Our Favorite Ways to Grow As A Teacher

Our Favorite Ways to Grow As A Teacher TeacherVision Advisory Board Member Mikaela reminds us that getting feedback is vital to growth in our teaching practice. She shares actionable steps (both big and small) you can take to seek feedback and support from colleagues and through professional development. We talk a lot about setting goals with students, enabling growth mindsets for our class, and monitoring student progress - but are we doing the same for ourselves? Some school cultures have teacher development built in. For some of us, though, it can often feel like we are alone in a boat, trying to move forward, but unsure if we are headed in the right direction or simply paddling around in circles when it comes to our professional growth. If you are blessed with a strong school culture that is focused on teacher development, be sure to share the love and wisdom you receive with other educators! If you not, don’t worry. There are many things you can start doing quickly that will help you develop and refine your skills in the classroom, as long as you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone. Open Door Policy An open door policy means that your door is always open for other teachers to come in and observe what you are doing. However, just opening your door during the day is not enough to express to your colleagues that you are ready for feedback and support. Make it explicitly clear that they are welcome to step in and observe at any time, and that you are open to any feedback that they can provide. If telling everyone feels overwhelming, start with one coworker you trust and set up a time for them to come in, take notes and then meet after the lesson to discuss what they saw. When you feel more comfortable, you can extend the invitation to more people. Be sure to return the favor as well. Watching other teachers and providing feedback is just as valuable as being observed. If a colleague comes into your room and provides feedback, set up a time to do the same in their classroom. Set Specific Goals and Measure Your Progress This is as simple as using the same advice we give our students: In order for goals to be most effective, they need to be specific. Specific goals give you a clear objective and can be more easily chunked into steps. While setting goals independently is perfectly fine, consider involving a colleague or partner who can hold you accountable in the process. For more on goal setting, check out How To Turn Teaching Goals Into Teaching Habits. A partner can also help you measure your progress. With your open door policy, you will be able to find someone willing to come in and see if you’re meeting your goals. Devise a way to measure your progress beforehand. For example, try using anecdotal notes, in the form of a chart or graph, or a formal coaching cycle. Use what you have available and what is easiest for you to understand and reflect on. Find a Mentor or Create a PLC Whether you are a 25-year veteran, a fresh first-year teacher, or somewhere in between, it's very useful to have a mentor. A good mentor is a valuable guide, someone you can bounce ideas off of and turn to when you’re struggling with a student, class, parent, or administrator. It can be intimidating, but don’t be afraid to ask a teacher you admire or like to be your mentor. The great thing about mentorship is that it can a be flexible relationship - as ad hoc or involved as you need it to be. Once you have found a mentor, set aside regular time to watch them in action both in the classroom and in other situations. Bring a notebook or note-catcher and take lots of notes! If your schedules don’t allow for you to be in each other’s classrooms, you can film yourselves and set a time to review the videos. You don’t have to limit yourself to one mentor - you can even create a formal or informal professional learning community (PLC) to engage other colleagues in the process. You can help each other improve by setting up a regular observation and feedback cycle. Observational Learning Walks Learning walks are another way to get into other teachers’ classrooms and observe a lesson. It is important to remember that a learning walk is not an evaluation tool, but rather a way to see what methods other teachers are using and how students respond to those methods. Because it is a structured observation, it is important that the teachers participating in the learning walk have clear objectives. For example, observers could be looking for how a teacher uses learning targets within their lesson. Learning walks should be followed by structured time for teachers to share what they saw and devise a plan for how they will improve their own instruction based on their observations. Learning walks should be non-invasive. This means that observers entering the classroom does not disrupt the flow or intrude on the lesson. It can take time to build a culture in which students understand and know to keep working even if there are multiple teachers coming into their classroom. Letting students know that the purpose of the walks is to help other teachers improve can go a long way. It helps students recognize that everyone in the school is working on improving and strengthening their practices. Find Professional Development Conferences There are many, many opportunities for professional development across the country and throughout the year. If your school provides a budget, take advantage of it and commit to finding one conference or seminar that is relevant to helping you improve your practice. If you’re not sure where to start, look at your curricula. Which curricula are you still having difficulty implementing or seeing results with? Go to a conference focused on your curriculum! If you don’t have a budget, look for grants. There are many opportunities to receive funding. Resources like the NEA Foundation have lists of available grants, but even a quick search on the internet will yield a lot of genuine results! Commiting to one conference a year will give you something to look forward to and get you in the room with lots of other brilliant educators. Each of these strategies has been shown to help teachers improve their instruction. Start with one strategy that feels accessible to you and make it a regular practice. Invite others into your classroom. They’ll bring, experience, feedback, skills and company. You will feel stronger and you’ll be making those around you stronger too. What do you have to lose? What are your growth strategies? Share with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Mikaela Prego is an elementary educator from Massachusetts. She spent the last 3 years teaching 4th grade in Colorado, now she is back teaching in Massachusetts. Her favorite subjects to teach are math, science and social studies and she is a huge fan of putting the students in charge of as much of their learning as possible. You can follow her classroom (@whoareweintheworld) on Instagram.

CELTA-ASSIGNMENT-2 Essay - 1276 Words

Skills Assignment Based on the text ‘Do not pass go, do not collect $151’ Dargaville The Christchurch Press 11.03.2005 Due in date: 12-04-2014 Trainee: Jesus Ferrer 00651 Receptive skill 1: reading for gist Materials Article ‘Do not pass go, do not collect $151’Dargaville The Christchurch Press 11.03.2005 Aims In this activity the students are going to focus only on covering the overall theme to catch the main idea from the text. Rationale The common approach of lower level language learners is to focus on reading every word and understanding every word of a text. The reader†¦show more content†¦A delighted Lance gave the money to his mother to look after, and they returned to Pouto. During the next couple of weeks he spent some of the money on a tape, a soft drink, and a wedding present. No-one expected the next development. Lance went off to school as usual when he was called into the principals office, where a police officer was waiting. Lance was asked where he got the note. He told them. D. At this point his mother was brought back into the picture and asked to contact the National Bank because, on sending the money to Japan, they had discovered it was Japanese Monopoly money – worthless. Now the bank would like its money back and the parents feel they should not be responsible for paying it because the boy had not intended to defraud. He had asked if the note was real. The back declined to comment. (This attachment is not taken into account for the word count). Make a backup of your instructions on the whiteboard; elicit ICQs of the instructions given, and handout the worksheet. Materials: Adapted article ‘Do not pass go, do not collect $151’ Dargaville The Christchurch Press 11.03.2005 Answer sheet for the activity. Aims: To give the students the opportunity to practice their ability to scan for specific information in a reading. Rationale: By doing this kind of activity focused on reading for specific information, the students notShow MoreRelatedCelta Assignment 22323 Words   |  10 PagesAssignment 3 – Language Skills Due Date: 29th March 2011 CELTA Trainee: The purpose of this assignment is to firstly identify the receptive language skills and / or sub-skills that could be practised using authentic text, and secondly to identify productive language skills that could be practised in relation to that text. In addition, the assignment brief specified that tasks in relation to the text should be designed, with a rationale for their choice. I have chosen an authentic text entitledRead MoreCelta Assignment 21098 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment 2 Language related task Example 1: We can put off sleeping for a limited period. (Lexis) Meaning The lexis Put off means that we do not want to do it now. We will do it at a later time. Synonym Procrastinate Concept Questions: Do we want to do it now? No Will we do it later? Yes Form Base Verb + Adverb + Phrasal verb put off sleeping Put off is a phrasal verb used in everyday language by native English speakers Pronunciation can put offRead MoreCelta Assignment 2:Skills -Related Task1134 Words   |  5 Pages Cambridge CELTA Written Assignment Two Skills –related tasks Word count: 1082 I acknowledge that this paper is my own work. Trainee: Mileva Genadieva Signature: Date: 18.02.2013 Receptive skills: According to J. Harmer in his book The Practice of English Language Teaching, â€Å"receptive skills are the ways in which people extract the meaning from the discourse they see or hear†. In the following text â€Å"Playing with your food† the main skill that isRead MoreCelta - Assignment 2 - Focus on the Learner1103 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment 2 – Focus on the learner LEARNER’S PROFILE Sonia Meirelles is a 27-year old Brazilian student, in the Intermediate English class, who has been studying English for 13 months (since August, 2011). Sonia has a degree in Biology and used to work as a biology teacher in a regular school, however she is currently unemployed. She then decided to start taking English lessons, so she could have more chances when trying to find a job. She enjoys the English classes as she believesRead MoreLessons from the Classroom1288 Words   |  6 PagesCELTA K.S. ASSIGNMENT 4: LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM I decided to take CELTA course as part of my continuing professional development. I am working in a FE institution and I am training and assessing NVQs at the moment, but have wanted to move on to full time ESOL and literacy for quite some time. I also really wanted to go travelling and thought that teaching could be the answer to any cash shortages on the way. The three month-journey I put myself through with CELTA proved to me that I canRead MoreCelta Essay828 Words   |  4 Pagesother disciplines. I am particularly interested in the CELTA course because of the course contents, its relevance to English language teaching, the certificate recognition, perhaps better teaching positions with more challenging portfolios in the future and most of all, self-fulfilment as one could not be more satisfied with a course regulated and assessed by the University of Cambridge and conducted by its affiliates. Pursuing the CELTA course will enable me to become a certified and internationallyRead MoreCelta Syllabus Assessment Essay5688 Words   |  23 PagesCELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines Third Edition CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is accredited by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England) at level 5 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework. University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU United Kingdom Email: ESOLhelpdesk@CambridgeESOL.org www.CambridgeESOL.org EMC|2254|0Y12  © UCLES 2010 CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: CELTA SYLLABUS Read MoreCelta Pre Interview Task Essay example1282 Words   |  6 PagesCambridge CELTA Pre-Interview Task Name ______________________________________________________________________ Complete this task carefully. It is an important factor in considering your application. CELTA is an intensive four-week course of study. Because of this, candidates need to be fully prepared for the demands of the course and show that they are able to research language structures, a skill required of ESL teachers. Keep in mind that we cover language analysis on the CELTA course, soRead MoreCelta Language Skills Written Assignment1248 Words   |  5 PagesCELTA assignment 1: LRST 1. TEXT AND RATIONALE: The text I am selecting is a description of a clown who works in a circus, and a description of his everyday life. I chose this text for the following reasons: -INTEREST: Recent research has indicated that how interesting a text is will affect students cognitive performance. This kind of interestingness, or text-based interest, was the focus of the study [†¦] a content analysis performed on the recall protocols showed that the interest-evokingRead MoreCelta Key15571 Words   |  63 PagesCAMBRIDGE CELTA COURSE 24 June – 19 July 2013 Dear Trainee, Welcome to British Side and the course! You are now trainees on the Cambridge CELTA Course and students at British Side. The former means that you are following a training course designed by the University of Cambridge ESOL. The syllabus and assessment criteria are laid down by this organisation, and the course will be inspected and moderated by an externally appointed assessor. You will not be assessed by this person (s/he will inspect

Teenagers and Birth Control - 1208 Words

Teenagers should have access to birth control devices. The most compelling argument against this thesis is the idea that they are not emotionally mature enough to be having sex at all, in that it is a meaningful commitment that should be only taken up by adults who have the ability to consent fully and understand the consequences of their behavior. Additionally, sexual behavior contains a lot of risks of many different natures. There is the emotional risk of engaging in such intimate activity, with concomitant development of feelings that may not be reciprocated or healthy. There is also the physical risk of disease. For heterosexual women, pregnancy is an emotional, physical, and economic strain that could severely derail a promising†¦show more content†¦The most reliable estimates by a recent study suggest that â€Å"giving birth as a teen is associated with a decline in the probability of graduating from high school (-0.08) and a reduction in income and total wages of $2,200 to $2,400.† It is important to note that often, this decreased economic capacity is paired with far more demands on the mother’s income, making the economic effects even more devastating. Teenage childbearing does not only create problems for the mother; using the same method as the previous paper (comparing teen couples who underwent a miscarriage against those who had a live birth), Fletcher and Wolfe determined that teenage fatherhood reduces the likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma by 15%, which is has lifetime economic effects (Fletcher and Wolfe The Effects of Teenage Fatherhood on Young Adult Outcomes 11). Stigmatizing sex and forcing teenagers to hide from authority figures in order to engage in it simply makes it more dangerous. Preventing access to birth control is associated with limiting discussion or education with teenagers and their authority figures about sexual behavior. Lack of sex education is associated with positive sexual behavio rs, including a significantly reduced likelihood of teen pregnancy (Lindberg and Maddow-Zimet 333). Specifically, teaching adolescents about birth control options increases the likelihood of birth control usage and other safer sexual practices (Lindberg and Maddow-Zimet 337). For instance,Show MoreRelatedTeenagers And Birth Control Without Parental Consent897 Words   |  4 PagesTeenagers and Birth Control There are many different opinions on whether teenage girls should be allowed to access birth control without parental consent. Each parent has his or her own perspective, and reason behind this issue. Parenting styles help contribute to different opinions on allowing teenage girls to access birth control without parental consent. Some parents of teenage girls believe they shouldn’t be allowed to access birth control without parental consent because it takes the authorityRead MoreShould Teenagers Have Access to Birth Control1648 Words   |  7 PagesShould Teenagers Have Access to Birth Control? Teenagers are still growing and learning. Sometimes we forget that they are making choices that can affect their whole life. Yes, we are here to teach them and to guide them in making decisions that will help shape their future. Are they going to make mistakes? Are they going to regret some of their choices? Are they going to wish that they had listened to their parents at times that they didn’t? I’m pretty sure that we made mistakes as teenagers and decisionsRead MoreTeenagers Should Have Access to Birth Control Essay979 Words   |  4 Pagesare afraid what she is going to think of you when you answer â€Å"Yes.† to the question. You want to do the right thing and get on birth control to be safe, but you know your mom will say no. Girls in the 21st century should have the right to protect themselves with any sort of birth control they choose without parents’ consent. About 40 percent of sexually active teenagers admit to not using any form of protection (like a condom) during their last session. Behavior like this leads to higher risks ofRead MoreBirth Control : Who Controls?1159 Words   |  5 PagesBirth Control: Who Controls? â€Å"Should teenagers be allowed to get birth control without the permission of their parents?† Outline: -Thesis Statement- Teenagers should not be required to have permission from their parents to receive birth control. Religious Beliefs: -Sex before marriage -Encouraging the child to have sex -Against God’s will (IT’S A SIN) Communications with teens/parents -Wanting to know from a parent’s perspective -Asking the teen â€Å"why† -Social problems leading to crisis explosionRead MoreShould Tennagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Without Parent Consent?1727 Words   |  7 PagesShould Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? KaTrina Bacon English 215 February 2, 2012 Dr.Sharonda Johnson Should Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? Of all the many controversies that have affected the United States in the past decades, birth control has been one of the more important topics. Some popular birth control methods are the female and male condoms, and the birth control pill. Even though both ofRead MoreUnintended Pregnancy Prevention Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pages Are controversial concerns about the birth control pill really a problem? Allowing teenagers to use the birth control pill has been a controversial subject for parents, teachers, and teenagers for a wide range of reasons. The vast majority of teenage pregnancies, more than four out of five, are unplanned (Unintended Pregnancy Prevention). Whether teenagers believe in common myths that they cant get pregnant the first time having sex or they truly believe nothing like this could ever happenRead MoreSchools Providing Contraception For Children1530 Words   |  7 Pagesabout my education and future? How did this happen to me? What could I have done to prevent this?† Most teenagers have sex without being protected. Whether they’re embarrassed or afraid of being seen, it results in a lot of teenage pregnancies. However, there is a way teenage girls can get the needed protection without being seen or embarrassed. High schools should provide condoms, birth control, sex education classes, and individual counseling to students who ask for them, thus giving private accessRead MoreWithout Prescription. According To The Center For Disease1040 Words   |  5 PagesWithout Prescription According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, â€Å"a total of 249,078 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years† in United States. (2014) Adolescence is a difficult period not only for the teenager but for the parents as well. A period of physical and mental changes. It can be â€Å"considered the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood.† Teenagers do crazy things without thinking in consequences, like go out without permission in the night, get a tattoo, fight atRead MoreBirth Control Access to Teens1463 Words   |  6 PagesFormal Outline Topic: Birth control access to teenage girls Thesis statement: Although teenage girls are prohibited from purchasing birth control, laws should be implemented to allow access to birth control as a means of managing safer sex, preventing the health risks and guarding them from the cycle of poverty. 1. Reasons for not allowing birth control to be given to teenagers A. It encourages sexual activity (Sex with many partners -promiscuity) B. Abstinence should be promoted Read MoreTeenage Pregnancy Essay1133 Words   |  5 PagesTeenagers insist on having sex at a very tender age resulting to an increase in pregnancies in some countries, especially in developing countries. However, in the developed countries such as the United States of America, there is a decrease in teenage pregnancies in accordance to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. However, parents are leaving in denial that the teenagers are not having sex (Guilamo-Ramos et al, 15). The parents, as well as teachers, are trying very hard to raise the children

Why does the world exist Free Essays

All throughout our lives we are told to dream. We know that dreams don’t necessarily reflect reality, but they serve as a powerful source of inspiration which can sometimes allow us to change our realities. The reason why dreams are so important to us is because they allow us to experience situations that are beyond what could occur in real life. We will write a custom essay sample on Why does the world exist or any similar topic only for you Order Now But how can we be sure that our thoughts and dreams don’t directly influence reality? Or that â€Å"reality’, as we commonly understand it, isn’t real? The answers to these questions are mind-bogglingly complex as they challenge us to magine concepts that should be impossible to comprehend by entities inhabiting our combination of three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. The resultant ontological debate can be generally grouped into realist and anti-realist positions. Realism is the philosophical school of thought that suggests the existence of an objective reality with which we communally interact. Within realism there are different perspectives that can be argued that deal with varying degrees of correlation between our perception of reality and the true objective form of reality. These different branches of realism stem from different fundamental beliefs egarding the nature of this relationship. So-called â€Å"naive realism† , also known as direct realism, is the belief that our senses accurately detect mind-independent reality therefore our perceptions of reality correlate directly with the form of the objective reality. Another form of realism known as â€Å"scientific realism† takes a different approach by assuming that the universe exists in a way that can be described by science (the ability to describe an object through science verifies its existence) and that scientific objects and knowledge exist independently of the mind. On the opposite side of the spectrum we have â€Å"anti-realism† which challenges the existence of an objective existence or reality. Ann-realists with respect to objective reality hold the belief that a mind-independent world does not exist and everything we experience or perceive is simply a construct of our subjective consciousness. Having been born into an era where technology reigns king, it could be said that I’m predisposed to siding with scientific realism, as the manner by which I Judge a theorys validity is inevitably linked to scientific methods (probability, etc.. ). The igitalization of the world has resulted in a generation that places great faith in numbers and causality, where for an answer or explanation to be considered correct it requires causal proof. Computers have shown that everything can be deconstructed into mathematics, and as such it is easy to assume that because something can be defined by science, that the scientific definition is the correct definition. For example a living creature can be expressed as a series of functions describing its size, shape and even personality, but this does not mean that the living creature is simply a construct of numbers. At a glance, scientific realism seems difficult to refute. Explanations are derived from logical reasoning processes that seek to demonstrate causality. In the world of science, everything is bound by universal rules and laws that are consistent. Unfortunately, this is also where the argument breaks down for me. Scientific realism relies on the assumption that science is objective and can accurately represent true reality, however the validity scientific inquiry as a mind-independent construct is not guaranteed. Science tells us that our conscience is a product of physical processes. Assuming that science is orrect, this would necessitate a pre-existing physical construct or at least the genetic coding for a construct from which we produce our theories. Essentially we would be limited to making â€Å"discoveries† within a predefined scheme, meaning scientific inquiry is a biased mechanism of measuring reality since the method of discovery is restricted to what our brain is capable of processing. Thus, theories that are scientifically correct force us to reject the notion of the absolute validity of science. When compared with scientific realism, naive realism’s foundation in the human senses seems like an oversimplification stemming from hubris. The fundamental assumption of naive realism is that reality exists for humanity. This is not explicitly stated in a description of direct realism philosophy, but the argument that humans see the world exactly as it is almost implies that reality was created for our experience. It is no secret that humans have limited abilities through which to perceive the world. First of all, we rely on only five major sensory mechanisms (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting). And of these five mechanisms, in comparison to other species, human sensory abilities are extremely poor. The mechanism we rely on the most is our sense of sight. However, not only are humans confronted with ocular issues such as macular degeneration or cataracts, but even if our eyes were to be completely free of defect, we would still be limited to seeing the world through the detection of visible light (a tiny range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum). Notice that the aforementioned limitations deal strictly with the mechanisms of the eyeball itself and do not include issues that can arise from errors mental processing. The more we delve into the limitations of our perception, the more credence I grant to the idea of a world that exists very ifferently from the way we believe it to, which would have to be defined through a â€Å"higher†, more objective mechanism than our senses alone. I acknowledge that my line of reasoning in dismissing naive realism is flawed as the underlying assumption deals with the improbability that the error-prone human condition could sufficiently detect a large enough portion of true reality to be considered a viable explanation. The concept of nothing existing is difficult to ponder as we have no foundation from which to base a mental picture. Normally when trying to imagine nothingness, the ind tends to begin with blackness since blackness (the absence of light) is generally how we think of emptiness or nothingness. Unfortunately we generally run into the same issue as when trying to picture the concept of â€Å"infinity’ where we can only envision â€Å"more†, rather than absolute â€Å"infinity’. Though our assumption of the color of nothingness does not directly imply that our reasoning about the form of nothingness is flawed, the fact that we envision nothing as black belies the correlational bias from which we are founding our notions. The anti-real position suggesting that only our consciousness exists is made all the more difficult to ontemplate due to the inability to picture nothingness as it prevents us from being able to use relative reasoning (there is no benchmark to relate to). For this reason, arguments about the form of non-existence are more easily substantiated by logical means. In Jim Holt’s book Why does the World Exist? , he refers to the question, â€Å"Why is there Somethin g? Ratner than Nothing? ‘ and then describes the theories or explanations for why there might actually be Nothing, rather than Something. He does an extensive Job explaining the different ways of conceptualizing Nothing, and it s from these explanations that I came up with my own pro-ex nihilo theory. While I still contend that all theories regarding genesis are impossible to definitely prove, I propose that we are in a constant state of Nothingness, but the form of Nothingness which we experience is Something (reality). For this to be possible, our Something would either have to be Nothing already, or be in a form that is reducible to Nothing. Similar to the Infinite Parallel Universes theory, I am drawn to arguments where Something and Nothing exist simultaneously, as this eliminates entire fields of debate as to whether Something or Nothing came first. How to cite Why does the world exist, Papers

Leadership Discovery Project free essay sample

As we chatted I explained to him the baggy pants style began in the mid 1980’s with the birth and spread of hip-hop. I remember so well, pulling my oversized men’s pants down to my hips. The look was actually slimming to a larger girl like me as an added bonus. I also, remember, our assistant principal calling several of us into the office and telling us to pull up our pants – or be sent home, with zeros for the day. I am pretty sure that we did as he asked, at least until he turned around anyway. Sometime later, I learned the baggy pant style I sported (well into my 20’s) had negative beginnings. The style allegedly began as a salute to prison attire, which consisted of oversized pants and shirts. Often the pants would be falling down and inmates were not allowed to have a belt. Another claim is even more disturbing. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Discovery Project or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Supposedly, the pants worn low, hanging down, were an invitation for sex in the prison world. Perhaps, I always thought, some kid just could not afford a belt and started walking around holding up his britches the best he could. Either way, baggy pants; they came and they have endured. (Parker, 2009) Some kids may be aware the style is reminiscent of prison attire. They might actually embrace the idea. The majority of the kids, however, who exhibit baggy pants, are more likely interested in looking like their peers, emulating musicians and actors, and wearing something that is defiant of the conservative nature of authority. Having a glance at someone’s underwear can be offensive. It can be downright aggravating. Even the president has chimed in on the controversial subject of baggy jeans. He said during his 2008 campaign( to MTV), â€Å"There are some issues we face, that you don’t have to pass a law, but that doesn’t mean folks can’t have some sense and some respect for other people, and you know some people might not want to see your underwear – I’m one of them. † (Blunk, 2012) I would have to agree with the president that I don’t want to see the underwear of young men with â€Å"pants on the ground. By the same standard, though, I would also like not to see, but cracks of older men hanging out, men in running shorts who expose their scrotum, muffin tops, thong underwear revealed, cops in cowboy boots, camel toes, and PLEASE, NO leggings worn by anyone over the age of ten. However bothersome, ugly, gross, annoying, disrespectful, or distasteful baggy pants are – or any other fashion fiasco none qualify as a good reason to pass a law . If baggy pants are linked to crime – especially gang crime such as lawmakers in Hawkinsville, GA, Trenton, NJ, and several towns in Louisiana claim, then it seems a fair ypothesis that all cowboy boot cops are racist, but crack revealers are child molesters and any woman who bears her thong is surely a â€Å"ho†. With a system such as this, racial profiling or any other profiling for that matter will become tools of the past. All we will need to ask is, â€Å"what were they wearing? † (Walton, 2011) (Parker, 2009) In spite of the fact that many people do not appreciate the appearance of baggy jeans, banning them is a counterproductive way to promote moral code or reduce crimes committed by young people. Pants are not a driving factor behind crime statistics. What leads to a life of crime are elements like socio-economics, education or lack of, history of crime in a family, and other situational elements. (Parker, 2009) It is not the baggy pants we have to worry about but, rather, the brain connected to the neck, connected to the torso, connected to the legs that hold the pants up. Unless you take into consideration, of course, the one benefit to law enforcement that baggy pants bring to the table; they are detrimental to the objective of escape! It seems to me that a cop would only hope for criminal wearing baggy jeans when in pursuit! Simply put, baggy jeans are a police officer’s best friend. (Feb. 17th, 2012) There is always an article of clothing or fashion statement for Americans to consider offensive. In the past it was anti-short skirts for women, anti-long hair for men, and anti-leather jackets for all. We graduated to anti-glove, anti-piercings, and anti-hoodie. But, the style†¦ and hatred for it†¦. that has endured longest is†¦ anti-baggy pants. (Walton, 2011) Americans are often guilty of setting limits on the issues that are irrelevant. If there is a school shooting – supply more cameras and metal detectors, if the classrooms are crowded and kids won’t listen then drug everyone up, and if kids are texting on cell phones while driving and dying from it then create a bumper sticker. Geeze! If we are worried about violence, crime, or the unsuccessful lives of young people, why then do we not set real, stern, limits on the things that hurt young people most; guns, drugs, automobiles, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine ? Perhaps this is because all of these things make money for a lot of people in our country. So, we go after the one thing that cannot talk back – a pair of pants. Or can they? Julius Hart was arrested in 2011 in Riviera Beach, Florida for wearing pants that were considered too low; exposing at least four inches of his boxer shorts. He spent the night in jail and was fined $150. 00. He decided to take the case to court and challenge the law. He claims wearing baggy pants is his constitutional right and he is hurting no one. The case is pending in the West Palm Beach Court. . (Feb. 17th, 2012,) This is just one example of what I like to think of as the â€Å"rise of the baggies,† but there are more. When the West Virginia House of Representatives tried to outlaw the wearing of low-slung pants circa 2007, they received ridicule from Sydney to London. Comedians joked about a â€Å"boxer’s rebellion,† and there were so many conflicting online political blogs the state Senate quickly killed the bill. (Parker, 2009) This mockery has not stopped other politicians from trying to eradicate the fashion we know as â€Å"the baggies. † Bans have become law or are being considered in at least eight states. The movement is fueled by growing worries that sloppy dress by America’s youth could be related to delinquency, poor learning and crime. (Parker, 2009) Elements of our society are obsessed with what the youth is trying to express in their attire. For me, however, the concern lies more in what they are not expressing in their attire; â€Å"I am not secure,† â€Å"I am not seeking a professional position,† â€Å"I am not able to stand apart from my crowd of peers†. I do not believe laws can solve attire concerns such as this; only education, consideration and personal motivation will do the job. There is racial discussion surrounding this debate. Many people, including law makers and religious affiliates, in all racial groups see this primarily as a black issue. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you walk down the halls of any white middle school or high school you will find there are many white boys wearing pants, â€Å"low and baggy. † The style is no longer associated as a hip-hop trend. It is cross-culture, crosses over socio-economic boundaries, and can be associated with also: punk, grunge, and mod, all trends that have surfaced in recent years. This is not a black issue as much as some may want it to be. Although I am resistant to this being racial issue, I am glad that many of the laws proposing bans on baggy pants have been met with resistance and action by the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). This is not just racial profiling. It is wardrobe profiling. I guess this means that all men in expensive suits are going to steal my retirement fund, or perhaps my son, who got cold in the theater and put his hoodie on†¦is actually a gun toting gang member. Conceivably a Supreme Court case for this would read, â€Å"The U. S. Supreme Court against Clothes! It makes me wonder if we are actually being manipulated by the powers that be†¦into a society of nudity. Maybe they just want to see us all naked. I think I will stick with the baggy pants. (Blunk, 2012) â€Å"Droopy Drawers,† â€Å"baggies,† or just â€Å"pants on the ground,† as they are referred to, are a fashion statement. For some , wearing them may mean a little more, for others they are only following the crowd. Some say it’s a ridiculously stupid, annoying, and sloppy way to dress. Others do not bother to care either way. Many folks connect these pants to criminal behavior. I do not and furthermore, I find it absurd that others do.

Galileo And Church Essays - Copernican Revolution, Galileo Galilei

Galileo And Church Essays - Copernican Revolution, Galileo Galilei Galileo And Church Galileo, Science and the Church, by Jerome J. Langford, are about the trials and tribulations of Galileo with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1600s. The church did not agree with Galileos ideas; mainly theories associated with Copernican astronomy. The primary intention of Langford is to bring the truth of Galileos trials to his readers, and to show that ultimately Galileo was correct in his theories and was not trying to go against the churches belief. Galileo was merely trying to seek truth in science, and wanted to be known as a historical scientific figure. Therefore, Galileo was unjustly accused, ridiculed, and convicted of heresy. In Galileos defense of heresy, Langford writes, This was an unfortunate decision on several accounts. First the Copernican opinion was treated as heretical when, in reality, it was not. (155) Langford goes on to explain that the theological Consultors in 1616 recognized the earths mobility as formally heretical, but this did not make the immobility of the earth a matter of faith. Catholic philosophers and theologians also agree that the decree of the Holy Office did not make the immobility of the earth or the mobility of the sun a matter of faith. These points clearly support the argument of Galileos unjust conviction of heresy. Langford also uses excerpts of other writings to illustrate his main points. The following is one of many excerpts Langford uses: Inasmuch as no dogmatic decision was rendered in this case, either on the part of the Pope or on the part of a Council ruled by the Pope and approved by him, it is not, by virtue of that decree of the Congregation, a doctrine of faith that the sun is moving and the earth standing still. Yet every Catholic is bound by virtue of obedience to conform to the decree of the Congregation, or at least not to teach what is directly opposed to it.(156) This excerpt, as do many others, clearly support Langfords argument. The church disagreed with Galileos thoughts. They actually went as far as telling Galileo that he was to stop preaching his ideas as long as he was involved with the church. Langford writes, Yet, recalling the tone of the prohibition, Urban conceded that so long as Galileo treated the Copernican theory as a hypothesis, he could write all he wanted on the subject. (114) If he would leave the church, he would be able to voice his opinions and ideas freely. I believe Langfords clever use of excerpts; prove that he is not alone in his belief that Galileo was wrongly accused. He also gets his point across by noting that the immobility of the earth is not a matter of faith. This alone demonstrates that Galileo did not commit heresy. My opinion is that the church should have allowed Galileo to voice his opinion of the Copernican theory because he was trying to seek the truth in science, to better educate the world, not trying to go directly against the church. Therefore, Langford has succeeded in his belief that Galileo was unfairly convicted of heresy. Bibliography none

Definition and Examples of a Submerged Metaphor

Definition and Examples of a Submerged Metaphor A submerged metaphor is a type of metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one of the terms (either the vehicle or the tenor) is implied rather than stated explicitly. In the book Myth and Mind (1988), Harvey Birenbaum observes that submerged metaphors lend the force of their associations in a subliminal way but are likely to be disruptive if they are realized too explicitly. Examples and Observations A submerged metaphor is  an implied comparison made in one or two words (usually verbs, nouns, adjectives). Example: Coach Smith mended the losing pitchers hurt feelings. (Not literally; he just tried to make him feel better.)​  (Patrick Sebranek,  Write Source 2000: A Guide to Writing, Thinking and Learning, 4th ed., 2000) Time and Change Metaphors Examples of submerged metaphor in the vocabulary include the lexical sub-system for constructing the meaning, or the set of concepts, that we call time and change. Expressions like time passes, as time goes by are based on the metaphor time is a moving object. Expressions like the elections are approaching, his mistakes are catching up with him are based on the metaphor events are objects moving along a path. Expressions like we are approaching the election, he thought he had left his mistakes behind him, and even we are going to win are based on the metaphor people are objects moving through time.​  (Paul Anthony Chilton and Christina Schffner, Politics as Text and Talk: Analytic Approaches to Political Discourse. John Benjamins, 2002) James Joyces Submerged Metaphors Reading Ulysses often depends upon recognizing the submerged metaphor in the stream of consciousness of the major characters. This is especially true of Stephen whose mind works in metaphorical terms. For example, Stephens association of the sea with the bowl of white china . . . holding [his mothers] green sluggish bile which she had torn up from her rotting liver by fits of loud groaning vomiting depends upon his responding to Mulligans shaving bowl as a transitive but submerged metaphor signified by the present members of the metaphorical seriesthe sea and the bowl of bileand in turn signifying them (U.5; I.108-110). Stephen is a hydrophobe whose neurosis depends upon metaphors taking precedence over logic.​  (Daniel R. Schwarz, Reading Joyces Ulysses. Macmillan, 1987) Also Known As: implicit metaphor