Educational Observation of Development of a 5th Grader Essay

Archie is a 10 year old in the fifth grade class here at Friends’ School. He’s attended this school from preschool until now, a total of seven years. He lives in the neighborhood and tends to be one of the first kids in the classroom every morning. In general he seems to be a happy child, smiling often. He has a tendency to be quite goofy at times and struggles with impulse control, often speaking out in class or being disruptive by talking or making jokes. This seems to stem from his ADHD, which he is on medication for. Though he has many challenges related to his ADHD, he displays an aptitude for math, enjoys reading, loves computers and is full of random facts that he adores to contribute. His general health seems fine however we have noticed that he spends quite a bit of time in the bathroom on occasion. We suspect that he may have digestion/constipation issues, however this is unclear and only speculation, as his younger sister is known to have these issues. He is on ADHD medication and takes that daily. He chooses not to eat a snack mid morning, but seems to eat a light lunch every day. He is of average height and weight in comparison to his classmates. He has plenty of energy daily and hasn’t missed any school due to sickness in these first 5 weeks of school. Archie is the oldest of two children. His younger sister is in the second grade here at Friends’ School. His parents are his adoptive parents, though his sister is biological – I do not know any further information about this at this time. His parents are both Lawyers by trade, though the Mother is the only one currently practicing. His father is the Hockey Coach at DU. I see both parents frequently here at the school dropping off and picking up their children. In addition, their Nanny and Aunt are often here at the school and heavily involved in their lives. They also are very involved with them at home and are on top of Archie’s behavior including enforcing consequences. Why I selected this child? The decision on which child to choose was an interesting process for me. I found it quite difficult because I truly wanted to learn the most from this process as possible. Not only about this one individual child, but learning that will relate to future students in my classes. I knew that I wanted to choose someone that didn’t fall into the gifted/exceptional categories  academically because in the future I don’t see myself working with kids that are outliers on either end of extremes, and didn’t feel I would learn what I wanted to by choosing someone from those categories. Once removing some of those kids, that also removed some of the obvious choices with quirky personalities! However, I find myself lucky to have a number of interesting and bold personalities in class and no one that seems to get overlooked or blend into the cracks. I took a look at the kids that were right were they needed to be academically, however had some barriers to learning socially/emotionally/behaviorally etc. Who needed extra help in ways that I don’t currently know how to attend to? How do you support these types of kids and encourage them to be part of the group and follow norms without squashing their own unique personality? By asking myself these, among other questions, it became obvious that Archie was my choice. I see my future classrooms having at least a few children like him that have ADHD or similar learning issues. I want to know how to relate to these kids, encourage them, and support them. I also hope to learn how to help them manage their own behavior in the classroom to allow the other children to learn and not be a constant distraction which often leaves them feeling like an outsider or looked down upon by classmates. Key questions about this child: 1. How severe is his ADHD disorder, when was it diagnosed, what is being done to help him compensate? What aspects of his learning are most affected by this disorder? 2. How to understand what life is like for him from his point of view? 3. What is the main cause for his inabilities to self regulate and his lack of impulse control? 4. Does his behavior change based on the time of day or day of the week? What about subject matter? 5. What are his strengths academically? Weaknesses? 6. Where is he developmentally in comparison to his classmates? National Norms? 7. Physical Development? (coordination, stamina, fine motor skills, rt/lt dominance, nutrition etc) 8. Mental/Cognitive Development? (multiple intelligences, level of executive function etc) 9. Does he have any other health issues? Possible digestive/constipation? 10. What is his background in regard to being adopted and does that have any bearing on his current issues? (ie. Drugs/alcohol birth parent? etc) 11. Does his  sister have any similar behavioral or learning issues? 12. Who are his friends and how does he relate to them? Do any of his issues get in the way of those relationships? 13. How does his family & life outside of school affect his daily life in school? (ie extracurricular activities, consequences, family culture, parental expectations etc) 14. What language and questions are best when communicating with this child? What approaches work? What encourage him vs deflates him? 15. How does he function in large groups, small groups, pairs? 16. How does he respond when he’s faced with something difficult or makes mistakes? What motivates him to try harder? Participate? Key questions for me to learn from this study: 1. What can we do as teachers to help him with these issues?   2. How can I connect with him and support him?  3. What can I learn from this child’s behavior and needs that I can use with other future students? 4. What exactly is ADHD and how does it affect a child’s learning? 5. How might I better support and motivate children with learning disorders? 6. When comparing students development in general, what factors influence their development? Physical Development Archie falls into the category of the Middle Years which occurs from the ages of six to twelve. This is a time when growth slows down in comparison with the periods preceding and following it (Stone & Church, 1984, p426). Archie is 10 years and 2 months old. He is one of the youngest children in his class, though his physical development seems to be consistent with that of a typical 10 year old. He is 56.5 inches tall and weighs 80 pounds. When directly compared to his 20 classmates, both male and female, his height falls in the middle of the pack at the 10th tallest and his weight slightly higher at the 15th heaviest. When compared to the national average growth charts in the United States, he falls into the 75th percentile of 10-year-old boys in both height and weight (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000). His BMI, calculated at 17.6, places him into the 65th percentile for boys his age and is deemed a healthy weight (Center for  Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). He has not hit his adolescent growth spurt yet, which is not expected until he turns twelve or thirteen. (see Appendix B for all growth charts) Overall, Archie’s general health appears good. Since the beginning of the school year, he has only missed one day of school due to being sick. This seems to be on par with others in his class. He has been clinically diagnosed with ADHD and is currently on medication for this issue. The medication is administered in the morning then again at lunchtime by our administrative staff. He has expressed the annoyance of having to take the medication during the day at school but said that it really helps him in class, so it’s worth it. Archie said he has been taking ADHD medication since he was in second grade and it has tremendously helped. In addition to the ADHD diagnosis, we have observed some potential digestive issues. A few times a week, Archie will disappear for long periods of time in the bathroom. When asked if everything is all right, he says yes, however this is abnormal behavior for a 10 year old. It is understood that his younger sister who is in the 2nd grade does indeed have constipation issues, so we think that may be affecting Archie as well. Over the course of my 6 weeks of observations, this bathroom behavior continued which leads me to speculate that something is going on in regard to his digestion and elimination. The ADHD medication does not appear to affect his physical health, however his eating habits do seem to be affected. The majority of the children eat a snack every morning around 10am and Archie never does. I’ve asked him why and he says he isn’t hungry. He prefers to get on the classroom computers for the 15-minute duration of snack time. For lunch everyday, he brings a Vanilla Ensure along with a few other nutritious items. Ensure is a nutritional shake that has essential vitamins, minerals, fat, and protein, along with aiding in digestion and providing energy. I was told he started bringing these last year to make sure that he was getting some nutrition during the day because he often times did not eat much. I also wonder if a secondary reason has to do with his digestive issues. He nearly always drinks the Ensure and occasionally eats the other items he brings. He is nearly always one of the first children done with his lunch and is eager to get on the computers to play a game. In addition to his daily snack and lunch habits, I have noticed that when offered snacks or sugary treats he never partakes. A few examples are  during birthday celebrations or the harvest festival, both of which consist of potluck treats brought in by classmates. In addition, the music teacher says that he never takes the skittle reward claiming â€Å"he said he doesn’t need extrinsic motivation!† It seems that there is a clear link between his ADHD medication consumed during the day and his lack of appetite. I am unsure of how he eats at home, however seeing that his height and weight fall into healthy categories, his current nutrition must be providing what he needs. Throughout the day, his energy levels are consistent, however his focus and attention seem to be best in the morning. Many times a day we gather the group into a circle. He tends to be fidgety and move a lot, so he is allowed to sit on a stool during these times (unlike other children who sit on the floor). These times seem to be the most difficult for him to manage impulse control, stay focused and suppress excess energy. These behaviors are consistent with his ADHD and there have been modifications in the classroom, such as the stool, to support him with that. His mood seems to stay consistently jovial throughout the day, and his bodily movements don’t seem to express this aspect of him. It appears his motor skills are appropriate for his age, though it is clear during observation that those skills are not nearly a s advanced as many of his classmates. His large motor skills show the most obvious discrepancy. His movements when running, kicking and throwing a ball are awkward, jerky and only mildly coordinated (See picture #8a in Appendix A). Children with ADHD are notoriously clumsy and tend to have problems with how they perceive their bodies in relation to space (Freed & Parsons, 1997, p64). His PE teacher says that he has never been that great at sports and often seems to exaggerate his bodily movements. She suspects some of the exaggeration is to be humorous and to distract from his lack of coordination in comparison to the other students. Energetically he seems to easily have the stamina to keep up with the sports and activities at hand, however, the interest in these activities seems to be lacking. This shows up not only in PE class but also on the playground at recess. Over many days of observing Archie at recess, never once did I see him participate in any kind of sport activity. Daily the other children are playing kickba ll, capture the flag, four square or tag, and he never chooses to join in. He often chooses to hang out with the same 2 to 3 boys engaging in non-physical activities while talking and sitting on the picnic  table, under the play structure or hanging from the chain loops. A few times I observed him reading by himself on the playground. I find it intriguing that his energy and body movements inside the classroom seem heightened, yet he does not feel the need to exert this energy outside of the classroom. Personal interest and aptitude in sports seems to play a role in this discrepancy. However, it leaves me curious as to what else might be influencing his physical behaviors and choices. In addition, it is said that during the middle years, motor skills blossom as children become proficient at many types of physical activities, skills and games (Stone & Church, 1984, p450). This also makes me wonder what he might be missing out on developmentally by not having interest in these physical activities. His fine motor skills are on par with the other students in his class. Though his handwriting is not always perfect, when he takes the time, it is often much nicer than the other boys in the classroom. His written work, both writing and math, is legible, tends to be larger letters, and of average quality (see Appendix C ). His drawing and art skills are less advanced, more careless and not as refined as evidenced by picture #6b & 6b of his art project box in comparison to four other students (see Appendix A). His attention to detail in writing is much more pronounced than in drawing (see Appendix C, 4/5/6). He is right handed, holds the pencil appropriately and writes with adequate pressure. He is sufficiently coordinated with scissors and math tools as well. There is no evidence that his fine motor skills are deficient, just not as advanced as some though on par or exceed others in his classroom. Overall, Archie’s physical development seems to fit the usual pattern of his age group. The differences I have observed are in his gross motor skills being less coordinated than others and his lack of interest in physical activities during recess and PE. I have not noticed any physical development issues that are affecting his learning or social interactions, though it is clear that his ADHD does have an impact on all areas of his life. Cognitive Development Perhaps the most intriguing aspects of Archie’s development are in both the social/emotional and cognitive realms. He is a generally happy child that comes to school everyday with a positive attitude and a smile on his face.  He is caring and empathetic to others and is quite self-aware and reflective. He has the tendency to be quite goofy, often looking for ways to be the class clown and generate a laugh. Controlling his urges to speak out, move about or be appropriate in the moment is very difficult for him. You can see that he often acts first then thinks later. His impulses seem to get the best of him at times and often leads to him causing interruptions and getting into trouble. You can see that he is a good-natured boy and means well, however his low executive functioning skills make it difficult for him in the classroom. Luckily, his happiness seems to remain strong and resilient despite his social/emotional shortcomings. All of this can be accounted for when viewed through the lens of a child with Attention Deficit Disorder. Therefore, we must first examine his cognitive development before addressing his social/emotional development. ADD is described as a neurological syndrome that has three primary symptoms: impulsivity, distractibility and hyperactivity. The American Psychiatric Association states in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) that 3%-7% of school-aged children have ADHD (Freed & Parsons, 1997). Research shows that each year there is a drastic increase in reported cases and boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed. Why might this be? Children with ADD or ADHD (incorporating the hyperactivity component) are often easily distracted, find it difficult to listen, follow directions, trouble sitting still and control impulsive behaviors. It is not surprising that in the typical school system that a child with these issues would be looked at as a nuisance and difficult to teach. Freed and Parsons (1997) say that the percentage is growing because of the cultural influences and failure of our educational system to understand and adequately address it [ADHD]. In their book, Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World, they make the argument that mostly gifted and virtually all children with ADD share the same learning style (Freed & Parsons, 1997, p17). They are often highly visual learners, with non-sequential processing and creative tendencies. Interestingly enough, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory also addresses this discrepancy in learning behavior. Gardner’s multifaceted view of intelligence suggests a plurality in view of mind and intelligence, recognizing many different facets of cognition and their strengths and weaknesses (Gardner, 1993, p6). Our  American school system has been set up to support left-brained learners who are strong at regurgitating information but weak at creative and problem solving skills. The ADHD ch ild does not fit well into this rubric, which results in his disorder looked at as a problem as opposed to a gift. Both theorists suggest that there are students like Archie who think differently and possess strengths that are not explored or supported in the traditional school system of our left-brain focused society. Luckily, we as educators are learning and expanding! As stated in The Compassionate Classroom, â€Å"The trust level rises markedly when students realize that a relationship based classroom teacher is supporting their common needs rather than ranking their academic differences.† (Hart, Hodson, 2004, p. 20) As I stated in my introduction, my decision to choose this child was in order to learn what I could do as a Teacher to help these non-traditional learners flourish in their education. Archie was formally diagnosed with ADHD in the second grade and began seeing the school psychologist at that time. His kindergarten/first grade teacher said they had been talking to the parents since kindergarten about the need for some intervention and possible learning issues, yet the parents were quite resistant up until the second grade. At that point, they did decide to get Archie evaluated and it was determined that he had ADHD and medication would help him. Due to Archie being adopted, I found it intriguing that his biological sister also had ADHD. What is the hereditary link and how does adoption play a role? After further investigation, one study published by the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found that out of 808 adopted children ages 4-18, 21% had enough behavioral symptoms to qualify for a diagnosis of ADHD. This is over twice the rate in the general population (Connell, P). They also say that 40% of children with ADHD will have a parent with ADHD, usually the father (Adesman, MD). Wow! It isn’t a stretch to start to see the link and why. ADHD greatly effects the executive function of an individual, so poor impulse control and accompanying behavior may account for the factors that make these numbers abnormally high. These adoptive children are exposed to more risk factors such as smoking, drinking, drugs, malnutrition, neglect, and unplanned pregnancy (Kunz, 2010). Archie and his sister came from the same set of birth parents three years apart. It does not surprise me at all to think that these siblings were exposed to any number of risk factors  seeing that the parents chose to give up one child and then got pregnant 3 years later and gave that one up as well! One of the areas most affected by ADHD is in the realm of executive function. In a 1990 study published in the medical journal Lancet, a discovery was found when using PET scans to measure the brain activity in 9 children with ADHD. The scans showed an abnormally low cerebral activity in the frontal areas of the brain responsible for concentration, language development, attention span, impulse control and logical, sequential reasoning. Conversely, they found higher activity in the occipital or rear lobe, which is the primary visual area of the brain (Freed & Parsons, 1997, p36). If the areas of the brain most affected by ADHD are associated with carrying out executive function, that wo uld explain Archie’s behavior in many ways. His biggest issue is with impulse control. He calls out answers and comments consistently throughout the day, and has a hard time waiting to be called on when he’s excited with an answer. His humor is often interjected at inappropriate times and if you ask him why he chose to do what he did, he often says he couldn’t help it and that he had to. It seems that in the moment, he doesn’t â€Å"think† before he acts. When in a group at circle his attention starts out on task but then diminishes quickly over time. If he is working independently he often needs to sit by himself in order to focus. I’ve observed that he participates in small groups pretty well, however if with certain kids he just goofs off. His strength seems to be in cognitive flexibility as he is able to problem solve, adjust to various settings and is socially aware of others and their point of view. A great example of this perspective shift is when he is pulled aside for inappropriate behavior. Once removed from the initial impulsive moment he can easily see how his behavior was inappropriate or disrespectful to the class or teacher. Archie usually becomes apologetic and submissive, saying sorry and that it won’t happen again. I’ve been impressed by his mature response to these instances and level of respect shown. Many children might make excuse after excuse, however, he admits that it was a poor choice on his part and moves on. Theorist William Damon had an interesting six-stage theory on human moral reasoning and its relation to authority. It seems to me Archie falls into the fifth stage of special preparation where the superior is seen as superior and obedience is founded on respect and faith in the authorities  concern (Stone & Church, 1984). Despite Archie’s ADHD diagnosis, he appears to be developing cognitively at his appropriate age level. In both 4th and 5th grade, his writing and reading assessments place him squarely performing at grade level (see Appendix D). For the writing he was given a prompt to write a story, create a rough, then final draft. For reading, he was asked to read a short story out loud and respond to a series of comprehension questions. When comparing the two grade level evaluations, you can see the improvements made from year to year and the expansion of his abilities in these areas. If you take a look at his current writing samples, you can see his personal expression expressed and some really creative thinking, in addition to the accurate use of conventions (see Appendix D). Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D. says that typical ten year olds combine ideas in short, choppy sentences but with enough punch to catch the readers interest (Ames, p42). This is evidenced by his personal narrative story on page 6 of Appendix C . He seems to enjoy math, actively participating and contributing in his 5th grade level math classes. His math worksheets and homework indicate that he has a solid knowledge of the curriculum being covered and can do it on his own in and outside of class (see Appendix C, 7/8/9/10). He shows a similar eagerness and competency in Science, Spanish, Spelling and Technology. His music teacher says that he tends to goof off more than not and is awkwardly coordinated with instruments or drums in comparison to other children. However, he has expressed a love for music and is currently enrolled at The School of Rock in drum lessons. His parents said that he is doing quite well. I wonder if this individual musical instruction works for him better than in a whole class group environment. ADHD children have difficulty filtering out all the stimuli and their nervous system is on overload (Freed & Parsons, 1997, p55). If Archie feels more stimulation than other children, that can explain his difficulty in certain highly stimulating learning environments like music or PE. Middle years children typically turn their attention toward the world at large. Piaget describes this as the stage of concrete operations, during which children have limited capacity for abstract thought but can deal with objects quite fully (Stone & Church, 1984, p. 493). Piaget believes that children construct their knowledge of the world though active manipulation with materials (Pawlina, 2011) Essentially, learning by  experience. Archie is most engaged in school when he is actively â€Å"doing† something and problem solving. When administering the Piagetian tasks he showed competent levels of knowledge in laws of conservation, reversibility and demonstrated logical thinking. When asked why he knew what he knew, most of his responses were matter of fact and then expanded in very creative and unique ways. For example, in the water level comparison, he said they were the same amount because I didn’t take any water out†¦.†unless it quickly evaporated† ha ha. Or when asked about the wood beads, he very animatedly exclaimed, â€Å"What do you mean? They’re ALL wood!!! So obviously more wood beads!† and laughed. Archie always has a humorous, clever remark to add in all his interactions. Though not always appropriate, his sense of humor is one of his biggest strengths. This in addition to his creativity and ability to think beyond what he sees in front of him tells me that he has progressed beyond the concrete operational stage in ways that aren’t accounted for in Piaget’s tests. Critics of Piaget’s theory note that he does not account for other competencies a child has developed. I believe this is where Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory and Right and Left Brain Dominance theories realistically cover far more of the learning population in our world today. In taking a Right Brain, Left Brain dominance test (TPT, 2012) we concluded that Archie is a combination of both left and right brained. Though he is right handed and a right foot kicker, his eyes and ears are left dominant (see Appendix E). We took some time to go over the typical characteristics of each and he claimed he identified with nearly all of the Right brain qualities. I then gave him The Connell Multiple Intelligence Questionnaire for Children (Connell, J.) which is a series of statements you are to check off if it describes you (Appendix ). Archie scored highest in the areas of Word Smart, Nature Smart and People smart. These categories correspond to Gardner’s labels Linguistic, Naturalistic and Interpersonal intelligence (Zeiger, 2012). This does not surprise me! In observation, it is evident that Archie is extremely creative with his words, both written and oral, he has a charismatic, humorous, and sensitive personality in addition to showing interest in science, geography and nature in general. Social/Emotional Development Archie’s social and emotional development seem to reflect similar advances as his cognitive development. Being that your happiness is generally based on your experience of the world around you, it is clear that Archie is at a happy place in life. Ames (1998) says that a typical ten-year-old has generally reached an enjoyable state of equilibrium. They love life and share it enthusiastically with those near and dear (p21). This truly seems the case for him as he comes to school every day in a pleasant mood, a smile on his face, eagerly interacting with classmates and has only complained about not liking homework! In his earlier years at Friends School, the school psychologist started to work with Archie to build his low self-esteem, ease anxiety and self regulate impulse control. Right off the bat she implemented play therapy, allowing him to choose materials that help him express himself. He chose a lot of mastery kinds of games that he was able to solve or figure out and this made him feel better about himself. She says he was always a well-intentioned kid, he just doesn’t think before he acts. This behavior got him into a lot of trouble in 3rd grade, so she worked with him on better control and choosing which children to be around. At this time he had only been formally diagnosed with ADHD and on medication less than one year. She said, â€Å"Once his bio-chemistry was corrected, he had to go back to learn what the other children had already learned about choosing friends, making good decisions and controlling impulses. â€Å" It makes sense that these areas of social finesse are behind those of his classmates and affect his interactions to this day. Social difficulties often accompany special needs learners and giftedness, I see this clearly represented in both Archie and other students with these labels in my classroom. Regardless of his past, I see that classmates really seem to enjoy his humor and contributions. No doubt his caring and empathetic nature, along with that humor, are his strengths socially. When administering the Piagetian tasks, I asked him about how he thought 5th grade was going. With a big smile he said â€Å"fine, I like it.† I proceeded to ask about his friends and who was a best friend. Many times he said â€Å"I have lots of friends†, but no mention of a best friend. Louise Bates Ames state’s in her book Your Ten-to-Fourteen-Year-Old that some ten-year-old boys have a â€Å"gang† of friends whom they seem to like about equally: â€Å"To me they aren’t best friends. They’re all my friends† (p262). In my observations I noticed  that Archie gravitates to specific friends during recess, while chatting in the classroom during transition or in the morning before classes. These friends are nearly always boys. He initiates conversation often in these circumstances; most times extremely enthusiastic about whatever it is he would like to share. On the playground, it’s most common for him to choose 2-3 boys to hang out with and have conversations throughout the entire recess, preferring that to any sport or activity. The fact that he only chooses to socialize with other boys is consistent for his age group. Nearing the end of the middle years, the majority of girls and boys are not interested in the opposite sex†¦yet. However, they are aware that boy-girl relationships lie ahead of them (Ames, 1989, p38). Erikson describes the crisis of this period as industry vs. inferiority saying that children are aware and eager to acquire information about sex (Stone & Church, 1984, p451) Though I am not there for their sexual education classes on Fridays, I did observe during a field trip that Archie was joking around about those types of relationships, teasing a few of the girls, and making jokes of bladder infections. It was good natured and harmless, this indicates to me that he is aware of the future potential, though clearly not ready for it himself. Play touches on every aspect of development and learning (Rogers & Sawyer, 1988, pvii). Due to his common choices at recess, I have not adequately been able to observe Archie’s choices of play. It is common for this age group to move from symbolic play into an interest in games with rules. This transition period roughly corresponds to Piaget’s concrete operational period of cognitive development (Rogers & Sawyer, 1988, p20). An exception in Archie’s recess choices was a time for a few days where there was a group of about 20 children of all ages who created a game using the used tires on the playground. I watched the interaction for two days in a row and was quite impressed with the level of creativity they all displayed in the rules of this game and how well they self monitored it’s progression. Archie was actively involved as one of the referees. He did not ever participate in the competitive aspect of the races, but immensely enjoyed being the keeper of the rules, telling others where to go, start the race and call the winner. He even ran inside once to get a camera to capture the â€Å"photo finish† (see picture#3b in Appendix A). Piaget outlined two criteria for games with rules: competition and mutually agreed upon or  formal rules to govern the activity (Rogers & Sawyer, 1988, p50). This playground game certainly fits that criterion. I think it is interesting to note that he chose a role where there was no competitive motivation, but allowed him to be in charge and step into a leadership role. I loved seeing this for Archie because leadership is an area I don’t think he has much experience with. This game gave him the opportunity for success! Research tells us that play contributes to learning and cognitive maturity in so many ways, I do wonder what impact the lack of play has on his social development. When working in groups, Archie is often supportive of the others and contributes, however is rarely the leader. Often he will get off task and interject humor becoming a disrupter. This happens especially when grouped with certain other boys in the room. He seems to work better independently or with one other partner, especially when he is interested and there are hands on activities. Though he knows who these students are that trigger his inappropriate behavior, he still needs to work on making better choices. Therefore, it is paramount to help him facilitate good choices when choosing partners or groups. We actively remind him and others to make good choices, and if that is not displayed I quietly pull him aside and ask if that was his best choice of partner or behavior. He immediately get’s a sheepish grin saying â€Å"no†, looking down in humility. In any intervention of behavior that I’ve observed with another adult, myself included, he is consistently respectful and more than willing to listen, including the ability to quickly admit when his is wrong. Ames (1989) says â€Å"Ten’s usually respect the teacher and often accept her word as law even more than that of their parents.† (p41) Overall, Archie is a well-integrated, happy child who is learning and developing socially and emotionally. He gets along with others, displays caring and empathy, is happy with the friends he has and enjoys a positive experience of school. Any shortcoming he has is easily explained by the affect ADHD has on his executive functioning skills and general maturity. It has been helpful to learn that I need to focus on helping Archie implement tactics that help him make better choices in the future, and not focus on bad behavior. Clearly, his impulse control gets the better of him, so any way to help him to increase his awareness around others is imperative. Summary Archie is a great kid, with lots of potential along with some unique learning needs. His sense of humor and excitement is contagious, making him quite a likable child. He has the combination of many factors influencing all aspects of his development. It is exciting to hear the feedback of previous teachers and therapists; his development has come a long way since entering the school in preschool. He has shown consistent improvement in his academic abilities from year to year and marked improvement from second grade until fifth since being medicated for ADHD. In my observation of him in the classroom, it seems that his behavior has much to do with his level of interest he has in the topic and who he is surrounded by. We are actively looking for ways to help him succeed and give him the right environment to promote his learning. Giving children many modalities of input and experience is key to tapping into all the intelligences of both right and left-brain learners. Visual, verbal, kinesthetic, and artistic aspects must be incorporated into lessons to support all learners. Archie has consistently displayed higher than average intelligence when he is actively engaged and fully understands what is expected of him. It has been such a privilege to take a closer look at someone else’s life in an attempt to learn them better so that you may then be better. He has helped me create empathy for him and others that have learning impediments like ADHD, poor executive functioning skills or social/emotional deficits. It is fascinating to look back and review my initial questions posed for this study and see that I have been able to answer them all to some degree! Not only do I have a greater understanding of this specific child and his development, but an increased knowledge of what is going on for students with special needs and how I may help them. As teachers, our understanding of where a student is at and how to get them to the next level is essential to our children’s learning. Vygotsky says that through observation, we can know a child’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Pawlina, 2011). In this space of what a child can do independently and what they can do with adult support, lies the opportunity of learning and development. This child study has provided that opportunity for acute observation and questioning of what a child with ADHD and right brained learning tendencies needs. We as educators need to adapt to the needs of our individual learners. Archie is lucky to be in a school where social emotional needs are a strong focus in  the classroom. This allows him the support he needs to accommodate his reduced executive function skills, yet the space to express his creativities and unique personality. Gardner says in his 1993 book Multiple Intelligences: In my view, the purpose of school should be to develop intelligences and to help people reach vocational and avocational goals that are appropriate to their particular spectrum of intelligences. People who are helped to do so, I believe, feel more engaged and competent, and therefore more inclined to serve the society in a constructive way† (p9). I completely agree with Gardner and see myself as a liaison to learning. Maybe Alexandra K. Trenfor said it best â€Å"The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see†. Works Cited Adesman, Andrew (2012) Expert advice: ADHD and Adoption. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/parenting/adhd-adopted-child/ American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington: American Psychiatric Association. Ames, Louise Bates. (1988) Your ten-to fourteen-year-old. New York, NY: Dell Publishing. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000, May 30). Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://www.cc.gov/growthcharts Connell, J.D. The Connell Multiple Intelligence Questionnaire for Children. Scholastic Teaching Resources Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://printables.scholastic.com/ Connell, Pam. (2012) ADHD and Adopted Children. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://adoption.families.com/blog/adhd-and-adopted-children Freed, Jeffrey & Parson, Laurie. (1997) Right-brained children in a left-brained world: unlocking the potential of your ADD child. New York, NY: Fireside. Gardner, Howard. (1993) Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice. New York, NY: Basic Books. Hart, S. & Hodson, V. (2004). The compassionate classroom: relationship based teaching and learning. Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancer Press. Kunz, Marnie. (2010, March 23) Adoption & ADHD. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/83314-adoption-adhd/ Pawlina, S. (2011, September 16) Developmental Theorists – Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Gardner and Dewey [Overview handouts] The Premier Tutors (2012, April) Are You Right-brained or Left-brained? That Is the Question. Retrieved October 22, 2012 from http://thepremiertutors.org/ Rogers, Cosby S. & Sawyers, Janet K. (1988) Play in the lives of children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Stone, L. Joseph and Church, Joseph. (1984) Childhood and adolescence: a psychology of the growing person (5th Edition). New York, NY: Random-House. Zeiger, S. (2012). Multiple Intelligence Test for Children. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://kids.lovetoknow.com/

Lessons for Undercover Bosses Essay

Managers are the effective players in the field of organizational behavior. They are tasked with learning how individuals, groups, and structure define their organization’s culture and how to create a culture that improves the company’s effectiveness and success (Robbins and Judge, 10). Effective managers must be excellent communicators and great human resource managers, which means they must know their employee’s needs (Robbins and Judge, 8-9). In order to understand the organization’s culture, the manager (or executive) must get to know the structure, groups, and individuals within their organization. When a manager â€Å"walks around† and meets those within the organization they’re managing, they can better understand their needs and are learning about problems and concerns within their organization firsthand (Rama, Sashith & Subrahmanyam). In management by walking around (MBWA), interpersonal contact is made, open appreciation is developed, and managers lead by displaying civility and rewarding performance (Rama, Sashith & Subrahmanyam). Helping employees balance work-life conflicts is a major complication in today’s working world (Robbins and Judge, 21), but the manager cannot understand the barriers to the balance of work and life if they do not communicate with the employees and their day-to-day jobs. Creating a positive work environment is another crucial element in the culture of the comp any (Robbins and Judge, 22); this element cannot be understood without understanding the people and their desires. Many times, a manager can learn the â€Å"emotional temperature† of a room and find employees  who are angry, upset, or simply stressed, which are all problems to be addressed and resolved (Managing). MBWA gives managers a way to relieve day-to-day conflicts before they become organizational problems. Question #2 While many workers prefer not to be micromanaged by their managers, research studies have indicated that regular attention from supervisors interacting with employees can actually improve work productivity. One of the most famous studies of this phenomenon unveiled the Hawthorne Effect. Back in the 1920’s Harvard researchers conducted a research study in the Hawthorne Works plant to determine if different amounts of lighting improved worker productivity. They found a correlation between increased lighting and worker productivity. However, when they turned down the lighting, worker productivity also strangely increased. According to an Industrial Management article by Chris Porter (2012) entitled â€Å"The Hawthorne Effect Today,† they uncovered that worker productivity had nothing to do with lighting, but instead the fact that workers were monitored and supervised on a regular basis contributed to their increase in productivity (p. 11). As the Hawthorne Effect indicates, workers appreciate the fact that their supervisors regularly spend time with their teams and the payoff has been demonstrated to result in increased productivity for the firm. According to Porter (2012), â€Å"management can apply psychological motivation techniques to modern processes to improve productivity, reduce defects and establish a culture for continuous improvement (p. 11). By establishing a culture with active supervision, everything becomes more team oriented and more can be accomplished (p.15).† Workers knowing that their leaders spend time interacting with the team creates stronger teams. Therefore, knowing that top executives routinely interact with line employees has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on worker attitudes toward the organization. Question #3 Certainly one way for executives and organizational leaders to learn about daily business operations is the practice of management by walking around and to a more extreme level would be going â€Å"undercover†. The one characteristic from both of these approaches that stands out is the interpersonal relationships that are developed between front line workers  and the executive team. Fostering positive social relationships in the work environment leads to more open channels of communication. By creating a more non threating work environment, the need for someone to go â€Å"undercover† would be eliminated and would promote the importance of bottom up communication within the organization. Another example for executives to use would be to schedule staff meetings with the front line workers and allowing them to have a forum to voice the challenges and opportunities that they see on a day-to day basis. This method of management promotes employee engagement within the comp any. A more indirect approach for executives to use would be to conduct employee surveys and/or use questionnaires. This approach allows the employees to remain anonymous and give more honest feedback on issues and concerns that they experience on a daily basis. Question #4 Obviously, compared to desk-bound approach to management, â€Å"management by walking around† (MBWA) helps managers to understand what bottom managers and staffs do every day (Robbins and Judge, 8). This is the kind of strong relationship between managers and staff which helps contribute to the effectiveness of the whole organization, as well as understanding individuals, groups, the working environment and the organization’s culture. By knowing the skills needed for a job, the time to work available, and the problems happening in the front line, managers easily make some human resource decisions. However, there are also some questions concerning MBWA. It is dangerous if managers use too much time discovering whether or not people are doing things correctly. Otherwise, taking a longer time to communicate or walking through staffs’ offices will cause an impression that the manager is loafing, and people may feel they are being watched. MBWA is about building relat ionships, not micro-managing people. Just monitoring is not helpful for effectiveness of work. If a manager spots something of concern, then he or she should address this with the team manager separately. It is vital that employees do not feel that they need to always be on their best behavior, or the activity will be a waste of time (Lop). If a manager wanders round very occasionally, it will engender the view that the manager is bored or has simply been instructed in the action. To solve the problem that MBWA  leads employees to feel they are being spied on, managers should take some actions to minimize these concerns. First, do not spend too much time on one person, which makes him feel different from others. Try to spend roughly the same amount of time — not necessarily all in the same day or even the same week, but over the long run — with each person who reports to you (Lop). Second, ask for suggestions and recognize good ideas. Ask each employee for his or her thoughts about how to improve products, processes, sales, or service. Last, do not criticize; instead, make a note of it and address the problem at another time and in another setting (Lop). Works Cited ‘Management by walking around’: 3 tips. (2014). Managing People at Work, 1(8), 1. Lop, P. (2011). The Pros and Cons of Management by Wandering around. http://www.insidebusiness360.com/index.php/the-pros-and-cons-of-management-by-wandering-around-6174/#sourcesAndCitations Porter, C. (2012). The Hawthorne effect today. Industrial Management, 54(3), 10-15. Rama Mohan, D.D., Sathish Kumar, S. S., & Subrahmanyam, G.G. (2013). Management by Walking Around: An Effective Tool for Day-to-Day Operations of Hospital. UIP Journal of Operations Management, 12(1), 58-61. Robbins, S. & Judge, T. (2013). Organizational Behavior, 15th Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson.

A comparing and contrasting paper about the work,lives and the impact Research

A comparing and contrasting about the work,lives and the impact on society of Kate Chopin and Winslow Homer - Research Paper Example However, the standard for a piece of work to qualify as art is the essence of aesthetics in the work. For instance, when a painter derives his imagination in the form of a painting, or an actor presents his work on a stage drama, or a writer consummates his feelings in the form of a story, these are all forms of art, and those producing such work with a sense of aesthetics are the artists. In this context, both Kate Chopin and Winslow Homer are distinguished artists in their respective fields with valuable contributions in the field. Kate Chopin was an American story writer and novelist, whose work consists of feminist elements. Her stories were targeted for almost all age groups, particularly for children, and were often published in magazines like the Atlantic Monthly and The Century Magazine. Her work led towards the attainment of the St Louis Walk of Fame Award for her diverse array of publications during the era (Tothe 1990). On the other hand, Winslow Homer was an American Landscape painter and also a printmaker. Working as a commercial illustrator, he eventually took up oil painting to produce studio work seeking advantage of the weight and density of the medium he was using. Later, he also utilized water colors for producing paintings and other studio works. One of his earliest works includes the painting of Prisoners from the front which was exhibited in Pari s. The main subject of interest was the life of the peasants and indulged into the marine themed paintings once he moved to Maine (Goodriche 1959). The greatest achievement of his work tends to be the commemorative stamp released by the US post office to honor his art. Though both the artists have immense contributions in the field of art during the initial phase of the twentieth century, yet their works differ to a large extent. On one hand where Chopin`s work focused on contemporary yet typical themes like

The EU Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The EU Budget - Essay Example The main principle is that EU funding has to be utilised only when sharing resources looks sensible to the Union's member countries. The EU's yearly budget totals to around '130 billion. This is approximately 1% of the economic wealth yielded by the member countries every year. The budget determines income and expenditure for the year, lists all the actions that are to be financed and also fixes total amount of money and staff obtainable for each. The budget also determines the amount of each payment and its authorisation. A ceiling on the expenditure limit is accorded by the member states' governments and parliaments. The limitation at present is set at 1.24% of the Union's gross national income. The budget in the year 2008 has apportioned 45% of its total expenditure to make the EU economy more aggressive and lively. This year the EU budget has plans to narrow the space between the rich and the poor member states and regions. Agriculture is apportioned with 32% of the budget which is also a major area of expenditure. Rural development and environment takes 11% and the total cost for the administrative to run the EU works up to 6% of the total expenditure. 2. An upper limit for expenditure which is agreed by the member states' governments and parliaments. ... The budget of the EU is dependent on 3 constraints: 1. The treaties, which influence the EU budget not to be in deficit which means that the total income has to cover the total expenditure. 2. An upper limit for expenditure which is agreed by the member states' governments and parliaments. This is the personal resources cap. This cap forms 1.24% of the Union's gross national income (GNI) which is to be used for payments. This amounts roughly to EUR 293 per EU citizen on average. 3. A fiscal structure established by the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission, would check the development of the EU budget set by expenditure category for a period of time. The present fiscal structure runs from 2007 to 2013. The EU has its individual resources to fund its spending. By law, these resources are of the Union. Member states who accumulate them in lieu of the EU and shift them to the EU budget. The 3 kinds of EU's own resources are: 1. Traditional own resources (TOR) which is made up of duties billed for imports from a non-EU state which approximated to around 15% of total revenue, in the year 2007. 2. Value added tax (VAT) is a consistent percentage rate which is applicable on each member state's harmonised VAT revenue forms yet another resource. This was around 15% of total revenue, for the year 2007. The gross national income (GNI) which is 0.73% and is applicable to the GNI of each member state. Even though it is a complementary item it is the prime source of revenue and amounted to around 70% of total revenue for the year 2007(http://www.eu2008.si/en/ About_the_EU /Budget/ index. html accessed on 4th June 2009). : Source: Commission of the European Communities Other sources of revenue are taxes paid by EU

Banking failures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Banking failures - Essay Example The research is based on the recent International financial crisis of UK banking system 08/09, which failed to adhere to existing financial and national regulations. The significant impact of shadow banking system that facilitates complex financial structures, derivatives and asset securities have resulted in extreme trading risk as compared to the normal banking operations. The banking system is regulated by the competition commission, which summon operations of the banks towards a complex monopoly for banking giants as compared to the smaller banks. Banking failures are termed as shutting down the operations of the bank due to inability of paying of its depositors or have lesser funds to meet its creditors and regulators obligations. The distributions of its assets and liabilities are evident due to insolvency of the bank which implicit that its assets are undervalued as compared to its liabilities at market value. The banking regulations are accredited by three organisations mainl y FSA (Financial Services Authority), Treasury and Bank of England. The interventions of the regulators were limited to aggressive situations only but since the banking crisis, the regulators are alarmed with the current regulation system. The most critical drawback for increased regulations in United Kingdom is enforcement of international banks to operate in lesser regulated environment offshore. This could result in a huge impact on the employment and financial institution of the country and across the globe. (Buckle & Thompson, pp. 333-345, 2005). The banking system is adhered to principle based approach as compared to the U.S rules based regulatory system. The FSA regulates promotion of efficient and rational financial services to its consumers and to achieve its objective, it ensures standards are in place for the operational activities of banks and financial institutions (Buckle & Thompson, pp. 333-345, 2005). The banking stability in UK is adhered to the Banking Act (2009), which implicit that influential organisations can be held responsible for taking control over the bank in midst of crisis and banking regulations (Parliament, 2010). It also stimulates that in case of bankruptcy of failure of banking system the ownership is controlled under public or government organisation such as Bank of England and Treasury. This has led in recent downfall of financial institutions like Northern Rock, which was rescued by the Bank of England and later on sold to Virgin group. This could be termed as failure in banking system of the oldest British financial institution during the 08/09 financial crunch (Buckle & Thompson, pp. 333-345, 2005). 2. Literature Review The British Banking system has been subject to prudential regulations for quite a long time but is now affirmative in accepting a shift to integrated system, which divulges a single regulator controlling the entire financial intuition sector. According to Buckle and Thompson (2005), the banking failure was apparent since the Great Depression of 1920 when numerous banks and financial institutions collapsed due to failure of regulators and lack of compliance of banking legislations. The British banking sector was not affected with the major crisis until 1973, when Bank of England rescued several secondary banks that were strongly depended on heavy deposits due to intra-bank

Homeworrk Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homeworrk Questions - Assignment Example The birthright citizenship principle entails getting the citizenship of the United States through circumstances involving birth. Birthright citizenship is provided due to the jus soli. The United States citizenship is given directly to any individual who is born within the country, and is under the authority of jurisdiction of the United States. The US jurisdiction additionally covers the US Virgin Islands, Marianas and Puerto Rico. The birthright citizenship is also granted to children born outside the US to US citizens. Immigrant acculturation entails the aspects of cultural and social change that develops after contact between several cultures. The interaction cultures leads to the changes in cultures, social organizations and customs. Effective immigrant acculturation results into improved health conditions; mainly due to enhanced nutrition and healthcare access. The media is very instrumental in driving cultural integration, hence improves acculturation. Cultural integration is improved through the media’s capabilities of information and ideas exchanges; for examples, the exchanges in the performing arts like poetry or

Secondary research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Secondary - Research Paper Example In the conventional sense and wisdom, a worker or a person is considered to be a part time worker if he or she work for less than the stipulated thirty five hours in a week (Connolly & Gregory, 2008). In principle, in the recent past, the number of students in the United Kingdom who have taken up part time jobs has increased. To begin with, the students who are inclined towards taking the part time jobs are skewed differently in terms of their demographics and other social inclinations or information. Students who come from relatively poor backgrounds are most likely to take jobs part time so as to cover for the economic and financial difficulties. For instance, the students who depend on government loans and aid to cover their tuition fees are most likely to take up jobs so as to balance and afford their social costs and livelihoods. In this instance and line of thought, the students from poorer backgrounds such as Africa and Asia have been prone and skewed towards applying for jobs as part timers (Bennett, Williams, Page, Hood & Woollard, 2004). In the same respect and line of thought, people of relatively lesser status in the societal hegemony and hierarchy structure also take up part time jobs. It is conventional knowledge and common truth that people of â€Å"notable class and stature,† are more economically endowed and empowered in their lives as compared to others. For instance, the child of a president in one country as a University student in the United Kingdom would have a social more reputable name to be considered and revered in the society. Thus, it is very unlikely that such a student or person would take a part time job as an office assistant, or bar attendant while doing his or her studies. It could be because the son or daughter of the president would not perceive or view such a job to be of his or her equal measure. Thus,

History of the Department Store Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of the Department Store - Essay Example As our cities changed, the department store changed to meet the needs of the new demographics. While some suburbs flourished, inner cities fell into decline. By examining the history of the department store we can get a better look at the evolution of our American cities, and create a more effective plan for their future. The department store had its beginnings in New York when A T Stewart opened his legendary Marble Palace in 1846. This would be followed by Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Marshall Field, and Wanamaker who spared no luxury in opulent buildings, window displays, and the quality of merchandise. By the turn of the twentieth century the department store had become the hub of American inner city commerce. Owned by giants such as R. H. Macy, Marshall Fields, and A. T. Stewart, the stores reflected the name and reputation of their owners. The department store concept catapulted the owners to fame and notoriety as a1900 account of A T Stewart refers to him as "the acknowledged head of the mercantile world in this city and the sights on New York included AT Stewarts marble store downtown and Stewart's marble palace uptown" (From cellar to garret, 1900). These men that pioneered the department store helped define the geography of our cities and shape the demographics of consumerism. Department stores were created when the ability to move goods to a central location coincided with the ability to move customers to that location. Department stores were unique in their ability to offer a huge array of goods under one roof arranged in departments. "Such large retailers only became feasible when the horsecar or streetcar could deliver crowds to the central city. Department stores exploited economies in purchasing and distributing to a large market, which made them cheaper than the alternative, local neighborhood stores" (Nye, 1990, p.113). In addition, the stores utilized the concept of fixed pricing, which eliminated the need to haggle or bargain on a price. This would open the door for relatively inexperienced salesclerks that were often women. Of course, the success of the department store would be dependent upon attracting enough customers to make it a profitable venture. The introduction of the trolley car and railroad made this possible. The early department sto res were located along these lines of transportation and created the core of commerce and the inner city. In Chicago, P. Palmer ran a dry goods and carpet store in the downtown area and had foreseen the coming of the department store, and the importance of the inner city, with the success of the Marble Palace and Macy's in New York. "Palmer had correctly foreseen that State Street would become the burgeoning city's new central business district because of its location near an important transportation junction, and he invested wisely in real estate there" (Benes, 2006, p.72). In 1893, Marshall Field opened a store on Palmer's property amid the fanfare of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The store was an instant success as, "People would visit the store and then go home and tell their neighbors about it. The neighbors would come to marvel at the huge store-and to buy its rare and high-quality goods" (Benes, 2006, p.72). These department stores located in downtown areas would attract other

Case study 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

1 - Case Study Example Here the factor based on which the division has been made are not only the economic ones but also the knowledge of the people about the importance of healthcare in daily life. GE is one of the leading organizations in the world in the healthcare market and they consider India as a great prospect in terms of healthcare product and services. As the consumer good companies already started to gain huge profit from the bottom of the pyramid, and now, it is an opportunity for the medical technology and device manufacturers to grab that opportunity by reaching out to the segment with the low-cost products that can help them to capture the high percentage of untapped rural, semi urban market in India. Since the rural markets and under-penetrated semi urban markets continue to hold a promise, GE wants to the pioneer in capturing this market. This trend has been driven by the fact that getting help from the healthcare services and avail the opportunity of getting treated by the high technology product is a challenge in the rural and semi urban part of the country, particularly for the low socio-economic class and rural customers (Mukherjee, 2011). At present in the world most of the people dies due to cardiovascular disease. More than 80% of the patient sufferings from heart disease in the world are from the low income countries and in India only; over 2 million people are suffering from heart disease. Report suggested that by the 2015 India will be having over half of the world heart patient. The expensive EEG machine is only for the top end customers and countries, but as in India most of the heart patients are from semi urban or rural areas, low cost product to detect their disease can easily capture the market. So for GE it is a best opportunity and right time to look capitalizes on the bottom of the pyramid. As they are having the biggest R & D center in India and

Recruitment and Staff Selection Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recruitment and Staff Selection - Case Study Example The ideal hiring process will involve recruitment on the basis of merit only. Any kind of bias or prejudice on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity cannot be allowed to dilute a recruitment or selection process if an ideal hiring process is to be established. The problems in achieving an ideal hiring system occur because human beings are in charge of hiring. They have predispositions and they cannot remain objective at all times. This is a major impediment in achieving an ideal recruiting process. Hiring process should also be such that equal opportunities are given to everyone. Whether hiring process is internal or external in nature all applicants should be allowed to participate and they should be treated equally. An ideal hiring process also does not involve one man show. A group of employees or managers can be less bias then an individual manager because one man will not be allowed to take matters in his or her own hand and promote or hire anyone he or she wants. Equal opportunity should be the backbone of an ideal hiring process because only then it can serve the organization in the best possible way. Ideal hiring process also allows any applicant to question why his application for job was denied. This is a right that most employees are unaware of. They should be informed about the decision and the reasons for not selecting them should be disclosed. Only then Hiring process can be made crystal clear from dilutions of discrimination and personal favors. Recruitment process should also efficient. The process should not take a long time because organizations cannot waste a great amount of time on recruitment. Hiring process should be ethical, yes, but it should also be cost effective so that interests of all parties are served to the best. Costs should be kept in mind but this does not mean any compromise should be made on ethical standards. Many steps can be

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay Example for Free

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect, interior designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 projects and over 500 of them were completed. He promoted organic architecture in his time which is quite popular now. (Baruffii, 2008) He also designed officer, churches, schools, sky scrapers, and museums. He authored more than twenty books and many articles. He was a popular lecturer in both Europe and the United States (Toronto Star, 1987). This paper will discuss Frank Lloyd Wright’s history and compare it to the reasons why he is still popular today and will remain popular in the future. Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center Wisconsin into a farming family who struggled to make a living. His parents separated when he was 14. Frank then became responsible for his mother and sister as he never saw his father again. There is no record of him graduating from high school but he was accepted as a special student at University of Wisconsin in 1886. He married in 1889 and built his own home at that time. Frank Wright then went to work for another architect but lost his job when that architect found that he was designing for some on his own. He then established a business of his own out of his home. He renovated and added on to the house several times. He moved his office downtown and then moved it several other times (Huxtadey, 2009). Frank Lloyd Wright left his wife with six children to spend time in Europe while writing his first book, with the wife of a friend. He then came home and built Taliesin on 200 acres inherited by his mother. His then wife and her two children were murdered in this home. The home became his winter home and is now the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. This home is located in Scottsdale Arizona and could not be more â€Å"green† than if it had been built as part of that movement today. Wright then met and moved into to Taliesin again with a divorcee though he was still married to his first wife. He, at the same time began to the design of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He lived in Tokyo during the construction of the building. Keeping his innovative style, he designed the Imperial Hotel using both Japanese and Western architecture. He wanted to show that Japan was becoming a modern nation and that they had ties to the West. The Imperial Hotel was demolished in 1968 but some of the entrance was retained in a museum. It is studied to this day for design tones for today and tomorrows buildings. During the depression, like everyone else work was difficult to find. Wright began lecturing and writing at this time and had finally received a divorce from his first wife and married a second. He finished several books by now and was contributing to architecture magazine. Shortly thereafter, he opened his school at Talesman. The tuition was $1,100 and he shortly had a waiting list. In 1934 Wright designed and built Fallingwater which has become one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world. The house was built for Edgar Kaufmann in Bear Run Pennsylvania. It was built on a waterfall. During this time Wright was also beginning to design his modest housing. The first was his Usonian house in Madison Wisconsin. He believed that everyone should have an architect and not a cookie cutter house. (wright. htm) Wrights Fallingwater house is one of those designs that speak to our thesis. It is a design of his day, a design of today and is believed to be a design for tomorrow. There are things about mans human nature that we tend to forget. We are a part of nature. When Wright designed this home he liked the powerful sound of the waterfall and the strength and beauty of the forest around it. There were dramatic rock ledges and beautiful colors in the granite all around. He wanted the design to flow as part of nature and it did and does and will. It takes ones imagination to a place many of want to go but find difficulty in getting to. Many thousands of people view this home every year and are in awe of its beauty and design (Steffenson, 2009). Wright then returned to Arizona where he got involved in many projects in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. He designed the Opera House at the University of Arizona which was originally designed to be built in the Mid-East but was built here instead. He had a short period in his history when he suddenly likes what can only be called retro-sci-fi modernism. At that time, he designed what was to be the Southwest Christian Seminary. Many say the design was straight out of Flash Gordon. The design was never built. Benjamin Adelmans House was designed and built in Scottsdale in 1951. The Norman Lykes house was the final house in the area as it was designed just before Wright died in 1959. It was a 2,800 sq. ft. home that was circular in design and was actually built in 1967. He had much influence in architecture in the area as he was this areas most famous snow bird. He came here every winter and consistently had another idea for the desert. That was one of the beautiful things about Wright is that he could see beauty everywhere and was able to use the landscape as part of the design. Is that not what we are looking for today and probably tomorrow? Last but not least there is the Guggenheim Museum. It turns 50 this year (Lubow, 2009). Wright had yearning to elevate human society through its architecture. He felt that how we lived was how we learned. The beauty of where we lived should be mainted and nature should be a part of all design. The Guggenheim Museum is a part of the dream and the vision that Wright had throughout his life. This would be the last building he designed. It opened in New York City October 21, 1959 (Lubow, 2009). Frank Lloyd Wright died 6 months before it opened. He had many problems in making it happen. There were budget issues, building code issues, and even issues with the artists that would eventually display in the building. He spent essentially 16 years of his life designing and overseeing this building. There are some of those issues that the artists were concerned about. It is difficult to hang paintings in the museum because of the slanting of walls among other things. However, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and it is said that it is prophetic in its way of meeting the needs of today and the world of art (Lubow, 2009). Wright seemed to see today’s world and how we would envision art when he designed the building. This writer would wonder if the next 100 years they will feel the same. One of the many things that Wright believed shows in his design of the spaces at the Guggenheim. He felt that though we all crave being alone sometimes, we are only truly well developed humans when we are all socially developed. The Guggenheim is built to accommodate that. It is huge and seems bigger than life but as one ambles through, it feels as if one is alone with the art and at the same time a part of those around them. Only the design can make one feel this way. Again, is this not a design for the future? There are so many beautiful spaces built by Frank Lloyd Wright. We can only begin to know what he was truly thinking. In his biography he talks about his beliefs about human nature and the spaces they live in. His Prairie houses were built for the average homeowner and yet they are like no house that any of us can own though many of us would like to. The Prairie houses were low horizontal designs with open interior spaces. You see their influence in homes all over the United States. In conclusion, it is obvious that the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright has not gone away. His original designs are some of the most beautiful designs in the world and he is appreciated as the most famous architect of his time. He continues to be popular today as we try to move toward designs that are more natural and more part of the nature around us. In all of the designs that have been developed to take in the affects of the landscape around them we find Wright elements. These are the things that support the fact that Frank Lloyd Wright was a visionary of his time, our time and the future. Resources Baruffi, K. , (2008). 10 great places to behold Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision. USA Today. Available at http://www. ebscohost. com http://architect. architecture. sk/frank-lloyd-wright-architect/frank-lloyd-wright-architect. php Huxtadey, A. , (2009). The hand and eye of genius. Wall Street Journal. 25(24) pg. 7. Lubow, A. , (2009). The triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright. Smithsonian; 40 (3) pg 52-61. Prairie Styles, Frank Lloyd Wright (1997). http://www. prairiestyles. com/wright. htm Steffensen, I. , (2009). Frank Lloyd Wright and the gift of genius. The Journal of American Culture, 32:3. pg. 257-268. Toronto Star. (1987). Frank Lloyd Wright: his influence lives on in home furnishings; AP news features. Pg 6.

Factors Affecting Organizational Structure Essay Example for Free

Factors Affecting Organizational Structure Essay A companys organizational structure can determine its success or failure upon entry into the market. The decisions a small-business owner makes in choosing management and employee roles within the company help determine the organizational structure and can have a large influence on the culture within the business. If structure doesnt reflect the owners business goals, employees may have a hard time working successfully for the company. Change management process Research-based, holistic model for managing the people side of changewww. change-management.com Size of Business As a small-business owner, the size of your company can have a significant influence on the organizational structure of your company. If youre running a sole proprietorship with a few employees, you may not even need a well-defined organizational structure if you perform all the management functions of the business. A larger organization requires more structure to allow its different components to communicate effectively with one another. For example, a full-service restaurant requires a kitchen manager, floor manager, bar manager and general manager to run each division within the establishment and keep the employees in each division working to task. Stage of Development The stage of your companys development can dictate its needs regarding organizational structure. The youth stage of a companys life cycle emphasizes growth and the needs of the customer. This may require you as a business owner to develop an organizational structure around increased customer service, including a system to handle complaints and develop better service strategies. At this stage youre still very much in control of the majority of the companys day-to-day business decisions. By contrast, in the midlife stage of development, your company may require more levels of management to handle the growing departments with the company. Organizational structure may feel more mechanized with you as the owner somewhat removed from the day-to-day running of the company. Reflecting Organizational Culture The business culture you wish to project to your employees can dictate aspects of your companys organizational structure. For example, a company with multiple redundancies in the management infrastructure may prize procedure- and rule-following, whereas a company with a more lax management approach may encourage a culture of personal ownership among employees. Each culture has its place and benefits. A construction or manufacturing company has greater need of organizational structure and redundancy in the management infrastructure than a law firm where employees are working independently under the loose rubric of senior partners in management roles. Overall Business Strategy How your company intends to enter the market and become successful can play a role in how you choose to set up its organizational structure. For example, an aggressive marketing and product-placement strategy may require multiple department heads to coordinate efforts and ensure no portion of the companys larger plan lags behind the rest. Alternatively, a more methodical development strategy may require a smaller, more focused organizational structure, so you can actively monitor all the details of a plan and survey progress.

Common Causes for Emergency Geriatric Treatment

Common Causes for Emergency Geriatric Treatment Introduction Chronological age of 65 years or above is accepted as the defining criteria for Geriatric patients in most developed countries 1 .This large heterogeneous group is further classified into three subpopulations commonly referred as ‘Young-Old’ [65-74 Years], ‘Old’ [75-84 Years] and ‘Old-Old’ [85 years and older]. Worldwide, the number of Elderly persons is expected to more than double from 841 million people in 2013 to more than 2 billion in 2050 2.In United States, patients over the age of 64 years account for 15-18% of ED visits 3 .Of these, about 35% requires admission as inpatient and a significant proportion of this gets admitted to Intensive care units 3.. The common geriatric syndromes in the Emergency Department include altered mental status, functional decline, fall, trauma, acute abdomen, infections, acute coronary syndromes, cerbrovascular accidents and exacerbations of chronic respiratory disorders. There are unique characteristics and special needs which have to be kept in mind while addressing elderly patients in the emergency department. The clinical presentation of geriatric patients is usually complex with more of atypical manifestations; confounding effects of co-morbid diseases, super added cognitive dysfunction, polypharmacy and associated adverse drug reactions, psychosocial issues and lack of adequate social support etc 4. Assessment of these issues usually demands a comprehensive approach with detailed clinical and liberal laboratory and imaging evaluations. This is justified in the context that a brief focused evaluation can overlook many life-threatening conditions in these patient group. More over the attending physician should also try to understand the baseline functional status of the patient prior to the presentation as it has got important prognostic implications. Thus it requires great skill, knowledge and patience from the part of the attending physician and the health care team as such to effectively and safely manage this vulnerable patient population. Approach to Unstable Elderly patient in Emergency Department In general, the principles of resuscitation in elderly patients are same as the standard guidelines followed for adult patients. But it is desirable for the emergency physician to speak to the immediate relatives or to the patient himself if possible to see whether there is any advance directive or patient’s wishes for end of life care decisions. If present, it has to be respected before taking treatment decisions. The special characteristics in elderly while assessing Airway, Breathing and Circulation are summarized in figure 1.Nasal airway or Nasogastric tube has to be inserted gently with care as the nasal mucosa is very friable and has a tendency to bleed in elderly patients. Always examine the oral cavity in unconscious patients for loose fitting dentures or partly chewed food as they can cause potential airway obstruction and if present, has to be removed. Edentulous airway can result in ineffective bag-mask ventilation. Hence well fitting dentures can be kept insitu while bag mask ventilation but always has to be removed before attempts of intubation. Difficulty in extending neck or in opening mouth has to be anticipated while attempting intubation due to degenerative diseases of spine and temperomandibular joints. Arterial Blood gases are an important adjunct to the clinician as the clinical response to hypoxia, hypercapnea and acidosis can be blunted in elderly. Arterial hypotension (systolic BP 5. Serial assessment of Blood pressures and Arterial Blood gas examination to see trends in lactate, base excess and acidosis can identify such potential high risk candidates early 6. Fluid resuscitation should follow in the standard fashion with fluids or blood in an elderly patient who is hemodynamically unstable in the Emergency department. But it should be careful with constant monitoring to avoid pulmonary edema. Early blood transfusion should be considered in elderly unstable trauma patient. Common Geriatric syndromes in Emergency department Altered Mental status At least 25% of elderly patients in the ED have altered mental status 7, 8. Delirium is an acute confusional state and dementia is a chronic confusional state. Etiology of delirium is often mutltifactorial but often represents an underlying medical emergency. Diagnosis of delirium is clinical and is based on assessment of the level of consciousness and cognition. The confusion assessment method (CAM) is a useful tool for diagnosing delirium at ED 9.The important management steps in the Emergency department are illustrated in Figure 2.The first priority is to address predisposing and precipitating factors like hypovolemia, hypotension, hypoxia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, Acidosis etc. Often inpatient admission is needed for the management of the underlying illness. Drugs like haloperidol or lorazepam may be used in cases of extreme agitation but with caution and at titrating doses. Decline in Functional status Functional status reflects how well a person is able to meet his or her own daily needs-like feeding oneself, dressing up, getting out of bed, bathing, toileting etc. The attending physician should not misinterpret a decline in functional status as a part of normal ageing process. Functional status of an elderly patient can be formally assessed with use of standard scales for basic activities of daily living. Activity of Daily living –ADL is one such tool and is shown in figure 4. New onset Functional decline is often precipitated by medical, psychological or social reasons. Patients with unexplained functional decline need admission for evaluation and management. Functional decline is an important predictor of further functional decline, repeat ED visits, hospitalization, need for home care or institutionalization and death10, 11. The general approach to a patient with decline in functional status is illustrated in figure 5. Falls Falls account for approximately 10% of emergency visits in Elderly 12, 13.Falls are the most common cause of fatal as well as non fatal injuries in geriatric population. A fall should be treated as a symptom and the physician should evaluate the causes and consequences of fall. The most common reasons for injurious fall-related ED visits among the elderly were fractures (41.0 percent), followed by superficial/contusion injuries (22.6 percent) and open wounds (21.4 percent) 13. Serious injuries associated with fall include hip fracture, rib fracture, subdural hematoma, other serious soft tissue injury or head trauma. It is important to remember that a fall can signal a sentinel event in an elder person’s life triggering a downwards spiral of complicating events, finally leading to death. Acute abdomen in elderly Acute abdominal pain in elderly usually poses a challenge to the clinician as the symptoms are often non-specific, abdominal findings are often subtle and the presence of co-morbid conditions which can complicate the definitive surgical procedures. Common causes of acute abdomen in elderly include acute cholecystitis, acute appendicitis, peptic –ulcer perforation, mesenteric ischemia, acute pancreatitis, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, bowel obstruction and diverticular diseases. Elderly usually presents with atypical symptoms, often significantly late in the course of the illness. It is essential to consider serious medical conditions like inferior myocardial infarction, pneumonia, pleurisy, diabetic ketoacidosis and pulmonary embolism in all cases of suspected acute abdomen. Abdominal tenderness may not be present or poorly localized. Guarding or rebound tenderness might be difficult to appreciate. Serial abdominal examination is important as new signs tend to appear with time. High risk features include acute onset of pain, severe pain, pain followed by vomiting, worsening or persistent pain, signs of peritonitis, hemoperitoneum and hemodynamic disturbances. Liberal imaging is the usual protocol with Plain x-ray abdomen, abdominal ultrasound and CT abdomen as necessary. Patients with continuing symptoms but with unremarkable laboratory and imaging studies should be observed and serially evaluated as necessary. An approach to elderly with abdominal pain is illustrated in figure 6. Infections in elderly Elderly are significantly more prone to infections and its life threatening complications. Presentation of infection can be atypical with lack of fever or localizing features. Sepsis can present with subtle clinical features like lethargy, decline in functional status or confusion. Usual site of infections include lung, urinary tract, skin and abdomen. High index of suspicion is necessary to early identify the patients with sepsis. Management of Severe Sepsis and Septic shock in elderly should follow the standard guidelines used for adults like international surviving sepsis guidelines 14. Early initiation of antibiotics and other sepsis resuscitation bundles is found to improve mortality and functional recovery 15, 16, 17 .The salient points in the clinical approach to an elderly with suspected sepsis are summarized in figure 7. Medication related problems Adverse events related to drugs are common in elderly population and is a common cause for ED visits. Elderly are more susceptible to serious and fatal adverse drug effects due to polypharmacy, lack of monitoring , non-adherence, use of multiple medications, use of over the counter medications, wrong dosage , altered drug metabolism and propensity for drug interactions. The risk factors for serious adverse drug reaction in elderly include ‘old-old’ patient, lean body mass, more than 6 chronic medical illnesses, 9 or more drugs, more than 12 doses per day and a previous history of adverse drug reaction 18. Most commonly encountered problematic drugs include diuretics, NSAIDs, Warfarin, Digoxin, antidiabetic agents, antiepileptic agents, chemotherapeutic agents, antibiotics and psychotropic drugs 19. Detailed drug history, reviewing prescriptions and direct verification of current medications may prove to be very helpful strategies while evaluating geriatric patients in th e ED. Elder Abuse and Neglect Elder abuse is defined a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person 20. It can result either from an act of commission or of omission and may present as physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, care giver neglect, self neglect and financial exploitation. It should be suspected in patients who present with unexplained or multiple injuries in various stages of evolution. Key points: The characteristics and needs of elderly in the Emergency department are quite different than the younger patient. Clinical presentation of life threatening diseases can be atypical, subtle or misleading with absence of classic symptoms and signs. Presence of multiple co- morbid conditions and cognitive impairment usually complicates the picture. A comprehensive work up-including detailed history, physical examination and liberal investigations and imaging is recommended than a brief goal directed or symptom based work up. Altered mental status, falls, functional decline, acute coronary syndromes, stroke, infections with or without sepsis, acute abdomen and trauma are the common geriatric syndromes in the emergency department. Social and non medical issues are important and need multidisciplinary input to ensure safe and effective disposition of these population.

The Meaning of Home in The Seafarer Essays -- The Seafarer Essays

The Meaning of Home in The Seafarer  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚     It is important to consider the meaning of home when analyzing The Seafarer. The narrator of this poem seems to feel a sense of belonging while traveling the sea despite the fact that he is obviously disillusioned with its hardships .The main character undergoes a transformation in what he considers home and this dramatically affects his life and lifestyle. Towards the end of The Seafarer the poet forces us to consider our mortality, and seems to push the notion that life is just a journey and that we will not truly be at home until we are with God.   The first instance of a sense of home in this poem comes with the description of the former life of the narrator in his pre-seafaring days. He leaves his old life for some unspecified reason, telling us that he was "cut off from his kinsmen", and he talks about this with a definite sense of regret and loss. Winter on the sea is presented as an "exile" or "wrà ¦can"1 , a form of punishment where someone is forced to leave their homeland, the place where they belong. It seems that in the early stages of the poem the seafarer identifies his life with his kinsmen on land as his home, the place that he belongs.   At first he does not seem content with his seafaring life. During the early descriptions of his time there, it is painted as a life of hardship and penance. Images and adjectives of the sea and life there are harsh and foreboding-"ice cold", "hung round with icicles" , "fettered with frost". The sea is seen as cold, and not just in the physical sense .It is remote, a place of despair , an earthly purgatory, where there is "always anxiety †¦. as to what the Lord will bestow on him"2. The narrator is cut away from the comforts ... ... angels"6.What ever home we make for ourselves on Earth, we must keep in perspective that it is only temporary.   To conclude, there are two main opposing representations and aspects of home presented in this poem, from what is seen as the "norm", the narrators life on land, to the "favoured", the narrators life at sea. Home is irrevocably linked to lifestyle and should not just be where the heart is,(though there is a sense that our "Heart's fulfilment" is important) but should more importantly be a place where we can live a life that will bring us towards heaven, which the poem portrays as our eternal home. The Seafarer is a poem which urges us to carefully "consider where we possess our home, and then think how we com thither."  Ã‚     Works Cited   Mitchell, Bruce and Robinson, Michael A Guide To Old English, fifth edition 1992 , Blackwell Publishers , Oxford .  Ã‚  

Lord Of The Flies 11 :: essays research papers

Normally, when we think of worlds, the planet Earth comes to mind. What we don’t often remember is that the word world can mean more than the Earth. Webster’s New World Dictionary states that the true definition of the word world is, "some part of the earth, or an individual experience, outlook.." Keeping that definition in mind, it is true to say that the boys in Lord of the Flies were in their own world, so to speak. And it is also true that every world has its problems. A contemporary psychiatrist wrote , "The problems of the world - and they are chronicled daily in headlines of violence and despair - essentially are the problems of individuals. If individuals can change, the course of the world can change. This is a hope worth sustaining." This quote can apply both to the larger world of the Earth, and the smaller world of the island. On the island, the boys had problems from the beginning. Both Ralph and Jack wanted to be chief and when the rest of the biguns and littluns voted for Ralph, it caused friction between Jack and Ralph. Ralph tried to deal with this problem by appointing Jack the leader of the hunters and keepers of the fire. He had hoped this would repair any damage that had been done to their short friendship. Ralph was doing his duty as the chief and tried to deal with their individual problems. However, this solution ended up doing more harm than good. The friction between Ralph and Jack flourished throughout the book. Jack soon became obsessed with savagery and killing pigs. The only thing he cared about was meat. And Jack does kill a pig; however killing that pig sacrificed the fire and the boys missed a rescue opportunity because the fire went out. But Jack doesn’t seem to care. "Jack, his face smeared with clays, reached the top first and hailed Ralph excitedly, with lifted spear. ‘Look! We’ve killed a pig-we stole up on them-we got in a circle-’ They seemed to share one wide ecstatic grin. Jack had too many things to tell Ralph at once. Instead he danced a step or two, then remembered his dignity and stood still, grinning. Ralph spoke. ‘You let the fire go out.’ Jack checked, vaguely irritated by this irrelevance but too happy to let it worry him. ‘There was lashings of blood,’ said Jack, laughing and shuddering.

The Great Depression in America :: essays research papers fc

Child Labor The 1990 World Summit for children was a landmark, which was attended by 71 heads of state. It was a moment of great satisfaction and encouragement for all the international bodies engaged in their pursuit of making â€Å"A world fit for children†, when 71 heads of state pledged to eradicate polio, reduce infant mortality rate, eliminate the worst forms of child labor and promote vocational training for adolescents (Sandrasagara, 7). Complex Factors There is a popular public opinion that the children should not be exposed to labor tasks including employment at an age, which demands their involvement in educational and recreational activities. The activities undertaken at child age contribute to their growth and development and undertaking labor task at this age is no less than a crime. However, mostly people express this opinion based on strong emotions and the complex factors contributing to this dilemma are not understood in their real background. These factors range from legal, social, political and economic aspects, which extend far beyond the strong emotions. A detailed, careful and empathetic analysis of these factors can lead us to understand the problems of child labor on an international horizon. Powerful legislation, its strict enforcement and the extent of its implementation across the board on an international scale can serve as a foundation in addressing this curse. International studies reveal the magnitude of the grave problem of child labor. A systematic estimate, undertaken in 1985 (Black 9), calculated around 31 million street children worldwide, of whom 71 percent were child workers living at home, 23 percent kept occasional family contact, and 8 percent were entirely separated. The contributing factors to the child labor are limitless, however, the vital few factors are external debt, poverty, lack of appropriate infrastructure, economic crisis, and social and cultural environment. It is said that the information technology has greatly contributed in globalization and transforming the world into a global village. The irony of the situation is that everything in this world is globalizing except wealth and development. The Brettonwoods institutions i.e. IMF and the World Bank have to play a strong and unbiased role in ensuring that the seeds of growth and development are injected into the developing world. Although poverty is termed to be the main causal factor for child labor in the developing world, however, some studies have shown that some child workers â€Å"are relatively from affluent families, and engage in the business for excitement and pocket money (Myers 9).

Illusion vs. Reality

The characters portrayed this theme through perceived reality vs. actuality, knowledge is power, and knowledge can only be gained if it is presented to it first. In all three, there are people without knowledge and people with knowledge. The people that don't have knowledge are the general public, Truman, and the prisoners; the people with the knowledge are the government, Christof, and the things causing the shadows in the ave.The people without the knowledge live their lives as if they know everything while the people with knowledge try to either keep it that way or them the knowledge. Reality vs. actuality helps portray the theme though the people without the knowledge, who have his/her own reality while the actual world is something different. In Fahrenheit 451, the general public live their lives believing books are evil while they are actually not. In The Truman Show, Truman lives his life as if it is real, but it is a lie that was created for a TV show.In Plato's Republic, the prisoners were orn into a reality where shadows are their whole world, while the objects making the shadows were passing by. In all three, the reality shown to the people are not what the actual world is. Reality vs. actuality shows how the theme is portrayed in Fahrenheit 451, The Truman Show, and Plato's Republic. Another thing that helps display the theme is knowledge is power. The people who have the knowledge either use that power to keep the reality that the people without the knowledge already have or try to give them knowledge.The government in Fahrenheit 451 use firemen o try and keep the reality that books are evil and make that the truth to the general public. Christof and all the staff members in The Truman Show have the power and use actors to keep Truman's fabricated world the â€Å"truth†. In Plato's Republic the prisoners did not believe the philosopher who tried to give them knowledge and unveil the truth. The prisoners believe in their reality too much so t o them, knowledge are the shadows and that kept them under the truth. The people without knowledge are kept under their reality because knowledge can only be gained if presented it first.The people are never presented with knowledge, so they could never learn about the truth. Since the government tell lies, it prevents the general public to read books, and the general public never finds out the truth behind books. Truman never found out the actual world until he was presented with knowledge by his first love. Christof and the actors tried their best to prevent Truman from finding out the truth, but in the end they fail. In Plato's Republic the philosopher tried to present the prisoners the real world, but the prisoners rejected him and continued to believe in the shadows.The theme, we accept the reality with which we are presented, has been portrayed by reality vs. actuality, knowledge is power, and knowledge can only be gained if it is presented to it first. All of the people witho ut knowledge had their own reality that was not the actual truth. The people with knowledge had the power and tried to and the prisoners did not gain knowledge unless first presented with it. If the general public read the books, and if the prisoners did believe the philosopher, then everyone would have knowledge and there would not be a fake reality.