A Moment in Your Life in Which You Experienced an Epiphany Essay

Some instances happen in breeding suddenly budge the perception towards support and truth. I also experienced such an disaster in my biography that entirely changed my view and thinking towards US Natives. Then, I realized the difference amongst endemic and unknown and the importance of the native land. Fear, mentality, pressure and psychological opposition can be seen easily on the scene of foreigners equal me. This incident happened when I was analyse in first honorable after I finished my schooling in mainland China. This rescue describe that moment of my life that changed my vision, thinking and behaviour towards foreigners.Life is base on morals, behaviours, societys interaction, human values, and cultural milieu. The essence of life some age is understood when some incident happens that change the way of living, side or behaviour. Sometime Moving from one place to an other is not seemed to be as good as it is at home or native land. The main factors that make impact on me while studying in the States can be discussed as below pagan and Religious Difference that changed my perception The difference between cultures in China and USA created huge impact on my life and changed my perception for spiritual activities and reality.In China the social body structure is quite formal and ranked and you need to abide the rules only if if in USAI found that the social structure is quite loose and informal and so it is uncommon to mix with societies and to recognise each other easily. The unearthly views be also open in USA only when in China the views are consistent and assume the old tradition. These cultural and religious differences impacted my life and my views too much.For example, in China (At my native land) I used to go in societies and thither were many great deal in contact with whom I spent my time but in USA I found bit interlacing as it was ard to socialize unless you have connection to the societies. It was feeling me equ al I have reached on another planet and feels bad. It created conflict in the mentality to follow the USA culture and religious. The morals in the societies were higher in Chinese societies but it was too less in USA societies. In America the success of any individual in society is lauded but in China it is downplayed. These all things made me nervous and felt me comparable I am here in the desert of cultural and religious land.The most important thing was that in China, I found that everyone appreciate and is sensitive to other person but when I moved to USA, I did not get that much respect and not found mess sensitive to each other, that really hurt my promontory and my self-respect as in USA, the human value is none for others. Political Environment in USA The political environment in the country made impact on my life and my viewpoint towards political environment and relation between native and foreign countries changed a batch. Political and Legal rules and regulations also changed my mind for USA.The Chinese and USA relation is quite complex and multi-faceted. The population in China and USA are not enemies or nor allies which are competition in one area and partner in other areas. The political situations in the USA are quite straight ship than in China because in China the politics is in favour of foreign people but reverse in USA. It led me to face the difficulty while reaching to USA as I was undergone confused securities and investigation that made me nervous a lot. I felt resembling I am treating badly than native people.This was like racialism in USA and so I felt bad a lot and it came to my mind that I should not be here anymore. The security people in USA under the investigative laws treat foreigners badly and crucify them too. Based on these observations it can be said that political environment is not appropriate for foreigners. Freedom of Living and emition It is a even off to express the feelings and living freely but that pe rception changed literally in one case I reached to USA as none of them was listening and it was like only person on the planet. Being foreign place, it was quite difficult to express inside feelings and to live freely.The people there made a merriment of my name and this was not first time there. As reported in PeopleDaily. com, FBI in USA investigated the first Mayor, John Liu in New York City, for 2013. The FBI highly humiliated and said as Loser to Mayor, this infers that how badly the people are being treated in USA even who has participation in the USA politics. The same kind of incident happened with Jeremy Lin, the famous NBA basketball angiotensin-converting enzyme in USA. I was already apprised of these incidents but not aware as it really happens and how does it feel to me.When I faced the same thing, I felt that badly and approximation it is too bad to go on any foreign land and to expect to receive great respect and welcome from foreigners. Conclusion Small things c an impact the human life forever and also change the mind, thinking, behaviour and living environment. This case of racism highly changed my life entirely and my viewpoint towards USA and China. I was just thinking how other race people feel when going to foreign land and receive such kind of behaviour from the local people or from the government.This was really bad experience of my life in USA and hope that it will not be repeated again in future. Other ethnic communities must also not treat like animals but should treat politely as they are humans too. I will say that, the experience was so horrible that I thought to leave USA but slowly slowly I made myself to bear such problems around me and to complete my graduation. I feel like now I belong to USA not China but not for each and everyone this works and number of people do suicide. Overall, my life changed a lot and I really understand now that how reality is far than the saying.

Study On Curriculum Project-Probability

My involvement in this subject comes from slightly wild beginnings, as my friends were in truth good in card games and reasonably protagonist at chancing ( merely amongst friends of class, and purely no money changed handsa ) . They were perpetually subject to quite rapidly measure whether their opportunities of reachning was appropriately big or non, and I ever wasting diseased to inquire how they make these determinations. I acquiret more than about determine in the school than college, accordingly enabling myself to grow more theoretically, but did nt larn to use in existent life. As Maier suggests that, persons fail to use school learned processs because they be non encouraged to classify school starts to life outside school. School kids recognise that school math is non a portion of the universe outside school, the universe most of upshot to most plenty . By larning luck it helps pupil to do smell of the existent universe in state of affairss poignant hazar d, opportunity and un certainness, therefore it is one of my preferable subject to research and Teach.In today s universe it is non difficult to believe that life around us is encircled by games of opportunity and one have to be educated to look for the opportunity of winning and possibility of assorted results. Learning approximately numeric construct precedes the ability to use these constructs . Peoples who lack an accurate sense of disaster ar easy drawn in by false claims and pseudosciences are vulnerable to acquire rich-quick strategy. Peoples expose themselves to dangers of taking hazard at whatever layover of their life, but they need to be able to gauge the casualty of success in order to measure whether the hazard is reasonable. Therefore taking into custody of opportunity theory enables us to believe about these determinations and besides function us to take control of them. The national lottery is a faultless illustration of usage of chance for gauging thei r success and leting people to believe that they would win one twenty- foursome hours. In professional life, more people use statistics and chance than any other subdivision of mathematics. Insurance company and Banks ( transport money ) have concern program that is wholly based on their apprehension of statistical chances, measuring that their hazard degree is really low. Probability is outlook founded upon partial cognition. A perfect familiarity with all the fortunes impacting the happening of an publication would alter outlook into certainty, and leave neither room nor demand for a theory of chances. Today in this multi heathenish society, subject such as chance need to be approached and addressed with attention and consideration as these subjects have links to many ethical and philosophical issues. Gambling as an facet of subject itself is still forbidden for much people. In accession to this treatment of chance as a opportunity of results comes straight in to struggles wit h most faiths and doctrines, which lecture to determinism and destiny. Therefore there is still a sizable argument as to whether chance should be taught and hence the ways in which it is taught has to be discussed sanely.Finally, the farther motive for learning chance In this consumer-lead society, is of importee to sustain people who are cognizant of the factors environing decision-making and will non be too easy swayed by efforts to deliver them to portion with their hard-earned money. The construct of an informed consumer is alpha to the instruction of chance as we can assist fashion model people who will non be taken advantage of excessively easy. One dapple of chance is that it addresses ratings of state of affairss which are built-in in the topic s head ( Borovcnik et al, 1991 ) and this has clear intensions for all of us in our mundane lives. The spirit of chance prevarications in measurement and covering with uncertainness. An apprehension of this cardinal point ca n merely come about by ab initio beingness involved in doing opinions, whilst at the same clip paying be to the beginnings of uncertainness in determination devising. ( Peter Gates, 1989 )Consequently, in fixing to learn chance, I had to research ways of speaking about uncertainness. Normally statements affecting uncertainness are based on past screw and, as such, can frequently be subjective. These words and phrases may be called the lingual communication forms of uncertainness or so chance.In learning chance to this category I hoped to set a clear accent on practical numeracy which I feel is peculiarly of import for their advancement in life. I would besides wish to stress the connexions mingled with subdivisions of mathematics deep down the National Curriculum. As chance has strong links exist with AT2 Number, a class could help the pupils apprehension of fractions, decimals and topographic point value. Understanding and utilizing familys between Numberss and developing m ethods of calculation could besides be enhanced by techniques real for the computation of chances.Turning back to the thought of how these thoughts should be taught, there is a considerable sum of experiment and probe included in the texts, and this is ever followed up with theoretical work of a similar nature. This brings me back to Crawford s paper on a peculiar strategy of work where he highlights the debatable facet of experiments they cause exhilaration. As he puts it There was a great trade of activity and evident enjoyment but diminutive grounds of idea a .An Probe of the Law of ThoughtProbability is outlook founded upon partial cognition. A perfect familiarity with all the fortunes impacting the happening of an publication would alter outlook into certainty, and leave neither room nor demand for a theory of chances.So, we need lessons which encourage engagement and thought without directing students into a probability-fuelled craze. I feel that the Key Maths books make a exquisite just pang at this, and from my observation they work good when non the max resource. Due to the nature of the subject, a balance needs to be infatuated between theory and pattern, and this can be achieved in portion with treatment and analysis of games. Games are frequently used because, as mention in the NCETM Psychologically and socially, games are easy separated from real-life activity, so they leave a impersonal, nonthreatening context in which equity can be examined .Again I should advert the fact that we must see the issue of equal chances with consider to games. Different civilizations have produced different games, and the usage of a game mysterious to some students in a category can be two debatable and honoring. If cognition of a game is assumed, students unfamiliar with it will experience anomic. Conversely, an unfamiliar game, if right explained and modelled, can open up new countries of cultural involvement for students. Clearly, consciousness of the issues in spite of appearance a category and school are important here, and it is with merely such affairs in head that Shan & A Bailey ( 1991 ) have devised chance activities which straight address cultural and cultural issues to batten down there is no over-emphasis on Western point of views.To further develop my capable cognition in Probability, I have chosen to carry on the course of study undertaking with twelvemonth 9 intermediate ability group ( put 5 ) pupils. The Key Stage 3 SATs consequence showed that all of these pupils were able to accomplish Level 5 with the extrusion of few who achieved a Level 4.This twelvemonth 9 category had four 50 proceedingss continuance mathematics lessons per hebdomad, and I had duty for two of these lessons. ab initio I was patronised working with this category because, this set was more manque in both deportment and acquisition. Most of the students from this category would be taking their GCSE -Foundation Level. The School s r ecords indicated that 62.2 % of the campaigners who took GCSE achieved A* to C classs.The math Teacher Mr X was caput of math and his lesson is ever functional and good controlled, and I was certain that I will non have the same regard from the students. Before Christmas bankrupt my learning experience with this category was centred chiefly on issues of subject. Most of the students larning were frequently disrupted by inappropriate schoolroom behavior and absenteeism. They were besides really hard to promote and actuate. Positive methods of subject, detainment and usage of the School s behavior policy and referral system bit by bit improved my relationship with the category and besides made them to understand that I would ever prevail up to my word. This success strengthened my finding to better the acquisition environment and present a sense of mathematical accomplishment within this category.The Government, done the National Curriculum, has expressed their belief that chance is of great importance within the topic of mathematics. Understanding and utilizing chance appears in Key Stage 2 and characteristics strongly thenceforth. Most of the School offer statistics at GCSE degree and this tendency reflects the importance of statistics to modern consumers in a society where the ability to do determinations, interpret informations and communicate information is critical.I planned to include this model within my learning methodological analysis with careful planning. I mean to sharpen my accomplishments peculiarly in relation to puting prep, taging and work with single students fault and misconception. As Boaler high spots advanced ways instructors engage their pupils in acquisition and travel math from a drill and kill experience to one where pupils become mathematicians, non merely rote memorisers Therefore in supply to this model, I intended to learn the usage of experimental activities with chance in lessons Bright and Hoeffner, 1993 provinces S olutions to chance jobs frequently seen counter intuitive even for instructors . I, hence, saw experimental activities playing an of import function in associating the theoretical and empirical attacks to chance.Each of the students in my category had been issued with both a New National framework Text Book and prep Book. I intended to utilize them as resources supplementing them with worksheets and other instruction resources drawn from cyberspace.

My Personal and Professional Development Plan Essay

It is a journey of the self to contemplate either the happenings going on around. I stomach set up that I set ab show up reached the middle of the highroad with regard to my journey in invigoration. I am now entering a in the altogether phase of my emotional landed estate. My graduation is most near. I ca go for to face the stark naked world in modulate for me to continue my journey on this earth. I remember when I setoff entered this university. I do non pay off admirers forwards I as substantially remember the cartridge h grey-haireders when I am longing for my p bents. I leave out them so much but beca social function of my determination to study here, I managed to distinguish up with my new environs.I remember how I felt whenever Im al integrity. I alike remember the hard times during my rootage daytime here. The commission of purportspan, the attitudes of the students and of course, the expectations from my instructors and professors gave me near i ntense whole steping of being new to this university. But as days passed I corresponded how to mingle with them and make do with my new environment. Now, the time is near to end my journey in this storey of my life. My journey in college is coming to an end. I am so crazy to face a new period in my life. As I move on to my journey, I extremity to spend time with my family and run into up with my friends.I c either for to go out on a pass where I digest loosen up a bit. I am testifyiness to go to a place where I corporation relax and think of nonhing but myself. By the time I fine-tune, I allow visit my family back in Brazil and I entrust visit all the places that Ive been. This bequeath give me time to think about my future on what path would I take. I get out alike visit my old friends to reconnect with them, and hand over to enjoy my vacation there. By the time I go back to lap, I go forth see to it that I leave alone be promoted after(prenominal) five mon ths. I go forth instill in mind that I need to be promoted, this is my way in motivating myself to pass what I start planned.I forget besides enroll in a university to get a Masters degree. I plan to get a focalizationing degree becaexercising I requisite to dumbfound a managerial go under in my body of work. We know for a fact that having a great pedagogics gives you a chance to compete in the market that is, having a high position in a company. I believe that the with child(p) tasks, peculiar to each period and era of the adult life atomic number 18 intertwined with the issues and problems hereditary from our babyhood, and argon mediated by dynamic pressure from socioeconomic and historical aspects of life from indoors the cultures and societies where we live.Helping put our adult lives back in balance with our inner resources, and under defending the contradictions and betrothals built into our life patterns between who we are and who we demand to be, betw een what we love and what we essential do, between our often collision come outments this is often the task that underlies the resolution of psychological symptoms and suffering. With these challenges in life, an individual learn to know himself/herself correct and try to do something about it.Each and both(prenominal) one of us has experienced this kind of situation and we try to elucidate it as soon as the problem arises. Going back to my preliminary papers I mentioned that I have been into sorrow but I think of positive thoughts to divert my attention and see to it that these challenges in my life give assist me grow. I am grateful for the incidents in my life that I have experienced. It made me who I am a stronger woman. Forgetting and training from your experiences, makes you much experienceable about realities of life. As human being, we have exits and similarities.Thus, check to Levinson, human life cycle is universal, yet each life is contrary that both sexes have developmental histories to some extent unique to their feature gender, but the overall pattern in the adult development. This follows the in truth(prenominal) grammatical construction of eras and alternating periods. heavy(a) growth Theory serve wells us see more of our connectedness to the rest of life, primarily through our experience of living inwardly the limits of a relatively invariant, species-specific life cycle, containing nevertheless within it, the creative possible of individual variability (Kitrrell, 1998).My plan in achieving my goals personal and professional I mentioned earlier that I beginning(a) of all planned to tweak for me to get a decent trouble. In set for me to get a high grades I would have to keep in mind that nothing is more beta than finishing all the requirements needed for me to graduate. mavin of my mottos this school grade was to graduate and find a job that will attend me enhance my knowledge about my course. And time is near for me to accomplish my goal with regard to my education. One of my personal goals is to develop my profession and apply the knowledge that I have learned during my stay here at the University.I emergency to assistant others in building their own dreams. I want to have smooth relationships with my co-workers. I want them to know me better. In dishing them with their tasks, they will also admirer me with mine. thus, my egression with regard to personal and professional life go hand in hand, that is, i can develop my relationship with others by making them my friends and at the same time, they help me enhance my professional growthmaking honourable at my job. Doing your job is not good fair to middling to say that you are growing professionally.An individual needs a proportionate relationship with nation surrounding him/her to understand and do his/her work better. In it, the individual will not have any conflicts with his/her co-workers. S/he will be happy and enjoys his/h er tasks in the office. Adjustment is the key in making a harmonious relationship with others. It is actually main(prenominal) in work and also with personal life, rather than likability, meaning it is more important to interact within your co-workers than to impress them. If a person wants to impress others, s/he must communicate will with others s/he must mingle with them.In this way, s/he will be understood by them and they whitethorn help him/her in his/her endeavor in work. beingness friends with your co-workers makes your work load more fun and you will not feel the pressure in doing your assigned tasks. So, I must adjust to the flock in my workplace and in the society that I belong. I will see to it that I will not have any conflict with them. I will befriend them to help me cope with the new environment that I enter. I will share my thoughts to them for them to understand me better and try to use it as an instrument in accepting me as crash of their company.I also want forwarding, so I am planning to have a higher education, I will enroll for masteral and at the same time do good in my work. I will attend conferences if necessary to help me gain more credentials for the promotion that I want. I just want to achieve this in my first two years of work. by and by attending masterals, I plan to have my PhD to have a higher position in my new-made workplace or maybe I can have a race move where I can mend my ability and skills with regard to what I have studied. But before I achieve these goals, I will develop a clear and highly specific career goals and objectives for myself.I believe in the goodness and attainability of my goals I being accountable for the consequences that may occur. I will strive towards reaching my goals and dreams one day at a time. I see my career as a vehicle that will help me take my goals. I will commit myself emotionally and psychologically to turn my dreams into reality. But first, I need to focus on what I want to do , that is, to have a vacation for myself. I will plan my goals base on its attainabilityshort- and long-term goals. Second, I need to eliminate excuses for not moving forward toward my goals.I will put my career plan that maps out specific moves I can make toward my goals on a daily basis. From what I have put in on my measure outments, I now develop an awareness of what I want to do. Two years from now, I want to finish my Masters degree. Five years from now, I want to have a child and have a beautiful family of my own. And ten years from now I want to have a top position in a company and make a name in the business industry. My warning job would enable me to grow personally and professionally. This job will help me enhance my ability and skills in communicating with others.As I graduate from this university, I will step-up for more formal education in order for me to attain my goal. We all know that having a higher education will give you a chance to compete on the job market. This way, I can improve my personality. Having a good job is not enough. I want to get more than what I have. At my recent job, I will try my beat to do my job for me to be promoted. Being a CSR, I wont try list with unhappy customers. If I cant handle them, I better call my manager. I also want to receive feedback about my public presentation at work once a week.I will use these feedbacks to improve my work, and to be more efficient employee. I will use my resources to my advantage. Performance is a very important factor for every individual. It is drawd to rate individual action with regard to how s/he conducted his/her own acts. Interacting with others help someone assess his/her action on how and what should s/he do to act accordingly, that is, behaving in a manner where s/he is speculate to act. Each and every one of us is expected to act in every situation we encounter. An individual could maintain an ideal role within the situation.As a student, I must study hard and do all my assignments to conform to the rules and regulations of the school. I must act as a student in order for me to perform my role as a student. By doing this, I learned how to assess my work according to the standards of the University. The road to success Happiness is connected to personal effectiveness wherein you feel triumph within yourself. For me, personal effectiveness is doing what you want, getting yourself from where you are to where you want to be, that is, achieving what you want in life.Thus, it takes a lot of effort to say that an individual is roaring in doing the things that s/he wants. Defining personal effectiveness is the same as how we define success. We individuals seek success being intertwined with happiness. We can say that success is having the things that you wantearning money for yourself and your family, getting the highest paying job in town, having all the things that the world offers, and the likes. We define success with regard to tangible and nonphysical factors the materials that we use in determining success and the feeling that we feel interior in getting that success.As I mentioned in my previous paper, I defined happiness as a pleasurable satisfaction, a state of well-being and contentmentbeing happy of what you have. Regret is a way of depressing yourself of not getting what you want or doing what you should have done. seeing my mistakes and my weaknesses enables me to improve my worth as an individual. This made me more effective citizen, student, daughter, friend and a partner. And I try to live one day at a time in order for me to achieve my goals in life. In this way, I can avoid myself of feeling too overwhelmed with my limits and emotions.I will be entering a new page in my life, as I go on with this great transition, I realized that my experiences and the people around me have a great impact of who I am today and what will I be tomorrow. My future depends on how I plan to go on with my lifemy future I can say that I am contented of what I have in effect(p) now but I am not satisfied of where I am today. I want to explore more of my world. I want to excel from my job and I plan to have a very good life, that is, being successful and all the people around me are happy with what they have, especially my family. Prior to graduation, I plan to have good, if not better grades.I want to make it better for me to land a job that will help me earn enough money that is net income that will enhance my way of living. I dont want to have a failing mark. This will reflect my personality as individual. Failing mark path I didnt do my best to pass my course. In order for me to achieve this, I will read all my reading assignments and complete all the requirements that are needed to be submitted. I will see to it that I will pass my perfect exam. I will love and enjoy my course and look at every single test as a challenge in making me more responsible individual.Taking responsibility in all your ac tions make an individual is more assertive of what s/he wants to achieve. My family is very important to my life, I want them to be happy with their own life and be successful with their chosen field. I want my mother to be more understanding and I will see to it that she is happy decently now. I want her to feel that we, her children love her very much. I want my family to be complete and witness my graduation. I want to share my movement with them. They are my strength and joy. Without them, I cannot overcome all the obstacles that came my way. They are the one whom I run to whenever I have a problem.They gave me good advices on how to handle my problems. Even though they are not with me, they are endlessly here in my heart. Daniel Levinsons opening of adult development vainglorious development theory presents a vivid understanding of life cycle. Daniel Levinson worked out his theories of adult development in two landmark studies, Seasons of a existences Life and Seasons of a Womans Life. He argues essentially that the adult portion of the human life span is divided into 3 eras early, middle, and late adulthood. Each of these broad eras are themselves divided between approach or initial stages and ending or more-or-less stable stages.Think of the difference and quality of the life structure and goals of a 24 year old as compared with a 34 year old, and you will get a sense of the internal changes that occur within otherwise specific eras, i. e. , both a 24 year old and a 34 year old would be considered young adults within the Levinsonian purview. The divisions between the life eras are marked by significant transitional periods that can last for some years. Life during these shifts can be seen as rocky or smooth, buzzing or quiet, but the quality and significance of ones life commitments often change between the beginning and end of such periods.I chose this theory to plan my future because it enables me to think of the differences and similariti es of characteristics between the two sexes and also to compare the experience of the adulthood with the late-adulthood stage and the other stages of life as discussed by Levinson. This theory reflects essential changes that adults undergo. Thus, it provides a clearer view of what reality is. This theory can be applied in planning on with your life. It will make you aware of the things that you dont bother to know. This will help you analyze your work and performances as part of the society.This will enhance your knowledge about your role in the society. This will enable you to view things in a broader way, i. e. , having a positive outlook in life in entering the new phase of your life. This theory also presents a good foundation for understanding goal setting of individuals entering into particular adult stages (Minter & Samuel, 1998). If you know your goals, probably you will know where you are heading to. This perspective on adult development is important for us, adults to under stand. This will enable us to resolve important transitional issues during the vital periods in our lives.Thus, each transitional period is needed so that changes in individuation and relationships are win by concerned individuals (Wheeler-Scruggs, 2008). This model is created to promote individuation and build relationships among individuals that they may use in getting what they want in life. These changes bring greater sense of autonomy and give a greater expression and act of ones self-potential (Wheeler-Scruggs, 2008). Thus, individuals go through the various stages and transitions in order for them to become more self-reliant.Its nature is focused on building characteristics that would help the individual attain his/her personal and professional goals. It is also used to create rapport with each and every individual concerned. This would help the individuals reach their goals. expression rapport is very important in making your goals attainable. If you communicate well with other, they will help you achieve your goals by giving you information that you need. For instance, as a CSR I need to build rapport to the customers for them to give a positive feedback in which they will be nice to me thus, making my work easy.And with regard to my co-workers, I need to build rapport for them to help me in my job, giving some advices if I experience some difficulties in my job. Thus, this will help each and every one to improve their work and at the same time develop personal relationships. As I have mentioned earlier, we need each other in order for us to grow. With the help of others, we will achieve the set goals we planned for ourselves. As I assess my performance, I see my potentials to be growing. These potentials include my leadership ability and interpersonal skills which I can use in communicating at work.I will try to develop my weaknesses into strengths for me to improve myself, personally and professionally. This will also be of help to us in communic ating with each other. all student must know that they need their teachers for them to gain knowledge and improve their way of thinking. The teachers may help their students in developing their potentials and skills which they will use in communicating with others, most especially with regard to their work. Conclusion After planning all my walks in life, I would like to slowly procure my goal. I will stick to my plan.As I have state earlier, I want to achieve my goal one step at a time. I believe that all my plans are reachable. I divided my plans into two long-term goal and short-term goal. I would focus first on short-term goal to be promoted in my work, to have a vacation with my family in Brazil, to visit my friends, to extend my family by having a new French bulldog in my house, and to graduate and then work on to my long-term goals having a good life with my own family and for my mom to be happy with what we, her children have achieved in life, and be one of the best Psychol ogist in town.This assignment enables me to reflect on how I manage my life after graduation. I have learned that in order to succeed in life, an individual must look at all the aspects of life before planning his/her future, that is, reflecting on the experiences s/he had and planning the future. Thus, development means assessing your own life and making all the necessary steps to achieve my goals. I learned that in order to achieve your dreams, you must go under to for Utopia, which means going beyond the reach of the society until we overcome the obstacles that stand in our way.These obstacles include negativism, fear, depression, and the problems they create discouragement, economic stagnation, crime, drug dependency, family distrust, etc. At this moment in my life, I can say that I have achieved something for myselfovercoming the obstacles that came my way. This helped me have a positive outlook in life. Thus, I will prioritize myself, of what I want to do and where I want to go. with this process I will know that I will be a successful psychologist someday. ReferencesKitrrell, D. (1998). A Comparison of the Evolution of Mens and Womens Dreams in Daniel Levinsons Theory of big(p) Development. Journal of Adult Development, 5(2), 105-115. Minter, L. E. & Samuel, C. A. (1998). The Impact of the Dream on Womens Experience of the Midlife Transition. Journal of Adult Development, 5(1), 31-43. Wheeler-Scruggs, K. S. (2008). Do Lesbians Differ from Heterosexual Men and Women in Levinsonian Phases of Adult Development? Journal of Counseling & Development, 86(1), 39-46.

Music Industry

The Ever-Changing (I hark back its hyphenated)Music IndustryThe 1980s began with the final stage of two euphonyal icons John Lennon and bottle cork Marley. This set the scene for a momentous decade. A lot of artists in the 80s were inspired politically and that shined through their songs. For example, 19 by Paul Hardcastle and 99 Luftballoons by Nena.The 80s was as well the introduction to the CD and revolutionizing the way consumers try to music, devising it more portable. manage a shot MTV has launched the first music video, Video Killed the Radio sentiency by The Buggles. With visual to accompany artists songs, they have another avenue to pick up consumers with. This led to extravagant production classics like Thriller.A revolution was contingency and technological advances have only just begun to shape the way consumers listen to and share music.With revolutionary music comes controversy, and with music artists presently having another media to vowelize their messag e, Madonna releases Like a Virgin in 1984. This sent a wave through the decade and the boundaries of what was socially acceptable were pushed to the limits. Some songs were counterbalance banned for sexual content despite their immense popularity.The 80s was also a break through in Hip-Hop with groups like Beastie Boys and Sugarhill Gang. This wider representation and harvest-feast in diversity in the commercial aspect of music also led to growth in consumers.The birth of Hip-Hop in the 80s became a staple of music in the 90s. Hip-Hop stepped away from the soul and flinch themes from the 80s to be dominated by the East Coast-West Coast Gangster pick apart feud.The extreme winner of N.W.A. followed by releases from Dr. Dre and Tupac established the dominance power and watch of West Coast rap. East Coast Hip-Hop was led by De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest but was handless in their attempt to could never quite match the commercial success of the West Coast. That is until the r elease of albums from Nas, B.I.G., and Wu-Tang Clan.This feud had eachone loyal listeners buying albums to hear the future(a) low-blow and cultivated an intensely loyal consumer following. Sadly, speculation and business led to the death of Tupac and Biggie and with their death the end of a golden era in Hip-Hop. Again, music was changing and no one could predict the drastic change that was digital. Now at the start of the 00s, iTunes is born and now anyone with a smart catch or computer for pennies per song, instead of buying the whole album.It is now evident that songwriters and artists have to focus wholeheartedly on making each and every song as great as the single. CDs were intensely profitable for artists and (especially) bring down cross offs, until the Internet, MP3s, piracy, Napster, iTunes, YouTube and Spotify kicked in over the past 10 years. Over the past span of recent years, YouTube has grown into a lucrative machine for record labels. familiar videos with milli ons of hits nates be adorned with ads, and YouTube shares that revenue with the copyright holders. Some artists like OK Go have even decided to split from their label and end up making more money from YouTube than they do iTunes. We byword the industry adapt to the digital age of music. Spotify is not just drift anymore, it is now an authoritative honoury platform, a network of popular intercommunicate stations, and also the primary way people are listening to music.With the mint of ways that people can listen to music for free today, now artists are concerning themselves with how to get on every platform and how many streams they can get. You can even put your song on a Snapchat trickle now (New paragraph) As a consumer, its great to be able to discover new artists and groups that I would have never found through CDs or word of mouth. However, as an artist I can understand the foiling in a market that is changing so fast and so quickly.

Causes for the Central Powers Losing the First World War

After the First World War had ceased on the 11th of November 1918, there were a lot of negotiations on the issue of how to agree peace, and how to treat the Central Powers, which consisted namely of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. France wanted urgent reparation for the damages Germany had caused, and did non consider giving her a mild penalty, such as the one Britain had suggested. in that respect are several grave reasons as to why the Central Powers lost World War One.During this epitome I will be looking at the most critical ones, and giving a brief idea of how and why these shaping events took place. There was one particular event involving especially Germany at an early lay out of the war the von Schlieffen plan. In 1914, Germany try to pursue the so-called von Schlieffen plan, in which the goal was to surround the French armies. They planned to do so by flying through Belgium to the coasts of France, to then capture the Channel ports and use the manag ement of the rivers to surround France, their support and their navy.This was easier said than done the Belgian resistance was strong, reservation Germany unable to capture the Channel ports and thus unable to get slightly control of France. The fact that the von Schlieffen plan failed had a great impact on the Central Powers motivation throughout the war, as well the fact that it did not manage to show their authority from early on. Several smaller reasons to why the Central Powers lost also need to be taken into consideration. Britain tried to block German ports and trade routes, making it difficult for them to acquire weapons, ammunition, fare and food from opposite countries.Considering that the Germans were already exhausted by the war, because of the fact that they did not expect a long-term war. To add to that, there was not a lot the other Central Powers could do to help Germany, meaning that they all-in-all did not get many new supplies of tools for warfare. In conclusi on, there were many negligible causes for the results of the First World War, such as British blockade of German ports and trade routes, German exhaustion and the fact that they did not get a lot help from the other Central Powers. US entered the war in April 1917.This was a vital reason for the Allies victory. Seeing as it was at the actually end of World War One, and Germany was already exhausted, it did a great mass to their morale when a whole new continent joined the war. The US contributed by providing Britain and France with food, merchant ships and credit. By mid-1918 over half a million American soldiers were involved in the war. As well as the natural help, the USA gave a vast blow to German morale. Thus, the US association the war was one of the leading steps to the Allies winning.As my short analysis has shown, there were many different reasons for the Central Powers losing the First World War, in which there were small reasons as well as big ones. The causes I h ave mentioned are the failure of the Schlieffen plan, small reasons such as British blockade, German exhaustion and not getting any help from the other Central Powers and lastly, the US joining the war towards the end. These are only some of the reasons, however they show how German morale to some extent moved(p) the

Causes and Consequences of Reduced Biodiversity Essay

Causes and consequences of bring lowd biodiversity in tropical rain woodwind instruments In many tropical countries, the majority of disforestation results from the actions of poor subsistence cultivators. However, in brazil but about singleness-third of recent disforestation can be linked to cultivators. A large portion of deforestation in brazil can be attributed to soil clearing for pasture add by mercenaryised and speculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. For effective action it is imperative that these issues be addressed. cogitate solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local anaesthetic people would neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in brazil. Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economic health of the argonna the decline in deforestation from 1988-1991 nicely matched the economic slowdown during the comparable period, while the rocketing set out of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled Brazils period of rapid economic growth. During lean times, ranchers and developers do not hand the cash to speedily expand their pasturelands and operations, while the government lacks funds to sponsor driveways and colonization programs and dole out tax breaks and subsidies to forest exploiters.Clearing for Cattle PastureCattle ranch ar the leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. This has been the shift since at least the 1970s government figures attributed 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 to large-scale kine ranching. However, today the situation may be steady worse. According to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of europiums processed meat imports that came from Brazil rose from 40 to 74 percent and by 2003 for the first time ever, the growth in Brazilian cattle production 80 percent of which was in the Amazon was la rgely export driven.Factors* CURRENCY DEVALUATIONThe devaluation of the Brazilian real against the dollar effectively twofold the price of bellyache in reals and created an incentive for ranchers to expand their pasture areas at the expense of the rainforest. The weakness of the real also made Brazilian beef more competitive on the world market CIFOR. * CONTROL over FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASEThe eradication of foot-and-mouth disease in much of Brazil has change magnitude price and demand for Brazilian beef. * INFRASTRUCTURERoad braid gives developers and ranchers portal to previously inaccessible forest lands in the Amazon. Infrastructure improvements can reduce the costs of shipping and packing beef. * INTEREST RATESRainforest lands are often used for land speculation purposes.When real pasture land prices exceed real forest land prices, land clearing is a good hedge against inflation. At times of high inflation, the appreciation of cattle prices and the stream of services (milk) they provide may outpace the interest rate earned on m adepty left in the bank. * LAND tenure LAWSIn Brazil, colonists and developers can gain call to Amazon lands by plainly clearing forest and placing a few head of cattle on the land. As an additional benefit, cattle are a low-risk investment coitus to cash crops which are subject to wild price swings and pest infestations. essentially cattle are a vehicle for land willpower in the Amazon.Colonization and subsequent subsistence agricultureA significant amount of deforestation is caused by the subsistence activities of poor farmers who are encouraged to settle on forest lands by government land policies. In Brazil, each squatter acquires the function (known as a usufruct right) to continue using a piece of land by living on a plot of unclaimed in the public eye(predicate) land (no matter how marginal the land) and using it for at least one course and a day. after five years the squatter acquires ownership and hence the ri ght to sell the land. Up until at least the mid-1990s this dodging was worsened by the government policy that allowed each claimant to gain title for an amount of land up to three times the amount of forest alter.Poor farmers use fire for clearing land and every year satellite images pick up tens of thousands of fires yearning across the Amazon. Typically understory shrubbery is clear(p) and then forest trees are cut. The area is left to dry for a few months and then burned. The land is planted with crops comparable bananas, palms, manioc, maize, or rice. After a year or two, the productivity of the soil declines and the transient farmers campaign a little deeper and clear red-hot forest for more short farming(a) land. The old, now infertile fields are used for humble cattle grazing or left for waste.Infrastructure ImprovementsRoad construction in the Amazon leads to deforestation. Roads provide access to record and exploit sites while opening forest frontier land to exp loitation by poor landless farmers.Brazils Trans-Amazonian Highway was one of the most economic development programs ever devised, and one of the most spectacular failures. In the 1970s, Brazil planned a 2,000 mile highway that would bisect the monumental Amazon forest, opening rainforest lands to settlement by poor farmers from the crowded, drought-plagued northeastward and development of timber and mineral resources. Colonists would be granted a 250-acre lot, six-months salary, and on the loose(p) access to agricultural loans in exchange for settling along the highway and converting the surrounding rainforest into agricultural land. The plan would grow to cost Brazil US$65,000 1980 dollars to settle each family, an amazing amount for Brazil, a growth country at the time.Commercial agricultureRecently, soybeans have become one of the most important contributors to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Thanks to a new variety of soybean developed by Brazilian scientists to flo urish in rainforest climate, Brazil is on the verge of supplanting the get together States as the worlds leading exporter of soybeans. High soybean prices have also served as an impetus to expanding soybean cultivation.LoggingIn theory, enter in the Amazon is controlled by strict licensing which allows timber to be harvested only in designated areas. However, there is significant evidence that illegal logging is sort of widespread in Brazil. In recent years, Ibama Brazils environmental enforcement agency has made several large seizures of illegally harvested timber including one in September 2003 when 17 people were arrested for allegedly cutting 10,000 hectares outlay of timber.Logging in the Amazon is closely linked with road twist. Studies by the Environmental Defense Fund show that areas that have been selectively logged are eight times more likely to be settled and cleared by shifting cultivators than untouched rainforests because of access granted by logging roads. Loggin g roads give colonists access to rainforest, which they exploit for fuel wood, game, building material, and temporary agricultural lands.FiresVirtually all forest clearing, by meek farmer and plantation owner alike, is done by fire. Though these fires are intended to burn only limited areas, they frequently escape agricultural plots and pastures and char pristine rainforest, especially in dry years like 2005. Many of the fires set for clearing forest for these purposes are set during the three-month burning season and the smoke produced creates widespread problems across the region, including airport closings and hospitalizations from smoke inhalation.These fires hover a vast area of forest. In 1987 during a four-month period, about 19,300 hearty miles of Brazilian Amazon were burned. The burning produced carbon dioxide containing more than 500 jillion tons of carbon, 44 million tons of carbon monoxide, and millions of tons of opposite particles and nitrogen oxides. An estimate d 20 percent of fires that burn between June and October cause new deforestation, while another 10 percent is the burning of ground obliterate in virgin forestMiningMining in the Brazilian Amazon presently results in limited deforestation due to crackdowns on informal miners known as garimpeiros. The pig iron industry may have the largest role in mining-driven deforestation by consuming wood to produce charcoal to fuel steel production.

High school Essay

* Literacy is a human right, a overlyl of personal potency and a agency for social and human development. raisingal opportunities depend on literacy. Literacy is at the heart of staple fiber preparation for all, and essential for eradicating p everyplacety, reducing peasant mortality, curbing creation out ingathering, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. ( wherefore Is Literacy Important? UNESCO, 2010) * The nonion of basic literacy is used for the initial learning of culture and writing which adults who give never been to working need to go through.The confines functional literacy is kept for the take aim of breeding and writing which adults ar plan to need in modern complex society. Use of the term underlines the image that although people dust coatthorn hire basic levels of literacy, they need a contrastive level to operate in their day-to-day merrys. (David Barton, Literacy An Introduction to the Ecology of indite Language, 2nd ed. WileyB omit soundly, 2006) * To acquire literacy is much than to psychologically and mechanically dominate translation and writing techniques.It is to dominate those techniques in terms of consciousness to consider what bingle reads and to write what one understands it is to communicate graphically. Acquiring literacy does non involve memorizing sentences, lyric poem or syllableslifeless objects unconnected to an existential universe further sooner an attitude of creation and re-creation, a self-transformation producing a stance of intervention in ones con text edition. (Paulo Freire, Education for Critical Consciousness. Sheed & Ward, 1974) *There is hardly an literal culture or a predominantly oral culture leftover inthe world today that is not somehow aw be of the coarse complex of powers forever inaccessible without literacy. (Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy The Technologizing of the Word. Methuen, 1982) * We expect the contradictory an d the impossible. . . . We expect to be inspired by mediocre appeals for excellence, to be made literate by illiterate appeals for literacy. (Daniel J. Boorstin, The Image A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, 1961) * Women and Literacy In the explanation of women, thither is probably no matter, apart from contraception, more important than literacy.With the orgasm of the Industrial Revolution, access to power required k forthwithledge of the world. This could not be gained without reading and writing, skills that were grant to men long before they were to women. Deprived of them, women were condemned to checkout home with the livestock, or, if they were lucky, with the servants. (Alternatively, they may have been the servants. ) Comp bed with men, they led mediocre lives. In view roughly wisdom, it tendings to read about wisdomabout Solomon or Socrates or whomever. Likewise, goodness and happiness and love.To decide whether you have them, or want to gather the sacrifices n ecessary to get them, it is useful to read about them. Without much(prenominal) introspection, women seemed preposterous at that placefore, they were call fored unfit for program line therefore, they werent effrontery an pedagogics therefore they seemed stupid. (Joan Acocella, bit the Page. Review of The Woman Reader by Belinda Jack Yale University Press, 2012. The saucily Yorker, October 15, 2012) * From the website of calcium Literacy, Inc. The literacy rate in the US has numerous educators in search of answers about this conundrum that has plagued our country for decades.Instead of decreasing, the bites of literacy has steadily increased over the days. This raises a lot of questions about our education system, how it is ran, and why there is such a puzzle with illiterate people in our country. (quoted by The New Yorker, Nov. 22, 2010) Pronunciation LIT-er-eh-see Language * Six Common Myths About Language * key Dates in the History of the English Language * Intro duction to Etymology Word Histories elsewhere on the Web * The National Institute for Literacy (US) * The Literacy Project* National Literacy reliance (UK) Resources for Writers * Reference Works for Writers and Editors * Grammar and Usage Advice Sites * Sites for Correcting Common Sentence Errors Related Articles * orality comment and examples of orality * illiteracy definition and examples of illiteracy * aliteracy definition and examples of aliteracy * bighearted Education What Is Adult Education * penning Degree Do I Need a Writing Degree Richard Nordquist Grammar & make-up Guide * Sign up for My newssheet * Headlines * Forum Advertisement.Related Searches achieving gender equality paulo freire education curbing population growth diminutive consciousness paulo freire personal empowerment Explore Grammar & constitution Must Reads * What Is Grammar? * Euphemisms for Death * Comm notwith stand up Confused haggle * 400 turn out Topics * Introductions to 30 Figures of Speech Most Popular * What Is a Metaphor? * Writing Topics Argument * Top 20 Figures of Speech * 400 Writing Topics * parable See to a immenseer extent About * english language By course * Writing Tips * Business Writing * Correcting Errors * English Grammar * Punctuation & Mechanics.* Composing Sentences * Words * Composing Paragraphs * Composing Essays * Rhetoric and Style * Exercises and Quizzes * Readings and Resources * Grammar & Rhetoric Glossary Grammar & Composition 1. About. com 2. Education 3. Grammar & Composition 4. Grammar & Rhetoric Glossary 5. Icon Lower persona 6. literacy definition and examples of literacy * Advertise on About. com * Our Story * News & Events * SiteMap * All Topics * Reprints * attend * Write for About * C atomic number 18ers at About * User Agreement * moral philosophy Policy * Patent Info. * Privacy Policy * Your Ad Choices 2013 About. com. All rights reserved.The sterling(prenominal) Literacy Challenges Facing Contemporary tall School Teachers Implications for Secondary Teacher dressing Mary B. Campbell Saint Xavier University Marg art M. Kmiecik Saint Xavier University Secondary instructors suit signifi guttert challenges in their efforts to increase the literacy levels of adolescents. Encouraging instructors to speak out about these challenges and to recommend initiatives that may remedy literacy practices for adolescents is vital for future reform efforts. This take examines the questions What ar the superior literacy challenges facing mellowed naturalize meat athletic field instructors? and What will table service to denigrate these challenges? The selective information collection questionnaire was distributed to instructors in eight tall tames throughout the greater moolah theater. A discussion of the conclusions adverts compelling directions for auxiliary instillers and teacher educators. 2 Reading Horizons, 2004, 4, (1) WHILE SEVERAL REFORMS in gameyer education teacher preparati on have made a difference in more teachers being highly inclined(p) and qualified (Smylie, Bay, & Tozer, 1999), preparing teachers to meet the literacy demands of vicarious scholars still remains inadequate.Improving literacy learning in our nations high schools inescapably serious elevation as an educational priority at all levels. The 2002 NAEP (National Association for Educational Progress) Report indicates that 36 pctageage of students in grade 12 performed at a proficient level, indicating that altogether a little over one-third of our nations high school seniors can understand challenging material (Feller, 2003). This was a slouch in performance from 1998 when the NAEP reported the percentage of seniors who performed at the proficient level as 40 percent (U. S. Department of Education, 1999).Additionally the 1998 report states that no more than 6 percent of the adolescents performed at the advanced level which demonstrates students office to analyze and extend the me aning of the materials they read. The NAEP data further show more than one-third of the students did not demonstrate competence at a basic level of literacy. The International Reading Association has taken a stiff leadership role in elevating attention to middle school and lower-ranking literacy bring outs by establishing the military commission on Adolescent Literacy in 1997 (Rycik & Irvin, 2001).The blend in of this Commission resulted in the published document, Adolescent Literacy A Position Statement (Moore, Bean, Birdyshaw, & Rycik, 1999), which recommends principles for teachers to consider when obtaining the literacy growth of aidary students. Still much more comprehensive examination work needs to be done as challenges still tack and teachers, administrators, and stave developers have asked for more examples of practices that might renew and revitalize their efforts for middle and high school students (Rycik & Irvin, 2001, p.4).Teaching has greatly increased in lay out and complexity over the last decade. Teachers now find themselves in highly pressured environments (Pincas, 2002). Faced with the reality of overcrowded classrooms, high stakes testing, and standards-based environments, using instructional practices that motility students to higher levels of thinking through more authentic forms of learning be lost.Additional itemors Secondary Teaclher Literacy Clhallenges 3that compound the situation are high student mobility, absenteeism, minimal student engagement, misbehavior, missing homework, cultural and linguistic diversity, peculiar(a) needs, and increasing numbers of students from poverty and single parent households (Alvermann, Hinchman, Moore, Phelps, & Waff, 1998).Regardless of the number or degree of challenges, teachers still remain news reportable for fostering literacy growth among all students. Efforts to improve literacy learning for unessential students must take bad the realities and challenges persistent in todays h igh schools.Reform theorists who suggest improvement can be made through a series of workshops, enhanced technology, sanctions and the like, (Smylie, Bay, & Tozer, 1999, p. 59) are naive at best. A new trope requires comprehensive and systemic change. It in like manner requires a serious re-orientation towards broad organizational, political, and scotch presuppositions on which definition and acquisition of change must be based. Moreover, it involves a commitment to putting teachers at the forefront of the reform process. Valencia and Wixson (2000) argue that it is succession for the voices of teachers to be heard.Without empowered professional voices, we lose the potential for constructing serious reform. emerging Directions If students are to compass high literacy standards, evidence strongly suggests that what teachers know and can do is one of the more important factors influencing student achievement. (Darling-Hammond, 1999, p. 228). Research excessively makes it clear that if teachers are to negotiate the demands of new standards and new students, they must have access to a deeper base of familiarity and expertise than most teacher preparation programs now provide (Darling-Hammond, 1999, p.229).While several studies have looked at reform in teacher preparation programs, Schwartz (1996) concluded that reform changes in teacher preparation have resulted in little more than adjusting on the margins (p. 3). Particularly troubling, in secondhand teacher preparation, is the limited attention given to the challenges existing in schools in which future teachers must help students to achieve literacy, and the problems 4 Reading Horizons, 2004, 4, (1) of schooling in a broader social context.Moreover, in many states, lower-ranking teacher preparation programs include a requirement of a essence celestial sphere reading course, whereas in other states there is no equivalent requirement. This has remained literally unchanged for years, even as secondary students continue to struggle with reading and writing throughout the high school course of instruction. The wide-spread standards movement has made some impact in requiring newly qualified teachers to demonstrate competency on specific literacy knowledge and performance indicators.However, the discretion of what is required to teach field of paper area literacy in secondary schools requires more than one course, and/or a few standards. Connecting Two Distinct Communities Education can no longer be seen as an exclusive function, and the conventional structures cannot remain isolated from social change. Faculties in colleges and universities and the practicing teachers in secondary schools have no choice but to adjust to new paradigms. While it is now more park to find partnerships and institutional collaborations between university faculty and secondary teachers, many of these need redefinition.In many partnerships, practicing teachers have related there has not been a high level of reciprocity, as the universities are too dominant (Campbell, 2002, p. 22). Each entity must put into the equation improvement strategies that are meaningful to their respective organizations that is, they need to identify areas where they truly need help from one another. Then institutionally and programmatically, they need to find ways to work together to make those intended improvements a reality (Howey & Zimpher, 1999, p. 299).High school teachers and teacher educators alike are looking to move beyond insofar another good idea to realize reconceptualization and transformation for secondary literacy education. This means engaging high school teachers in the process of secondary teacher preparation, determining what factors pose the great challenges to literacy development and using this knowledge as a cornerstone for improving Secondary Teaclher Literacy Clhallenges literacy practices in schools. Failure to front these challenges effectively will undoubtedly compromise the ability of teachers to serve as effective agents of change.PurposeThe purpose of this get a line was to identify the problems secondary teachers face that impede literacy learning in the classrooms and to yield asseverateation that may inform the preparation of future secondary teachers. Two broad questions emerged to guide this area o What are the sterling(prenominal) literacy challenges facing high school heart area teachers? e What will help to diminish these challenges for current and/or future high school teachers? The Study ParticipatingS chools and Teachers The schools that participated in this train include eight high schools, seven public and one private.The researchers purposely selected the schools to see ethnic diversity as well as urban and suburban representation. Six of the high schools equal grades 10-12 and devil included grades 9-12. The school principals granted permission to graduate students enrolled in a Masters Degree program in Reading to place the High School Literacy Survey in the school mailboxes of the teachers. A issue forth of 450 questionnaires, including a cover letter and a stamped counterpunch envelope, were distributed to 9-12 teachers.Two hunared and devil questionnaires were returned, realizing a return rate of 45 percent. There were no follow-up attempts to obtain a higher return rate. Most respondents (71 percent) had advanced degrees beyond the B. A. or B. S. among these were 68 percent with a M. A. and 3 percent with a Ph. D. Teachers from 18 different face area fields responded to the survey. English (18 percent), mathematics (16 percent), and science (15 percent) teachers comprised the majority of participants. The remaining teachers represented the following subjects art (3 percent), 5.6 ReadingHorizons, 2004, 45, (1) business (4 percent), technology (4 percent), drivers education (1 percent), foreign language (6 percent), history (7 percent), library (1 percent), music (1 percent), physiological education (3 percent), reading (1 percent), radio/television (1 percent), social studies (8 percent), special education (3 percent), theology (3 percent), and vocational education (4 percent). Teachers with more than 10 years of father accounted for 63 percent of the sample, while 37 percent had 10 years or less.Teachers working in suburban areas surrounding the greater Chicago area comprised the majority (67 percent) of the sample population, with the remaining 33 percent overture from urban schools. Forty-four percent described their schools as predominately diverse ( 50 percent), 32 percent considerably diverse (30-50 percent minority), 17 percent somewhat diverse (10-30 percent minority) and 7 percent primarily white (less than 10 percent minority). The Questionnaire We collected the data from a survey instrument, High School.Literacy Survey, designed and constructed by us. The questionnaire requested two types of information * objective, relating to educational degrees, cir cumscribe field of study, years of instruction experience, diversity of school population * subjective, relating to opinions and set in teaching and learning The subjective portion of the survey was comprised of two broad questions. The first question asked teachers to identify 5 of the 20 factors that present the greatest challenges in serving their students to attain literacy in their subject field.Respondents wrote the mathematical 1 undermentioned to the statement representing their greatest challenge, the phone number 2 next to the statement representing their next greatest challenge, and so forth through the numeral 5. (See Appendix) The xx statements, defined as challenges, were derived from the literature on content area reading. An extensive review of the literature Secondary Teaclher Literacy Clhallenges 7 resulted in identifying twenty challenges, however, these may not represent all possible factors and they may not represent factors that teachers would have inclu ded if they were to construct the questionnaire.A space was provided for teachers empower other for their convenience in identifying additional factors that pose as challenges. Since no specific theory was identified to serve as a entry for the selection of factors, they represent an eclectic representation. Additionally, the factors were not defined on the questionnaire, indicating that a singular definition cannot be assumed and that the factors may represent binary meanings in the field. The second question invited the teachers to respond openly to the question, What do you rely will help to diminish these challenges for current and/or future high school teachers? Findings percentages were used to report the data on the high school teachers perceptions about the factors that challenge them most in service their students to achieve literacy in their subject area. Table 1. Percentage Responses of Factors that Represent the Greatest Literacy Challenges Factors Percent 1 2 3 4 5 Total Assessment of student learning 2 1 1 2 2 8 Classroom environment 1 2 1 2 6 Classsize 4 4 6 8 5 27 ethnic and language diversity 1 1 2 among students Curriculum 1 2_ 1A _3 7. 8 Reading Horizons, 2004, 45, (1) Factors Percent 1 2 3 4 5 Total Helping students to construct.meaning from text Helping students counsel graphics in text Helping students to learn and use little thinking skills Helping students to square off and organize information Helping students to understand concepts and vocabulary Homework issues Integrating technology for teaching and learning Selecting materials for teaching and learning Organizing and managing the classroom for learning State/district/school standards for students seek readers assimilator motif/interest/attitudes 3 6 6 7 7 1 1 3 2 16 8 12 11 12 1 5 5 4 3 8 3 6 11 12 5 8 10 6 7 1 5 2 1 3 1 4 1 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 9 9 8 8 8.33 17 17 8 7 1 5 5 5 3 19 29 7 59 18 40 36 12 5 8 6 42 82 Students with special needs Secondary Teacher Litera cy Chiallenges Factors Percent 1 2 3 4 5 Total Students who lack study skills 11 13 13 13 7 57 Writing skills of students 2 8 5 7 8 30 (A ranking scale, with 1 meaning greatest challenge, 2 next greatest challenge, and so forth) The top five challenges as reported in Table 1 were * student motivation, interests, and attitudes (33 percent) o helping students to learn and use unfavorable thinking skills (16 percent) o students who lack study skills (11 percent) o seek readers (9 percent).o helping students to understand concepts and vocabulary (8 percent). The least(prenominal) perceived challenges were cultural and language diversity among students (2 percent) and selecting materials for teaching and learning (5 percent). Examining the data of the largest responding groups of content area teachers, English, mathematics, and science, yielded similar findings. All three of these groups identified the uniform top two challenges as did the total group. The English, mathematics, and s cience teachers third, fourth and fifth part rankings were * English (3) homework issues (4) students who lack study skills. (5) writing skills of students o mathematics (3) students who lack study skills 9 iO Reading Horizons, 2004, 45, (1) (4) homework issues (5) helping students to locate and organize information e Science (3) students who lack study skills (4) helping students to understand concepts and vocabulary (5) helping students to construct meaning from text The teachers were also asked to respond to the following openended question, What do you believe will help to diminish these challenges for current and/or future high school teachers? Seventyseven percent of the teachers wrote responses to this question.The resppnses were class by similar topics from which themes emerged. Table 2 reports the percentages of the most frequently occurring responses to the unrestricted question. Table 2. Themes and Percentages of Responses for Confronting the Greatest Challenge s Most Frequent Responses by Theme Percent Better basic skills instruction in elementary schools 64 More parent function and support 58 Mandatory inclusion of unfavorable 39 thinking questions on all assessments Study skills classes for incoming students 33 I Iimprove teacher preparation/more methods for 28 secondary teachers. great respect and support from society 20 Practical/useful staff development 11 Secondary TeachterLiteracy Challenges 11 Most Frequent Responses by Theme Percent Teacher task forces making policy decisions 9 instead of politicians and administrators Complete restructuring of the current traditional 7 education vex A center at each high school for struggling readers The most common responses cited by the majority of teachers to confront the greatest challenges (Table 2) were fall apart basic skills instruction in elementary schools (64 percent) and more parent responsibility and support (58 percent).Sample responses given by less than 50 percent of the tea chers were mandatory inclusion of critical thinking questions on all assessments (39 percent), study skills classes for incoming students (33 percent), and improvement of teacher preparation with more methods for secondary teachers (28 percent). news The results of this study provide insight for the continuing efforts to improve the literacy levels of secondary students. They are, however, neither exclusive nor exhaustive.They are offered with no claim for the universality or total generalizability, but they are offered as a common ground for thinking. Student Motivation andA ttitudes High school teachers identified student motivation to read, write, and do other literacy-related activities as their greatest challenge. The teachers written comments on questionnaires indicated that much of the class-assigned reading is often boring and not relevant to the students protest interests and experiences. They also stated that the students who will not read are as much at a disadvantage a s those who cannot.Student 12 Reading Horizons, 2004, 45, (1) motivation was stratified the greatest challenge of all for the dynamic teachers. The dilemma of identifying and implementing strategies to motivate adolescents is not new to literacy practice. The data from this study actualise what the research (Alexander & Filler, 1976 Au & Asam, 1996 Benware & Deci, 1984 Collins-Block, 1992 Guthrie & Alao, 1997 Schraw, Brunning, & Svoboda, 1995) has record over time that student motivation, interests, and attitudes are indeed authentic challenges.Teaching adolescents to become active, motivated, and selfregulated learners is a continuing issue in secondary schools. It is during the adolescent years when reading motivation and attitudes calculate to worsen, especially for poor readers (McKenna, Kear, & Ellsworth, 1995). Serious attempts to advance literacy skills require interventions that address motivation and attitudes as much as interventions that assure cognitive changes in the learners (Verhoevan & Snow, 2001). This broadly does not happen.Motivational constructs are usually not given epoch-making vigilance in relation to student cognition and thinking, and at best, are given only passing and superficial attention. A further problem is that standard reading texts and uniform curricula make life somewhat easier for teachers and administrators, but they make it very difficult for students to get involved with the material at the level that is right for them, and therefore to find intrinsic rewards in learning. In the classroom, the teacher is the key element in motivating students to learn.The responsibility is great and the ramifications even greater, yet many responding high school teachers stated they were not adequately prepared in their teacher preparation programs with the knowledge, skills, and instructional strategies to flash the spirit of their students. These teachers indicated they want more ideas, support, and freedom within the school curr iculum to take the lead, and more ways to experience first-hand, in-field, motivational issues in their teacher preparation programs. Critical Thinking Skills.Teaching critical thinking skills was the second greatest challenge for teachers. Large numbers of teachers indicated they feel underSecondary Teachter Literacy Clhallenges 13 prepared in pedagogical methods to help studenis conceptualize problems and solutions. Assisting adolescents to become proficient with these skills is a prodigious challenge for secondary teachers. The capacity for abstraction, for discovering patterns and meanings, generalizing, evaluating, and theorizing is the very essence of critical thinking and exploration.For most students in the United States and throughout the world, formal education entails just the opposite kind of learning. Rather than construct meaning for themselves, meanings are imposed upon them. Frequently, students often accumulate a large number of facts on the way, yet these facts ar e not central to their education they will live their adult lives in a world in which most facts knowledgeable years before (even including some historical ones) will have changed or have been reinterpreted.Whatever data they need will be acquirable to them at the touch of a computer key. If students are to learn critical thinking skills, teachers must teach them and engage their students in genuine problem solving discussion. Generally these skills are best, and likely only taught and assessed, through lengthy discourse. This is difficult to do in crowded classes where it is near to impossible to subscribe out extended discussions. The commitment to teaching these skills in all content areas means gaining support from the public.It also means that teachers must gain the knowledge and skills to do so through teacher preparation programs and inservice education, taking into account the real-life situations and parameters in todays classrooms. Study Skills Students who lack study skills ranked as the third greatest challenge to teachers. The wideness of study skills has been documented over time in the professional literature (Flood & Lapp, 1995). What is known is that many people of all ages have difficulty reading and learning, largely because they are not using appropriate techniques or good learning habits.Often, the adolescents who are dropping out of schools are doing so because they believe they carnot learn. For the majority of these students, they lack suitable reading and study techniques, which 14 Reading Horizons, 2004, 45(1) impede their growth in learning and contribute to their negative beliefs about themselves and school. Although most secondary teachers have a thorough understanding qf their subject, many responding teachers in this study indicated they lack the knowledge of instructional/study strategies by which to help students internalize the concepts.Research shows that with an organized system of study, students can increase their co mprehension of subject matter up to 50 percent (Annis, 1983). As nations seek to assist adolescents in gaining higher levels of literacy, the knowledge and skills that teachers need to teach their students effective study habits and strategies may likely become central to the curriculum in secondary teacher preparation programs and in the curriculum of secondary schools. try Readers Struggling readers ranked as the fourth greatest challenge to the high school teachers.Teachers responded that these students can be found hiding out in content classrooms. They frequently are passive and disengaged. , Many have found grapple strategies to help (them get by, but they do not significantly improve their literacy skills or their knowledge in the content areas. I Although comprehension of text material is difficult and sometimes impossible for struggling readers, there are research-based strategies that have proven to be successful when used with struggling readers. iodine such strategy is instructional scaffolding, an effective strategy that gives students a fail chance to be successful than if left on their own (Vacca, 2002). Pedagogy, which includes instructional techniques for diverse learners, is glossed over in many teacher preparation programs for secondary teachers. However, it is as important in the preparation of high school teachers as is cognitive knowledge (Darling-Hammond, 2000). If high school teachers are to make straightforward contributions to all adolescents, it will require more knowledge of relevant instructional methodologies.Darling-Hammond (2000) found that teacher subject-matter knowledge was related to student achievement only up to a certain point. Secondary Teacher Literacy Challenges 15 Marzano (2003) asserts that the importance of the relationship between pedagogical knowledge and student achievement has been consistently reported in the research literature. Furthermore, in a study conducted by Ferguson and Womack (1993), they found th at the number of courses teachers took in instructional techniques accounted for four times the variation in teacher performance and student achievement than did subject-matter knowledge.Teachers stated that more information about how to assist the struggling readers in their classrooms is sorely needed in preservice teacher education programs. Additionally they need to know that the strategies and support to assist these learners are realistic for todays classrooms. Key Concepts and lexicon Helping students to understand concepts and vocabulary ranked as the fifth greatest challenge. Every subject area has its own vocabulary and modes of argument, and its language is the common denominator for learning subject matter knowledge.Vacca and Vacca (2002) agree they state, Vocabulary must be taught well enough to remove potential barriers to students understanding of texts as well as to promote a longterm acquisition of the language of a content area (p. 160-161). Teachers want more kn owledge about ways to teach vocabulary and concepts to adolescents, strategies that will provide adolescents with a deeper and richer entry into the content area of study, and strategies that will work in the classrooms of today.Intriguing Findings It is a noteworthy finding that the cultural and language diversity among students in the classrooms was not identified among the greatest challenges. The majority of teachers in this study were from diverse schools, and yet only two percent ranked this to be a challenge. Equally notable was the fact that state, district, and school standards, writing skills, and integrating technology were not identified among the greatest challenges. 16 Reading Horizons, 2004, 45, (1).Of all the findings, the most revealing was that provided by the drivers education teachers whereas every other content-area group of teachers, albeit art, music, business, foreign language, etcetera , ranked student motivation as the greatest challenge, they did not. Thi s is not surprise as it supports the findings of this study as well as long standing research in the field, as cited in Marzano, 2003. The hypothesis being that when motivated, students filtrate to learn.

The Mighty Dung Beetle

While the majority of the human creation quivers at the thought of ingesting manure, the mighty fertilize beetle rises to the challenge, and substance abuses the manure in whimsical ways. Without goop beetles, pastures would be overrun with manure and flies- and parasites would run amuck. Im no expert but according to the Sustainable Parasite steering division at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, affectionately cognise as PU, the fertilise beetle is beneficial to our environment. They help keep the discolouration cleaner, reduce pollution and algae formation in our waters, and acts as an natural pooper scooper for our movestock farms.First lets begin by identifying the varied types of droppings beetles. These meadow muffin munchers be divided into three classifications, Rollers, Tunnellers and Dwellers. The Rollers do just that.. they roll the prairie patties into smooth, round balls called pout balls. hence they roll the brood balls away to a more desirable location. Once the rollers find the consummate location for their new abode, they bury it into the ground. The female leave lay a iodine egg into the brood ball and then coat and shut it with a mixture of goop, saliva, and of course, her own fecal matter.After the egg hatches, the foul up dung beetle devours the dung and lives in the brood ball until it reaches maturity. Then there are the Tunnellers. They dig delves in the ground in depths of between a few centimeters to 1 meter. This is large enough for them to live and take up around in. Once the tunnel has been dug, they pull the manure in to the tunnel and place it throughout. Inside their new home is where the female lays her eggs. Storing the manure surreptitious helps keep it fresh and protects the growing babies from predators and parasites.The last of the waste managers are the Dwellers who live on go of the pasture patty. The female lays her eggs on top of manure piles, and the entire development from egg to v ainglorious takes place wrong the pile. Dwellers are smallest of the three and they seem to like cow patties the best for elevator a family. The adults can be found in fresh, moist droppings, time the babies are slowly growing in dung that is drying out. Now that you kip down a little about the different types of dung beetles, lets see how they are drawn to manure.Dr.Patricia Richardson, Research Associate at the University of Texas, states, adult dung beetles are drawn to manure by odor. Many are species-specific in that they prefer a certain type of animal manure. exclusively like people searching for the perfect home, the dung beetle will fly up to ten miles in search of just the serious patty. They can attack dung pats within seconds after they drop. Some dung beetles will even hitch a ride near the pursue of animals in anticipation of a deposit. Once drawn by the odor, the adults use the liquid contents of the manure for their nourishment.In addition a single cow patty c an attract 60-80 adult flies. That would be a lot of flies if it were not for the competitive dung beetle. With all of the axial motion and tunneling and dwelling of the dung beetle, flies and other harmful parasites dont have a chance. Our society isnt the first to appreciate the contributions of the dung beetles. The scarab is in the roller family of dung beetles. Yep The Egyptians have long been know to have a fascination with the dropping dwellers. Jewelry has been crafted and carvings have been drafted in admiration of our mighty dung friends.In summation while the dung beetle keeps the soil cleaner, reduces pollution and algae formation in our waters, and acts as an organic pooper scooper for our livestock farms, it is also important to understand by removing the dung pat from its original location, this helps cut down on the fly population which is attracted to the dung pat. By making tunnels this will increase soil capacitor to absorb and hold water. Therefore one can see how the dung beetle is very important to our environment. So if you really look at it, the world would be a much smeller place if it were not for the gumptious efforts of the dung beetles.

The Metamorphosis by F. Kafka

Franz Kafka belongs to those writers of the twentieth century whose fiction express grief over the fracturing of human community. Though Kafka remains exceptional in that he enjoyed no public recognition during his living fourth dimension, his world-fame came to him only after his conclusion. His well-developed, modernist parables often do not have any fixed substance, yet they reflect the insecurities of an be on when faith in old-established beliefs has crumbled. Kafka masterfully combines within adept and only(a) framework the cognisable and mysterious, an exact portrayal of the factual world with a dreamlike and magic dissolution of it. By unifying those contrary elements he was able to pass on some new fusion style in prose fiction. The analysis of one of his works will allow seeing in what way Kafka attains that obscure quality of his expression of the experience of human loss, estrangement, and guilt an experience increasingly dominant in the modern age.Kafkas best -known story The Metamorphosis is the effusive example of Kafkaesque paradox which consists in clashing the realism of timeworn detail with not just improbable just absurd turns of events. The sexual world of Kafkas character seeps from imaginable to actual, Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis transmews into an sucking louse as the only way to manifest his insect-like relationship to the world, where he lives. It is no dream.The Metamorphosis is peculiar as a narrative in having its completion in the very archetypal clip As Gregor Samsa awoke one first light from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. (Kafka, 19) The rest of the story falls away from this high head word of astonishment in one long expiring sigh. This form of narrative, which contradicts all accomplished concepts of presenting the discourse, violates the rules just the same as the peoples faith in particular ancient beliefs had been violated in the twentieth century. As it is known, the tralatitious narrative bases on the drama of dnouement, the so-called solution of complications and the glide path to a conclusion.For Kafka such form is not acceptable because it is just barely the absence of dnouement and conclusions that is his subject matter. His story is about death, but death that is without dnouement, death that is merely a spiritually petering out. The first sentence of The Metamorphosis announces Gregor Samsas death and the rest of the story is his slow dying. However, in no case Kafkas protagonist is going to give up meekly. He struggles against the reality of look which, actually turned out to be a death for him in his case, it follows, his life is his death and there is no escape. For a moment, it is true, near the end of his long dying, while listening to his sis play the violin, he feels as if the way were opening before him to the foreigner nourishment he craved (Kafka, 76) but the nourishment remains unknown, he is locked into his room for the exit time and he expires.What Gregor awakens to on the morning of his metabolism is the uprightness of his life. His ordinary consciousness has lied to him about himself now he is confronted with the transference from his habitual self-understanding into the wickednessmare of truth. That dreadful dream, which he got into, reveals, in fact, reality, which he could not have understood before he is a vermin, a disgusting creature shut out from the human circle. (Kafka, 33) At this stop consonant it should be underlined that Kafka prefers to use a metaphor, so that Gregor Samsa is not like a vermin but he is vermin. Anything less than metaphor, such as a simile comparing Gregor to vermin, would diminish the reality of what Kafka is trying to represent. Gregor appears in a dream and it is only natural that a dreamer, while dreaming, agrees his dream for reality. However, his metabolic process is indeed no dream but a revelation of the truth. And this truth is comp osed of an array of facts.First of all he grasps the deteriorative effect of his furrow upon his soul, the job that materially supports him but cuts him off from the possibility of real human associationsOh God, he thought, what an exhausting job Ive picked on Traveling about daytime in, day out. Its much more irritating work than doing the actual business in the office, and on top of that theres the trouble of constant traveling, of worrying about chase after connections, the bad and irregular meals, the human associations that are no sooner smitten up than they are ended without ever becoming intimate. The devil rejoinder it all (Kafka, 20)He has been sacrificing himself by working at his meaningless, degrading job so as to pay off an old debt of his parents to his employer. Otherwise Id have wedded notice long ago, Id have gone to the chief and told him exactly what I think of him. (Kafka, 21) But even now, with the truth of his self-betrayal pinning him on his backwards to his bed, he is unable to claim himself for himself and decide to quithe moldiness wait another five or six years erstwhile Ive saved enough money to pay back my parents debts to himthat should take another five or six yearsIll do it without fail. Ill cut myself completely loose then. For the moment, though, Id better get up, since my drawing string goes at five. (Kafka, 21)Another truth revealed through metamorphosis is the situation in the Samsa family on the surface, the official sentiments of the parents and the sister toward Gregor, and of Gregor toward them and toward himself underneath, the horror and disgust, and self-disgust family duty required the quelling of disgust and the exercise of patience, nothing but patience. (Kafka, 65) His metamorphosis is a plan on himself from the standpoint of his defeated humanity. Philip Rahv has very suggestively analyzed the subjective meaning of the insect symbol here by showing that quite frequently brothers and sisters are symbo lically represented in dreams as animals or insects and that, since in this story of family life one of the underlying themes is the displacement of Samsa in the family hierarchy by his sister, it should, on the psychological plane, be looked upon as, on Kafkas part, a construct of wish and guilt thoughts. (Rahv, pp. 61-62)Gregor breaks out of his room the first time hoping that his transformation will turn out to be non genius the bet on time, in the course of defending at least his hope of reverting to his human ultimo. His third eruption, in Part III, has quite a several(predicate) aim. The final section of the story discovers a Gregor who tries to dream again, after a long interval, of resuming his old place at the head of the family, but the figures from the past that now appear to himhis boss, the chief clerk, traveling salesmen, a chambermaid (a sweet and fleeting memory), and so on mintnot help him, they were one and all unapproachable and he was glad when they vanished. (Kafka, 69) Defeated, he finally gives up all hope of returning to the human community. Now his existence slopes steeply toward death. His room is now the place in which all the households flyblown old decayed things are thrown, along with Gregor, a dirty old decayed thing and he has just stopped eating.At first he had thought he was unable to eat out of necrose over the state of his room (72). But then he notice that he got increasing enjoyment from crawling about the filth and junk. On the last evening of his life, watching from his room the lodgers whom his family have taken in putting away a good supper, he comes to a critical realization Im peckish enough, said Gregor sadly to himself, but not for that mixed bag of food. How these lodgers are stuffing themselves, and here am I dying of starvation(Kafka, 74) In giving up at last all hope of reentering the human circle, Gregor finally understands the truth about his life which is to say he accepts the knowledge of his deat h, for the truth about his life is his death-in-life by his banishment from the human community. But having finally accepted the truth, he begins to sense a possibility that exists for him only in his outcast state. He is hungry enough, he realizes, but not for the worlds stuff, not for that kind of food. (Kafka, 74)When Gregor breaks out of his room the third and last time, he is no long-life trying to deceive himself about himself and get back to his old life with its illusions about belonging to the human community. What draws him out of his room the last night of his life is his sisters violin playing. Although he had never cared for melody in his human state, now the notes of the violin attract him surprisingly. Indifferent to the others, at last he has the courage to think about himself. The filthy starved underground creature advances onto the spotless floor of the living room where his sister is playing for the three lodgers. Here Kafka makes use of the idea that music ex presses the inexpressible, that it points to a hidden sphere of spiritual power and meaning.Creating in The Metamorphosis a character who is real and unreal, replete with meaning and empty of self, Kafka encourages his readers to fill in the void that exists at the center of the insect-Gregors self. Thus, as a reader, one can come to conclusion that Gregors metamorphosis is a symbol of his monomania from the human state, of his awakening to the full horror of his dull, spiritless existence, and of the desperate self-disgust of his unconscious life.ReferenceKafka, Franz (1952) Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka. Translators Edwin Muir, Willa Muir New York Modern Library, 1952Rahv, Philip. (1939). Franz Kafka the Hero as lone(prenominal) Man. The Kenyon Review, I (1)

Philosophy of Raja Yoga Essay

For many in the West, yoga is just just a part of your workout plan, a means of beef up the body, curing body ailments, and improving flexibility. As we review the philosophy of yoga well set that it is much more than a system of physical exercise for health, Yoga is . . . an quaint path to spiritual growth. (Raphael) The word yoga is related to the English word yoke. A yoke is a wooden plank custom fitted on cows to help them pull the load. The same way the yoke is unifying the oxen to the beam, yoga is the union of body, mind and spirit. (Chopra ix)We first find traces of yoga in ancient texts go out back to 500 B.C w present they speak of uniting the light within you with the light of Brahman. There are four principal(prenominal) forms of yoga Gyan, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja, all in all which we have covered in class, but I will altogether go into detail about Raja yoga. It wasnt until the work of Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras that we come to see the main philos ophy of Raja yoga as it stands now. (Chopra 23) allegory has it that Patanjalis mother, Gonnika, was praying to Lord Vishnu and that he was so moved by her reverence that Vishnu asked the cosmic serpent, Ananta, to prepare for pitying incarnation.A speck of Anantas cosmic seed fell into Gonnikas hand, she nurtured this cosmic seed, which then soon essential into a baby boy. Quite same to the Christian story of the staring(a) Mary and the birth of Jesus, Gonnika named her child Patanjali from the root word pat pith descended from heaven and Anjali the word for praying posture. Patanjali set up a system of eighter offshootes of Raja each meant to get you closer to unification with Brahman, they are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. (Chapra 47) I will briefly discuss all eight branches and how it compares to some Catholic beliefs.The first branch of yoga, Yama, deals with how you interact with others. These social rules include practicing nonviolence, speaking truth bounteousy, physical exercise proper sexual control, and being generous. Like Christianity and all other ghostly traditions they encourage people to live ethical lives. The essence of Yama is to achieve, in Sanskrit, ahimsa. Mahatma Ghandi advocated this principle during the independence movement in India. Ahimsa means your whole body is in peace, your thoughts are nonviolent, and your bodily functions are nonviolent.Ghandi was quoted on saying, If you express your love in such a manner that impresses itself indelibly pon your so called enemy, he must rescue that loveand that requires far greater courage than delivering of blows. (Chapra 33) The second branch, Niyama, are the rules of in the flesh(predicate) behavior. How does ace live when no whizz is watching? What choices do you consume when youre the only witness? Niyama yoga encourages a surrender to the divine, discipline, purity and contentment. Asana is the main branch of yoga that has grown in popularity in the westerly world. It is the third branch of yoga and it deals with physical flexibility and tone. At the deepest level of asana you will achieve full mind-body integration.The different postures offer great benefits in balance, and strength, and when preformed continuously it poop besides be a great aerobic exercise, but if non through with(p) properly it may cause serious damage. Pranyama is the fourth branch of yoga, which is similar to the Christian belief of the sanctified Spirit. Prana means life force. Like the Holy Spirit, prana is the deciding factor between a sustentation being and a cadaver. It is your soul. Modern day meditation derives from the fifth branch of yoga, Pratyahara. This is the process of ignoring the senses from the satellite world and recognizing those in your inner world.The concept is similar to when you stay forth from food for a while usually your next meal is pass to taste better than normal. When you withdraw from y our senses you are able to experience them over again with more vibrancy. Monks walking on hot coals seeming to feel null are practicing pratyahara. Dharana, the sixth branch, is the mastery of attention. This has grown in popularity by new day quantum physics and in the book The Secret which tries to prove the integrity of attraction. Once you activate your attention on something, your intentions have a regnant magnetic influence to attract those same thoughts.Basically, if you set your mind to it you abide achieve it. Very similar to Dharana, Dhyana, the seventh branch of yoga, is achieving complete awareness. You give this skill in meditation, something I believe everyone should practice no occasion your religious affiliation. Meditation teaches you to stay centered and awake to all possibilities, in order to be able to choose the best course of action for any obstacle. (Chapra 47) The eighth and final branch of yoga is called Samadhi. This is the belief that we are inva riably infinite, that although our bodies are temporarily on this planet our spirit is forever silky in the cosmic world.Samadhis main goal is to know yourself as a spiritual being disguised as a human being. These teachings clash heavily with western philosophy of the afterlife. Christians believe that if we live exhaustively moral, ethical lives then we will be granted permission into the supply of heaven and therefore be in eternal peace. This belief, in my opinion, has been misinterpreted create a materialistic movement. We tend to believe that since we are only here on this earth once, that we are forced to make as much money as possible and to have as many things as we can while it lasts.It has also led to carelessness in our environment. When western civilization begins to realize that the earth is in fact a living organism and we share the same breath of air with everyone, then we can begin to treat the Earth as our Mother Nature not just a temporary medium to the afterl ife. Raised into a roman Catholic family I still hold all the same set and beliefs I grew up with. But I believe no one religion is right, and it is naive to think that Christianity is the only way of life. Christianity, being one of the youngest religions, was derived from many beliefs of many different religions.Similarities are everywhere, but over time, power, avarice and many other factors have changed the customs and traditions to their favor. I no eternal see myself as Catholic, but I am still exceedingly spiritual. I took this course hoping to find some answers and Ive come to the acknowledgment that I dont have to be a god-fearing follower of any particular religion. I can take bits and pieces from non-homogeneous teachings to establish my own beliefs in a way thats vent to help me live a morally righteous life. Namaste.