United States Army and Respect Essay Example for Free

United States Army and Respect Essay RESPECT HAS BEEN a distinctive US Army value since 1778 when Frederick William Baron von Steuben noted that a US officer.s first objective should be to treat his men .with every possible kindness and humanity..1 So it was not surprising when the US Army identified respect as oneof its seven values. In 1998 respect language gave the Army a powerful way to organize ongoing discussions about discrimination and harassment.2 The previous year.s headlines had been filled with allegations of appalling violations of respect. The inclusion of respect as a value along with loyalty, duty, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage sent a strong message that respect for others should be an integral part of US Army leadership. The US Army Training and Doctrine Command. (TRADOC.s) initial definition of respect, .treat people as they should be treated,. provided little guidance for defining the characteristics of this core component of Army leadership. RespectinFM22-100 As the capstone leadership manual for the Army, US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, Army Leadership, gives a concrete definition of respect in Army leadership. 3 It emphasizes character, principles of Army leadership and Army values and provides a clear, understandable doctrine to guide soldiers as they strive to become and develop as .leaders of character and competence..Despite its stated mission, FM 22-100 fails to explain how respect is unique to Army leadership and what it looks like in practice. In fact, these issues are never addressed. Its brief discussion of respect is framed in language borrowed from philosophy and management theory without considering whether that language is adequate for Army leaders. Applying respect to leaders. interpersonal skills and practical judgment.what leaders .know and do..is never specifically explored. Should we conclude that respect in the Army is no different from popular versions of respect? Most professional soldiers are acutely aware of a discontinuity between the Army.s organizational culture and popular US culture. Official documents often refer to this disjunction as a reason for teaching Army Values, especially to new recruits.4 The fact that FM 22-100 leaves its readers wondering whether respect in Army leadership is the same as popular respect highlights a potentially serious operational problem. Without a clear, solid definition of respect, Army leaders cannot be expected to understand the sort of respect they are meant to exemplify. Some sound explanations are found in FM 22- 100, such as the notion that tough training does not demean subordinates. Building their capabilities and showing faith in them is .the essence of respect.. Respect is .an essential component for the development of disciplined, cohesive and effective warfighting teams. that is based on trust and regard for fellow soldiers.5 The manual also notes that team identity and the bond between lead ers and subordinates spring from mutual respect as well as discipline. Nevertheless, it is difficult to know how to interpret these passages because so much of the discussion of respect in FM 22-100 is hidden in popular language about tolerance, civility and individual autonomy. So while Army Values such as selfless service and personal courage come with fairly sophisticated explanations and examples, respect is left behind. This is something everyone wants, not many people have, and a few people give. Most people would appreciate getting respect from others but do people actually give respect. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, this does not happen. Perhaps, people just dont recognize that they arent giving respect. So, what is the definition of respect exactly? The Oxford dictionary defines respect as deferential esteem felt or shown towards a person or quality. Does that actually explain what respect really is? Respect can be broken down to many topics. People appreciate receiving respect from others; however, much of the time people fail to give resp ect. Respect takes a number of forms: Respect for other people, respect for peoples property, and perhaps most importantly, respect for oneself. If you want others to give you respect, you must first learn how to give respect yourself. There is a lot of ways to respect a person or people, there are a lot of definitions to define respect: â€Å"To feel or show definite regard for; esteem. To avoid violation of or interference with: respect the speed limit. To relate or refer to; concern†. relation or reference, esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability, deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment, the condition of being esteemed or honored, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship, favor or partiality. Anot her one is to respect their rules, feelings, their personal space or bubble. There are many other forms of respect. Respect is created in many ways. It is created when people treat others as they want to be treated. So the growth of something, such as respect, often nourishes itself from its own process and dynamics. Being the first to accord respect, and with time, it will develop amongst all the conflicting parties. Avoid insulting people or how they feel about certain situations. Instead try to understand them. Many disastrous interactions are characterized by attitudes such as arrogance, disdain, intimidation. To avoid this be courteous. Listen to what others have to say. Treating people FAIRLY , all is the basic elements â€Å"that we learned in Kindergarten† that goes a long way to creating an atmosphere of trust and respect. Contempt and humiliation are the absence of respect, as are a sense of being unheard or not UNDERSTOOD. The absence of respect or a perceived lack of respect often leads to conflict at personal or professional level. Respect plays an important role in a number of ways. Those who are respected wi thin the community or the workplace are most likely to be able to bring or encourage peace. If there is no respect to be perceived in the workplace it can lead to destruction meaning no TRUST and/or low morale. Once people are given respect, they are more willing to make compromises which are long term and sustainable, rather than those that are made under duress. One must respect his or herself. This respect is holding your head high and respecting your own opinions. It’s acknowledging that you have ideas and then sharing them because you are not AFRAID or intimidated of what others may think. It is not letting peer pressure and other things affect the way you think or want to think. I can say that I lost all respect for the Army. The army is the worst organization to be a part of. Lower enlisted soldiers don’t get respected or treated like human beings even though it is claimed that they do. Any Soldier who enjoys the significance of respect and self-respect in everyday life largely explains why particularly in morale has been lowered and the increase in rules being broke. They are also invoked in bioethics, environmental ethics, workplace ethics, and a host of other applied ethics contexts. Although a wide variety of things are said to deserve respect, for the interest in respect has overwhelmingly been focused on respect for persons, the idea that all persons should be treated with respect simply because they are persons. Today the Army defines RESPECT as (Quote) The regard and recognition of the absolute dignity that every human being possesses; incorporates diversity and compassion. An even easier way is to think of it as The Golden Rule – treating fellow soldiers exactly the way you would wish to be treated. Respect in the Military in my opinion means allowing to be talked to any type of way or just treated not like a human being all because of a certain rank. Regardless of the military we are all human beings and deserve to be treated like people not robots.

Future Classroom With Innovative Designing Education Essay

Future Classroom With Innovative Designing Education Essay Though technology has brought about advancement in every field whether it is medicine, engineering, marketing, space or telecom technology, it is observed that there has been very little change in the basic concept and design of classrooms. By and large, the classrooms of today appear to be quite similar to that of nineties. Studies by eminent educationists indicate that it is the need of hour to bring forward innovative ideas in classroom designing and integrate it with different technological aids to overhaul our static classroom pattern. The future classroom should be designed with the objective of enhanced interaction among teachers and pupils as two way discussion have been found to be far more beneficial over old one way lecturing system. Further, integration of various multimedia aids to classroom gives a new dimension to the entire teaching learning process by making teaching interesting and meaningful. Thereby, contents are delivered to the students in the form of sounds, an imations and pictures. It greatly enhances learning as research has revealed that learners can better comprehend the sounds and pictures than words. Additionally, performance of the students can be evaluated on computers and thereby, instant feedback can be utilized to plan future strategies. *Teaching Associate, Department of Education, Ch. Devi Lal University, Sirsa (Haryana). ** Asstt. Professor, Department of Education, Ch. Devi Lal University, Sirsa (Haryana). The broad outlook of classrooms of today seems to be quite similar to that early 20th century classrooms. Instead of bringing a change to meet the contemporary needs, many of the pioneer institutes of international repute promote themselves on the basis of their historic and traditional credentials. Classrooms of today still display the centuries old tradition of being teacher focused, solely supporting the process of teaching, and in general overlooking the importance of learning. This one directional flow of information from teachers to students leads to passive learning. In such a highly constrictive classroom set up, there is little choice for the students and hence, it is not conducive for active learning. However with rapid strides in science and technology sector, our system of education is also evolving gradually and becoming more and more globalised. Influence of technology on our younger generations is changing nature of education. Hence to meet the present day needs, the e ntire education system needs to be revamped. Accordingly, the classrooms of future should be designed by infusing innovative ideas and optimum use of technology while keeping the basic concept of effective teaching-learning in mind. Technology is providing the much needed impetus for modernizing education systems across the globe. Though infusion of technology in education systems is far rapid in developed world, the need and awareness for technology-enabled education is gradually spreading across the developing nations like India as well. Further, with emergence of several public and private universities in India, education is changing fundamentally from schooling to universities. In the present manuscript, we have studied the need to change the classroom design, amalgamation of technology to the classrooms, its impact on teaching-learning process, obstacles in implementation of these innovative ideas and their effective solutions. NEED OF RE-DESIGNING THE CLASSROOM Advent of the new era of technology: The greatest impact on education systems today is that of rapidly growing technology. Technology has become so integral to our lives such that almost every activity involves the use of it in one way or the other. Even the young children are exposed to various technologies at very early stage. By the time, they go to schools; they become well acquainted to various technologies. They consider computers, wireless networks and other technological gadgets essential to life and they expect their teachers use technology. Hence, the teachers need to be tech savvy to meet the expectations of students and the standards of modern education systems. Changing attitudes: With the changing attitudes towards education systems, students want to be actively involved in discussion and debate. They want to discover knowledge rather than simply be told. Simultaneously they desire to learn by use of a range of multimedia resources. Hence, teachers cannot simply stand and deliver the information. This one way lecturing and passive listening needs to be replaced by the classroom designs and strategies which support the active discussion leading to the maximum retention by the students (Mai Neo, 2005). New methods: Students consider todays teaching and learning methods as predominantly static and one dimensional. They want more diverse styles to create regular interest and channelize their energy to maximize the output. They want interaction, spontaneity, community and mobility. Students today are equipped with laptops and wireless internet connections. They are as comfortable and effective in learning in the canteen or atrium as that of a lecture hall. There has been a shift from educational environments which support the passive acquisition of isolated facts, to environments in which the learner actively explores the world and constructs their own internal models of understanding. Hence, we need to overhaul the classroom patterns and designs to make the teaching learning most effective by inventing new strategies. Globalisation: With revolution in information and technology, the world has been virtually converted to a small village. With greater communication and mobility comes the choice, and students are becoming more and more selective with respect to the selection of universities/institutes and their careers. Hence, to attract and retain the best students and teachers from home and abroad, the universities and schools need to adopt innovation to stay competitive. DESIGNING CLASSROOM LAYOUT AND ITS IMPACT A study conducted by the Ludwig-Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich (Germany) revealed that innovation in design of classrooms significantly enhances the learning. The objective of the project was to improve classroom design in schools, to, support innovative approaches to collaborative learning and to evaluate the effects of different furniture and layouts on learning. They tested different room layouts, all designed to support group work (fixed, mobile, standing, and sitting).The results were very illuminating. In standing and more mobile positions, both accuracy of thinking and idea innovation were higher than when sitting down, but students felt marginally less comfortable working in a standing positions. Adapting the space layout according to the task significantly improved learning, decision making and teamwork. The success was dependant on clear instructions about how to use the layout and furniture and how to adapt it to the task. People needed time to adapt to the dynamics of a flexible mobile learning environment and feel comfortable. Hence, we need to shift to the classroom designing where the learner actively explores the world and constructs his/her own internal models of understanding.   THE CONCEPT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES The idea of multi-media concept in education, has gained momentum where the integration of voice, data and video resources creates synergistic effect. The emergence of this new concept is also changing the curriculum in educational institutions across the world. Multimedia is usually a combination of computerized and electronic devices that include a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms as opposed to conventional media which use traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. The concept multimedia is based on the fact that audio and visual presentation of the material leads to improvement in the comprehension and retention. Various audiovisual equipments are emerging as one of the powerful pedagogical innovations in the teaching and learning process (Richard E. Mayer, 1999). Audiovisual aids communicate facts and ideas through the eyes to the mind and emotions. Visual aids include films, slides, videos, overhead projectors, photographs, models and charts. Audio aids communicate ideas through the form of music or tape recordings, television, records, sound films, etc. The modern set of audiovisual equipments synchronizes sound with vision in the most effective manner. They strengthen teachers verbal presentation while simultaneously helping students grasp the specific ideas. These aids keep the audience engrossed throughout the presentation and help them remember particular information (Ashton Zalzala, 2004). There are a variety of audiovisual aids givin g wide range of options to the user to select the most appropriate one. Various multimedia aids LCD Screen: Liquid Crystal Display television (LCD TV) is one of the most effective ways of audiovisual communications in the teaching-learning process, where the television sets use LCD technology to produce images. LCDs are the most widely produced and sold television technology today, pushing all other technologies into niche roles. Multimedia and 3D Projector: Its a video projector that takes a signal and multiplies an image on a projection screen using a lens. The projectors need bright light to project the image. Projectors are widely used for classroom training with live applications in many schools and educational institutes. It can be connected to an interactive white board, PCs, laptops in an interactive teaching learning process. The 3D projector, one of the most advanced methods has come up with new age technology. For displaying the graphical data, planar two-dimensional media is used, whereas in computer graphics and pictures 3D projector employed. With the pictures available in the presentation, students actually become able to speak and write on a topic, thereby, enhancing their language skills as well (Glenda C. Rakes, 2006). Interactive Whiteboard: Interactive White Board (IWB) or Electronic White Board is emerging as one of the powerful innovation in the teaching and learning process. It is a type of large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector including web browsers. The projector projects the computers desktop onto the boards surface. One of the major advantages with regard to IWB is high level of interaction associated with it. Students interact physically with the board, manipulating text and images, thereby, enhancing their learning. IWB enables the students to draw, write or making notes, drag and markup onto the surface controlling the PC. The combination of mouse and keyboard allows the students to control the computer display almost exclusively from the IWB. Further, IWB can also be integrated in the process of the Learner Response System which enables the teachers analyze the student performance. With these combined facilities, teachers can present a topic and receive feedback from students and subsequently, make their presentations more effective. IWB relieves teachers from their mundane work load as they can carry out formal assessments and tests through it. Additionally, internet conferencing through IWB takes the interaction beyond the boundaries of classroom. Students in India can learn Japanese from a teacher based in Japan using a large HDMI monitor along with a web connection.   Apart from this, many Universities/Institutions abroad have started conducting online interviews of aspiring candidates through video conferencing. Hence, technology has not only revolutionized the teaching learning process but also created a slew of opportunities for competent students by providing them online access to various premier institutes of the world. Hence, it has increased the availability of choice across the boundaries and students can exercise their choice and select the institution / programme of their choice according to their potential. INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY TO THE CLASSROOM Educationists are long debating on the role of technology in the classroom. Research in the area of educational technologies has been generally focused on the impact technologies can have on children and teachers. Ironically, the impact that children and teachers can have on the development of new technologies has been ignored.   Both the aspects are critical to understand the overall impact of technology on our learning environments.   According to a survey, the most common reason parents cite for buying home computers is their childrens education. Even the schools are graded on the basis of ratio of students to the computers.   This ratio is used to determine the ability of schools to provide quality education.  However, technology is not all about the number of desktops or laptops required in a classroom or how we can train teachers to use them.  Instead the focus should be on broader aspects viz., proper integration of technology into the curriculum, apt modification / generation of technology to support quality education in the classrooms.  Appropriate technology should be embedded in a classroom in such a way that it becomes a seamless part of any physical object in schools so that it can favorably change our learning environments. CREATION OF THE PAPERLESS SOCIETY With infusion of technology into the all the sectors of society, a paperless  society could soon become a reality. Gradually, students evaluation using the paper and pen method is being replaced by computer based tests. In distance education programs also, this is widely employed. The teachers no longer have to decipher handwriting and can quickly grade the tests and provide feedback to students. Further, teachers need not make copies of anything, but can push the information to the students tablets. THE OBSTACLES AND THE REMEDIES Availability. A potential barrier for spreading technology across the Indian education system is that in schools, computers are used in computer labs rather than classrooms. It has more to do with the financial resources available to schools and other institutes. Hence, initially the target should be pumping technology into maximum number of schools until gradually computers expand from the labs into classrooms. With growing financial prowess of Indian society and availability of technology at cheaper rates, computers and internet browsers are likely to reach rural hinterlands and then gradually shift from computer labs into individual classrooms. Training of teachers. Technology alone does not improve students achievements, rather trained teachers and authentic instructions are equal contributory factors (Johnson Dennis Jennifer Jo, 2005). To adapt to the newer technologies, teachers and school leaders need to participate in extensive professional development programmes to keep themselves up to date. The professional development activities include vendor provided face to face instructions on use of equipments and a part time instructional coach to assist teachers with professional development. Role of the Government. The experts opinion is that the Indian Government needs to play a much more active role and take the lead in technology implementation which will require a lot of funding. Though Government realizes that there is an urgent need for quality education in order to match international standards and is committed to allocate the funds, direct emphasis on need of technology is not given. Government must encourage and actively support the infusion of technology in schools as it is the only way to match the international standards in education sector. CONCLUSION The advent of new era of technology has revolutionized all the sectors including education. Extensive studies by various researchers have underlined that we must change the decades old tradition of static one way lecturing pattern in the classrooms and invent innovative classroom designs and strategies. With the integration of various advanced technological aids to classrooms we can give a new dimension to the entire teaching learning process. Various multimedia aids make teaching interesting, exciting and meaningful as instructions are presented to students in the form of sounds, animations and pictures. The most significant thing is that learning can be drastically improved with multimedia explanations than just with words. Multimedia presents various topics to the students in a meaningful and interesting way and the learners simply enjoy learning as these pictures and animations foster deep understanding. It enables the students understand the abstract concepts by seeing the pictu res and creating the real models in their minds. Additionally, it relieves the teachers of their additional responsibilities as they would be able to deliver the contents to students just with a click of mouse. They can take the instant feedback from students and then accordingly plan future strategies. Moreover, the multimedia technology can be extremely useful to us to realize our dream of paperless society. However, in developing countries like India where the basic primary education is also a distant dream for a large proportion of population, we need continuous concerted efforts from the Government as well as society in order to achieve the target of quality education integrated with technology for all.

Mother and Daughter Relationship Exposed in Joyce Carol Oates Short Sto

Mother and Daughter Relationship Exposed in Joyce Carol Oates' Short Story, Shopping The relationship between a mother and a daughter is one of complications, heartaches, and sweet rewards.   This is no exception between Nola and Mrs. Dietrich, characters in "Shopping" by Joyce Carol Oates.   The tribulations of their relationship are shown during their annual shopping trip.   In the time spent together, Nola is obviously trying to break free from her mother and become her own woman.   This coming-of-age path is expressed by her "private thoughts" and   "answers in monosyllables" (Oates 834).   As Nola desperately tries to acquire her own self, her Mrs. Dietrich desperately tries to hang onto the child in Nola.   She tries to stay in her daughter's life by wanting to know "why are you so quiet" and "what are you thinking?" (Oates 834).   In Oates short story, she develops Mrs. Dietrich's and Nola's relationship by showing the conflicting needs of mothers and daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The shopping trip allows Mrs. Dietrich to try to penetrate her daughter's new adult life and surface the child.   She is also simple trying to be a part of her daughter's life.   As a divorced woman, Mrs. Dietrich finds Nola as her only source of love-her outlet to give and to receive love. Mrs. Dietrich even finds herself thinking "she is in love with her daughter" (Oates 834).  Ã‚   These strong emotions are most likely why Mrs. Dietrich needs Nola to such an extent.   Mrs. Dietrich wants to feel needed; she wants to be a mother.   The betrayal of Mr. Dietrich causes Mrs. Dietrich to cling even more.   However, she finds that Nola no longer needs her.  Ã‚   Nola is becoming an adult. Mrs. Dietrich's memories of Nola as a child are now replaced with the images of her dau... ...ong in her actions and her words.   At the end Nola loses strength and becomes weak.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Joyce Carol Oates short story "Shopping" gives an excellent example of the trials a mother and daughter experiences. She shows that each a mother and daughter can have wants and needs in the relationship.   These things can only be understood if the two communicate to each other.   The story also presents the problem of how a mother wants her little girl, while the daughter wants to be a young woman.   Most importantly Oates shows the human tendency to be independent at times and at others dependent.   Each character won and lost a battle, expressing the human complexity of sometimes being able to be strong but then at other times weak.   This shows that in a mother and daughter relationship each is needed for the other person because each person needs someone to be strong.

Beowulf vs. Harry Potter Essays -- J.K. Rowling

In countless ways Beowulf and the Harry Potter series can correlate through specific themes, events, etc. In ways they contradict each other, and in some, they concur thoroughly. Throughout both the book and the series they have roughly the same central idea which is to vanquish the evil that remains in a fixed world and bring it into safety again. Each character has his individual weaknesses and powers, which are used to their advantage during the course of the story. Beowulf’s powers involve physical super strength. Harry’s powers aren’t as much as physical strength as mental and magical powers. Both make faults in some of their actions which sometimes causes failure. Beowulf shouldn’t have let his gluttony and arrogance outweigh his wit when fighting the dragon, otherwise it would probably have spared his life. Like Beowulf, on occasion, Harry thinks before he acts. His follies aren’t always life threatening, and they can actually turn out to be life-saving. Both cases are a battle between good and evil that affects all. Unlike in Beowulf, not only must Harry fight evil, evil has its followers and he must work around them while Beowulf confronts only the chief of evil itself. The two must not only fight for their lives, but they also fight for the well-being of others. Harry’s fight is for safety and, in a way, he is forced into it, but he accepts it. Beowulf fights predominantly for further gl ory, pride, and treasure. They each have their own â€Å"army† but a lot of their struggles are engaged independently and in special cases rely on their allies. Harry might be a hero, but he was born an ordinary wizard unlike Beowulf who was born into the royal family. Harry was also looked down upon by those who saw him ... ...character and even Beowulf when he dies. His last words seemed considerate instead of selfish. Although Harry is a hero he still has authority over him because of his age, unlike Beowulf who is the son of a king and is older. Harry’s battles didn’t just involve physically fighting like Beowulf’s did. He had to find weaknesses in the Dark Lord and use them against him to finally kill Voldermort after several fights. In the end of both tales good triumphs over evil and the wicked is ultimately defeated perpetually. Harry goes on to live an honorable life among his friends, but Beowulf dies a noble man for the welfare of his people giving his throne to someone else deserving. Even though both endings are concluded in somewhat of a sad note, they both give you a sense of accomplishment because of the overall victory over what used to rule the world they lived in.

Rehabilitation, Not Capital Punishment Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

Rehabilitation, Not Capital Punishment The death penalty is the punishment used in 38 states, and many other countries, as a way of disposing the people in society who are mentally or emotionally disturbed, love their families very much, have a bad temper, or just plain made a mistake. These reasons account for many homicides that take place each year. Capitol Punishment is just not humane and should not be legal. The argument most often used to support the death penalty in former-Soviet republics is the necessity of having a particularly efficacious deterrent against murders and other common crimes. However, none of the many studies about the matter have been able to show that death penalty is more of a deterrent than other punishments. It's completely wrong to think that most of those who commit serious crimes such as murders consider the consequences of their actions. Murders are often committed when the criminal is blinded with passion, when emotions prevail over reason. They are sometimes committed under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or in panic moments, when the culprit is discovered while he steals, as I mentioned already. Some murderers have very serious psychiatric problems or are mental patients. In none of these cases is it possible that the fear to be sentenced to death could act as an effective deterrent. There is another heavy limit. One who plans a crime rationally can choose to go on, although he knows the risk he's running, thinking that he won't be discovered. Most of the criminologists assert that the best way to ... ...cases. There was many times in my own childhood where I took the last cupcake, or spilled my milk. Not all of these times was I held accountable for my misdeed. The younger brother usually received the punishment that I deserved. This can also happen with murder, only death is permanent and "time out" is not. What do we say to the families of the innocently punished when such evidence comes forward to prove that their loved one was wrongly executed? There is nothing we can do or say to excuse ourselves. In conclusion, the death penalty is not right because it does not serve the purposes that it is intended to serve. I have proved that it is not an effective deterrent, but it also removes people from the world who can be rehabilitated in a proper institution.

High School Drop-Outs Essay

When one out of three students fails to graduate in the nation, there has to be a main issue, a source of frustration or maybe hopelessness, causing students to give up on their educations when they had an opportunity to go further. When people feel that there is no hope or chance, they will give up. This is what is happening to high-school students leading them to drop-out of school despite the fact that a high-school diploma could be so beneficial to their lives and the fact that it can be prevented. In the article â€Å"High School Dropouts Costly to American Economy†, Sarah White said, â€Å"The teachers didn’t care, the students didn’t care. Nobody cared, so why should I?† I believe that in order for students to want to work in high school to achieve their diplomas, they need emotional support and a motivational backbone. When I made a good grade when I was little or even now, my parents and my teacher were there to praise me and push me to do even better and work toward higher educational goals. Because of their support, I want to do well in school and aim high in school and towards college. Without their support, advice and expectations, I probably wouldn’t care about school; this is what high school-dropouts need and are lacking. Just earning a high school diploma can improve the standard of living for a person significantly. The article â€Å"By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School† says, â€Å"The average dropout can expect to earn an annual income of $20,241, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a full $10,386 less than the typical high school graduate, and $36,424 less than someone with a bachelor degree.† With numbers as drastic as this, schools need to not only work to get students to graduate, but desire to work for at least a bachelor’s degree in higher education for the benefit of the students. Many successful programs to improve this situation are have already been created; more schools simply need to work them into their systems. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America was created solely to serve kids in crisis, kids who are at risk for many things including not graduating on time. This club’s self-professed mission states that it serves to create, â€Å"A safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences and hope and opportunity.† In other words, this club serves to provide kids with the support they need in a safe environment. These clubs have many local chapters and already serve many kids, and they are easy to create. Other solutions for the drop-out crisis include creating mentors or buddies for at-risk students in school and students getting paid for good grades; each are effective in different ways. By pairing at-risk students at school with other students who have high education goals, a support system is created where a friend can set the example and be the support. Paying students for their good grades creates incentive for students to not only stay in school, but to do well. These solutions and many others can be easy to implement and are very effective. With drop-out rates so high, more action needs to be taken by school and community to improve the futures of many children and many steps can be taken to do so. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.† An investment in a high school diploma is in the best interest of everyone.

Model of Communication Essay

Recently I attended a lecture given by a geriatrician. He was speaking on healthy ageing. Most of the audience consisted of people above the age of fifty years. However there were some youngsters too like me. The appealing fact regarding the entire lecture was that the geriatrician possessed the qualities of a good orator. What is said is not as important as how it is said. All the health related information was given in an easy to understand and interactive manner making the speech structured, intentional yet formal. The audience got bound to be attentive for full one hour due to excellent communication techniques of the speaker. The eye contact of the geriatrician was excellent. His eyes moved in all the directions which kept the audience engaged. He used interesting slides to present his point. The slides did not just contained written words but also lots of pictures and easy to understand graphs. All this made the lecture more interesting. There was a high degree of audience participation as the geriatrician did not just kept on speaking on the topic, rather frequently asked questions. He also scheduled the last fifteen minutes of the lecture for the audience to ask questions or clear their doubts if any. He stood in the middle of the room and his facial expressions, and body language beautifully matched the contents of the message he wanted to convey. He was a lot younger than the majority of the audience attending the lecture but his excellent command on the subject that he was speaking and the matured way in which he was conducting the whole session resulted in a wonderful interactive session. He reworded certain information in order to hold the interest of the few young audience who were present. Thus every element of communication such as the sender, message, medium of communication and the receiver were in perfect synchrony making the lecture a huge success.