Free Essays on Mary Wollstonecraft

Victorian Age Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London in 1759 to Edward John Wollstonecraft and Elizabeth Dickson Wollstonecraft. Mary Wollstonecraft’s father, Edward John Wollstonecraft is the son of a successful silk weaver, which enables him to purchase a considerable estate for he and his family. Because Edward Wollstonecraft is a drunkard with a tyrant-like attitude, he squanders his funds, and within a span of ten years, he loses the entire estate and nearly ruins his family. Largely because of the irresponsibility of her father and the social descent of her family, Mary Wollstonecraft leaves home at the peak age of nineteen years old. Mary Wollstonecraft is determined to become an independent woman in a society that generally expected women of her class to be homebodies and obedient wives. She struggles for years to earn a living at the only two jobs acceptable for single, educated women. Always self-reliant, Mary Wollstonecraft first starts and operates a school, then works as a governess before becoming a brilliant nineteenth century writer. Even in her precarious position as as self-supporting woman, Mary Wollstonecraft remains in some conflicting senses, a child of the middle classes. Between the years 1778 and 1787, Mary Wollstonecraft virtually tries every honorable occupation open to middle-class women. In 1787, she finally sheds her dependence and moves back to London with a strong determination to become what she calls, â€Å"the first new genus, â€Å" which is a self-supporting professional woman writer. By 1788 Mary Wollstonecraft publishes two works that epitomize the two poles that dominate her emotional struggle as a young woman. Her first work is called Mary, A Fiction, which is a novel of her life, and all the obstacles that she faces in order to get where she is in life. The second work that Mary Wollstonecraft does is called, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters, which is a collection of essays that ... Free Essays on Mary Wollstonecraft Free Essays on Mary Wollstonecraft Victorian Age Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London in 1759 to Edward John Wollstonecraft and Elizabeth Dickson Wollstonecraft. Mary Wollstonecraft’s father, Edward John Wollstonecraft is the son of a successful silk weaver, which enables him to purchase a considerable estate for he and his family. Because Edward Wollstonecraft is a drunkard with a tyrant-like attitude, he squanders his funds, and within a span of ten years, he loses the entire estate and nearly ruins his family. Largely because of the irresponsibility of her father and the social descent of her family, Mary Wollstonecraft leaves home at the peak age of nineteen years old. Mary Wollstonecraft is determined to become an independent woman in a society that generally expected women of her class to be homebodies and obedient wives. She struggles for years to earn a living at the only two jobs acceptable for single, educated women. Always self-reliant, Mary Wollstonecraft first starts and operates a school, then works as a governess before becoming a brilliant nineteenth century writer. Even in her precarious position as as self-supporting woman, Mary Wollstonecraft remains in some conflicting senses, a child of the middle classes. Between the years 1778 and 1787, Mary Wollstonecraft virtually tries every honorable occupation open to middle-class women. In 1787, she finally sheds her dependence and moves back to London with a strong determination to become what she calls, â€Å"the first new genus, â€Å" which is a self-supporting professional woman writer. By 1788 Mary Wollstonecraft publishes two works that epitomize the two poles that dominate her emotional struggle as a young woman. Her first work is called Mary, A Fiction, which is a novel of her life, and all the obstacles that she faces in order to get where she is in life. The second work that Mary Wollstonecraft does is called, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters, which is a collection of essays that ...

Posthumous and Posthumously

Posthumous and Posthumously Posthumous and Posthumously Posthumous and Posthumously By Maeve Maddox Researching another topic altogether, I came across this startling use of the word posthumously: Nicholas Schmidle, whose narrative account of the death of Osama bin was completed without ever interviewing any members of SEAL Team 6, posthumously wrote an article entitled â€Å"In the Crosshairs’’ in The New Yorker. Posthumously means â€Å"after death.† An article may be published posthumously, but writing one posthumously would be quite a feat. The adjective posthumous is applied to an action or reputation occurring, arising, or continuing after death. For example, John Kennedy Toole acquired a posthumous reputation for his novel A Confederacy of Dunces, which wasn’t published until eleven years after his death. Posthumously, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Or perhaps the passive would be better here: He was awarded the prize posthumously. The word comes from the classical Latin adjective postumus that was used to describe a child born after the father’s death. The h in the English word may be the result of folk etymology by association with the word humus (earth), or by someone’s learned desire to associate it with the Latin verb humare, â€Å"to bury.† Here are examples of posthumous and posthumously used correctly on the Web: Murdered NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were posthumously promoted to the rank of detective. The posthumous birth of a child has been a common occurrence throughout human history, but now â€Å"posthumous conception† has become possible. The technology that permits parents to bank sperm and eggs for later use has created legal problems no one could have anticipated a few decades ago. I did find this quotation in which the word posthumously is used in an unexpected way: Novelist Nadine Gordimer told writer Christopher Hitchens that â€Å"A serious person should try to write posthumously.† Hitchens interpreted her unusual use of the word to mean to write as if the â€Å"usual constraints of fashion, commerce, self-censorship, public and, perhaps especially, intellectual opinion- did not operate.† Bottom line: Ordinarily, people who are still alive can’t do anything posthumously. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and Times55 Boxing Idioms40 Irregular Verbs That Can End in â€Å"-t†

Criteria for Selection of Physical Education Teachers Essay

Criteria for Selection of Physical Education Teachers - Essay Example As the report declares three different kinds of questionnaires were prepared. The first was a Likert-type questionnaire. Responses were assigned numerical values that assessed how important the respondent considered a particular attribute. The second questionnaire required the respondents to arrange the attributes they considered favorable in potential teacher candidates in order of rank and importance. The third was an open ended questionnaire that allowed the respondents to answer questions in more detail, which provided some insight into the reasons for their choices. This paper stresses that the ability to teach physical education was considered most important, followed closely by the ability to teach inter personal skills. Teaching of swimming, dancing and outdoor education ranked lowest on the scale. The most important criterion was a major in physical education, followed by graduation from a reputable institution and a grade point average of at least 3. The least important criterion was the possession of a Master’s degree. The ability to motivate and inspire students ranked as the most important quality in terms of teaching skills. Adopting a wide range of teaching styles and maintaining a good classroom plan were also considered very important. The least important factor was collaboration with parents and the Community. Enthusiasm and passion ranked highest on the list of favorable attributes, followed by the ability to speak well. The least important factor was whether or not the candidate led an active lifestyle.

Quality Nursing Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quality Nursing Care - Essay Example She was Madeleine Leininger who was among the first graduate to gain doctorate degree in anthropology and she thought to add new dimension to nursing by introducing culture relevant caring technique which was introduced as a concept and later mature into a specialized domain in nursing and known to be as transcultural nursing. "A substantive area of study and practice focused on comparative cultural care (caring) values, beliefs and practices of individuals or groups of similar or different cultures. Transcultural nursling's goal is to provide culture specific and universal nursing care practices for the health and well-being of people or to help them face unfavorable human conditions, illness or death in culturally meaningful ways" Culture and care has been associated in nursing in transcultural setting where care is provided with accordance to person's culture. Care according to Leininger is termed as a powerful and dynamic force to understand the totality of human behavior in health and sickness (p 2). According to Leininger "Caring is also attributed to actions, attitudes and practices to assist or help others toward healing and wellbeing" (p 5) Culture on the other hand is the "broadest, most comprehensive, holistic and universal feature of human being which comprises of the learned, shared, and transmitted values, beliefs, norms, and life ways of a particular culture that guides thinking, decisions, and actions in patterned ways and often intergenerationally" (Leininger, p 6). Leininger thought that having no cultural knowledge was affecting the quality of nursing actions and decisions. So nursing in transcultural setting is reliant on the knowledge about the patient's culture and cultural attributes. Transcultural nurses are train to work in diverse culture and to identify unknown or misunderstood cultures factors and influencers which affect caring actions and decisions. Sharon Murphy quotes that transcultural studies comprises of care symbol, expressions and meanings and their research is basically studying cultural care and health concern. Leininger also presented a theory called as "The Culture Care Theory". This theory presented the interdependency between culture and care and emphasized that culture relevant care helps to improve the helping technique use to facilitate patient in the course of their recovery. Some major construct of Leininger's theory are firstly the interdependency between culture and care, secondly the theories and models are unknown blurred truth and expressions in a culture and are pictorial diagram showing some concept but lack the relationship among them respectively. Thirdly the theory is open to discovery of unknown ideas previously unknown or indistinctive related to cultural care experience of human health and welfare. Fourthly the theory encourages ascertaining various aspect of culture and care in naturalistic manner in similar or different environmental context. Fifth is a new technique of discovery such cultural values and expressions which is Ethnonursing method and it is define by Leininger as "an

The BAd Effects Of Alcohol Essay Example for Free

The BAd Effects Of Alcohol Essay Alcohol is harmless when not drinking in mass quantities, even it helps body in some cases, for example wine protects people from heart attacks. However, if you get used to drink alcohol, you can easily abuse. Alcoholism happens when someone engages in frequent alcohol abuse. As time goes on, alcohol starts to alter chemical makeup of brain, resulting in user to depend on alcohol so as to feel good. In the end, their body starts to crave alcohol in order to function properly and alcoholism comes to person with many damages. An addiction to alcohol can have destructive and irreversible effects on a persons health which we can classify as physical, psychological and economic. The initial effects of alcoholism are the physical ones. These are the most important, because these can bring about your death. For instance, alcohol abuse affects the nervous system and then lead to permanent brain illnesses which are dementia and Alzheimer. Furthermore, an abuse of alcohol over a number of years has been linked to developing cancers such as liver, colon, throat and breast cancer. Besides, alcohol is a toxin which affects all body cells and tissues. According to the Jerry Kennard from Mens Health, uncontrollable drinking gives rise to crucial health difficulties (1996). Also Jerry Kennard stated that â€Å"Each year more than 100. 000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes. † (1996). All these physical effects make your life expectancy decrease and cause your premature death. The second results caused by alcoholism are psychological. At first alcohol makes you feel relaxed, but if you keep drinking more and more times, it increases anxiety and causes Oner, Page 2 depression. It also changes your behaviors and you may have some complications with your family and social circle. For example, a drunk man may use violence to even his wife or daughter due to have a blackout which is caused from alcohol. In short, just for pleasure which lasts for a short time, you may lose your family and your good friends forever. The last consequences of alcoholism are economic. Alcohol is not cheap and when people are drunk, they do not care about money which is paid for alcohol or another things. As a result, they do not have enough money for their major necessities. According to Shane Hall, eHow contributor, overindulgence drinking and alcoholism cost community billions each year and this includes the cure payments, prices to get rid of illegal situations and becoming unable to work which results from alcohol-related ailments and in the end untimely death. Thus, alcoholism not only causes your death, but also may result in lost all your wealth which you can leave an inheritance to new generations. In conclusion, the effects of alcoholism which are physical, psychological and economic can bring about many problems that influence your life in all aspects. Alcohol alters your brain, muscles, cardiovasculer system, sexual conditions, digestion process and other disorders that affect your health. In addition it can cause your suicide owing to the depression and other brain damages. Besides, it will leave you in pennilessness, because it costs a lot. Finally, there is no reason to drink alcohol in excess, we can drink just a glass of wine and enjoy it!

Attributes of Typical Heisman Trophy Winners Essay -- College Football

HEISMAN DILEMMA The Heisman Trophy: symbol of unquestionable superiority among fellow NCAA division 1-A athletes . . . or is it? This unique honor is awarded to the player who the Heisman panel believes is the â€Å"best† player in 1-A. The award can be given to a player of â€Å"any position,† or so the Heisman committee says. There has never been a Heisman candidate who hasn’t been a quarterback, running back, or multi-purpose skill player (for example: someone who plays wide receiver, defensive back, and is a situational running back). Does the Heisman Trophy really determine who the best player (and therefore best NFL prospect) is? I can prove who will win the Heisman this year, but should that person be the Heisman winner? Kirk Herbstreit is currently ESPN’s leading college football journalist, and I consider him the undeniable authority on all matters associated with college football. He created his own Website, Heisman Pundit. This Website contains â€Å"The 10 Heismandments,† which I think accurately capture the unofficial qualifications that the Heisman panel uses to choose the winner. It is my personal belief that the Heismandments are bogus, but if you look through the history of Heisman winners, they really do comply with most (if not all) of the qualifications. The â€Å"Ten Heismandments† are as follows: 1. The winner must be a quarterback, running back, or multi-threat athlete. 2. The winner must be a Junior or a Senior. 3. The winner must put up good numbers in big games on TV. 4. The winner must have some prior recognition. 5. The Winner must be one of the following three: a. a top player on a national title contender team; b. a player who puts up good numbers for a traditional power that has a good r... ... for money; they don’t have their own clothing lines; hell, they aren’t even allowed to do endorsements. They play for the love of the game, for a national title, for a Heisman Trophy, and to get noticed by NFL coaches. Let’s face it. Every football-loving fan in America is going to watch all of the top 5 bowls, regardless of who plays them. To take away from the purity and justice of college football to make a few pennies is an atrocity. Let’s just hope that NCAA officials can realize what they’re doing, and stop before it’s too late. Works Cited Burns, Marty. â€Å"Leinart, Trojans Having a Good Time.† Sports Illustrated. November 2005. Cincinnati Bengals’ Website. 2005. www.bengals.com. Heisman Website. 2005. www.heisman.com. Herbstreit, Kirk. Heisman Pundit. 7 November. 2005. www.heismanpundi.com. Pasquarelli, Len. ESPN Magazine. November 2005.

Book review

The Soviet people thought after the war, their lives would get better but Stalin Hough if they wanted more, they would rebel. He did what he could to not let them want more than what they had. 2. In the summer of 1948, Stalin ordered a blockade of West Berlin The Cold War Powering 1 . Feeling that the future peace of the world would depend upon relations between the united States and Russia, FED devoted much thought to the planning of a United Nations, In which, he hoped, International difficulties could be settled. . Hiss was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1 948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this hare in 1950. It is very likely that he was innocent. Chapter 26 1 . Why did relations between the United States and Soviet Union deteriorate after WWW? P. 782-791 The USSR was based on a communist system and wanted to spread communism all over the world. The united States was based on a capitalistic democracy and wanted to prevent communism. 2. Why did Truman have Limited s uccess In Implementing his domestic agenda? P. 92-800 Congress rejected Trauma's proposal for call rights, a medical lobby blocked he plans for a universal health care program, his concentration on foreign policy rather than domestic didn't help, and there was a wave of anticommunism that weakened liberal and leftist forces. 3. How did the Korean War shape American foreign policy in the sass? P. 800-805 The Korean War shaped American foreign policy in the sass by showing the American people, and the rest of the World that communism would be militarily opposed. Chapter 27 1 . How did Eisenhower domestic polices reflect his moderate political vision?P. 811-815 He resisted expanding the governments power. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, obtained a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War. I infer that he felt the need to end the war, during the war 3. How did technology contribute to changes in economy, substan tiation, and the growth of the Sun Belt? P. 821-827 4. Why did American consumption expand so dramatically in the sass and what aspects of society and culture did it influence? P. 827-832 Americans after WWW 2 entered an era of prosperity and affluence.This general well-being can be most Leary seen in the mass consumption of consumers goods fueled by television and the housing boom. The middle class benefited the most 5. What were the goals and strategies of civil rights activists in the sass? P. 832-836 The goals of the civil rights movement were meaningful civil rights laws, a massive federal works program, full and fair employment, decent housing, the right to vote, and adequate integrated education. The right to vote was passed and placed in the bill of rights (1 5th amendment) in 1870 part of the reconstruction era.So during ass's during the civil rights movement the right to vote was not one of their goals because it was already in effect for African Americans to vote. Chapter 28 1 . Why did Kennedy believe that engagement in Vietnam was crucial to his foreign policy? P. 877-884 Anticommunism, the red threat, expansion of communism in Asia were all part of his foreign policy at the time. The initial engagements in Vietnam were to stop the spread of communism. It was a policy of containment of communism. Kennedy feared that if Vietnam fell so would the rest of the Asia 2.Why did massive amounts of airport and ground troops fail to bring U. S. Victory Vietnam? P. 884-888 3. How did the Vietnam War shape the election of 1968? P. 888-893 LB] refused to run for re-election; he was burned out. The nation wanted (and needed) an experienced â€Å"get the Job done† president. Nixon promised to deliver! The country believed him. And he delivered 4. What strategies did Nixon implement to bring American involvement in Vietnam to a close? P. 893-901 Optimization. Its goal was to create strong, largely self-reliant South Vietnamese military forces. Book Review Book Review Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Totto Chan: The Little Girl At The Window is a book which has engaging series of childhood recollections tell about an ideal school, Tomoe that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love and adventure. The school was in the railroad cars for classrooms and run by a good head teacher who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity. This book depicts the childhood activities of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, the author of this book, whose childhood nickname is Totto Chan and translated by Dorothy Britton. Expelled from first grade:The story starts with by telling of Totto-Chan’s expelling from the previous school when she was in grade one. The little girl ‘Totto-Chan’ was waiting all the morning for street bands to walk by the school and call them over to play their music which was considered as highly disruptive behaviour and aggravated, her teacher decided that the girl would be no more in the school. Fin ally, her mother found a school after searching and took her to the school- Tomoe Gakuen, where the little girl Totto-Chan impressed the head-master through her talking which stunned to her mother.The school has only fifty students in total and the classrooms were conducted in disused train cars. In the assembly hall, all students shared their daily lunch consisting of â€Å"something from the ocean (fish, seaweed, bonito flakes, etc. ) and something from the hills (vegetables, beef, pork, pickled plum, etc. ). † So, doubts scaffolding knowledge in Totto-Chan’s mind and she used to ask her mother about it when she returned to home. The headmaster meant to it was balanced food which necessary for children, but the children only concerned about to fulfilled the two requirements.This relates to the everyday knowledge which children can think on it and learn what is necessary for a good health. Mr. Kobayachi, the headmaster believed in experimental learning, even he asked the parents of the children send their kids with their worst clothes to school. Lessons at Tomoe: In that school, Tomoe, children enjoyed lot of freedom in the sense that they were free to do anything as their wish. The head teacher had trust on students; there they were engaged in such adventurous tasks like climbing trees, play freely or stay in class to finish a science experiment during recess.Students were getting space for doing or playing as their wish in which teachers guided them and help them how to do it, so their confidence enhanced through it. Here is a description of classes at Tomoe Gakuen: â€Å"At the beginning of the first period, the teacher made a list of all the problems and questions in the subjects to be studied that day. Then she would say, â€Å"Now, start with any of these you like. † This is one kind of methods of teaching by which teacher can able to observe that the children’s progress to higher grades by observing their interest in which area as well as their way of thinking.I think, it is a best way for teachers to know their students in a better way means to understand their interested field and teach accordingly (p. 12). Many activities based learnings were taught by the headmaster that really seemed impossible in practical, but it was. As you know, Children were encouraged to study whatever subjects they liked first, they were taken to ‘field kitchens’ and ‘farming lessons’ to learn the practical aspects of cooking food and farming, first hand- related to real life experience. Adventures on the school groundsThis is very surprising and interesting activity in that school. Totto Chan began her adventurous learning at Tomoe like she had a tree in the ground- which every child understood that tree is their private property, if anyone wanted to climb their tree must seek permission. So, one day she invited her friend Yasuaki-Chan to her tree because she knew that Yasuaki had had polio and c ould not climb. But Totto-Chan decided that Yasuaki deserved to see the world from the top of a tree, so she used some inventiveness and with full strength she helped Yasuaki to get to the top of the tree.At last, Yasuaki abled to stand in her tree and look at the surrounding areas and enjoyed which filled happiness and thrilled them both. It creates confidence to face the difficulties and problems and enhances problem solving skills. Except this, she had another most memorable experience when she dropped her purse down the toilet! Undaunted, she started emptying the cesspool by using a wooden ladle. Did you know what the headmaster’s reaction was when he saw Totto-Chan was doing such things? He asked her, â€Å"What you were doing† and he replied I dropped my purse. But she kept ladling out the cesspool; and the teacher came once more and asked, â€Å"Did you find it? She replied ‘No’. So, then teacher said in a smiling friendly tone, â€Å"You will put it all back when you have finished, won’t you? † (p. 21-22). So, from this, it seems that how she behaved like a matured person and how her ideas develop in cognitive level spontaneously through practicing ladling continuously for the lost purse. Railroad Car Arrives: The school Tomoe runs in the railroad cars you all knew very well.Miyo-Chan, the third daughter of head master said, there is coming a new railroad car tonight. Already they have sis railroad cars which lined up together as classrooms but one more was coming, so small confusion spread out quickly with terribly excitement also. So, Miyo-Chan was selected as representative to ask to her father about their decision, but her father, the headmaster agreed upon and instruct them to take permission first of their parents and will bring their pajamas and blankets.After reaching home, Totto-Chan explained her mother about a train was coming and she wanted to go and watch it how it was going there without tracks; a nd asked for mother permission. Her mother got surprise and finally what the matter was about she was talking and went with her to school and some children accompanied with their parents came too. The children were assured by the headmaster that when the railroad car will arrive, I will wake up you all. All children lay down in the Assembly Hall with their pajamas and blankets.In the very morning Totto-Chan woke up and others too, watched the big railroad slowly moved and they all danced in joy. The headmaster explained them, â€Å"Watch carefully, they are called rollers. Rolling power is being used to move that big car. † Through this activity, it is clear that students get idea about how the railroad cars moved from one place to another by using roller power. (p. 23-24) The Library Car Class: After winter vacation, children discovered something new and wonderful, and greeted their discovery with joyous shouts.It is the library car class where everyone wanted to do their fi rst class after the winter break. So, all 50 students piled up into the car with great excitement picked some books and read. But Totto-Chan couldn’t read well, she also picked a picture book that looked most entertaining. The library car class was suddenly full with loud voices like a flock of birds chirping song aloud. Really most entertaining moment for the children the school was ever (p. 61). Similar experience I had when I was in field visit to Vidya Bhawan, Udaipur.They run a Wheel Library for slum children where they carried a van with many books and games accessories especially for children like ludoo, carom, etc. We accompanied them one day in the afternoon (the Wheel Library runs twice in a week to a particular slum area and covers minimum 3 different slum areas), really children enjoyed the book reading- story books, picture books and learning was happening through many activities which conducted by the Wheel Library Teacher. Things to fear:When I think on this, m any questions struck to my mind- Who permitted the headmaster to experiment the children, fail and learn, teach them to fear? Are the parents known about the school’s teachings- to teach them to fear? Or Is it school’s objectives to teach the children to learn these things? Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, which were said by the headmaster.War: A Dark Night Cloud A crucial time had come in between happiness and war. At last, the day at the school Tomoe turned to dark night by the war cloud. The World War II reached Japan soon and the school Tomoe Gakuen was destroyed in the war bombings. Through this children were able to learn and understood about cruelties and difficulties of war. As a watcher of the burning his own school in flame, the headmaster said to his son awfully, â€Å"After whom the school had been named, â€Å"What kind of school shall we build next? â€Å"Conclusion: This book is too entertaining to read, or seems like full of fairy-tale or fable, where Totto-Chan seems a magnet for trouble. Each part of the book seems to be a fun recollection story or a memoir of the author’s childhood. This book featured about an alternative schooling where children’s overall develop emphasized through activity based learning rather than the old-fashioned classroom teaching. This book is best for me in the sense that full with pleasurable moments, enjoyment and heart touching incidents. Book Review Book Review Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Totto Chan: The Little Girl At The Window is a book which has engaging series of childhood recollections tell about an ideal school, Tomoe that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love and adventure. The school was in the railroad cars for classrooms and run by a good head teacher who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity. This book depicts the childhood activities of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, the author of this book, whose childhood nickname is Totto Chan and translated by Dorothy Britton. Expelled from first grade:The story starts with by telling of Totto-Chan’s expelling from the previous school when she was in grade one. The little girl ‘Totto-Chan’ was waiting all the morning for street bands to walk by the school and call them over to play their music which was considered as highly disruptive behaviour and aggravated, her teacher decided that the girl would be no more in the school. Fin ally, her mother found a school after searching and took her to the school- Tomoe Gakuen, where the little girl Totto-Chan impressed the head-master through her talking which stunned to her mother.The school has only fifty students in total and the classrooms were conducted in disused train cars. In the assembly hall, all students shared their daily lunch consisting of â€Å"something from the ocean (fish, seaweed, bonito flakes, etc. ) and something from the hills (vegetables, beef, pork, pickled plum, etc. ). † So, doubts scaffolding knowledge in Totto-Chan’s mind and she used to ask her mother about it when she returned to home. The headmaster meant to it was balanced food which necessary for children, but the children only concerned about to fulfilled the two requirements.This relates to the everyday knowledge which children can think on it and learn what is necessary for a good health. Mr. Kobayachi, the headmaster believed in experimental learning, even he asked the parents of the children send their kids with their worst clothes to school. Lessons at Tomoe: In that school, Tomoe, children enjoyed lot of freedom in the sense that they were free to do anything as their wish. The head teacher had trust on students; there they were engaged in such adventurous tasks like climbing trees, play freely or stay in class to finish a science experiment during recess.Students were getting space for doing or playing as their wish in which teachers guided them and help them how to do it, so their confidence enhanced through it. Here is a description of classes at Tomoe Gakuen: â€Å"At the beginning of the first period, the teacher made a list of all the problems and questions in the subjects to be studied that day. Then she would say, â€Å"Now, start with any of these you like. † This is one kind of methods of teaching by which teacher can able to observe that the children’s progress to higher grades by observing their interest in which area as well as their way of thinking.I think, it is a best way for teachers to know their students in a better way means to understand their interested field and teach accordingly (p. 12). Many activities based learnings were taught by the headmaster that really seemed impossible in practical, but it was. As you know, Children were encouraged to study whatever subjects they liked first, they were taken to ‘field kitchens’ and ‘farming lessons’ to learn the practical aspects of cooking food and farming, first hand- related to real life experience. Adventures on the school groundsThis is very surprising and interesting activity in that school. Totto Chan began her adventurous learning at Tomoe like she had a tree in the ground- which every child understood that tree is their private property, if anyone wanted to climb their tree must seek permission. So, one day she invited her friend Yasuaki-Chan to her tree because she knew that Yasuaki had had polio and c ould not climb. But Totto-Chan decided that Yasuaki deserved to see the world from the top of a tree, so she used some inventiveness and with full strength she helped Yasuaki to get to the top of the tree.At last, Yasuaki abled to stand in her tree and look at the surrounding areas and enjoyed which filled happiness and thrilled them both. It creates confidence to face the difficulties and problems and enhances problem solving skills. Except this, she had another most memorable experience when she dropped her purse down the toilet! Undaunted, she started emptying the cesspool by using a wooden ladle. Did you know what the headmaster’s reaction was when he saw Totto-Chan was doing such things? He asked her, â€Å"What you were doing† and he replied I dropped my purse. But she kept ladling out the cesspool; and the teacher came once more and asked, â€Å"Did you find it? She replied ‘No’. So, then teacher said in a smiling friendly tone, â€Å"You will put it all back when you have finished, won’t you? † (p. 21-22). So, from this, it seems that how she behaved like a matured person and how her ideas develop in cognitive level spontaneously through practicing ladling continuously for the lost purse. Railroad Car Arrives: The school Tomoe runs in the railroad cars you all knew very well.Miyo-Chan, the third daughter of head master said, there is coming a new railroad car tonight. Already they have sis railroad cars which lined up together as classrooms but one more was coming, so small confusion spread out quickly with terribly excitement also. So, Miyo-Chan was selected as representative to ask to her father about their decision, but her father, the headmaster agreed upon and instruct them to take permission first of their parents and will bring their pajamas and blankets.After reaching home, Totto-Chan explained her mother about a train was coming and she wanted to go and watch it how it was going there without tracks; a nd asked for mother permission. Her mother got surprise and finally what the matter was about she was talking and went with her to school and some children accompanied with their parents came too. The children were assured by the headmaster that when the railroad car will arrive, I will wake up you all. All children lay down in the Assembly Hall with their pajamas and blankets.In the very morning Totto-Chan woke up and others too, watched the big railroad slowly moved and they all danced in joy. The headmaster explained them, â€Å"Watch carefully, they are called rollers. Rolling power is being used to move that big car. † Through this activity, it is clear that students get idea about how the railroad cars moved from one place to another by using roller power. (p. 23-24) The Library Car Class: After winter vacation, children discovered something new and wonderful, and greeted their discovery with joyous shouts.It is the library car class where everyone wanted to do their fi rst class after the winter break. So, all 50 students piled up into the car with great excitement picked some books and read. But Totto-Chan couldn’t read well, she also picked a picture book that looked most entertaining. The library car class was suddenly full with loud voices like a flock of birds chirping song aloud. Really most entertaining moment for the children the school was ever (p. 61). Similar experience I had when I was in field visit to Vidya Bhawan, Udaipur.They run a Wheel Library for slum children where they carried a van with many books and games accessories especially for children like ludoo, carom, etc. We accompanied them one day in the afternoon (the Wheel Library runs twice in a week to a particular slum area and covers minimum 3 different slum areas), really children enjoyed the book reading- story books, picture books and learning was happening through many activities which conducted by the Wheel Library Teacher. Things to fear:When I think on this, m any questions struck to my mind- Who permitted the headmaster to experiment the children, fail and learn, teach them to fear? Are the parents known about the school’s teachings- to teach them to fear? Or Is it school’s objectives to teach the children to learn these things? Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, which were said by the headmaster.War: A Dark Night Cloud A crucial time had come in between happiness and war. At last, the day at the school Tomoe turned to dark night by the war cloud. The World War II reached Japan soon and the school Tomoe Gakuen was destroyed in the war bombings. Through this children were able to learn and understood about cruelties and difficulties of war. As a watcher of the burning his own school in flame, the headmaster said to his son awfully, â€Å"After whom the school had been named, â€Å"What kind of school shall we build next? â€Å"Conclusion: This book is too entertaining to read, or seems like full of fairy-tale or fable, where Totto-Chan seems a magnet for trouble. Each part of the book seems to be a fun recollection story or a memoir of the author’s childhood. This book featured about an alternative schooling where children’s overall develop emphasized through activity based learning rather than the old-fashioned classroom teaching. This book is best for me in the sense that full with pleasurable moments, enjoyment and heart touching incidents.

The Legacy of Louis Leakey

The search for the explanation of human origins is the goal and often life long commitment of many Anthropologists. Every time a major discovery is made we move closer to discovering a piece of the puzzle that is human evolution. Major contributions have been made by a number of men and women. Some of the more famous names like Raymond Dart, and Tim White are known for the huge discoveries they made. However, no name is more famous in the search for human origins then Leakey. The Leakey legacy began with Louis Leakey more then seventy years ago when he graduated from Cambridge University. Mary Leakey became part of the legacy with her marriage to Louis in 1934. Richard Leakey, son of Mary and Louis, and his wife Meave Leakey further added to the accomplishments of his family by following in his parents footsteps. It is the amazing dedication of each member in the Leakey family that separates them from other anthropologists, and makes them the greatest contributors in the search for an explanation to our past. Louis Leakey was born near Nairobi, Kenya in 1903. His birth was the beginning of a family legacy in Archeology that still continues today. Some people say he was born to be an archaeologist. L. Leakey went to school at Cambridge University, majoring in Anthropology. After graduating in 1926, Leakey got a job as an African expert on an archaeological mission to Tanzania. Afterward, he returned to Cambridge to continue his studies of Anthropology. While studying again at Cambridge Louis began to develop his view that early man had developed in Africa. Louis left Cambridge returning again to Tanzania to study the Olduvai Gorge and the Homo sapiens skeleton. He was amazed with his work at Olduvai but decided he could always come back so he left to go on his own expeditions. Louis Leakey was now 23 and studying many sites where he found many interesting things, such as tools, bones and other artifacts. A few years of this fieldwork gained Leakey honorable recognition from other archaeologists, and subsequently he was awarded with a two year Fellowship at St. John†s College in England. Louis was now a very busy man, he published his first book The Stone Age Cultures of Kenya Colony during this time. Also, while working at St. John†s Leakey got a grant to return to Olduvai Gorge. Louis Leakey was beginning to become a big name in the world of Archeology. Working at Olduvai Gorge he discovered the oldest Homo sapiens in the world. However, many people had begun to contradict his theories on human origins and their roots in Africa. Louis continued to make discoveries in Africa where he found older skulls that could be proved of their age. On returning to England, Louis was shocked to find out that his reputation was in great danger. However, these doubts did not last long after he argued his reputation back at a conference in Cambridge. People were once again starting to believe in his discoveries. Louis Leakey†s problems were not over after the conference in Cambridge. In 1936 he encountered financial problems, so he was forced to write his autobiography, White Africa. That book along with another, about the Kikuyu culture, was enough to bring him out of debt. At this same time he met his wife to be, Mary Nicol. Mary was also interested in human origins and would go on to further enhance the Leakey legacy (see later section focused on Mary Leakey). In 1939 Leakey became a Civilian Intelligence Officer for the Kenyan government, and was later drafted to the African Intelligence Department. At the end of WWII his work included collecting information for the government as a spy. In June of 1947, Leakey returned to Archaeology at an excavation site on Rusinga Island. He discovered the first Proconsul skull with a complete face in 1949. Unfortunately for Leakey this was not the missing link, but it was a link between monkey and ape. The discovery also blessed Louis with an increase of research funds. With the much-needed money Leakey continued work at Rusinga where he found more artifacts, and more Proconsul remains. In 1951 Louis decided to return to the site were he began his work. He and Mary went back to the Olduvai site, here he searched for the man that created tools. This is where Louis would make his greatest discovery. In 1959 his excavations paid off, Leakey and his wife found a new skeleton that he called â€Å"Zinj†. The skeleton was put on display at the fourth Pan African Congress where it caused madness among the people there. It also caused Louis and Mary some new worldwide fame, and a considerable amount of money to continue excavation work at Olduvai. In his final years Louis worked at the Corynkon Museum and Mary took over the excavation with Louis visiting in all of his free time. Louis died in 1972 of a heart attack at the age of 69. Louis had only begun to uncover the many mysteries that the Leakeys are known for. His wife Mary continued the work he started and began her own legacy with many new discoveries. Mary D. Leakey was born Mary Nicol on February 6, 1913 in London, England. She lived a difficult childhood which saw her growing up in a number of different countries, and finally in Dorgogne. It was there at the age of eleven that her interest was sparked in prehistory after meeting Abbe Lemozi, who was excavating at the Cavrerets. Upon her father†s death in 1926, Mary†s life changed drastically. Her mother sent her to Catholic convent after convent where she was repeatedly expelled. Although Mary†s childhood education was not all that impressive, she vowed to earn a degree in prehistory after seeing the caves of Dorgogne. As a result of amazing determination, she began attending lectures at the University of London concerning archaeology and geology. Mary†s first opportunity to enter the field occurred when her incredible drawing skills were discovered by Dr. Gertrude Canton-Thompson who asked her to illustrate her book The Desert Fayoum. Dr. Canton-Thompson changed Mary†s life forever by arranging for her to meet Louis Leakey while he was giving a talk at the Royal Anthropologists Institute. Mary impressed him with her illustrations from The Desert Fayoum and he in turn asked her to illustrate his book, Adam†s Ancestors. Her acceptance was the beginning of a relationship that only grew from there. In May of 1934, Mary began her first important excavation at Hembury Fort in Devon. Mary learned many things from her leader Dorothy Liddell, who was an expert in excavation techniques. In the September of the same year, Mary began her own excavation at Jaywick Sands near Clacton in Essex and also published her first scientific paper. Mary joined her husband to work at Olduvai Gorge from 1935 to 1959. Together they worked to reconstruct many Stone Age cultures dating as far back as 100,000 to two million years ago. Their documentation of stone tools covered primitive stone-chopping instruments to multi-purpose hand axes. In 1947, Mary and Louis unearthed a Proconsul africanus skull on Rusinga Island. The twenty million-year-old skeleton led to Mary and Louis jointly being awarded the Stopes Medal from the Geological Association. Mary continued work with her husband making numerous discoveries. In 1959 they discovered a 1. 75 million-year-old Australopithecus boisei skull. Not long after that discovery, a less robust Homo habilis skull and bones of a hand were found. Both fossils were believed to be of stone-tool peoples. Continued efforts blessed them with the uncovering of a Homo erectus cranium in 1965. The sample is thought to be one million years old. Mary made her first trip to the United States in March of 1962, when she and Louis once again jointly receive honors with the Gold Hubbard Medal (the highest honor from the National Geographic Society). Mary continued her amazing career by earning her first Honorary Degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Mary†s life was turned upside down in 1972 when Louis died. Mary decided to continue the work her husband loved so much, and proceeded on with work at Olduvai and Laetoli. It was at Laetoli where she discovered Homo fossils more than 3. 75 years old, fifteen new species and one new genus. Mary†s greatest achievement was the discovery of the famous Laetoli hominid footprint trail, which was left in volcanic ashes 3. 6 million years ago. Mary and her staff worked for years to uncover the footprint. The find at Laetoli was huge in the argument for bipedalism in hominids. The years that followed were filled with research at Olduvai and Laetoli, the follow-up work and preparing publications. Mary retired in 1984, and spent the rest of her time writing until her death in 1996 at the age of 83. Mary†s death could have signified the end of the Leakey legacy. However, Mary and Louis†s son Richard has followed right behind his parents and continued the Leakey tradition. Richard Leakey was raised by the world†s best-known archaeologists. He grew up observing and tracking Africa†s rich diversity of wildlife while his parents were discovering ancient pre-human bones in Tanzania†s Olduvai Gorge. Richard left high school at the age of seventeen to begin a career working with wildlife and leading a photographic safari company. Richard eventually began to focus more on Archaeology and in 1968 he made his first important fossil finds when his team uncovered unusually well preserved ancient human remains in Kenya†s Lake Turkana region. In the same year, Leakey, then only 23, was hired as director of the National Museum of Kenya which, over the course of 21 years, he was to build into one of the most respected museums in Africa. In 1984, Richard and his â€Å"Hominid Gang† of fossil hunters discovered fragments of a boy†s skull that were more then 1. 5 million years old. They soon unearthed virtually the entire skeleton of what was dubbed the â€Å"Turkana Boy†, which is recognized as one of the most significant paleoanthropological discoveries of all time. In 1970, Richard married Meave Leakey who he had worked with for about a year at the Koobi Fora site on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. They had two children, Louise and Samira, in 1972 and 1974 respectively. Meave became the final ingredient in the Leakey legacy. As well as continuing with the fieldwork at Turkana, Meave†s research has focused on the evolution of east African fossil mammals and mammalian faunas as documented in the Turkana basin. Meave became the coordinator of the National Museum†s palaeontological field research, when Richard Leakey left his job as Director of the National Museum to take over the management of Kenya†s wildlife. She has focused her work on sites between 8 and 4 million years old. Her work led to the 1994 discovery of the earliest known hominids. These finds represent a new species, Australopithecus anamensis, likely an ancestor of afarensis. Richard and Meave still to this day are carrying on the Leakey tradition of excellence in Archaeology. Louis, Mary, Richard, and Meave Leakey truly are the greatest Anthropologists to ever share one name. Between them they have made countless discoveries which each dramatically contributed to our understanding of human origins. The Leakey tradition is one of dedication, honor, and amazing accomplishment. Their involvement in our search for an explanation of human evolution has truly become a legacy. The Leakey legacy will always be remembered as the greatest contribution to the search for answers.

Agar Diffusion Investigation Essays

Agar Diffusion Investigation Essays Agar Diffusion Investigation Essay Agar Diffusion Investigation Essay Having considered the phenomena of diffusion and osmosis I have been told to do a piece of coursework to investigate the rate of diffusion when using different concentrations of acid. I have been told to use Agar. Agar is extracted from sea weed and after dissolving in hot water it cools to form a solid jelly although 99% of this is water. The agar is an inert medium that I am going to use to investigate the rate of diffusion. The agar I will be given has been made alkaline by adding a small amount of NaOH and has the indicator (phenolphthalein) incorporated which is pink in alkaline conditions. As the H+ ions from the acid diffuse in the indicator within the agar will become colourless. The acid I will be given will be 1M Hydrochloric Acid (HCl). I will be given one Petri dish of pre-prepared pink agar poured to an approximate depth of 1cm. Safety It is important to remember safety whenever working in a laboratory particularly when handling corrosive solutions such as acids and bases. To this extent it is essential to always where safety goggles when doing any experiment. In order to ensure the safety of myself, and my friends I am going to take the following safety precautions during my experiment: * Ensure safety goggles are worn at all times during the experiment. * Always ensure any beakers containing HCl are kept in away from the edge of the table. * Always wash hands after handling corrosive materials. * Ensure a good supply of paper towels is available in the event of a spillage and be sure to wipe up any spillages immediately before they escalate. Preliminary Variables I am going to investigate what variables I am going to change during my preliminary investigation. During my preliminary investigation I am going to investigate how both concentration and volume of HCl effect the time taken to turn the phenolphthalein colourless. I am also going to investigate what amount of Agar jelly solution should be used. I am going to use a cork borer and a straw to cut pieces of the agar jelly solution and compare results between the two. Preliminary Investigation Method To being with obtain one test tube rack and one stopwatch. Now take six test tubes and use the cork borer and a scalpel (if necessary) to lift three pieces of agar jelly solution. Drop the three cork borer size agar solution pieces into the first three test tubes. Take a straw and use it to cut a further three pieces of agar jelly solution using the same method as before. Drop the three straw size agar solution pieces into the final three test tubes. Now add 5ml 1M, 0.5M and 0.2M HCl to the test tubes one by one and start the stopwatch; adding the different concentrations of HCl to one of the different sized agar solutions each: Wait until the agar has turned completely colourless in the first test tube then record the time taken and repeat the process for the next test tube. Once all of the test tubes have been timed, dispose of the HCl and agar jelly in the appropriate way and clean out all 6 test tubes thoroughly. Now return the six test tubes to the test tube rack and repeat the experiment only this time varying volume of HCl used instead. Once all six test tubes have their appropriate agar jelly solution added, add 15ml, 10ml and 5ml of 0.5M HCl to the test tubes one by one and start the stop watch, adding the different volumes of HCl to one of the different sized agar solutions each: As before wait until the agar has turned completely colourless in the first test tube then record the time taken and repeat the process for the next test tube.

Palladium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Palladium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Palladium  is a silvery-white metallic element with atomic number 46 and element symbol Pd. In daily life, its most often found in jewelry, dentistry, and catalytic converters for automobiles. Here is a collection of useful and interesting palladium facts: Essential Palladium Facts Atomic Number: 46 Symbol: Pd Atomic Weight: 106.42 Discovery: William Hyde Wollaston 1802 (England) Wollaston noted his discovery of the metal in 1802 and offered the purified element for sale in 1803, although there was some controversy regarding the discovery. Richard Chenevix believed Wollastons palladium to be a platinum-mercury alloy. Chenevixs palladium experiments earned him the 1803 Copley Medal, but its clear Wollaston did at least partially purify the element. He dissolved platinum order from South America in aqua regia, neutralized it with sodium hydroxide and precipitated out the platinum. Reacting the remaining material with mercuric cyanide formed palladium(II) cyanide, which was heated to yield the purified element. Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 Word Origin: Palladium was named for the asteroid Pallas, which was discovered approximately the same time (1803). Pallas was the Greek goddess of wisdom. Properties: Palladium has a melting point of 1554 °C, boiling point of 2970 °C, specific gravity of 12.02 (20 °C), and valence of 2, 3, or 4. It is a steel-white metal which does not tarnish in air. Palladium has the lowest melting point and density of the platinum metals. Annealed palladium is soft and ductile, but it becomes much stronger and harder through coldworking. Palladium is attacked by nitric acid and sulfuric acid. At room temperature, the metal can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen. Palladium can be beaten into leaf as thin as 1/250,000 of an inch. Uses: Hydrogen readily diffuses through heated palladium, so this method is often used to purify the gas. Finely divided palladium is used as a catalyst for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Palladium is used as an alloying agent and for making jewelry and in dentistry. White gold is an alloy of gold which has been decolorized by the addition of palladium. The metal is also used to make surgical instruments, electrical contacts, professional transverse flutes, and watches. In photography, palladium is an alternative to silver, used in the platinotype printing process. Sources: Palladium is found with other metals of the platinum group and with nickel-copper deposits. The primary commercial sources are the Norilsk-Talnakh deposits in Siberia and the nickel-copper deposits of the Sudbury Basic in Ontario, Canada. Russia is the primary producer. It may be produced in a nuclear fission reactor from spent nuclear fuel. Health Effects: Palladium, like the other platinum group metals, is mostly inert in the body as a bulk metal. However, there are reports of contact dermatitis, particularly in persons allergic to nickel. This causes problems when palladium is used in jewelry or dentistry. In addition to these uses, environmental exposure to palladium comes from release by automotive catalytic converters, food, and workplace exposure. Soluble compounds of palladium are excreted from the body within 3 days (99 percent). In mice, the median lethal dose of soluble palladium compounds (e.g., palladium chloride) is 200 mg/kg orally and 5 mg/kg intraveneously. Palladium is poorly absorbed and its toxicity is considered low, but it may be carcinogenic. Most plants tolerate it when it is present in low concentrations, although it is lethal to water hyacinth. Palladium serves no known biological role. Currency: Palladium, gold, silver, and platinum are the only metals that have ISO currency codes. The codes for palladium are XPD and 964. Cost: The price for palladium continues to rise. In 2016, palladium cost about $614 per ounce. In 2018, it reached $1100 per ounce. Element Classification: Transition Metal PalladiumPhysical Data Density (g/cc): 12.02 Melting Point (K): 1825 Boiling Point (K): 3413 Appearance: silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metal Atomic Radius (pm): 137 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 8.9 Covalent Radius (pm): 128 Ionic Radius: 65 (4e) 80 (2e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.244 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 17.24 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 372.4 Debye Temperature (K): 275.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 2.20 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 803.5 Oxidation States: 4, 2, 0 Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.890 Return to the Periodic Table References Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 0-8493-0485-7.Meija, J.; et al. (2016). Atomic weights of the elements 2013 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry. 88 (3): 265–91. doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0305Wollaston, W. H. (1805). On the Discovery of Palladium; With Observations on Other Substances Found with Platina. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 95: 316–330. doi:10.1098/rstl.1805.0024Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Shakira (2pages) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shakira (2pages) - Research Paper Example She is known worldwide for her art of singing, dancing and writing that makes her one of the most liked artists of the world. (Shakira Espanol, 2011). The flavour that she adds to the parties and attraction that people feel in her singing performances, shall be elaborated upon in paragraphs to follows. Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her father was a jeweller. Her mother chose many names for her but finally Shakira was agreed upon. Shakira means â€Å"thankful† in Arabic language. Shakira’s father took great care to groom his daughter for future challenges.Shakira started reading things at the age of three. She started belly dance at the age of four without taking guidance from anybody. She was abit weak in studies and was mostly found absentminded.(Shakira Espanol, 2011) Her work in the fields of music and dance was always highly appreciated in Latin America. She got her numerous albums recorded in the early age and got fame worldwide. She has the mastery o f singing and writing in Spanish and American. (Shakira Espanol, 2011) Shakira has been gifted with a very pleasant personality. Her charming face is the main cause of her success. Whenever she is addressing the audience or speaking to the camera, she is always smiling. She conveys very romantic feelings to audience during singing and belly dance to amuse the people.

Stress and Coping Mechanisms of First Year Principals Dissertation

Stress and Coping Mechanisms of First Year Principals - Dissertation Example Explaining the fundamental basis of stress as a reaction towards demands on the body, the Mountain State Centers for Independent Living (2010) expresses the view that stress involves the release of body chemicals that â€Å"give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger.† However, it is alarming that in a particular group of people, the levels of stress recorded among them should be rated as high. This is because high levels of rising stress impacts the victims in several ways including the work they do and their health (Foxall et al, 1990: 580). This argument says a lot about why principals are stressed most of the time. Having noted that a person’s duties could determine the level of stress to be experienced by the person, it is just right to state that principals are often stressed because their work comes with a lot of mental demands that requires them to use their brains very often. Knowing that principa ls undertake a lot of academic responsibilities that strain their brain, stress is thus inevitable for them. In a typical educational institution, principals are expected to among other things supervise the activities of other teachers, initiate academic itinerary, organize school examinations and in some cases serve as examiners. They also go an extra mile to execute other duties including being in charge of every sector of the school development; ranging from meeting the educational needs of students to providing the necessary materials and supplies for the teachers to implement the curriculum. They do this under strict monitoring by the stakeholders, board members, the superintendent, and the state and national educational leaders. New mandates are frequently imposed on already high expectations. A mountain of meeting, queries and complaints from parents, playground and lunchtime duties are also the order of the day for most the principals. All these are roles that are expected t o be executed with perfection and accuracy. In a bid to do all these, principals; especially first year (inexperienced) principals who are mostly new on the job end up stressing themselves badly. The work of the principal is one that is associated with a lot of physical and mental pressure. This is even worse because most principals (both inexperienced and experienced) are involved in academic based professions and occupations that involve the strenuous use of the brain rather than physical strength. Examples of these professions include medicine, nursing, law, teaching, pharmacy, writing and the like. Among this group also, teachers, including lecturers have been found to be one of the worse hit (Lee, 2003). It is worth noting that the work of lecturers and educators, especially those on higher ranks like principals involves a lot of demanding tasks that include multi-complexities. For instance there is mental application of knowledge, physical application of strength and regular i nter-personal interactions. In a typical school environment or school situation, principals (inexperienced and experienced) take the role of academic overseers over student, as well as the administrative activities. The year principal are, therefore, almost all the time involved in one kind of engagement or the other. In most situations, the situation of principals is worsened when they have other responsibilities other than academic roles to play. Some of these