Descartes Essay Essay

None of the proposed philosophical theories is exact, not even a combination of two or more theories (Sayre, 2011). However, Descartes has unique way of metaphysical argument concerning existence of God. Descartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV) ends surprisingly with a claim of God’s existence, which can be deduced from the interrelationship between mind, soul and our existence. Descartes began the fourth section by discussing about himself. The reading up to the point where he gives credit to a supreme being, God, could only suggest that Descartes was discussing about his philosophical thought about his being as a man. However, the discourse twist came when he inferred, â€Å"something indeed having every perfection of which I could have any idea, that is—to explain myself in one word—by God† (Bennett, 2007, p. 16). After this inference, the discourse changed to one that discussed the existence of God. It was at this point that it became clear that the ending would be more of God’s existence rather than a conclusion of Descartes as a human being. The change of discourse from exploration of self to a proof of God’s existence through personal evaluation was indeed an ingenious thought. Most of the times we try to prove existence of God or lack thereof by evaluating what are outside us. However, Descartes made a self-evaluation on intrinsic values of himself as a human being. By deconstructing his strengths and limitations, he was able to realize a fair conclusion about the existence of a supreme being, which we refer to as God. Therefore, the ending was different but offered a concise conclusion on God’s existence despite starting on a different discourse. References Bennett, J. (2007). Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting one’s Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences. Retrieved from http://www. earlymoderntexts. com/pdf/descdisc. pdf Sayre, H. (2011). The Humanities Culture, Continuity, and Change: New York: Pearson College Div.

Government by the People Essay

The population growth has caused concern for many Americans because of the terms of numbers and poverty that comes with this growth. There is a pattern showing of wealth transferring from poorer nations to the richer nations of the globe and the information technology revolution is speeding this cycle up. With population growth reaching new heights new concerns for increasing urban growth has emerged. Planning for transportation, environment protection, or management of water and other resources are needed. Unregulated markets forces will hurt individuals and â€Å"politics as usual† will not mandate viable growth patterns or protect the air, water and natural beauty of our country. Planning and growth depends on public support and market forces. In order for plans to be effective they must show he same interests and values of major groups within the community. Even with the fear of the government, something that is generally accepted hampers a lot of effective planning. But it is clear that for any planning to work there must a consensus between â€Å"planners, community leaders, and the popularly elected officials who must bear the responsibility for implementing the plans† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason & Cronin, 2006, p. 649). This planning for our country, communities and societies along with its citizens has given the United States the status of world power. But controversy has erupted from the resent war with Iraq that questions our authority. I’ve heard many individual claims that America is expanding its empire, rather than fighting for freedom. Our rise to a world power has come because of our industry, colleges and universities, multiple government institutions, military strengths. This along with our innovations in science, technology and medicine catapulted us into our status. Development of such things as television and jet airliners gave America the edge it needed to jump to the top of the ladder. They have also helped to spread our ideologies of democracy and westernization. It has created globalization and keeps it going. Our commerce and business growth has only helped with this globalization. Companies, such as IBM and General Motors have given the national government firm grounds in business. Our national government promotes â€Å"a prosperous economy through its monetary and fiscal policies† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason, & Cronin, 2006, p. 437). The Department of Commerce has been at the center of the government’s efforts to promote economic growth and encourage businesses to do research and new development. These companies are at the heart of this economic growth plan. But more recently new development has been needed to keep these companies afloat as technology and innovation continues to climb new heights. Turning outdated companies into the companies of the future. The introduction of the electronic superhighway mandates companies to use e-commerce and if they can’t they might get left behind. The internet has given us a faster way for just about everything. It has even influenced society, culture and lifestyles. The Progressive Era began in United States during the mid 1890’s and continued through World War I. It was a time when individuals were beginning to have concerns with the state of society. It also brought about a belief in human compassion and how new innovations along with scientific investigation could somehow show what the problem was with ways of solving the problems. This reformation shows even in today’s time. Our social construct has great bearing on our national government. Take for example the debate on same-sex marriages. Our government has made laws that pertain to this issue, but some in society believe government has gone too far. But the core issue at stake, that I believe, has something to do with insurance. I don’t believe that our national government is trying to establish social norms, but rather maintain certain expectations of commerce and business. Reference: Magleby, D. B. , O’Brien, D. , Light, P. , Peltason, J. W. , & Cronin, T. E. (2006). Government by the People: National, State, and Local 21st. Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Importance of a Logo for Any Business Essay

Many a time, entrepreneurs wonder what a good logo meant for the business? A long set of questions may erupts in minds of business people regarding the importance of logo to business like why is it important, does it matter what it looks like, besides many others. In this article, I just want to clear up the haze from this aspect and we will do an analysis regarding the value that you place on having a good logo for your business. Now a days, a logo is very important from the business point of view. Experts say that it speaks volume about the company and some further adds that business logo is capable of making or breaking the business. In the current business scenario a logo tells your clients about the future prospects of your organisation, it directs them whether you are a right person to do a business or not. Logo gives an identity to the company. This creatively designed symbol is the center of the marketing job and is put on everything right from products to letters, business cards, websites and advertisements. In nutshell, your business logo is just as important as your name. Three reasons why one should design a logo: There are innumerable advantages of a logo to a business owner. But following are the three main reasons of designing a logo for the organisation. Built credibility and trust: Having a good logo denotes seriousness of an entrepreneur towards his business. It conveys a sense of security among people with whom you do business besides making you more legitimate and trustworthy. Showcases professionalism: It not only built credibility but also showcases the sense of professionalism on your part. A well designed logo denotes highest degree of professionalism and showcases that you are sincere towards your business dealings. Infuse your personality into the brand: Your business can convey lot of things. Similarly a logo depicts lot of things about the business to your business associates. As we discussed earlier it showcases professionalism and built a sense of credibility so it is very important to pick the right logo at the right time.

Religious Symbolism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Religious Symbolism - Research Paper Example It has been known for a long time that religion plays a critical role in the existence of human beings mainly because of helping people to connect with others and with a higher being. Religion serves many human needs that are aimed at helping people in dealing with mortality. Specifically, it helps in answering most of the questions that are beyond the human understanding that include but not limited to the afterlife and the soul (Molloy 9-10). The questions that underlie the idea of death are beyond human understanding and religion comes in to answer most of these hard to proof questions. These answers help in comforting people. Such congregation brings the aspect of socializing which improves the human psychology. Religion is also responsible for ensuring that people have belonging and an identity. This is very important because people’s mental health also rely on identity. When people belong to a group, that group provides a specific form of fulfillment. In order to express themselves, human beings have a need that prompts them to create artistic forms. As such, religion stimulates art, dance, and music. In fact, religion has been behind an inspiration to create the most fascinating buildings or structures of art in the world today. This brings out the issue of symbolism in religion. A symbol is a representation of something as it pertains to a specific field. As for symbols in religion or religious symbols, these are representations of certain aspects of a specific religion. For instance, in religion such as Christianity, the cross is a symbol of belonging and faith in that specific religion.

Business Strategy of Associated British Foods Assignment

Business Strategy of Associated British Foods - Assignment Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Associated British Foods, an international public limited company that has its headquarters in London. The company was established in 1935 and is the leading British supermarket chain as far as production of sugar and baker’s yeast is concerned. The company has five strategic business units: Sugar, Agriculture, Retail, Grocery and Ingredients. The grocery division stocks both branded and own label products. Brands that fall under its grocery division include Mazola, Ovaltine, Ryvita, Jordans and Twinings, Silver Spoon, Tip Top and Kingsmill. The company’s retail division (called Primark in UK and Penneys in Ireland) has a global presence with over 215 stores covering a total area of 6.9 million square feet. The retail division’s outlets are located in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK. In 1963, the company acquired the British supermarket giant, Fine Fare which it sold later in 1986 in order to acquire British sugar. As of 2009, British Sugar fulfills the sugar requirements of more than half of UK. Finally, in 2007 ABF acquired an Indian food business. The company provides employment to more than 97,000 people and operates in more than 44 countries. UK contributes to around half of the company’s sales and profits. ABF has been rigorously diversifying into other markets than Sugar since early 2000s which is a crucial aspect of its strategy. ABF acquired ‘Twinings’ in 1964 to broaden the range of national and international marketing resources available. (Whittington, R. and Mayer, M., 2002). To date Twinings has been an asset in the company’s portfolio as it enjoys strong brand loyalty and has had a pull effect which has increased sales of other brands within ABF’s portfolio (Whittington, R. and Mayer, M., 2002).ABF further diversified into the food business with the intention of providing one-stop convenience shopping to customers; the company had realized that customer buying habits and trends were changing (Whittington, R. and Mayer, M., 2002). One of the most important reasons however was the instability of earnings from sugar sector due to its seasonal nature, coupled with the anticipated EU reform (Bertin, O., 2002). Another crucial aspect of ABF’s strategy has been its diversification and growth strategy. The company has, over the years, expanded to sectors beyond sugar which is a conscious and well-thought out strategy based on strong reasoning. Firstly, the highly debated EU sugar reform intended to cut surplus in sugar beet production by slashing prices by an exorbitant 43% which would adversely affect the company’s earnings (Bertin, O., 2002). Secondly, sales from the sugar business were subject to seasonal fluctuations which had to be recovered from non-seasonal businesses so the diversification to other lines such as retail, ingredient and grocery was well just ified for ABF. (Bertin, O., 2002).Thirdly, world markets had become very unstable especially in the years following 2000 because of which its sugar line was capable of being harshly affected (Cherney and Elena, 2001). Furthermore, its sugar industry was highly dependent on the local UK economy for raw materials and output which made it undesirable for the company due to the country’s history of slow recovery from economic recessions so its diversification was justified. (Cherney and Elena, 2001). Therefore, it is evident from the reasons mentioned above that the company was formally employed in the sugar industry; however, it spread its operations to other unrelated sectors such as grocery, retail and ingredients (Austen and Ian, 2007). A key aspect of ABF’s diversification strategy has been its geographic diversification. In 2006, it got hold of Illovo; a South Africa based company which it has used as a means of penetrating deeper into the South African sugar market and could

Pamphlet- physiology doc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pamphlet- physiology doc - Essay Example h as cocaine or heroin, measurable changes in brain chemistry and physiology perpetuate the cycle of addiction.† 1 Addictive behavior may be the result of genetic factors even through there may be no contact between the generations through which it is perpetuated. â€Å"Genetic susceptibility to addiction is the result of the interaction of many genes.† 2 Again environmental factors like level of income, education, family status, crime record etc are also relevant factors in the matter. But the significant point that emerges from the research studies is that brain physiology can significantly be altered due to ingestion of drugs. Drug addiction interferes with the natural cycle and brain circuits and ‘neural functions in such a way as to render brain circuits mediating various behavioural effects of these drugs more or less, responsive to those effects.† 3 Serotonin and norepinephrine are considered to be drugs which elevate moods and alters the brain pattern to produce pleasurable sensations. Serotonin is considered to be major mood enhancer and is one of the main constituent in addictive drug groups. The effects of drugs are particularly marked in adolescent years. It is during these teenage years that the frontal cortex of the brain develops during this time, â€Å"a neural network that malfunctions as a consequence of chronic drug-taking, including the prefrontal cortex,† 4 which develops reasoning powers, mental personality development and confidence. The usage of mood enhancing drugs interferes with the natural development of the brain and the prolonged use could cause maldevelopment and stunted growth of this significant part of the brain. Drug addiction could be termed as a â€Å"chronically relapsing disorder† in which the drug addict has an uncontrollable frenzy to consume drugs. 5 It has been found that addict ion interferes with the addicts mental and physical health, impairs his judgment and decision making abilities and could be major cause for

Toyota Motor Company Marketing Plan Research Paper

Toyota Motor Company Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example January 2013: After the budget has been identified and team research tasks have been allocated, the teams will conduct their research and compile reports for top management and for marketing decisions and product management and decisions. At this point the planning stage begins. As Moorman and Miner (1998) inform, a marketing strategy beings with a â€Å"careful review of environmental and firm information† which is then followed by planning (p. 1). At this point all of the necessary research would have been completed and the budget identified for execution of the launch of the product. The month of January 2013 will therefore be set aside for planning marketing, production/manufacturing, promotion and distribution strategies and time tables will be established for each process. Teams will be formed for managing and putting these strategies into action. February 2013: At this stage, Toyota will have to appoint a design and mechanic team who will design and plan the mechanics o f the super car respectively. The design team will plan and design the physical architecture of the car. The mechanic team will plan the engine and other mechanical functions of the car. At this point the design and engineering/mechanic teams will also have information from technological experts informed by research and development as to the desired specifications for the super car. Technological, mechanical knowledge and knowledge of all the specifications that appeal to super car enthusiast will go into the design and mechanics of the new Toyota super car. After all when Ferrari Maserati Group launched its new Maserati MC in 2004, it was Ferrari’s knowledge in the construction of super cars and its knowledge of Formula 1 technology that drove the design and mechanics of the Maserati MC (Arema, 2010). March 2013: The finished vehicle will have to be tested for durability, safety, efficiency, speed and generally whether or not the super car is fit for purpose (Weitz & Wensley , 2002). Obviously, if there are any defects in the product design, those defects will have to be rectified. Thus the month of March is set aside for identifying any defects and rectifying defects and otherwise ascertain whether or not the design, style and performance of the super car can be improved before putting the car on the market. April 2013: Once a model is satisfactorily built, the marketing team will likely decide that they would like to test the market. This is usually the case with the launching of a new automobile (Weitz & Wensley, 2002). Thus the marketing team will be required to know, what needs to be done in order to sell the new super car. Thus an estimation of the funds and other resources needed for advertising, creating incentives for dealers, and promotions generally. Although, a research was conducted in the initial stages, this research was done in advance of an actual car. Now that a car has been designed and it is ready to be launched the promotional and m arketing aspects can be planned more specifically. It will be necessary to know how many cars will be produced with specific features such as mapping, colors, sound systems, etc. Toyota might want to conduct a search of global markets to determine compatibility of features to specific markets (Wietz & Wensley, 2002

Social class in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social class in America - Essay Example The line that separates the social classes can be vague. Just what the dividing line is and what determines it is subject to the individual’s perception of social standing. Using upper, middle and lower class to classify the various categories in which people may fit is not sufficient. Society is more complex than that. A person’s social standing depends greatly on their upbringing. Simply because a person from a poor family becomes wealthy does not mean they can buy their way into the upper class. The opposite is true as well. This paper breaks the social classes into seven groups to better understand the social classes in American.A person from the upper class is very likely to have been born there and have been schooled from the start to, above all else, represent the upper class ideal of power and prestige. This group is also much more likely than not to have inherited their fortune. Despite the popular perception of this class, they usually do not speak well or beh ave in a â€Å"gentlemanly† way, more like spoiled rich kids for life. Dudley Moore’s character in the movie Arthur is an accurate description of the upper class. The lower-upper class is often referred to as â€Å"new money† as opposed to the â€Å"old money† upper class. This group and their children did not grow up privileged, therefore, understand the value of a dollar, have a good work ethic, are motivated and set goals. Upper-middle class refers to well respected and well paid professional occupations such as doctors, college professors and attorneys. They are considered successful by all classes, especially so by the middle class. The upper-middle is more cultured than the upper or lower-upper class. This group is the biggest supporters of the theater, ballet, symphony and art museums. A person must have at least a bachelor degree but preferably have attained a post-graduate degree to be considered part of the upper-middle class (Skinner, 2009). Th e middle class acts as the dividing line between the upper and lower classes, neither of which has any love for the middle class. The true middle class are the movers and shakers of the nation. They are the real estate and insurance agent, stock broker, entrepreneur, middle manager, car salesman and local politician. They dress for success while fantasizing about expensive cars pretty women and big houses. â€Å"In a free-market society the middle class is always a minority. If your street has a gate and a security camera at the end of it then you are middle class. A middle-class kid can afford a college education, not a web-based degree† (Mason 2010). A middle-class family does not have the electricity shut off due to lack of payment or skip any meals and can afford at least once a year family vacation. The class known as upper-labor is usually associated with the middle class but actually is not. Though some in this group may make more money than some in the middle class an d carry more political clout, they lack the people skills, education and refined character. Their knowledge of culture, history and current events falls short of the middle and upper classes. They are not as adventurous or as well-read in addition to lacking the natural curiosity and drive of the middle class. The lower-labor class is unskilled workers; the roofer, security guard, landscaper, toll booth collector, etc. They do not have expendable income. All their earnings are spent on necessities and they usually come up short each month. They generally must live in small, bug infested government subsidized housing units located in bad neighborhoods. â€Å"Life is lived always under the poverty level and hope and religion play a large role in this class’ culture, because that’s really all it has† (Skinner, 2009). They have very little chance, if any, for upward social mobility and they know this unfortunate reality which leads to drug and alcohol use and abuse which is common. This is the social class that you see on television shows like

Technology and International Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology and International Development - Essay Example Charles T. Hyte was an elementary school teacher at Lost Creek School before he became the head of Booker T. Washington Junior High School up to his demise in 1941 (Hyte Center para.2). Hyte was an exemplary educator to the youth during his time and managed to become a mentor to many youth in Vigo County, thus, this organization evolved from helping and empowering the youth to its current status of assisting the entire society. Based on works of Hyte, the organization strives to encourage the youth to focus on academic excellence with athletic participation as a supplement or an addition. In order to achieve this mission, the Center offers the following programs for youth and the families: Youth Leadership Academy that is open to all youth between 10 and 14 years. Its aim is to improve lives of youth by helping them in achieving academic excellence, creativity, prevention of substance abuse, time management, fitness, and conflict resolution (Hyte Center para.4). Secondly, Hyte Center after School Program offers tutorial assistance, test preparation, and time management skills. Additionally, other programs include African Festival, Open Gym, Fall Festival, and Lunch on Us. Lastly, it also acts as a host to some community programs including WIC, which is nutritional program for children between 0-5 years and their mothers, Well Child Clinic, Mentor Mothers Program, and NAACP. Initially the Center was established to cater for need of youth but over the time it changed its purpose to encompass nurturing and promoting educational, cultural, and recreational well-being of people of Terre Haute, Indiana by 1965 (Weinbaum, 1981). Following these changes, apart from youth programs, the Center is currently involved in more than twenty services including tutoring services, meal programs, legal aid services, and medical and referral services. Initially, the Center relied on grants from City of Terre Haute authority and well-wishers. For instance, Hyte Center Boosters Club that was formed in 1950s by Center’s teenagers has been raising funds for the Center. This was followed by Mother Booster Club in 1960s. United Fund charitable organization has been among the contributors to the center’s initiative. More so, the Coalition Board, which is composed of organizations that benefit or support Hyte Center, contributes generously to Center’s initiatives. They achieve these mainly through joint fund raising events. Additionally, the Good Neighbor Housing Improvement Association and the Young Adults for a Better Black Community are also among the major contributors to the Center’s programs. The center also receives many grants from the federal government (Taft Group, 1998). For example, the $500000 grant towards construction of the new Hyte Center it was granted by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1970. During the volunteer period, we worked with the Hyte Center after School Program where were mainly focus ing on offering students tutorial assistance in areas of mathematics, science and English. This role also involved coaching pupils on ways of preparing for exams and time management skills. Moreover, we gave the students a counseling session to assist them in decision-making, self-advocacy, self-awareness, and stress management. Additionally, we coached students on how to

Two Million Minutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Million Minutes - Essay Example This is providing the Indian and Chinese students with an edge over the American students academically, and is contributing to their fast economic growth. This comes as a challenge for the US. In order to cope with the future challenges, it is imperative that creativity is encouraged at every level. Even the five and six year old Indian students are so clear about their ambitions and have stunningly high career aspirations. The highly intellectual, engaging, and yet funny personalities of the Indian professionals can be attributed to their school system. Indian students in the middle school are significantly advanced as compared to the American students at their level in school. Indian students graduating from high schools are two to three years ahead of the American high school graduates with respect to skills and knowledge. Although I consent with Bob Compton for the most part on his stance over the issue he has raised, yet I think that his argument was not sufficiently strong. According to Bob Compton, math and science are valuable because these subjects help the students become skilled professionals so that they can earn good money in the high tech industry. The aspect overlooked by Bob Compton is the value and significance of these cognitive subjects to the society as a whole outside the sphere of economics. The issue that the US government and the concerned authorities in the US need to target is the quality of education provided in the schools in the US. It is good that students in the US are allowed more freedom and variety to choose their profession from. Students from India and China are not very advantaged in this respect. However, the curriculum selected for the different levels of education in the US lacks the depth and elements that are required to enable the American students to compete wi th the students of the growing economies intellectually. Another fundamental element that lacks in the US and that provides

Now is the time to make real the promisses of democracy Essay

Now is the time to make real the promisses of democracy - Essay Example Martin Luther King, who initiated the civil rights movement to gain the equality promised under the Constitution for black Americans. This essay will examine the need to make these promises of democracy real and tangible for American citizens. From the perspective of the founding fathers of the Constitution of the United States, pure democracy was the objective to be attained, through equality and freedom for all its citizens. During the early stages of the Civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King clearly stated: â€Å"We are here because of our love for democracy, because of our deep-seated belief that democracy transformed from thin paper to thick action is the greatest, form of government on earth† (www.blackvoices.com). In this, Dr. King was clearly articulating the need for the principles and values of democracy to not merely remain inscribed on paper, but to also be actually evidenced in practice. He was articulating the realities of the day, when despite the promsies of equality enshrined in the Constitution, black Americans were not treated equally with the whites and discrimination and repression was exercised against them. In the same speech, Dr. King also went on to say that Ameircan democracy also allows individuals the right to protest in order to secure their rights. In order to make the promises of democracy real, it was necessary to ensure that they were reflected in the lives of the people. The existence of inequality and injustice therefore contradicts the principles of democracy and suggests that its promises are not being adhered to. Thomas Jefferson himself was convinced that blacks could never be integrated into mainstream American society because of â€Å"deep rooted prejudices entertained by the whites; ten thousand recollections, by the blacks, of the injuries they have sustained; new provocations; the real distinction which nature had made; and many other circumstance, will divide us into parties,

Ict as level coursework Essay Example for Free

Ict as level coursework Essay Welcome to Magic Herbal Products, which was founded by Sarah Lenington in 2003, who travelled across the world in search of some of the rarest herbal and organic remedies. Sarah was born in London and studied dermatology at a top university. Her passion was making others feel good about themselves so she decided to take up the opportunity to travel several countries in 1997 in the hope of finding natural ingredients instead of artificial products that are prone to cause skin deterioration and allergic reactions. Her discoveries of mineral oils and powders as well as plant extracts were tested in labs for over three years. This was a major procedure to ensure the ingredients were compatible with both skin and hair. It was important that all ingredients used in each product was natural and was not tested on animals. The ingredients were found in Indonesia, Malaysia, India and also Egypt. What makes Magic Herbal products so different to any other brand is the purity of the products as well as their campaign against testing products on animals. Furthermore the packaging of all their products is recycled to ensure they are doing their bit for the environment. The Organic Cosmetics store is located in the centre of London with two people working in it that are in charge of customer service, stocking the products and distributing the products by postage to customers that order by mail. Current system The current system is a paper based system meaning that all customer details, store details, bills and employee information is all stored on paper and is filed. Once a customer wants to purchase any of the herbal products over the phone the employee will have to fill out customer details manually on a sheet containing contact details, billing information, product information and the total of items purchased. All calculations are made using a calculator, pen and paper- including a 10% discount on orders. Problems with the current system Having a paper based filing system of all the companies details is a major disadvantage to the company as it is generally very inconvenient to always search through hundreds of files on a daily basis just to find previous customer details. This wastes a substantial amount of time for the employees. The company very regularly offer discounts on the products which is calculated by a calculator, pen and paper however this takes time and errors are made very easily. This is due to several reasons handwriting can be unclear, it can be difficult to understand all customers of the phone and also totals have to be calculated manually. Another major disadvantage is the fact that receipts are not given to customers as proof of their purchase in case they need it in the future. It also portrays an unprofessional image of the business to customers as they have to wait impatiently while the employee has fills out all their details and also wait whilst the employee is calculating the total of items purchased. Furthermore, the confidentiality of customer information is not secure as anyone has access to the files as they are not in a secure place meaning that customer information can be accessed by unauthorised people. The solution In order to overcome these fundamental problems I will create a user interface. The system will enable the user to choose one of the following options buy products, go to previous customers, see stock levels and edit customer details. If a customer wants to buy something then the user will enter the product via a catalogue and all the details of the product should appear on the screen. Once this is complete the final price will be displayed after a 10% discount of total. Therefore this will be calculated without the user physically viewing the formulas of how the total is calculated. This will ensure that all the calculations are correct which will ultimately increase customer service. This means that no one will have to work out the value themselves ensuring the correctness of the calculations. Another benefit is all the data is safe and secure as only authorised people will have access to customer information due to passwords. The solution will be easy and quick to use as the business may need to deal with several customers on a particular day, therefore if the system is quick it means that they are not loosing customers. The solution should be professional as it is a representation of the business. I will create a system where the employee will fill out details of the client whilst on the phone to them.

Comparison Between Self-rated and Dentist-rated Dental Care

Comparison Between Self-rated and Dentist-rated Dental Care Comparison between self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need among university students in Xi’an city, China Running title: self-rated and dentist-rated dental care ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to compare the difference between the self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need among university students in China and to evaluate the related factors. Participants: 757 university students aged 17-26 years. Methods: The study was carried out in 2013 in Xi’an city, China. The students were asked to complete a questionnaire that included the participants’ general information, the self-rated dental care need and their experiences of dental care. Dental conditions of each student were examined by six dentists by field survey. Results: Totally 52% of the students had consistent self-rating with dentist-rating (30.1% need and 21.9% not need). 39.0% of the students in need of dental care chose â€Å"not need† and 9.0% did not need but chose â€Å"need†. The self-rated dental care need had statistical differences in gender, census register and major. While the dentist-rated dental care need did not. Only 30.9% of the respondent stu dents did not need dental care. Conclusion: Self-rated dental care need was significantly associated with gender, census register and major and a number of Chinese university students inaccurately rated their dental care need. Their dental health status was not good. Key words: dental care; self-rating; dentist-rating; university students; major; census register Introduction Survey of the self-rated dental care need is a basic method for dental care studies. It is a simple direct way to study the perceptions of dental health, which is considered valid, reliable and cost-effective 1. And the accuracy of the self-rated dental care need can truly reflects the dental care ability of either individuals or communities. Hongjun Yin, from the Long Island University thinks that self-rated method has already been widely used in health surveys as a single-item measurement of health-rated quality of life 2. And it has been proved reliable and valid 3. There are few differences in the effects of variables associated with self-rated dental care need by different nationalities 4. So self-rated dental care need is an important method to observe dental health status and attitudes of either individuals or communities. Self-rated dental care need has been extensively studied in university students, where a range of associated factors has been identified 1-5. Now days, most research on self-rated dental care need is concentrating on the factors that affect the need 2, 6-15. What’s more, these studies have found many associated factors, such as gender, socioeconomic characteristics, age and education 16. However, the significance of each factor stills remained to be confirmed. Meanwhile, there has been relatively less study on the comparison of self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need. The comparison can truly reflect the accuracy of the self-rated dental care need and the dental care need status. It can also provide reference for the public health bureaus in policy making. The data from National Bureau of Statistics showed that, by the end of 2010, the number of university students would reach to 22.318 million in China 17. The age of university students ranges between 17-24 years. This age group is considered less vulnerable to sicknesses. Meanwhile, they also considered themselves to be less likely to get sick 18. So the public health bureaus often ignore this group of people 19. However, there is little study focusing on this group of people’s dental status to which we must pay attention. Therefore, we carried out the survey of the self-rated dental care need and dentist-rated need among university students in Xi’an city, China. In this study, we investigated both the census register and major, which two were seldom reported before. We also designed a new classification for the dental care need to replace the â€Å"need† and â€Å"not need† classification, which is more detailed and comprehensive. Methods and materials Subjects The study was approved by the University of Nebraska Lincolns institutional review board; all subjects gave informed consent. The subjects, undergraduate students ranging from 18 years of age and above, were recruited from 11AMto 1:30 PM during January 2009 at the 2 university unions. Participants received nominal gifts for completing the questionnaires. Study Sample This study was carried out in 2013 in the city of Xi’an (population 8.467.837) in Shaanxi province, China. Sample design consisted of 5 universities that were selected randomly in Xi’an. The 757 students, including 574 males and 183 females were selected randomly from each department of every university and the age ranged from 17 to 26 years old (20.5 ±1.4 years old, median 21 years old). The student source was nationwide, that covered 31 different provincial administrative regions of China (there are total 34 provincial administrative regions in China) (Table 1). 2.2 Design of the Dentist-Rated Dental Care Need the Self-Rated Dental Care Need According to the damage and urgency of dental diseases, we divided dental care need into four degrees by different conditions20. The first degree was designed to represent healthy dental condition, and the other three degrees were designed to include various dental diseases. The first degree: Dental condition is healthy. The respondent does not need specific dental care. The second degree: Dental condition is not healthy. The respondent needs selective dental care, but does not need treatment urgently, including 6 types: (1) moderate dental calculus; (2) shallow caries do not develop; (3) periodontal disease localizing in a small range, do not develop (4) need orthodontic treatment (5) need preventative treatment (6) need prosthodontics treatment. The third degree: Dental condition is not healthy. The respondent needs dental care as soon as possible, including 6 types: (1) severe caries; (2) severe periodontal disease; (3) chronic dental pulp disease or periapical disease; (4) severe dental calculus; (5) chronic oral infections; (6) one or more teeth need extraction. The fourth degree: Dental condition is not healthy. The respondent needs dental care urgently, including 4 types: (1) oral and maxillofacial trauma (2) acute dental pulp disease or periapical disease (3) acute oral infections (4) acute pericoronitis. 2.3 Assessments and Measurements The self-rated dental care need was represented by the question: â€Å"Considering to your dental status, do you think you have the need of dental care?† 21. The answers were: â€Å"need† and â€Å"not need† 6. The whole process was strictly based on the international dental survey method standards established by the WHO 22. Dental conditions of each student were examined by six dentists using field survey method1. All the dentists had passed the standard test survey. Inter and intra consistency check coincidence rate was higher than 95% 3. All the examinations were conducted under standard inspection light 23. 2.4 Statistical Analyses The age range was divided into three groups: â€Å"≠¤19†, â€Å"20† and â€Å"≠¥21†. Census register was divided into urban and rural; gender was divided into male and female; and the major was divided into science and artS 24. In addition, the self-rated dental care need was compared with the dentist-rated dental care need. Chi-square test was used to assess the significance (P 25. FoxPro 6.0 was used to build up the database. Afterwards, SPSS 17.0 (SN: 5068167, PN: 33132001) was used for statistical description and analysis. Results 3.1 The factors affecting the self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need The self-rated dental care need had statistical differences in gender, census register and major. In addition, the number of students who chose â€Å"need† increased accordingly with the age (Table 1). While the dentist-rated dental care need did not show significant differences in these four aspects (Table 2). 3.2 Comparisons between the self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need Self-rated dental care need showed that 296 students chose â€Å"need† and 461 students chose â€Å"not need†. The comparison between self-rated and dentist-rated dental care need showed that 48.0% (39.0%+9.0%) of the students rated their dental care need inaccurately. 39.0% of the students in need of dental care but chose â€Å"not need†; 9.0% of the students not in need but chose â€Å"need†. Totally 69.1% (39.0%+30.1%) of patients were in need of dental care rated by dentists (Table 3). 3.2 The dental care need rated by dentists and the clinic experience of the students The results of the dentist-rated dental care need showed that only 30.9 % of the students did not need dental care (the first degree); 57.2% of the students needed selective dental care (the second degree); 11.1% of the students needed dental care as soon as possible (the third degree); 0.8% of the students needed dental care urgently (the fourth degree) (Table 4). We collected the dental clinic experiences of the students at the same time. Among the 757 respondent students, 540 (71.3%) said that they didn’t have been to dental clinic before. Discussion 4.1 Associated factors with the self-rated dental care need (age, gender, census register, major) In community health studies, self-rated dental care need is frequently used, including national health surveys. It is a helpful general indicator of overall dental statuS10, 26-28. Jylha et al. from the University of Tampere believes that the way to judge the health status of the students may vary according to gender, age groups, social and cultural backgrounds8. Results showed that the rate of choosing â€Å"need† increases proportionately with age (Table 1). The study of 26,111 Hong Kong students conducted by Lee et al. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that older students had higher prevalence rates of health-compromising behavior than younger students 19. At the same time, a study by Shin et al. from Chonnam National University Medical School showed that the older students rated their self-rated health more negatively in both men and women9. So, age could be one of the factors associated with the self-rated dental care need. In our study, 47.0% of the female students thought that they were in need of dental care. While only 36.6% of the male students thought they were in need of dental care (Table 1). It indicated that female students were more likely than male students to rate their dental conditions poorly. The results corresponded to the research by Hee-Young Shin et al. ,9 their studies also showed that women were more likely than men to rate their self-rated health as poor. Therefore, gender could be another factor associated with the self-rated dental care need. In accordance with their census register, university students can be divided into urban and rural sourced in China5. In this study, the students from rural areas were more likely to think that they were in need of dental care than the students from urban areas (Table 1), though these two groups were not statistically different in the dentist-rated dental care need (Table 2). Meanwhile, there were no previous studies we could refer to. Therefore, whether the census register is one of the factors associated with the self-rated dental need is still need to be confirmed by studies with larger sample size. The results also showed that the arts students were more likely to think themselves in need of dental care than the science students. Despite the fact that they had no statistical difference in the dentist-rated dental care need. Therefore, the major might be one factor associated with the self-rated dental need. 4.2 Comparison between Self-Rated and Dentist-Rated Dental Care Need In most developed countries and some developing countries, health care is regarded as one of the public services 14. Nowadays in China, health care reform is being intensified, and people are paying more and more attention to their health29. But overall, the demand for health care is the starting point for the Chinese government to make health care reform. In this study, there were a large number of Chinese university students who could not rate their dental care need accurately. The results showed that 60.9% of the students thought that they had no need of dental care, but only 36.0% of which were proved really not need dental care after dental examination. The remaining 64% of them all had dental care need at different degrees, among which 54.7% of them needed selective dental care, 8.5% of them needed dental care as soon as possible, and 0.9% of them needed dental care urgently (Table 4). The lack of dental care consciousness might account for a significant problem. In this study, 39.0% of the students had dental care need but considered themselves not in need. It showed that the university students were lack of dental knowledge and self-awareness30. Meanwhile, the results showed that only 30.9% of the respondent students did not need any specific dental care. The other 69.1% all had dental care needs to different degrees. It showed that dental diseases had become common among university students. There was an urgent need to strengthen the dental care services in universities31. The data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that, by the end of 2010, the number of university student would reach to 22.318 million in China17. So it will be a huge need for dental care services. 4.3 Limitations Compared to the 45.7% given by the state council information office of the Peoples Republic of China, in this research, the female students accounted for 24.2% in all the respondent students. We think the difference came from the sample universities we chose. Because the major subjects for three of the five universities are science and technology, military or engineering, the students in these three universities are mostly male which led to the difference. 4.4 Implications School is one of the most basic places to prevent dental diseases. Students would benefit for a lifetime if they formed good dental care habits at university. We suggest strengthening the dental care knowledge propaganda in university students in China32. We also suggest adding dental knowledge, lectures and pictures in university TV shows and distributing dental care manuals to university students. Lastly, we suggest the Chinese government deepen the health care reform, pay more attention to the dental health care conditions of the university students. This research used a new design for dentist-rated dental care need, which was first introduced to the survey of university students. It have been applied in the survey of the residents in quake-hit areas in Dujiangyan city in 200820. It is designed to include most types of the dental diseases that a dentist could meet. Moreover, obviously, this new classification provides a unified reference for the dentists, which is more scientific and accurate. Background:When assessing health status, physicians may focus on objective symptoms and diagnoses, whereas individuals may focus more on subjective symptoms, functional limitations and quality of life.(25) Table 1. Results of the self-rated dental care needs, stratified by age, gender, census register and major (2013à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’n=757) * The self-rated dental care need had statistical differences in gender, census register and major. * The number of students who chose â€Å"need† increased accordingly with the age. Table 2. Results of the dentist-rated dental care needs, stratified by age, gender, census register and major (2013à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’n=757) * The dentist-rated dental care need did not show significant differences in age, gender, census register and major. Table 3. Comparison between the self-rated dental care needs and dentist-rated needs by different degree (2013, n=757) Dentist-rated dental care needs Self-rated Dental care needs Total n=757 χ2 P 2-sided Need n=296 Not need n=461 Sample % Sample % sample % The first degree 68 23.0 166 36.0 234 30.9 14.343 0.000 The second degree 181 61.1 252 54.7 433 57.2 3.732 0.053 Type 1 113 38.2 175 38.0 288 38.1 0.004 0.953 Type 2 45 15.2 57 12.4 102 13.5 1.246 0.264 Type 3 9 3.0 12 2.6 21 2.8 0.128 0.721 Type 4 61 20.6 69 15.0 130 17.2 4.032 0.045 Type 5 9 3.0 14 3.0 23 3.0 0.000 0.998 Type 6 13 4.4 2 4.0 15 2.0 14.540 0.000 The third degree 45 15.2 39 8.5 84 11.1 8.088 0.004 Type 1 19 6.4 13 2.8 32 4.2 5.767 0.016 Type 2 4 1.4 0 0.0 4 0.5 6.263 0.012 Type 3 7 2.4 1 0.2 8 1.1 7.954 0.005 Type 4 28 9.5 33 7.2 61 8.1 1.288 0.256 Type 5 5 1.7 3 0.7 8 1.1 1.859 0.173 Type 6 16 5.4 7 1.5 23 3.0 9.245 0.002 The forth degree 2 0.7 4 0.9 6 0.8 0.085 0.771 Type 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 Type 2 1 0.3 2 0.4 3 0.4 0.042 0.837 Type 3 0 0.0 1 0.2 1 0.1 0.643 0.423

School Improvement Plan: The UAE

School Improvement Plan: The UAE School planning, organization and management is directly related to human and physical resources. The foundation behind it is that schools should be capable of utilizing the entire resources in a way that help them in performing their obligations successfully. All schools need their students to succeed and prosper. But schools can simply create a lifelong change when they have emphasis on specific goals and strategies for change. School improvement planning (SIP) is a process through which schools set goals for improvement, and make decisions about how and when these goals will be attained. The definitive purpose of the process is to promote student achievement by improving the way curriculum is provided, by building an advantageous environment for learning, and by increasing the parental involvement in their childrens learning at school and in the home. In this assignment, the investigator will develop SIP focusing on the common problem affecting the private and public schools in the United Arab Emirates. An action plan will be developed to help in improving schools and consequently increasing student achievement. What is a school improvement plan? A SIP is a road map that undertakes the changes required by a school to increase student achievement, and indicates how and when these changes will be constructed. SIPsare selective: they help principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? They boost staff and parents to follow on student achievement and other issues, such as the school environment,that are known to impact student success. schools will able to respond to the needs of students, teachers, and parents when updated and trustworthy information are provided on student performance. Moreover, a SIP is a mechanism by which the community can hold schools responsible for student success and through which it can evaluateprogress. One of the first steps-a critical one-in establishing an improvement plan includes teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members working together to collect and examine data concerning the school and its students, therefore they can decide what needs to be enhanced in their school. As the strategy is implemented, schools keep ongathering this type of information. By comparing the novelinformation to the primarydata on which the plan was grounded, they- and the public-can assess the accomplishment of their improvement plans. Authentic change takes time. It is essentialto keep all partners involved in theSIPinformed. Gradual improvements are significant, and they should be distinguished, but they do not comprisepermanent change. Therefore,SIPs are best designed over three years: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 1 the planning process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 2 the implementation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 3 -continue the implementation. During initial discussions, or as time goes on, schools may need to expand their plan for additional years to make sure that they maintain their focus and attain their targets. Anyway,SIPs should beconsidered working documents that can beutilized tocheck their development over time andto make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course. In developing SIP, the principal, staff, school council, parents, and other community members actthrough a diversity of activitiesconcentrated uponthreedomains of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. For all these areas, schools set up the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A goal statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Performance targets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Areas of focus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Implementation strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Indicators of success à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time lines à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Responsibility for implementing strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Checkpoints for status updates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Opportunities for revisions. Appendix B contains a sample school improvement plan. All school partners must be involved in the SIP to guarantee its success. Schools represent the whole school community. The principal, who has the responsibility of school administration and delivering instructional leadership, is ultimately accountable for SIP. However,all school community should be actively engaged in all stages of the process: planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating progress. Purpose To identify effective strategies for developing school improvement plans that lead to enhanced student achievement and increased parental involvement in education Background According to KHDA (2009), there are 220 schools in Dubai; 189 schools were inspected between 2008 and 2009. The remaining 31 schools which use the Indian, Pakistani and Iranian curricula will be evaluated later. These 189 schools are composed of 109 private schools and 80 public schools. Among the private schools ; 49 schools follow the UK National Curriculum, 30 offering a US curriculum, 16 schools using the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum, 6 schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IB), 4 schools follow the French curriculum and a further 4schools provide unique curricula (German, Russian, Japanese and Philippine). All public schools in Dubai were checked, including Madares Al Ghad (MAG) schools and Model schools. The purpose of schools evacuation was to improve the delivery of education to students in Dubai and to help parents know that their children are being learned and are in safe, skillful, and caring hands. The overall findings of schools performance in Dubai were shocking as there are around 20,000 students in Dubai receives unsatisfactory quality of education, more than half the schools are presently delivering an education that is not yet of the good quality anticipated of all schools in Dubai.Additionally,9 out of 10 schools provide acceptable quality of education. None of the public schools got outstanding but 50% of them achieved good.As for the private section, 4 schools offering the UK curriculum attained outstanding, 50% of private schools achieved 50% while 75% were unsatisfactory. As for the students performance, the results were generally disappointed. Students progress in the key subjects, are not yet making sufficient progress in speaking and writing Arabic and English. In public schools, where English is taught as a second language, students English language skills are insufficient and expectations, chiefly in connection with writing and speaking, are not satisfactorily high. The students capability of using mathematics to solve problems is poor. In private schools, students skills in Arabic need improvement. Nearly 20% of students make unacceptable progress. In Islamic Studies, students progress in the public schools is better than the private schools. The majority of the students have good attitudes to learning. They are motivated, attentive and hard worker. Economic and environmental understanding is developing in most schools. Students are often unattended except in class. Different forms of bullying are noticed. The teaching and learning methods were not useful for the students as the majority of the teachers dominate the lesson discussion in the public schools and poorly performing private schools. Assessment in more 25% of all schools is unsatisfactory. Consequently, many students are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. In schools delivering the MOE curriculum, and US curriculum, students are not prepared well for higher education or employment. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory in nearby 20% of private schools and in a similar proportion of boys public schools. Almost all schools do not have self-appraisal system to assess their own work. Finally, many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are unsatisfactory to some parents. What Areas Should Be Considered for Improvement? The main goal of SIP is to increase the level of student achievement. To achievegenuine change, nevertheless, the process needs to focus on specific priorities. Student performance becomes better when teachers use curriculum-delivery strategies that purposely address the studentsneeds, when the school environment is supportive, and when parents are effectively involved in the education of their children. To improve the process of planning, therefore, schools should institute one priority in each of these three components-curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. Basically, the planning process involves answering the crucial questions: What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? Curriculum delivery in the United Arab Emirates Curriculum is considered the foundation of the educational system. It incorporates the principles, underlying educational philosophy, goals, content and actual operation of the instructional program in the class, besides the written and other materials required to reinforce the educational system (Farah.S. Ridge.N. 2009).There are two new approaches presently being executed on a trial foundation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-a new standards-based curriculum in Abu Dhabi schools and a new English-medium curriculum in particular governmental schools, the Madares Al Ghad, over the UAE. Curriculum as a concept can be divided into three main components: intended curriculum, implemented curriculum and attained curriculum. The intended curriculum typically embraces the directorial documents shaped by the UAE-Ministry of Education (MOE) or other education authorities which command how much, how frequent and what should be taught in schools. The implemented curriculum is what really occur s in the class, how successfully teachers offer the material, how long they pass on a topic and what resources they need to deliver the content. Lastly, the attained curriculum is what students practically learn in the class, what skillsand values they grasp, and what content they assimilate and retain (Table 1). The focus of the MOE curriculum upon the buildup of factual knowledge rather than critical thinking limits students learning. Facts are learned in isolation and students are incapable of applying their knowledge in real life situations. This is proved evidently in the findings of the 2007 TIMSS survey, which examined students performance in the application of mathematics and science in many countries. The MOE curricula in mathematics and science give slight attention to practical investigation and the use of mathematical and scientific knowledge to solving problems (KHDA 2009). Consequently, students are not well equipped for the courses and careers they will study. Public school students have to choose either a scientific or literary arts for their last two years of school-based study. Both of these options have narrow scope, heavy content and do not prepare students for university. Curriculum Policy brief: The MOE (2008) has issued curriculum policy documents that set out standards, activities, strategies, expected outcomes and tools for teaching and assessment for student learning in all grades and subject areas. The policy documents also encompass achievement charts that assist teachers in assessingstudents achievement in respect to the expectations. Assessment strategies must focus on how the students integrate theory into practice to encourage independent thinking and enhance problem solving abilities. To set a goal for improving the delivery of the curriculum, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members participating in the SIP must understand the expectations emerged by the MOE and how well the those expectations are going to be achieved by the students. Main Findings Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau Annual Report(DSIB) will be used as groundwork for this investigation. According to DSIB(2009), the majority of the schools achieved an acceptable level in meeting the students educational needs in relation to their curriculum. Yet, in schools delivering curriculum of the MOE, and in many schools providing a USA curriculum, students are not equipped well to vie globally. Moreover,in these schools, wherethe mainstream of students are native Arabicspeakers, have limited selection of subjects and their physical, creative and analytical skills are developing. These curricula are not operated effectively to satisfy the prerequisites of students, including those with learning difficulties as well as the potentially highest achiever. Furthermore, curricular weaknesses in public schools hinder the progress of many students and limit their achievement. The ill prepared English curriculum and the reduced demands of the text books fail to sufficiently meet the requirements of students for English proficiency.The students are learning English as a second language where opportunities for using it in conversation are limited. Additionally, the curriculumprepares the students to use only a few vocabularies. The range of students reading and writing is alsoimperfect. Extended writing is rarely a feature in most public and poorly performing private schools. Students are customarilyneeded to give only short written answers to questions present in textbooks and English teaching is miserable. As a result, non-native speakers are often unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas confidently even in Grade 12. These limitationsalter thestudentspreparation for university. The curricula in mathematics and science dedicateminimal attention to implementing mathematical and scientific knowledge in investigating and solving problems of daily life. In private schools, a high number of the older students fail or do not complete courses, particularly in mathematics and science subjects a situation not helped by the lack of independent information, advice and guidance for students prior to their admission to courses. The ICT curriculum focuses barely on performing skills. In addition,it is taught in English and many students do not get it adequately. All schools physical education, art and music have low status in MOE curriculum anda plenty of the ill performing private schools. The time allocated to these subjects to beneficially effect students physical and cultural growth is not sufficient. Music and art is taught to only a few students after Grade6 and 9 respectively. These restrictions hamper thestudents opportunities to develop their capabilities for independent learning through such activities as team working. All schools provision for students with exceptional educational needs is poor overall.The governmental schools offer some support, mainly in separate classes, in Grades 1 to 3 School environment Environmental factors are the most influential on studentsachievement and success.Creating a well-fit school environment calls the involvement of, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members to make effective and relaxing placesfor learning. WHO defines a health-promoting school as one that constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.The American Academy of Pediatrics (1993) defines a healthful school environment as one that protects students and staff against immediate injury or disease and promotes prevention activities and attitudes against known risk factors that might lead to future disease or disability. A schools environment is the thread that linkstremendous activities on a campus. In many situations this thread is nearly invisible; however each person experiences its effect. Positive social relations and attitudes about school are as significant to the environment as are safe and well-maintained buildings and grounds. The quality of the school-good or bad is reflected by the environment of the school. A safe, clean, and well-Kept school with a positive psychosocial setting and culture can nurture school connectedness, which in turn improves student and staff well-being as well as students educational achievement. A schools physical environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds, such as noise, temperature, and lighting as well as physical, biological, or chemical agents. The disturbing increase in the number of asthmatic students is a unique problem that can, in part, be influenced by negative physical conditions in schools. The psychosocial school environment incorporates the attitudes, feelings, and values of students and staff. Physical and psychological safety, positive interpersonal relationships, recognition of the needs and success of the individual, and provision for learning are all part of the psychosocial environment. Other factors encompass: the economy; social, cultural, and religious influences; geography; socioeconomic status of students families; tax bases; and legal, political, and social institutions. Main Findings The quality of health care is good or outstanding in a majority both public and private schools. School nurses, doctors and social workers presentobviously in the schools to support the students and their families. Medical records are arranged properly and routine follow-up are difficult. The role of the social worker is to have positive relations with families and monitor students attendance carefully. In the majority of the public schools, however, social workers work in isolation and do not communicate properly with other staff in the school to provide a rounded view of students performance. Comparatively little healthy food is sold in school canteens in most public schools; students in these schools often eat crisps and sweets throughout the day. Safety issues including transport measures, fire safety procedures, supervision and security, affect some public and private schools. Students are frequently unsupervised except when in class. School transport is occasionally organized with few considerations for the safety of students in pedestrian areas and on board buses, where working seat belts are not always provided. In a minority of schools there are events of unsuitableusage of physical punishment in response to negative behavior. Different forms of bullying range from kicking, spitting, malicious teasing, taunting, making threats to spreading rumors, engaging in social exclusion, extortion and intimidation. Generalizations cannot be made to understand why bullying occurs; but it should be recognized in all its forms and not tolerated. A survey conducted by ADEC in 2009 involving 1728 students (grades 3 to 6). The findings revealed that young children have various concerns about bullying in the schools; more than 47% considered that students at the school are often endangered or bullied; and more than 63% favor remaining at home because it is more safer than the school. The procedures for student safety are feeble in most private schools excluding those categorized as the best performing. According to KHDA (2009) most private schools have effectual policies to handle bullying and other kinds of upsetting behavior, and students report such events as uncommon. Moreover, whilst the best performing private schools have well-defined procedures for bullying, in many others do not. Students in the schools that were identified to be lacking bullying policy have no person to tell to if there is mistreatment inside or outside the school putting them at risk. Sana, A. A., MOE psychology advisor in Dubai, states that the ministry admits bullying in schools and is trying to overcome it. Some students dont have sufficient information and competency to recognize and contend with the behavior of aggressors (Khaleej, T 2010). According to the head of KHDA, an attention should be given to new forms of bullying, such as cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying has clearly increased in recent years and it can be more harmful and risky than other forms of bullying, (Samineh I. Undated). She cautioned of increasing incidence bullycide where children accustomed to escape to their homes to protect themselves from being intimidated at school, yet, through cyber-bullying there is no escape which give rise to many cases of bullycide ( bully associated suicides), Shaheem said (Gulf,N 2010). When the bully feels they cant express out their hostility on the school grounds, they will yell at either on the way home, on the bus or through text messages, chat rooms or Facebook. Speaking of one of the cases that came to Dubai Psychologist Dr. Singh, D., said that the plight of a small girl came to light only after her friend found her petrified at the sight of an older student and reported the incident. Her friend said that she was literally shaking at the sight of the older student, which led to an investigation that brought to light how the child was being bullied using social networking sites. Parental involvement Research found that parental involvement is one of the essential factorsleading to students success in school. Keeping the parents informed and involved in their childrens education will increase student achievement. Students attend school more frequently, finished more homework in a reliable manner, and exhibit more positive attitudes towards school. They also are more likely to complete high school. Parental involvement helps a child succeed in school and later in life. To ensure parents are informed about and involved in their childrens education, schools must foster partnerships with parents. Because parental involvement is one of the most significant factors in a childs success, it is crucial that all schools set a goal in their SIP for increasing it. Links with parents Many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are not continuously as effective as they want to be and some parents are unsatisfied withthe information givenabout their childs progress by the school. However,links with parents are usually good or outstanding in the best performing private schools. A small number of public schools have very good links with the local community and local businesses, which lead to enhanced outcomes for students. This is particularly true of schools in low economic status areas. The ADEC (2009) survey 1429 teachers in public schools and asked them about the number of times they met the parent personally and the degree of parents support to teachers .The result showed 6.9% have never met parents, 28.9% have met them once or twice a semester, 36.7% have met them once or twice a month, while 27.4% meet parents once a week. Regarding parents supporting the teachers teaching efforts, 55.5%feels some; while 13.5% feel never. More than 56.1% of teachers believe that only some parents make considerable effort to help their children learn; while only 5.6% do not at all. As for trust and confidence in parents as being partners in the teachers mission of educating the children, 19.3 % said no. Who Are the Partners in School Improvement Planning? Everybody involved in or interested in the operation of schools has a role to play in the SIP. District school boards and superintendents of education play vital roles in setting guidelines and in supporting and monitoring SIP. The most significantoperation, nevertheless, occurs within the school community itself. An effective SIParises when principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community participants work as a team to identify priorities, set goals for enhancement, apply strategies to reach those aims, and evaluate progress.Generally, principals responsibilities in SIP fall into three main categories:Communication, Leadership, Professional development. How Do We Begin? The first step of the SIP process is: Creating a SIP team; collecting and assessing data about student achievement, the school environment, and parental participation; and setting priorities for improvement through a sequence of activities. Principals play a fundamental role in these early platforms. They ease the creation of a planning team, which will be accountable for establishing priorities, and they ensure that the information needed for effective planning-such as report card marks, the results of assessments. Forming a school improvement planning team Principals should enlighten teachers, school council members, parents, and other community partners about the progressof SIP in a manner that appreciates their participation. In elementary schools, all the participants in the SIPconstitute a part ofthe planning process. Secondary schools, which usually comprise large teaching personnel, should guarantee that at least one representative from each section is part of the planning team, with the school council, parents, and other community affiliates who wish to share. In addition to expressing their preciousviewpoints and skills, teachers will alsofacilitate understanding ofinformation on students achievement as well as the expected value of and challenges implicated in a range of improvement suggestionsto other teammembers. It is imperative that the team be representative of the schools community. Principals should make hard effort to convince parents who correspond to a range of the school communitys demographic profile to play a part in the planning work out. Other communitymembers may offer worthinsights and perspectives, and their input should also be encouraged and vigorously sought out. Principals in the French-language systems will want to include leaders from the local francophone community. Finally, secondary school students should also contribute in the planning team. Principals should give confidenceto their involvement in the process, and possiblylook for those who are student leaders, motivating them to play a role. Principals in elementary schools may desire to engage interested Grade 7 and 8 with the teams work. All participants should have a positive attitude towards the process and realize that they have toact as a team. Scheduling meeting times for the planning team that are suitable to both staff and parents may be challenging. This issue can be solved by arranging parallel processes, whereby staff meets during school time whereas parents meet in the evening. The benefit of this organization is that it allows maximumparents participation. To insure consistency regarding decision makingbetween both groups, selected teachers could volunteer or be delegated to join both meetings. The SIPteam holds the role of analyzing data on student achievement in the school, the efficiency of the school environment, and parental involvement in their childrens education. Established on the results, team limbs make decisions about subjects that must be improved in priority. As figure 1 indicates, the planning work should take place between September and January of year 1. Understanding the context Before beginning a SIP, the planning team, together with parents, must be aware of and be familiar with particular types of information that school boards pass to staff and the public such as boards vision statement, national tests, and boards strategic plan, which includes short- and long-term goals for the district. In addition, members of the planning team should understand the nature and characteristics of the school and its community. Many schools create a school profile that sets out these characteristics in a simple way. Reviewing the school profile and debating each topic facilitate understanding of the school, and it places a context for the improvement strategy. A school profile could include information about the following: Student demographics Enrolment trends Languages spoken in the home The schools mission statement The schools program priorities Programs and services offered by the school (for example, guidance and library services) School facilities Class sizes Rate of student turnover or transfer Other relevant information. Schools in all systems should have other relevant information that will guide the readers of the profile obtain a realistic and full picture of their school. After acquiring an understanding of the boards targets and the schools characteristics, the planning team is prepared to start setting priorities for a SIP. Setting priorities SIPs are structured around three components: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. The planning team must set up one priority in each of these three domains. The following activities will facilitate planning teams create these priorities: Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery Collecting information The principal need to make sure that the planning team has the required data to identify which curriculum component (for instance, mathematics, science, reading, or writing) has the highest priority for improvement. Principal must also verify that the gathered information is reliable-that is, that it was collected according to the expectations and achievement outlined by the MOE. All teachers have to understand the MOEs policy obligations. The principal should therefore collect the following information for the planning team: Results of the annual assessments of students. Report card marks. Class profiles. Results of board-administered, national, and international tests. Discussing the information An open discussion, utilizing all the data collected about student achievement, allows all associates on the planning team to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in providing the curriculum, and identifies a priority for improvement in this regard. Deciding on a priority The facilitator distributes red dot stickers to the team members. Each associate obtains a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All team members vote, using the stickers, for the subject of curriculum weakness that they think should be called first. Members must use all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness with the most dots becomes the priority for enhancing curriculum delivery. Priority for Improving the School Environment Collecting information The principal need to collect information that will help the planning team define a priority subject for improving the school environment, such as school layout, students behavior and health condition. Discussing the information Before the meeting starts, the facilitator should collect the responses to the parent survey, transcribe the strengths and weaknesses of the school as sensed by parents Deciding on a priority The facilitator allots red dot stickers to team members. Each person receives a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All members vote, using the stickers, for the ranges of weakness that they suppose should be handled first. Participants must get through all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness rank high dots becomes the priority for enhancing the school environment. Priority for Increasing Parental Involvement Collecting information To help the planning team arrive at an endorsed priority for improving parental involvement, the principal should supply them with duplicates of: the school profile, a summary of the information collected in the parent survey. Discussi

Ogden Financial Data :: essays research papers

OGDEN CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA DECEMBER 31 1988 1987(*) 1986(*) (In thousands of dollars, except per-share amounts) Net sales and service revenues $1,087,785 $ 902,565 $ 819,629 INCOME (LOSS) FROM: Continuing operations 57,780 47,802 35,109 Discontinued operations 80,920 Net income (loss) 57,780 47,802 116,029 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE: Continuing operations 1.44 1.19 .89 Discontinued operations 2.09 Total 1.44 1.19 2.98 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE-ASSUMING FULL DILUTION: Continuing operations 1.41 1.17 .88 Discontinued operations 2.00 Total 1.41 1.17 2.88 Total assets 2,201,745 1,759,496 1,642,634 LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS: Operations other than resource-recovery 251,855 183,740 110,315 Resource-recovery operation 1,163,565 795,195 772,754 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 425,754 406,576 392,639 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY PER COMMON SHARE 10.70 10.32 10.09 CASH DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE 1.10 1.00 .90 (TABLE CONTINUED) DECEMBER 31 1985(*) 1984(*) (In thousands of dollars, except per-share amounts) Net sales and service revenues $ 743,963 $688,669 INCOME (LOSS) FROM: Continuing operations 14,375 24,591 Discontinued operations (35,675) 15,150 Net income (loss) (21,300) 39,741 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE: Continuing operations .36 .63 Discontinued operations (.94) .40 Total (.58) 1.03 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE-ASSUMING FULL DILUTION: Continuing operations .36 .62 Discontinued operations (.94) .38 Total (.58) 1.00 Total assets 1,465,023 837,445 LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS: Operations other than resource-recovery 228,103 261,567 Resource-recovery operation 597,945 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 308,833 361,098 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY PER COMMON SHARE 7.19 9.38 CASH DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE .90 .90 (*) Restated - See Note 1 to Consolidated Financial Statements. [*37] [HARDCOPY PAGE 37] Ogden Corporation and Subsidiaries MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS The accompanying financial statements for prior years have been restated to reflect the consolidation of Ogden's leasing and financing subsidiaries and a captive insurance company previously included on the equity method of accounting, as well as the previously off-balance sheet financing assets, liabilities, and related revenues and costs of resource-recovery facilities. (See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.) OPERATIONS: Sales and service revenues for 1988 increased by $185,200,000, or 20.5%, over 1987. Operating Services revenues were $108,600,000 higher, primarily reflecting increased revenues of $62,500,000 and $40,000,000 in the Building Services and Aviation Services groups, respectively, chiefly associated with new accounts and increased customer activity. The other areas of Operating Services also had increased revenues, which were partially offset by reduced revenues in Leisure Services of $20,400,000, due primarily to the loss of certain theatre concession accounts in 1987. Environmental Services started commercial operations in 1988 and had revenues of $7,500,000 for the year. Resource-recovery operations had increased revenues of $69,000,000. Service revenues increased $37,000,000 over 1987, reflecting eight facilities in operation in 1988 having a per-day capacity of 7,762 tons, compared with five facilities in operation in 1987 having a per-day capacity of 3,200 tons. Construction revenues were $32,000,000 higher, reflecting three projects under construction in 1988, only one of which reaching more than 25% completion in 1988, compared with two plants under construction and one completed in 1987. Income from operations for 1988 increased $6,000,000 over 1987. Ogden Financial Data :: essays research papers OGDEN CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA DECEMBER 31 1988 1987(*) 1986(*) (In thousands of dollars, except per-share amounts) Net sales and service revenues $1,087,785 $ 902,565 $ 819,629 INCOME (LOSS) FROM: Continuing operations 57,780 47,802 35,109 Discontinued operations 80,920 Net income (loss) 57,780 47,802 116,029 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE: Continuing operations 1.44 1.19 .89 Discontinued operations 2.09 Total 1.44 1.19 2.98 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE-ASSUMING FULL DILUTION: Continuing operations 1.41 1.17 .88 Discontinued operations 2.00 Total 1.41 1.17 2.88 Total assets 2,201,745 1,759,496 1,642,634 LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS: Operations other than resource-recovery 251,855 183,740 110,315 Resource-recovery operation 1,163,565 795,195 772,754 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 425,754 406,576 392,639 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY PER COMMON SHARE 10.70 10.32 10.09 CASH DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE 1.10 1.00 .90 (TABLE CONTINUED) DECEMBER 31 1985(*) 1984(*) (In thousands of dollars, except per-share amounts) Net sales and service revenues $ 743,963 $688,669 INCOME (LOSS) FROM: Continuing operations 14,375 24,591 Discontinued operations (35,675) 15,150 Net income (loss) (21,300) 39,741 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE: Continuing operations .36 .63 Discontinued operations (.94) .40 Total (.58) 1.03 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE-ASSUMING FULL DILUTION: Continuing operations .36 .62 Discontinued operations (.94) .38 Total (.58) 1.00 Total assets 1,465,023 837,445 LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS: Operations other than resource-recovery 228,103 261,567 Resource-recovery operation 597,945 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 308,833 361,098 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY PER COMMON SHARE 7.19 9.38 CASH DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE .90 .90 (*) Restated - See Note 1 to Consolidated Financial Statements. [*37] [HARDCOPY PAGE 37] Ogden Corporation and Subsidiaries MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS The accompanying financial statements for prior years have been restated to reflect the consolidation of Ogden's leasing and financing subsidiaries and a captive insurance company previously included on the equity method of accounting, as well as the previously off-balance sheet financing assets, liabilities, and related revenues and costs of resource-recovery facilities. (See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.) OPERATIONS: Sales and service revenues for 1988 increased by $185,200,000, or 20.5%, over 1987. Operating Services revenues were $108,600,000 higher, primarily reflecting increased revenues of $62,500,000 and $40,000,000 in the Building Services and Aviation Services groups, respectively, chiefly associated with new accounts and increased customer activity. The other areas of Operating Services also had increased revenues, which were partially offset by reduced revenues in Leisure Services of $20,400,000, due primarily to the loss of certain theatre concession accounts in 1987. Environmental Services started commercial operations in 1988 and had revenues of $7,500,000 for the year. Resource-recovery operations had increased revenues of $69,000,000. Service revenues increased $37,000,000 over 1987, reflecting eight facilities in operation in 1988 having a per-day capacity of 7,762 tons, compared with five facilities in operation in 1987 having a per-day capacity of 3,200 tons. Construction revenues were $32,000,000 higher, reflecting three projects under construction in 1988, only one of which reaching more than 25% completion in 1988, compared with two plants under construction and one completed in 1987. Income from operations for 1988 increased $6,000,000 over 1987.

Original Writing Essay -- Papers

Original Writing A crunch of pebbles as a perfectly crafted square of engineered metal falls to the beach. 5 figures crawl from their vessel onto a dreary beachhead. The rain beat down on a terrible Tuesday night. Silver, a man in his prime of physical fitness, shivered in the cold. Like lambs his men followed him intently, without question. In their minds, however, they were at home. With their wives and girlfriends, away from the war. Too many men have perished on this 2-mile stretch of coastline for man to contemplate, for a war that is yet to be understood. Since the last attempt at taking this beach, which was a major failure, there has been an armistice. Everything has been quiet, apart from the occasional fire drill inside the enemy's frontline campus. "Omaha Squad, state your position" Crackles Silvers radio equipment, breaking the deadly silence abruptly. In code, he makes his reply. Omaha Squad, led by Silver, was ordered to infiltrate the G25s communication tower to gather intelligence. Hi...

Why is it important to know what you believe?

What do you believe about God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ BY abbey0883 It is important to know what you believe so you can make the correct decisions in life based on your personal values, and Judge the best way to solve problems in your life. It is also important to know what you believe so if questioned you can intelligently address the concern. If you KNOW you can present the inquisitor with facts so they can evaluate them for themselves. My Beliefs 1 . ) I believe in God.He is the creator of all things Including me. The world and everything in it is so intricate It could not have happened by chance or evolved over billions of years. 2. ) I believe the Bible Is the word of God. I believe this because the Bible meets the needs of all mankind. If you need comfort, love, forgiveness, or faith you can find some verse or chapter to address the need. I also believe the Bible because I have accepted Jesus Into my life and have faith that that the Bible Is true. 3. ) I believe In Jesus C hrist.I believe In him also because of faith. Jesus died In order to forgive us of our sins. Just because I cannot see him It does not mean he Is not real. No matter what I am going through I know he's there. If I need healing I pray and believe In him. If I need guidance In making a decision I ask and trust he will gulled me. The hard part Is to remain patient while waiting for him to show me the answers I seek. While waiting I keep praying to stay close to him. This way I do not stray and follow my own path.

Chemistry Concentration and Molarity Lab Essay

I solved for my unknown by plugging in â€Å"y† as my given transmittance value, which was 85.0. y = -278x + 100.12 .85 = -278x + 100.12 -99.27 = -278x X = .357M (concentration) The relationship between the transmittance values and the concentration is an indirect relationship. Whenever the concentration increases, the transmittance decreases. It can also be reversed, so when the concentration decreases, the transmittance increases. For this graph, the line should not touch the origin because it is a negative slope. In order for the concentration to be 0, the transmittance level must be at exactly 100%. This means that all the light particles are transmitted directly through the object without any levels of concentration. Y = 1.4599x – 0.0068 .07 = 1.4559x – 0.0068 X = 0.05 The 2nd graph was between concentration and absorbance. This is a direct relationship because as the concentration increased, the absorbance also increased. For this graph, the line should touch the origin because it is a positive slope going from lower values to higher values. Also it passes through the origin because direct variation relationships are in the form of y = mx, where y and m are constant variables. For the absorbance value to zero, the concentration must be also be zero. Should the line of Concentration versus Absorbance go through the origin? As stated above, the line should touch and go through the origin eventually because it is a positive slope going from lower values to higher values. It is a direct variation relationship.

Reader Respond to Short Story We Might as Well Be Stranger

A Responds to a Short Story Entitled â€Å"We Might As Well Be Strangers† by M. E Kerr Sofyan Widianto 0909032 English Literature Indonesia University of Education 2012 Based on my understanding to the short story Entitled â€Å"We Might As Well Be Strangers† written by M. E Kerr, after close reading and deep thinking to the short story I bravely assume that the short story shows the independency of a woman. The independency of a woman is shown through the main character in this story. The main problem in this short story discusses about Alison that isdescribed as a teenage girl who is lesbian to Laura, her best friend.It will be explained in the textual evidences below. â€Å" No, that’s first. Frist am going to say that there was no need to announce it. You think I don’t know what’s going on with you and Laura? I don’t need eyes in the back of my head to figure that out†. â€Å"I can’t do anything about it, can I? I see it ev ery time you bring her here. I would like to believe it’s a stage you’re going trhought, but from what I’ve read and heard it isn’t†. The certain conversations above are the speech that are told by Alison’s mother that indicate that Alison is a lesbian.It’s also supported by the speech of Alison Grand mother. We can see on the textual evidance below. â€Å"So you don’t have to tell me about what it feels like to be an outsider. You don’t have to tell me about prejudice. But, Alison, I thank you for telling me about your self. I’m proud that you told me first. † Both of speech acts told and emphasize implicitly about Alison identity as a lesbian. As the explanations before that in this story Alison represent the independency of a woman, Alison decides to choose her own way to be a lesbian.It is shown in the conversation between she and her mother. We can see it from the Alison speech trough the conversation b etween she and her mother. â€Å" mom it’s not a choice. Was is a choise when you felt in love with Dad? † â€Å"most definetly i chose him! † We can see that Alisson starts to chalange her mother about a logical opinion about love. Lets see the other interesting on the conversation below. â€Å" So what if the world was different, and men loved men and women loved women, but where still you? What would you do?My mother shrugged. â€Å"Find another world, I guess. † â€Å"So that’s what I did. I found another World†. From the speech from Alisson above it obviously shows the independency of her to make a descion to her own life. She says that words to her mother explicitly. For me, that speech is the most powerful evidence of Alison, and it indicates the independency of her. From the explanation above i bravely conclude that the potray Alison in this short story represents the independency of women to decide and to choose what women really w ant to do.

Billy Baines Middle School Essay

Billy Baines Middle School (BMS) is located in Fort Bend ISD, in Missouri City, TX. Its school teaches sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. BMS opened in August 2006 and was named after Mr. Billy Baines. Mr. Baines was hired in 1959 as the first African American principal and he served Fort Bend ISD for thirty years. BMS has approximately 1,400 students with an average 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio. BMS is a diverse school with equal distribution by gender and ethnicity. African Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanics are predominating ethnic groups at BMS. Special Education at BMS consists of two classrooms. I had the pleasure of observing Ms. Wheeler’s class. Her class has four male students: Deonte, Samuel, Jonathan, and Cody. Deonte is an African American boy who appears to be about 16 years old, about 6’4†. Deonte shows characteristics comparable to Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Samuel is an African American boy who is about 5’2† and roughly 13 years old. He shows characteristics comparable to Mental Retardation, and Language Impairment. Jonathan is a Hispanic boy about 15 years old, 5’ 6†, and shows characteristics comparable to Mental Retardation and Speech Impairment. Cody is a 5’1† Asian American boy who is left handed and very active in the classroom. Cody shows characteristics comparable to severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and a delay in learning. Teachers spend an average of four years being taught to teach, however each student learns differently and there are about a dozen ways to impart knowledge. Students use an array of techniques to learn information, some use music, others learn by doing, or by using a visual aid to assist in learning. Teaching has truly become an art because there are many ways that students learn and process information. Teachers spend hours planning lessons that use each of our multiple intelligences. Howard Gardner introduced the multiple intelligence theory in 1983, and leads educators to think that humans have a wide range of cognitive abilities. By using many methods of instruction teachers can keep students engaged in the learning process. Ms. Wheeler’s class although engaged, was not fully attentive at all times. Her students had a difficult time staying on task. Ms. Wheeler was able to redirect students and keep them motivated. Ms. Wheeler motivated student with rewards for good behavior, correct answers, and following instructions. She also keeps a high level of enthusiasm, by using statements like â€Å"this is neat† or â€Å"this is an exciting thing†. Ms. Wheeler spends time planning assignments that will accommodate each student and their learning style. She uses different instructional methods to keep her students engaged in learning, such as group activities and centers. She does not use a great deal of lecture because students easily get distracted. Ms. Wheeler also uses the many tools in her classroom to accommodate the class. For example, many students are only able to read at a kindergarten reading level, so when the class read about the Ryder Cup Golf she used the SMART Boardâ„ ¢. The students who could read took turns reading while others followed along, some words would have small pictures above them that represented the word. After the class had finished reading she played an audio clip of the reading to review. Ms. Wheeler also used the multiple intelligence theory in her teaching, she taught students to brush their teeth and wash their hands after eating lunch, and this uses logical-mathematics intelligence. She also taught students by using the musical intelligence she had a music therapist come by to teach students how to use music to remember things they are learning in class. Ms. Wheeler’s class is located in room 1105, the front door reads â€Å"Welcome to Ms. Wheeler’s class†. Ms. Wheeler’s class has a welcoming and safe feeling even before you walk into the classroom. Walking into her classroom the first thing you see is the centers arranged around the room. Her classroom is connected to the other special education classroom by the bathroom and kitchen area. Ms. Wheeler’s class is bare with little on the walls. She believes that posters and art causes distractions to her students. Although, it is hard to teach students who are easily distracted, Ms. Wheeler accepts the distractions in a positive manner. She can get task with her students for a moment and find ways to easily transition back to the task at hand. For example, Ms. Wheeler was teaching about the life cycle of a butterfly and Deonte asked her whom she spent her weekend with. Ms. Wheeler replied that she spent it with her cat. In order to get back to the task at hand she told a story about her cat playing in the garden, and they saw a caterpillar. Her transitions between topics work well for her students. Ms. Wheeler’s students also show her a lot of affection; she kindly and professionally returns the affection. Samuel loves high-fives and hugs, while Cody likes fist pumps. Much of the affection shown in the class is done after a task or during transition periods. Ms. Wheeler quizzes her students after each completed task. She typically puts a worksheet up on the SMART Boardâ„ ¢ and calls on students to come to the board and answer one of the questions on the board. Also during centers the teacher or teacher’s aide will ask many questions to make sure the student understands the assignment. When students succeed Ms. Wheeler always praises them with kind remarks. Ms. Wheeler’s class was at most times chaotic. Her class follows little rules and behavior varies between students. Ms. Wheeler does remind students often to use inside voices and to pay attention. However, because the students are all special needs students you cannot punish them for behavior that is relative of their mental or physical disability. The instructor utilizes individualized learning objectives; she uses centers as a way to have one on one instructional time with her students. Each of her students are on different academic levels, so one on one time with her students is vital to the education progression of her students. Based on the progression of her students it is sometimes necessary to make adjustments to their individualized education program (IEP) and individualized schedules. In conclusion, observing Ms. Wheeler’s class has taught me about how to teach students who have any disability and how to individualize education even within the general education. My time in Ms. Wheeler’s class was spent only observing. Fort Bend ISD does not allow much interaction with their special needs students, because they want to keep their students on their adapted schedules. The theory behind this is the children are able to transition between school and home easier. My experience in Ms. Wheeler’s class has taught me the importance of patience when working with young students. It also taught me how important it is to have a student teacher meeting with each of my students and address their weaknesses and strengths. This will help me in making sure each student is succeeding to the best of their ability. I also have decided that when I begin teaching, I will use a large array of teaching strategies to accommodate the different learning style of all students. My desired degree is Education, Math fourth to eighth grade and in my classroom I can use an overhead or SMART Boardâ„ ¢ to allow students a chance to â€Å"student teach†. I can also use personal white boards for rapid math games. Observing middle school special education has confirmed to me that I could not teach special education. Those who can teach these exceptional children in my opinion must have a special quality to handle the demand of their jobs. It takes an exceptional teacher to teach these amazing children. However, I have decided teaching middle school is where I will be most effective. For a long time I believed that teaching elementary was always the way to go, but allowing students to take action in their own education is a future goal of mine. The only way I can see this vision come to pass is by teaching students old enough to take charge of their actions yet young enough to mold. Nelson Mandela once said, â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. † I want to teach the new generation that taking charge of their education will change the world around them.