trees and Easter eggs† (Goldberg 2000, p. 110). Eliza Naumann, a seven-year-old girl the sole member of a gifted family who remains to be classified as a typical individual in a sense that she is less fortunate in terms of academic achievements. She is very much different from that of her brother and her parents.â€Å"Since being designated three years ago as a student from whom great things should not be expected† Eliza Naumann, for a certain time, is considered as a medi ocre not just in her family but also in the academe, as per the definition and point of view of her teachers and mentors (Goldberg 2000, p. 101). With this condition, as a student and the youngest in the family, Eliza has lived her life without the favorable guidance and support of her parents and of the other members of the family.Thus, for almost the entire span of her existence, Eliza is not aware and is deprived of knowing the activities of her parents and brothers. Far from the awareness of Eliza, the majority of her family is a practicing a strict religious way of life. Her father, Saul, works as a cantor in the local House of Prayer in their community and her mother, Miriam, works as a local lawyer, while her brother is a prolific and gifted student who reads and recites Hebrew through the intensive guidance of their father.Though it seems acceptable that Eliza Naumann accepts and understands her primary stand as mediocre and less important status in the family, she still has an exceptional gift that would alter the seat she occupies in the family. Fortunately, Eliza has discovered her exceptional gift in spelling as she won in the class and school spelling bee contest, which has served to be the start of something new in her life. This incident and the series of events in the life of Eliza have brought her to a new begginng, as she slowly attracted the attention of her parents.â€Å"When Eliza studies, it is like discovering her own anatomy† and it is no doubt that she has this kind of skill and gift, as she is a product of a well-rounded and gifted family. Since then on, Eliza's life has never been the same anymore. From a mediocre situation with a less signifcance in the family, Eliza's success in the spelling bee has gathered the respect and support of her father, Saul, who decided to teach her and encouraged her to study the works of religoius writers.In a sense, it can be said that through the success, which Eliza Naumann has gathered in wi nning all the preliminary spelling bee that she participated, she has lost her innocence as an ordinary young girl that belongs to a well-established and reputable family. As her success brought about an intensive attention to her family, Eliza's father has introduced her the religious way of life and belief that he has for most of his life.Thus, these changes have altered the young perception and existence of Eliza, as she has become more oriented and aware of different philosophy and beliefs with the help of her father's encouragement. More so, through the confidence and recognition that she got from winning the spelling bee in her school and in their district division, Eliza is more capable of doing and learning other things that would further enhance her awareness and knowledge as an individual, which has paved the way for her to lose her innocence.Lastly, witnessing and facing the harsh realirty of life and problems of their family, more especially with her mother ending up in the psychiatric hospital due to insanity, Eliza's innocence as a young girl has been jeopradized and sacrificed, which in the end, gave her the reason to let go of her innocence and do what she think is right and practices self autonomy.In the end, though Saul â€Å"would like to think he has kept his distance in order to protect his daughter from his unfulfilled hopes† (Goldberg, 2000, p. 161). His desire in shaping his children according to his beliefs and philosophy has still affected the innocent mind and perception of Eliza Naumann, as seen in the latter pasrt of the novel when she conciously mispelled a words in their class spelling bee (Goldberg, 2000). Reference Goldberg, M. (2000). Bee Season. New York: Anchor Books.