Amst 301

AMERICAN STUDIES 301 MIDTERM Please include a title for the midterm, TA name, and staple Description of assignment: Compose an anthology of thirteen quotations drawn from the materials assigned for the first three sections of this course (Parts I, II and III). The anthology will consist of a preface, short commentaries on each quotation, and a conclusion. The anthology should be governed by a theme (or a set of two topics aligned to the concerns of the first four sections of the syllabus) that offer a way to unite together the diverse materials for this course.The best anthologies (those that will receive an A or A- grade) will be ones where the theme enables the student to inquire into the complexities of American culture and where both the structure and content of the midterm manifest democratic thinking (i. e. , examining an issue by looking at it from multiple points of view) and integrative thinking (i. e, finding similarities or making syntheses between separate, diverse voices ). Texts for the assignment: Draw one quotation from each of the following texts or set of texts.Present the quotation and cite the text and page number of the quote (if the page number is available). Then provide your analysis of the quotation. Note: You should feel free and encouraged to arrange the quotes and commentaries in whatever order you find most appropriate and compelling. It’s best not to arrange the quotes in the order presented in the list of texts that follows. Compose an arrangement that allows you to create the most interesting and revealing conversation—or dialogue and debate–among the texts. . Carroll, ed. , Letters from a Nation 2. Katz, ed. , Why Freedom Matters 3. Smith, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 4. Cumings, Dominion from Sea to Sea, chapters 2, 10 or 11 5. O'Hearn, ed. , Half + Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural 6. Essays on Los Angeles by Christopher Isherwood, Sonora McKeller, Wanda Coleman, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Lynell George, or Bill Bradley. 7. Political oratory or writings by John Winthrop, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson or Frederick Douglass 8.Herman Melville, â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street† or Nathaniel Hawthorne, â€Å"A Gray Champion† 9. Black, Our Constitution: The Myth That Binds Us 10. Political oratory by Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr. , Thurgood Marshall, Mario Cuomo, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, or Bernie Sanders. 11. Essays or Speeches by Tony Kushner, James Baldwin, Stanley Crouch or Cornell West 12. Poetry by Pat Mora, Gloria Anzaldua, Ariana Waynes, Beau Sia, Steve Connell, Langston Hughes, or lines from comedy skits and writings by Culture Clash 13.John Leland, Hip: The History, David Brooks, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the Future Tense, or any quotation of your own selection drawn from American music, film, literature, history, politics, including lines from movies or lyrics from a so ng. Analysis of the texts: Write a commentary on each quotation that is between 3-5 sentences in length. The commentary should be more than a paraphrase of the passage: it should seek to illuminate the significance of the passage and connect the passage to other passages through comparisons and contrasts.The commentary should develop the theme or governing idea of the anthology as a whole. It is vital in these commentaries to explicate the passage first and foremost from the point of view of its author rather than to offer your personal opinion of it. Consider the commentary an act of empathic listening and of comparative or contextual analysis. Seek to understand the passage in its own context rather than just declaring its personal significance to you. Comment on the language and specific details of the passage and make both comparisons and contrasts to other texts in the anthology.Preface : Write a 1-2 page Preface to this anthology in which you introduce and explain the orchestr ating theme or themes of this anthology—-the topics, concerns, issues, arguments that govern selection of the quotations you use to compose this anthology. The Preface should be similar to a presenting a thesis to a 5-7 page critical essay in Writing 140 or 340. Conclusion: Conclude the anthology with a paragraph in which you briefly explain which text or reading assignment was most important for your education so far.Select the one text or assigned reading that you feel should definitely be included in the syllabus when I teach this course in a future semester. The task of this anthology (beyond revealing that you have studied the wide range of materials assigned so far for this course) is to find sources of unity in the diversity of the materials. Advice for the Midterm When commenting upon texts for the midterm and when choosing a theme or set of themes to orchestrate your midterm anthology, I recommend that you keep in mind the approaches of Anna Deavere Smith and Michael Kammen to American culture as described below.Smith believes that words can be â€Å"the doorway into the soul of a culture,† and in Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines (2000), she writes, â€Å"I set out across America, on a search for American character. My search was specifically to find America in its language. I interview people and communities about the events of our time, in the hope that I will be able to absorb America†¦. This is a country of many tongues, even if we stick to English. Placing myself in other people’s words, as in placing myself in other people’s shoes, has given me the opportunity to get below the surface—to get ‘real. † When you comment upon these texts, try to place yourself â€Å"in other people’s words† as if placing yourself â€Å"in their shoes. † Listen to what is said and what may be hidden between the lines, and comment upon both. Consider also what might be revealed about a te xt by comparing and contrasting its words with voices from other texts or by juxtaposing its words against the words of a different text. Compose this anthology, in other words, by â€Å"downloading† and â€Å"mixing† and â€Å"sampling† voices to burn your own CD representing and reflecting upon the â€Å"American sound. And just as in Hendrix’s version of â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner,† your anthology can give us sounds and voices of dissonance as well as harmony. Smith also writes in Talk to Me: â€Å"My pursuit of American character is, basically, a pursuit of difference. Character lives in that which is unique. What is unique about America is the extent to which it does, from time to time, pull off being a merged culture. Finding American character is a process of looking at fragments, of looking at the unmerged. One has to do the footwork, one has to move from place to place, one has to stand outside. Your anthology will be composed of a s et of 12 quotations, and each quotation can be considered a fragment. When commenting upon each fragment or text, try to relate the fragment to other fragments. Seek out and explain places of merger or agreement among the fragments. But also be willing to see each fragment as unique, as a different take or look or perspective on your theme. The various quotations will come from different places, different times, and along with noting the specific time and place of each quotation, you should note on occasion how the quotations differ or disagree with each other.The anthology should, in effect, create a conversation and dialogue and debate—or a drama or a jazz performance–among the texts, playing one text off another. Consider each voice a solo or a monologue whose performance you analyze, but let your commentaries and the structure of the anthology as a whole be a jazz orchestra, or a play, or a congress of voices checking and balancing each other. A crucial part of the anthology will be your selection of a theme or themes that will enable you to unite together the different materials for the course.If you conceive of the anthology as part of an attempt to understand some aspect of the â€Å"American character,† you can follow the path of Michael Kammen who advises us to seek out paradoxes and contradictions within American culture. He notes that many have tried to provide a master key to unlock the mystery of the American character, proposing such single explanations as the Puritan sense of mission, the westward movement of the frontier, the desire for opportunity and open land, the effects of immigration, or the story of freedom.But any â€Å"quest for national character, culture, or style,† Kammen cautions, â€Å"plunges one into a tangle of complex historical considerations,† and he draws upon the writings of Erik Erikson to remind us, â€Å"It is commonplace to state that whatever one may come to consider a truly America n trait can be shown to have its equally characteristic opposite. † There is no simple answer and no one right answer to the question: â€Å"What is the American character? You might say that America is a place of â€Å"mixed messages† and that it will take some â€Å"hard work† to understand the complexity of the struggle for democracy, freedom, justice, equality, and a more perfect union in America. Godfrey Hodgson in his book, More Equal Than Others: American from Nixon to the New Century (2004) gives us an wonderful update on Kammen’s attempt to see Americans as a â€Å"people of paradox. † Hodgson writes, â€Å"At the beginning of of the twenty-first century, the United States was a mature civilization marked by striking, well-rooted contradictions.It is (and the list of pairs by no means exhausts the difficulties facing anyone who attempts a simplistic analysis) generally pacific but occasionally bellicose; religious yet secular; innovative but conservative; tough but tender; aggressive yet reluctant to incur casualties; egalitarian by instinct but stratified in tiers of wide and growing inequality; puritan yet self-indulgent; conformist but full of independent-minded people; devoted to justice, but in many ways remarkably unfair; idealistic yet given to cynicism. (â€Å"Nice guys finish last† is almost a national motto. At some times it can be self-confident to the verge of complacency, at others self-doubting to the point of neurosis. † When choosing a theme for you anthology, I recommend that you search for a topic that allows you to study America by highlighting at least one or two of the contradictions or paradoxes within its â€Å"character. † You can draw upon the list of contradictions/paradoxes/ tensions/conflicts as possible topics of themes for your anthology. Freedom vs. Tyranny Liberty vs. Slavery Equality vs. Hierarchy (or Supremacy) Democracy vs. Monarchy/Aristocracy or Imperialism/Em pire Democracy vs.Racism/Sexism (or the Tyranny of the Majority) Tradition vs. Revolution/Innovation Purity (or virtue) vs. corruption Exclusion vs. Inclusion Culture clash—culture merger Memory (studying the past) vs. Forgetting (letting go, living in the present) Born to Run/Born to be Wild vs. Stability/Civilization/the Home The Founding Fathers Know Best vs. The Sins of the Fathers Democracy vs. Theocracy Church—State Religion—politics Letter of the law—spirit of the law (or a higher law) Unity—-diversity Melting pot—-mosaic Assimilation—roots Majority–Minority Insiders—outsiders (outcasts) More perfect union—individualismSelf-interest vs. fraternity (brotherhood) Care for self vs. Care for others (caritas) Materialism—-spirituality Gold—God Success-failure Happiness—misery Blues–gospel Mobility-fixity Tradition—innovation Conformity—revolt Parents—children (gen erational conflict) Machismo—feminismo Country—city Civilization—savagery Hope—-fear Privilege—equality Reverence–irreverence Authority—-rebellion Provincialism—cosmopolitanism Country-city Myth vs. history Stories we want to hear vs. stories we need to hear Format: Title Preface 1. Anna Deavere Smith, Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines (2000):I set our across America, on a search for American character. My search was specifically to find America in its language. I interview people and communities about the events of our time, in the hope that I will be able to absorb America†¦. This is a country of many tongues, even if we stick to English. Placing myself in other people’s words, as in placing myself in other people’s shoes, has given me the opportunity to get below the surface—to get ‘real. ’ (p. 12) 3-5 sentences of commentary 2. Author, title quotation: xxxxxxxxxxx 3-5 sentences o f commentary Conclusion

Lucid Dreams essays

Lucid Dreams essays Lucid dreamers report being able to freely remember the circumstances of waking life, to think clearly, and to act deliberately upon reflection, all while experiencing a dream world that seems vividly real (LaBerge, 1990). In lucid dreaming, people become conscious enough to realize what they are dreaming, and therefore can change the dream they are having. A theory widely accepted by many researchers, is That lucid dreams are not typical parts of the dreaming thought, but rather brief arousals (LaBerge, 1990). The researchers came up with the fact that the arousals were frequently happening during REM sleep and this became the platform for lucid dreams. In the late 1970s, evidence started showing up that lucid dreams occur during REM sleep. To test this hypothesis out, 4 scientists by the names of: LaBerge, Nagel, Dement and Zarcone got together and set up an experiment. In this experiment, the scientists had to use some sort of signal or response to determine the exact time the lucid dream was occurring. In the experiment, the scientists used five subjects and studied each from two to twenty nights, depending upon how long the scientists thought they needed. All in all, they studied the subjects a total of 34 nights and came up with a total of 35 lucid dreams from various stages of sleep. Of the 35 lucid dreams, 32 occurred du ring REM sleep, and the other three took place during other stages of the sleep cycle. A later analysis extending these data with two additional subjects and 20 more lucid dreams produced identical results (LaBerge, 1990). This led LaBerge and the three other scientists to believe that lucid dreaming usually occurs during REM sleep. Many other researchers were also studying lucid dreaming and the time of their occurrence. Two such researchers, named Keith Hearne and Alan Worsley, designed a study of lucid dreaming. In their experiment, the subject sp...

Analysis for the article The touch screen generation Essay

Analysis for the article The touch screen generation - Essay Example She also analyzes the changing mindset of parents at the new development, who instead being skeptical, have chosen to promote their children to adept themselves to digital technology (Rosin, 2013). The article starts with the author’s visit to a digital media conference of the children game developers in California. It is clear from the opening dialogue that the app developers’ clientele are babies, which is a cause of concern to the author (Rosin, 2013). Rosin cites American Academy of Pediatrics concern over the excessive exposure of electronic media on the growing children (Rosin, 2013). The author interacts with parents to know their views on the interactive media technology. A parent who is a teacher tells her that she has proscribed rules for game playing for her children. She has fixed â€Å"no screen time,† (Rosin, 2013). The fixing of game playing times has caused her to ask many others about ground rules of playing e-games. The most shocking revelation was that the parents were willing to give not more than â€Å"half an hour a day,† (Rosin, 2013). Thus, parents seem to be worried about the effects of the new age technology (Rosin, 2013). The term â€Å"digital natives† (Rosin, 2013) coined by Marc Prensky is discussed in the context of new developments such as iPads and touch screen technological devices (Rosin, 2013). The devices have now been seen in the hands of toddlers as means to â€Å"mollify, pacify or otherwise entertain them,† (Rosin, 2013). Jane Healy has gone to the extent of calling this situation a â€Å"zombie effect,† (Rosin, 2013). However, the researchers such as Kirokorian from University of Wisconsin at Madison, are dismissive of the alarm raised. Now the experts say children have become so adapted to the medium that at the age of two children become â€Å"very cognitively active,† (Rosin, 2013). The other way of looking at this development may be that digital technology is furthering

Computer Features Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Computer Features - Essay Example For the perfect computer the processor speed should be 2 GHZ and above. This will facilitate faster performance of the system. A good computer should also have a good memory; this also affects the performance of the system. The first type of memory that is available in a computer is the random access memory that temporarily stores data. If the ram is bigger, it allows one to running more applications at one time. For the computer of choice a ram of 4 gigabytes and above is ideal. Another memory found in a computer is the hard disk that stores all the information fed into a computer. More space means high volumes of data to store, for a good computer a hard disk of one terabyte and above is perfect. All of the above mentioned are components of a good computer however, that is not all a good computer should also be able to connect to a wireless network. This type of internet connection is widely available and can be found in most public areas like schools, libraries and even coffee shops. The final piece is a disc drive. This component allows an individual to watch movies or listen to music stored in a compac t disc. It also allows one to transfer the content from a computer and into the disc for

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social Psychology - Essay Example However, it is important to identify that at its root, the idea of constructing â€Å"the self† of the individual has roots in many other domains of knowledge (Danziger, 1997). As stated previously, the first thoughts of the idea of the self originated from that of philosophy and religion. The self was often described as the â€Å"soul† or consciousness of the individual. It was supposed to be something that could be observed. Locke was one of the first to develop this issue due to the high rates of development and increase in society. He had to make a distinguishing factor between the external self and the self-consciousness. As time progressed, ideas of the self began to change in develop. Cooley addressed this as a mirror principle in that the reaction to others is based on a mirror principle, which involves both internal and external judgment (Cooley, 1902). One of the key events in the development of the self in social psychology was through the humanist, Carol Rog ers. He postulated that the self constituted two components: the real and ideal selves. The real self was the true essence of who the individual is and the ideal self is what the person projects onto the world as a desire to be. The disunity in the real and ideal self is what causes the neuroticism and anxiety in the individual. The neuroticism can only go away once the real self and ideal self become integrated with one another. Being an American psychologist, he took the forefront in the development in this field of psychology, but moved the emphasis from awareness of self to the emotions and motivations, which play a part in the development of the self, both internally and externally. This represents the constructivist philosophy behind the social aspects in the influence in the psychology of the self. Another component of the self to observe is based on phenomenology, which goes into how does a person experience and interpret the external world. There are two aspects, which brin g these together: ‘being-in-the-world’ and ‘lifeworld’. These aspects argue that rather a considering the individual as a separate from the environment, it addresses it as a system of two identities in which the experiences taken from the environment shape the individual, which is a phenomenological effect. Edmund Husserl gave three criteria, which are used in describing the phenomenology of the self in society. The first step is to suspend expectations of the experience. The second step is to stay with the experiences, versus deductive reasoning and hypothesis testing. Lastly, the third step is in regards to treating everything equally. Again, as with Carol Rogers and humanism, the existential psychologists took up the task of providing constructs for phenomenology. The main characteristics where that each person is unique in that we all process situations differently, being actively engaged in the experience and having the freedom to choose as well as bei ng in the present moment. Psychoanalytic psychology, focused heavily on the development of the self. Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud pioneered in this field. He focused highly on the construction of the self; he was primarily focused on the consciousness. He often described the consciousness in reference to an iceberg. The largest portion of our self, the unconscious, is located in the recesses of our mind and we are often unaware of it, even

Principal Intern Essay Example for Free

Principal Intern Essay As I embarked into this higher education path I wanted nothing more than to be an administrator of an Elementary or Middle School in Texas. I was able to even envision myself in the school district I currently work in working in school administration at one of the schools I have taught at. I was fortunate on my internship year to have the position of being the instructional technology facilitator and was able to help more in depth with the administrators of my campus and learn the in and outs of the administration side of the school. Looking at all of this and having experienced it I am now thinking I am leaning towards more working towards becoming a department head or maybe the head of a academic department for the district. I am hoping the first step to this will be to become the department head for fifth grade on my campus and then moving towards becoming the English Language Arts and Reading department head. Eventually over time I hope to move into a more Reading Specialist position for a campus or even possibly a district. My ultimate goal is to move into the administration building and become a curriculum director for a district. As a leader I hope to accomplish many things to my employee’s and staff like being stronger leaders in the classrooms, stronger teachers, and being able to empower students for long term success. I have always wanted since I entered education to see the end result of my students to be a positive one and love to see the academic growth my students show over the course of a school year. I think that being able to show teachers and staff how to be and become strong leaders in the classrooms will help to majorly accomplish this goal. For me a leader is someone who listens and empowers its learners to learn in a way that fits their own personal needs and not necessarily the needs of the teacher themselves. I also think that using these techniques it will help teachers to become stronger educators in life and in the long run. Helping teachers, just like students, create a solid foundation is a great way to start them in the right direction and therefore it will be easier for them to lead themselves one day. And finally I would love to see in teachers, like I do with my students, long term success over the course of a year, two years and even ten years as they grow academically with the students. In Texas we are constantly changing the way things are being tested and handled. Being able to be a leader that is open to those changes will help me to accomplish my goals to the best of my ability while creating successful teachers and students. Reflective Practice In the beginning of these courses reflective writing did not seem to be an influential part of my learning process as a student myself. In my own classroom I did not use much reflective writing for my students because I saw it as time that I could be using on something else related to the content. Throughout the courses related to my master’s degree through Lamar University I have had to reflect in every course on what I learned throughout the class. At first I was skeptical about the reflective writing but as the course progressed I realized that by writing reflectively I was able to take the course material and transpose it into my own words. This helped me to have a clear understanding of what I learned and make it my own. One of the meaningful things that I feel I should have walked away from these courses is that the best way to become a leader is to create ownership for the staff, and I relate that to reflective writing. In my reflective writing I am walking away with a sense of ownership from my courses, and this helps to realize the main facts of what the course was about. Reflective writing now has a new meaning to me; it is now more of me creating my own ownership to the material presented in the course. I have even now find myself using reflective writing more and more in my own classroom and finding it a useful tool to assess what the students are walking away from my lessons with. To me reflective writing is a great tool to check students understanding of what was taught and what was learned. Reflective writing has had a significant influence on my practice currently in my classroom. Instead of using traditional quizzes and test I find myself using more reflective writings in my own classroom. It is a great form of writing to use to allow the students to use their own words to explain what they have learned in the classroom. In my future I plan on using reflective writing more and more in a leadership role for my staff to obtain information on how well the school is operating and working as a team. I feel that if my current principal used more reflective writing in our faculty meetings then he would have a better understanding of what is going on inside the campus. When I am a principal with my own campus I plan on using reflective writing responses in order to check if my staff walked away from staff developments with what was intended for them to learn and to also make sure that the training was effective or not to use on our campus. I would also like to implement a feedback process that involves reflective writing, which will allow staff to respond to any procedures implemented on campus that might need to be adjusted. By using this reflective writing process in the future I can make sure that my staff walks away with the knowledge they need in staff developments and in-services. This will prove to be an effective form of feedback for me and reflection on what skills they acquired. In Examining what we do to Improve our Schools Tool 8.1 the CARE Model: Planning Tool uses four steps to address change for the future the final step Evaluate allows the staff to reflective on the prior steps they have created (Harris). In this process the staff or administrator is to take steps into identifying and solving problems they are facing on campus. The first three steps are steps on how to implement and strategize the problem at hand. The fourth step in the CARE Model is to ‘identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations’ which is a way for the person(s) making the decisions can reflect on what they have created. In the same book Tool 8.2 (Harris) provides a list of reflective type questions to be answered to examine school improvement. These are great questions to guide someone’s reflection or at the very least jump start their reflection process so they have a starting point. An example of one of the questions asked in Tool 8.2 is ‘What am I doing to sustain improvement?’ These types of questions allow me as a future administrator to use for myself and others to reflect upon what we are doing as a team to create positive school improvement. Competency Development DOMAIN I School Community Leadership Competency 001- The principal knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. In this competency I learned many things on how to create a vision for my campus and how to make it happen. I found it is not only important to make your school have a vision or just a common goal but the process of getting to that vision is equally important. Competency 001 is the foundation for that solid house you want to build, without the foundation a house will eventually fall and break, just like a school would without a solid foundation. As a leader of my campus it is my duty to look into creating a climate that promotes higher level thinking and teaching. When I do obtain my own campus I will be using this competency to ensure that higher expectations are required. It is not just enough to create higher standards and expect people to follow them it is equally important to create them in such a way that they can become obtained. In order to make these goals and visions obtainable and reachable it is important not to just let one person make these decisions, but to allow all stakeholders to have a say in the creation and implementation of them. I found throughout all of my courses that the most important factoring in leading your staff and students in any direction is the ownership that they have in the school. It is important that all stakeholders have a clear understanding that each party involved was and is clearly represented. I know that I feel better implementing a plan that I took part in planning or know someone in the plan that had my best interests and the student’s best interests at heart. I found myself spending 23 hours on this competency with my principal and assistant principal. The majority of the time was spent prior to school helping the committees to set up the vision and goals. We then revisited the vision in the middle of the school year to adjust to the changes our campus faces. It was also important that my principal have me sit in on grade level meetings to see if each grade level had a clear understanding of what the vision meant for them and what it looked like in their classrooms and for their students. I would say in this section of the domains I believe that I am walking away with the most mastery because of all of the actual hands on time I got to spend working with my campus vision and missions. Competency 002 The principal knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of the school community, responds to diverse interests and needs, and mobilizes resources to promote student success. In this section I learned the importance of correctly communicating with all staff, students, and community stakeholders for my campus. Although it was difficult at times to get parents to communicate and participate at school functions I was able to learn a lot about the process of correctly communicating with them. I was able to assist in almost every letter we sent home with students explaining our events. We not only had to have a copy in English but we also had to translate all letters in Spanish as well. Over the course of the year, logging over seven hours, as paper became more and more precious I was able to focus more on call outs over the phone system and also to work on maintaining accurate information on the schools website. I had a bit of the upper hand in comparison to others in these course because I was able to find ways through our website to communicate effectively with the community. In our many multicultural events we held on campus (Hispanic Heritage Art Contest, Black History Writing Contest, Math Night, and Science Night) I was able to have exposure to the positive effect it has on students through multicultural awareness. On this competency I spent around seven hours of internship time (I believe more logged hours were possible). Another wonderful thing I learned during this lesson was how to correctly manage school wide communication that took place on campus. I was very fortunate to have a very supportive principal who was willing to take me under her wing and allow playing a huge role in all activities on the campus. My principal always told me anything you would not say out loud make sure you do not put it in writing. She taught me through example and doing how to effectively write and create e-mails to be sent to the staff. I know now the importance of tone in my writing to ensure the way the e-mail is received it is received correctly. Competency 003 The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner. One of the most memorable things I will walk away from this course is the question to always ask myself â€Å"Is the decision to the question in the best interest of the child(ren)?† My mentors (principal, assistant principal, counselor, veteran teachers) taught me this valuable lesson that any decision, no matter the size, has to have the student’s best interest at heart. This is a great way to keep you in check to make sure you are being ethical and act with integrity in everyday decisions as a campus administrator. The legal portion of this competency comes with the knowledge of making sure to follow all state guidelines set for by the Texas Education Agency. One of the best ways I found to make sure you are following the rules legally is to ask questions. My internship supervisor, Sherry Gore through my eighteen internship hours, taught me to never be afraid to ask questions or research the answer before making a decision. The way she taught me this was not in a direct manner but more indirectly. By demonstrating to me on topics that she was unfamiliar with how she asked other principals or administrators to solve her problems I learned his valuable lesson. With the ever changing ways of education in the State of Texas, and the Country for that matter, it is important for an administrator to make sure they are up to date with all their knowledge about the laws concerning the education of the children in their school. It is also the responsibility of the principal to make sure their staff knows about any changes in laws and procedures. Making sure the staff knows of these changes it will make the transition to the new ones a smoother one for their campus and thus make the impact less stressful on the children. DOMAIN II Instructional Leadership Competency 004 The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, resources, and assessments; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance. One of the major witnessing to competency 004 was that of how our campus was having year after year to adjust to its ever growing numbers of bilingual and ESL students on our campus. Each year we a faced with the challenge of how to adjust to the growing numbers not only with resources but also with the staffing of these new positions needed. In all campus purchases, technology or academic workbooks, we find ourselves looking as administrators on the campus at what kind of Spanish and ESL supplements were available and how well they will work for our students needs. I found it very interesting in choosing our new reading textbooks in how different the Spanish supplements are for the different adoptions. As a person on the committee, logging over twenty-three internship hours, for our school to help us choose our next adoption it was made very clear to us at the beginning of the process that we needed to make sure we are considering not only the English portion of the textbook but the ESL materials are equally important. I knew going into it that the ESL supplements were important but it never crossed my mind how important it is to our campus. With my campus being one of two bilingual campuses it was important to my principal that our vote was heard at the district level when choosing the newest adoptions. The next step in this was implementing a new reading textbook while adjusting to the new district wide curriculum CSCOPE. It was my principal’s job to make sure that all of her staff was well aware of how to use the materials mandated by the district for our new instructional focus always keeping the students best interests at heart when training the teachers to prepare for our school year of academic success. Competency 005 The principal knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. All too often there is going to be a change in policy or educational law, and with these changes there is always going to be changes in educational practices that have proven to be effective. The older methods of teaching are not necessarily the best methods to be used to reach the students of 2011. This competency ensures that the principal keep up with the best practices and methods out in the world to use for the success of our students and staff. This includes making sure that the staff is up to date on the latest practices in teaching in new and exciting ways to reach children. I spent close to twenty-one hours working with my principal and instructional facilitators to ensure that our campus had what we needed to implement new teaching practices in our classrooms. This section requires a lot of research into the newest needs of the students and then the needs of the staff to meet those needs. One example of a staff development that I was part of implementing with the principal and instructional facilitators was when we had to move into a new online lesson planning system. This system was completely online and making paper lesson plans not necessary. It was my responsible to make sure the staff was trained in how to use this new system to its full potential. I had to attend training provided by the company ht owned the software as well as district training to show me how to show the staff how to use this new system. It was essential that the staff knew how to implement this program because it was soon to become a mandate by the district to improve district lesson plan sharing throughout the entire district. The essential great thing for the teachers was that of making teachers resources more readily available to district employees across the di strict. Competency 006 The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for personnel management. With this area I feel I need a little more practice, and that is my fault in the internship hours and plan. I do however plan on using my current principal to help me to understand the evaluation process of a staff member. With only putting in eight hours into this area of focus I feel that I need to focus more on the PDAS system. I know the system as a teacher but I feel I need to works towards better understanding of the administrator side of the evaluations. I did focus my attention on part of this aspect as determining the needs of the staff and creating a staff development for the staff to grow from. With the help of the assessment specialist on my campus I found that we as a staff needed more focus on how to properly prepare the kids to take tests for a long period of time. We gathered information and tips for the staff to use while preparing the students for their long awaited TAKS tests. We then used a simple evaluation survey at the end of the training to evaluate the effectiveness of the training to meet the needs of the teachers and students. We produced a lot of reflective time for teachers to share their own experiences in the classroom that allowed students to work to their best potential. With the knowledge of the results of the survey we used the knowledge we gained to conduct follow mini-trainings to assess the needs of the staff after they implemented the practices. The reason we conducted the mini-follow ups was because of the survey evaluation at the end of the training said they enjoy the trainings we have but they need further help after we implement the training in our classrooms. Competency 007 The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment. Spending close to eighteen hours working on this competency it clear to see that this competency is an important one in relationship to the effectiveness of a campus. One major thing I learned from my principal was that you need to be organized enough to make sure you put together a quality interview to ensure that you put together a quality staff. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in the interview process of one of our future teachers. The before part of the process was the preparation in getting ready for the interview, my principal using the Gallup interview process so she must be organized and ready. During the interview quality questions prove to be the most effective in choosing future staff members. Following the interview there is a debriefing with the hiring committee to ensure that the newest staff member would be a good fit for our campus and our students. We then moved onto working with the staff and interviewing them on what needs to be improved on campus. The next step in this process for my principal and I was to look towards the staff and see how well they internalized or resisted change in our continuous improvements implemented at the campus. We had to look at what changes were the best for the students as a whole and the needs of our at risk students.

Hamlet Fortinbras Death

Hamlet Fortinbras Death Hamlet Analysis Hamlets Last Soliloquy â€Å"Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means / To dot† (IV. iv. 46-47). Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic narrative poem that tells the story of a prince named Hamlet, whose father was murdered by his uncle. Avenging his fathers death and deciding whether to kill his Uncle Claudius becomes a mental struggle for Hamlet throughout the narrative. There are different characters in the play that Hamlet interacts with, but the answers Hamlet needs end up coming from within him. Shakespeare uses soliloquies to show a characters thoughts by speaking them aloud, as the character walks alone in the scene. Hamlets last soliloquy in Act IV, Scene IV shows a dramatic transformation of his character. He begins as a coward, continually postponing the murder of his uncle. After his transformation, he decides to be true to himself and carry out what he intended from the beginning and the death of Claudius becomes inevitable. Scene IV begins at the coast of Denmark with the character Fortinbras, who is the prince of Norway and good friend of Hamlets. Fortinbrass army is preparing for a march on the kingdom of the Danish king as he previously promised would occur. Hamlet learns from the captain of Fortinbrass ship that Fortinbras is preparing to engage in war so that the extent of Norways land can be obtained. Hamlet admires and respects Fortinbras for his ability to take action when Fortinbras promises he will: Witness this army of such mass and charge, Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed Makes mouths at the invisible event, Exposing what is mortal and unsure To all that fortune, death and danger dare, Even for an eggshell (IV. iv. 48-54). When Hamlet states how he admires Fortinbras, he points out how youthful and superior Fortinbrass qualities are by calling him â€Å"delicate and tender.† Hamlet points out Fortinbrass bravery by saying he makes mean faces (â€Å"makes mouths†) at what lies ahead. This is to be held in high regard in Hamlets eyes because what lies ahead is never really known and most likely to be feared. Hamlet admires that no matter what fortune, danger, and death could do to Fortinbras and his army, they still march on. The admiration in Hamlets tone and words for Fortinbras inspires him to be the brave prince that Hamlet desires to be. The impression given in the text is that Hamlet hears his own words for Fortinbras and wants that esteem and honor for his own name. Hamlet begins to compare himself to Fortinbras. It is implied that Hamlet realizes his weaknesses by comparing himself to the noble Fortinbras. Hamlet covets Fortinbrass ability to control his army and his state. The narrative shows Hamlets inability to control himself, or his own actions so using Fortinbras as a model is what will end up pushing Hamlet to become the honorable man he wishes to be. â€Å"Rightly to be great / Is not to stir without great argument, / But greatly to find quarrel in a straw/ When honors at the stake† (IV. iv. 54-57). He is implying here, as Fortinbras would agree, usually true greatness does not mean rushing into a battle over something insignificant; however, when defending ones honor, even something that seems minor deserves action to be taken immediately. From the text, the impression given describes how Hamlet is being questioned when he knows his father was murdered by his uncle and has yet to do anything about it. Here, it appears that a cha nge is coming over Hamlet. He is no longer debating in his mind whether or not Claudius should be killed, but realizing what he must do in order to protect his own honor and that of his fathers. He continues here with â€Å"How stand I, then, / That have a father killed, a mother stained, / Excitements of my reason and my blood,† (IV, iv. 57-59). Hamlet now knows that he has been living with this shame of knowing his father was killed by his own blood and questions himself as if to say â€Å"How am I standing here living my life knowing what has happened?† â€Å"O, from this time forth / My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!† (IV, iv. 66-67). This is the pivotal point of the play. It as if an epiphany finally comes over Hamlet and all of his cowardice and second-guessing himself is over. Hamlet is now ready and brave enough to do what he has been set out to do all along. Unlike the famous, â€Å"To be or not to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  soliloquy, Hamlet is no longer fearing the consequences of his future actions. Before his last soliloquy, Hamlet could be described as virtuous and full of integrity, but he was still a coward. Hamlet never followed through with the murder of his uncle. He would even try to make excuses for his actions. When Claudius was praying and talking to God, Hamlet used his being â€Å"holy† at the moment not to kill him. Hamlet was always putting off his uncles death. Hamlet became progressively more confused and the struggle between his thoughts and the consequences seemed to get worse—until the inspiration of Fortinbras and his good virtues and leadership skills helped Hamlet to see clearly what needed to be done. At the end of the narrative, most every character dies, including Hamlet. His death cannot be looked at as heroic nor can it be looked at as shameful. He avenged his fathers death. That was much of the focus of Hamlet and he succeeded in doing so. Fortinbras had an immense influence on Hamlets logic and helped him to get his revenge. Hamlets last soliloquy in Act IV, Scene IV shows the metamorphosis Hamlet needed to draw the courage to kill the king. Shakespeare accomplishes a dramatic transformation of character and uses it to convey no matter how great the change is, it can still end in tragedy.