Analyzing the Narrative Essay Example for Free

Analyzing the Narrative Essay I. The Short Writing The â€Å"Winter† Essay It was the winter of 2006, in the month of January, and my junior year of high school. By this time in high school I’d had some quirky teachers and to be honest Mr. DeBruyn didn’t seem so uniquely special but apparently he had his moments. English class began on a day when it seemed like school should have been cancelled due to the blizzardous weather earlier that morning. Mr. DeBruyn had an auspicious look on his face then says, â€Å"We’re doing an in class writing assignment today but it’s not going to be in class†. The whole class paused and waited for his next sentence. He told everyone to go to our lockers and get prepared to go outside. Everyone protested and all he could say is â€Å"you have three minutes, dress warm†, as if we wouldn’t! Back in the classroom we grabbed our notebooks as best we could with our gloves, scarves, hats, and puffy winter coats to hold us back. The assignment was to write about nature, as usual, but this time from a first hand experience. We were to pick a certain aspect of what we say outside and discuss how the snow and winter weather affected it, whether it be a plant, bush, tree, or whatever. Once outside everyone was shivering and freezing trying to slap down notes as fast as possible. Mr. DeBruyn then pulled out a digital camera and took a picture of the spot each student examined. Back inside everyone rushed to finish an essay of their choppy notes. I’d hoped it wasn’t worth much of our grade. A few months went by and he hadn’t mentioned anything about the assignment, nor gave it back to us. It was April now. He returned the assignment and no one scored higher than a ‘B’, which was expected. He then gave us each a copy of the area we studied, from the pictures he had taken, and sent us back outside to re-examine the same spot. We were told to re-write the assignment and now descriptively compare the two images and had the weather conditions made the images vary. Mr. DeBruyn turned out not to be so bad, in fact he was kind of cool. I liked that he had challenged us in unique ways, and apparently so did everyone else. Turns out, his creative teaching style touched the hearts of a lot of students, not just me. As proof, he was voted as the teacher to speak at our graduation. And that is no small honor. The privilege of addressing the graduating class at their commencement exercises is a direct testament to to how much the teachers is loved and appreciated by the class. The teacher chosen, therefore, is the one who has the most positive impact on the entire class. And I most certainly agree that Mr. DeBruyn has been an inspiration, and I will never look at winter the same way again. II. Analyzing the Narrative The story of Mr. DeBruyn is a compelling piece of narrative, very simple in its use of words, but highly poignant and raw with emotions. The use of simple words and straightforward imagery makes the material accessible to everyone. However, while simple and highly accessible, the piece is equally provocative, engaging the reader in philosophical musings, while reading the piece and afterwards. Teachers and students alike will find lessons in the simple story of Mr. DeBruyn and the lessons about life that he imparts to his students. The most striking theme in the essay is the concept of education being practice by the teacher, Mr. DeBruyn. John Dewey, the great educational philosopher, once said that there is no better context for learning than the context of real life. Sadly, most classes offer pure theories without any exposure on how such theories find practical form in the real life. In particular, Dewey’s ideas on using real-life tasks and challenges find great significance in my class with Mr. DeBruyn.   The opportunities he provided the class to experience real life is truly one lesson that everyone in that class will never forget. Teaching is perhaps one of the most meaningful of all professions because every day you are given the chance to make meaningful and lasting contribution to an individual’s life. In fact the No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the singular power of teachers in the learning process; so much so that the bar has been raised for teachers in the hopes of improving the educational system. I believe that a big part of the decline in education is that most teachers have lost pride in their vocation. Teachers must have a sense of dignity of work. Unfortunately, when the work is hard and the money is tight, that is easily forgotten. As such, there is an urgent need for reforms, and the community should take an active role in making teachers feel more valued through active support and acknowledgement. By the single act of capturing winter and seeing the image compared with another season, the class became more aware of their surroundings and became more appreciative of the world around them. In one singular stroke of genius, Mr. DeBruyn was able to rekindle our sense of wonder and discovery, things which are at the very heart of learning, and is essential for every student and teacher to have, regardless of whatever subject is being taught or learned. Of course, of utmost importance is what I have learned from this class. If there is one thing that I will carry from my experience with Mr. DeBruyn, it is that you have to let your students take the lead. As a teacher you have to be very sensitive to the signals that your students are sending you individually and collectively as a class. Learners will always give you signs whether you are doing the right thing or not. You have to be ready for contingencies and be prepared to make on the spot adjustments. Let them tell you how they want to learn, because they know what they need from their teacher. I have learned to look at things from all possible levels and adopt my thinking from those perspectives. If I become a teacher, I should never impose myself on them; instead let them teach me how they want to be taught. This is an important realization that I will always keep in mind should I decide to enter the teaching vocation. Indeed while it is true that students need to feel that someone is in control and responsible for their environment and sets classroom limits but maintains them (Wong, 2001), it is more important for teachers to let the minds of the students soar in wonder and discovery. Of course it deserves to be mentioned that the things I have learned from Mr. DeBruyn goes beyond the classroom; more than teaching a lesson, Mr. DeBruyn taught us about life. III. Interacting Much has been said about the nobility of the teaching profession, and indeed, the high sense of duty and the self-sacrifices required from a teacher on a daily basis is nothing less than heroic. I see this first hand in the story of DeBruyn’s class. From this very simple essay I have realized that educational reforms do not necessarily need to cost anything. Indeed, Mr. DeBruyn has shown that it does not take too much time or money to effect a change inside the classroom. As what Mr. DeBruyn has shown, all that is needed is the passion for teaching and genuine desire to share in the learning experience. It is not difficult, and all that is needed to go back to the basics. In the educational process, all teachers must be reminded that the learning process starts with what the child knows. Prior learning is the framework where new concepts are built upon. As such, every teacher should begin with the previous lesson and connect it to the new material. Let the child see the relationship and build their own concepts. This way the child earns ownership of what he has learned because it was a result of what he already knows. These are the things I have been able to reflect upon, and it has had a profound effect in me as an individual looking her place in the sun. From firsthand experience, I have witnessed the power of the teacher to make meaningful and lasting contribution to the lives of students. Indeed the teacher is the single biggest factor that determines the success or failure of the students to learn what they should. I have realized that it is the teacher who creates the atmosphere that focuses the class on their tasks and keeps them engaged in the lessons. Indeed, every moment is an opportunity to learn, and the teacher must create that opportunity for the students. (Mujis, 2005, 75) Reading Mr. DeBruyn I have realized that Mr. Paul Trout of The Chronicle Review would be very pleased by his story. Mr. Trout, in her article entitled Shame on You, takes a critical look at education and forwards the idea that the more the classrooms are threats to the students morale and well-being. While Mr. Trout’s arguments may be valid, Mr. DeBruyn flies in the face of Mr. Trout’s thesis. There can be redemption and life-changing inspiration within the four halls of the classroom. The negative view of the teachers and the school, while not unfounded, is not always true. Across the country, teachers are making a difference in the lives of students, one kind word and encouragement at a time. According to Paul Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1993),   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A careful analysis of the teacher-student relationship at any level, inside or outside the school, reveals its fundamentally narrative character. This relationship involves a narrating Subject (the teacher) and patient listening objects (the students).† This description of Friere depicts a one-way relationship between students and teachers, and as such, the transfer of knowledge occurs when the teacher narrates or uses words to teach. But words, while extremely powerful and effective at initiating change is not the only tool at a teacher’s disposal. Actual experiences go beyond any words to properly describe. Mr. DeBruyn proved this by immersing his class in authentic experiences, which did not need much explaining. It was an exchange of knowledge that took place in the heart. I think that the philosophy that comes closest to Mr. DeBruyn’s teaching style is the one espoused by Ms. Rachel Toor. In her article, It’s Mr. Orwell to You, she promoted a teacher-student relationship that was informal. Not informal in the sense that the students treat teachers without any respect. Rather, students approach the learning system with intimacy. They view a piece of literature as someone written by a real person, and as such, is someone they can very well relate to. By â€Å"humanizing† lessons, the students become less intimidated, are able to relax their mind and be open to more learning. Indeed, education is a complex issue that is fraught with difficulties. But no other profession is more fulfilling. To the individual who has the calling to teach. Pursue it with a heart open to all kinds of possibilities. It will not be easy, not by a long shot. But remember that a meaningful life is always fraught with sacrifices. But at the end of the day, the fulfillment is something that you cannot get anywhere else. And that alone is the reason that keeps true teachers inside the classroom each and every day.

Government Intervention in the Free Market Essay -- Economics

It is not only unnecessary for the government to intervene to maintain a free market, it is extremely wrong. Intervention by any outside party in corporate matters is inappropriate and basically contradicts the meaning of a free market. There are some positive effects government intervention could produce. These pros are, in fact, few, and questionable, at that. Take for instance, the situation with Microsoft. The government is sticking its nose in where it doesn't belong. Let's try and get passed that point for a moment and examine the good that could come out of government intervention. One possible pro to this intervention is that it would most likely create a more equal market (not "fair market.") The term "fair market" is like an oxymoron in this case because basically the government is saying, "Hi, we're the United States government and we're sorry but we cannot let you continue to run your business. Although you have spent your life working to improve and simplify the computer industry, we simply feel you have made too much money." How is this in any way fair? In some people's eyes it is for the best of the economy and the computer industry, but it is definitely not fair. For the government to break down Microsoft, a multi-billion dollar company would be ridiculous. True, maybe the market would be more equal. No more mammoth company, just moderately sized companies. This could be a pro. But who is the government to decide that a company is too large? And if so where is the line drawnone billiontwo billiontwenty billion? One other possible pro to government intervention in the Microsoft case would be that smaller, newer companies would have a "fairer" shot at being recognized. Once again, the term "fair" is open to discussion. What is considered to be fair to some can be completely unfair to others. Smaller computer companies would undoubtedly have a better chance at becoming popular. However, people are free to do whatever they want. No one forces people to use Microsoft applications. They are simply put, the most user-friendly, simple but efficient programs that happen to be compatible with a great deal of PCs. Microsoft was that small, unknown company once too. They had no help from the government in their quest for fame and fortune, why should other companies? The few pros to government intervention are arguable. Now let us discuss the cons to... ...what our government basically saying. Microsoft may well be a monopoly. It is a huge powerhouse corporation that can afford to give its products away for dirt cheap to control the market. There are, however other options. There are other programs for IBM computers and there is also the option of using a Macintosh system. There are other programs that are good, and the new Macintosh computers have proven to be faster than the latest Pentiums. Why, then? Why is Microsoft the leader? The answer is Bill Gate's work is done well. It is user friendly, innovative and works with the majority of PCs. No other company's product is used more widespread than Bill Gates. Even the prosecutors putting him on trial probably use his programs. He should be left alone. He has done no one any harm. He makes life easier for the non computer literate, and has made thousands of employees and shareholders millionaires. He has used fair business practices and started from nothing. Even if Microsoft is a monopoly, it will not end the free market system. If anything, the government will ruin it. A free market should mean it is free of everything excluding commerce, including government intervention.

Preschool Observation Essay

There is growth and development in a child if he or she shows the necessary skills or milestones for his or her age. This essay is a case study of a pre-school child. An observation was done to determine whether the child has matured intellectually, emotionally and physically with her age. The child, who is two years and nine months old, was observed while she was in her play room with her mother one hour before her bed time. Below is an account of the observation. The child is kneeling on the floor and is opening a box of toys. She places blocks and cubes on the floor. Her mother joins to play with her. When her mother asks her what she is taking out of the box, she answers, â€Å"Toys. † After emptying the box, she chooses blocks with colors yellow, orange and red and she starts to form objects out of it. First, she lines up the longer orange blocks. Then, she stacks these blocks together by putting shorter blocks which are colored yellow and red on top of the orange blocks. The resulting object is like a train. Afterwards, she disassembles it and creates another object which looks like a phone and she pretends to talk to someone else with it. Next, she takes the red and orange blocks and forms a square using three longer blocks supported by one longer block and two shorter blocks underneath. The shape is not recognized by her mother so she asks her, to which she replies â€Å"toys. † Then she tries to tell a story as she makes gestures and actions and she tries to explain but only the words â€Å"she,† â€Å"ride,† and â€Å"ice cream† are intelligible. After explaining, she says, â€Å"Look at this†¦ These are toys†¦ Place this here† as she places a cube on top of the object. After a few minutes, a cat’s cry is heard from another room. She recognizes it and says â€Å"Cat†¦ Cat meow. † A little later, she gets a cloth and wipes her nose. Her mother asks what is wrong and she says, â€Å"Mommy, nose† to probably mean that she has a running nose. After a while, she counts from one to ten the blocks she formed into an object. Then, her mother asks her the color of a block and she answers â€Å"red† but she cannot recognize the colors pink and blue when she was asked. After that, her mother asks how old she is and she quickly answers â€Å"Two† and shows her two fingers. By and by, she sees a picture book, which is an atlas for children, on the shelf. She points at it and articulates â€Å"Book†¦ Read book. † Her mother gives her the book. She starts to turn the pages one by one and she recognizes pictures of a cow, earth, water, stars, bird, fish, and a dog especially when her mother points out a picture and asks her the names for those pictures. Her mother also teaches her the names of a few of the pictures such as a whale and a bear. She is quick to remember the image of a bear because when she was near the end of the book, she suddenly asks, â€Å"Where bear? † and she turns back the pages of the book to find it. She exclaims, â€Å"It’s here! † when she found it. Her mother tries to help her turn the pages of the book but she exclaims, â€Å"Wait! † and continues to turn the pages on her own. There was a time when she mentions the word â€Å"heavy† referring to the heavy pages of the book. She pretends to read the words written on paper and looks at the pictures most of the time. Furthermore, she turns back to the pages she has already seen again and again. She also recognizes pictures of babies because when her mother asked her what can be seen on the page with baby pictures, she responds, â€Å"Baby. † Her mother then asks her how many babies there are and she accurately counts from one to three. Since it was almost her bedtime, her mother tells her to go to sleep, she says, â€Å"Wait. No sleep† but yawns. Then, she stands up, says â€Å"Me sleep,† goes to the door of her bedroom and opens it. Once inside the bedroom, her mother undresses her and dresses her up for sleeping. While dressing up, she tries to help by lifting her arms to fit to the sleeves of the shirt and lifting her legs to put on the pajamas. After that she says, â€Å"Mommy, milk. † So, her mother gets her milk, gives it to her and she drinks it from a cup. Based on the observation, the child displays the common developmental milestones of a two to three-year old preschool in terms of her cognitive, socio-emotional and motor skills. These are enumerated below: Primarily, the child exhibits the following cognitive skills of most two-year old children: (1) uses more than 100 words; (2) likes to take things apart; (3) uses 2 to 3 word sentences; (4) refers to self as â€Å"me†; (5) verbalizes desires; (6) enjoys looking at one book over and over; (7) points to body parts (Powell & Smith); (8) recognizes familiar pictures; and (9) asks for items by name (Developmental Checklist). Moreover, she demonstrates what other three-year children can do such as: (1) naming pictures of a book; (2) naming at least one color; and (3) knowing and telling her age (Goodbye Babyhood). Aside from these skills, it is observed that she can recognize animal sounds and she can already count from numbers one to ten. Furthermore, the child demonstrates the following socio-emotional skills: (1) shows awareness of parental approval; (2) displays independence to do things on her own; and (3) likes to imitate adult activities such as talking on the phone (Miss Independent). In addition to this, she can already perform motor skills such as: (1) opening a box; (2) building or stacking up small blocks; (3) using toys appropriately; (4) using a cup well; (4) dresses up with help (Miss Independent); and (5) turning pages of a book two to three at a time (Developmental Checklist). In conclusion, the preschool child who has been observed is on the right track in the growth milestones children of her age range develop. She has progressed in her cognitive, socio-emotional and motor skills as a two-year old child. Works Cited â€Å"Developmental Checklist for Infants and Toddlers. † Jacksonville Medicine. March 2000. University of Florida, Jacksonville Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers. 11 March 2009.

The story of Noah and the Ark What Gives Up and What Holds in Ones Faith - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1076 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/01 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Truth Essay Did you like this example? The story of Noah and the Ark is told in Genesis chapters five through eight. Chapter seven verse seventeen states, the flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth (Genesis 7:17). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The story of Noah and the Ark: What Gives Up and What Holds in Ones Faith" essay for you Create order For many believers of Christianity, this story is taken literally. Many believe that water truly flooded the surface of the earth for forty days and forty nights. Yet, what if this was not the absolute truth? Would these believers overall faith be destroyed? Over the course of this semester, we have examined an array of topics, but one comprehensive question that can be asked is what gives up and what holds in ones faith? This question can be asked about concerning topics such as religious truth, doctrinal entanglement, and the afterlife. When evaluating religious truth, the individual has to find out where the line is drawn†what has to be true for him or her? This conclusion involves acknowledgement of the continuum and an evaluation of oneself and ones beliefs. One must decide whether he or she takes the belief literally or is willing to value more the affect the belief has on his or her life. Religious truth can involve three realisms which are not mutually exclusive. The first, coherence realism, displays a situation in which there is something that makes the beliefs true, but that can be described in many ways. The truth of the story is determined by its effects on the lives of the believers. The second, lifeworld realism, displays the values that affect ones life and touches the heart of religious truth. It constitutes a truth beyond human lives, represented in different ways in different cultures. The third, simple realism, describes a situation in which the story must be translated into statements that e ither depict what actually occurred or not. It may have moral, emotional, or aesthetic value, but it may not be true unless what is depicted truly happened. When considering doctrinal entanglement, the individual has to consider what gives up and what holds in their belief, truth, and experience. Being doctrinally entangled comes in multiple degrees. Some people would be shattered if they found that what they believed in was a lie. What would constitute a lie would vary from any statement in a sacred book or sermon being less than literally true to only a few central beliefs being questioned. When considering the importance of the reality of the flood to a Christian, that believer would have to decide whether the literal truth to that one story legitimizes all the other stories in the Bible, or if it serves a better purpose as to shed light, hope, and share the characteristics of God and creation which could add value to ones life. Some would be devastated if they found out that their belief was a lie while others would primarily value the experience and feelings. With beliefs, truth, and commitments one inevitably discovers what he or she is committed to. An example of this is how a bet is waged. If a person bets on who will win the Kentucky Derby, they have to go through the process of placing their bet, watching the race, and paying the winner. The cases have to be determined to make an accurate prediction and steps must be followed after the bet is placed. These commitments can be viewed empirically, formally, or can be valued. In empirical commitments, one has to look. They can combine empirical evidence to determine the bet by visual examination. In formal commitments, one has to appeal to the rules of the procedure. With value commitments, one can see what commitment is more important to him or her. This kind of commitment makes it tricky to pay off the bet. A person will either agree to disagree, or they will fight for it. We can believe in any of these commitments and any of them can lead to the truth, they are simply justified in div erse ways and involve different beliefs and truths. Depending on the statement a person will take different actions. When considering the afterlife, the individual has to ask themselves what would sway them in their beliefs. If a person was crushed to discover that the literal truth of a story in the Bible, such as the flood, was not valid, how would he or she interpret a topic such as the afterlife or the resurrection? Words have meaning, and when words are used in contexts that do not have explicit meaning, we get confused. The concept of an afterlife is difficult because it involves death and is a term that goes beyond science. Once the body is gone, we are talking about the spiritual self. Yet, we cannot conceive what life without a body is like. No one truly knows what the afterlife will be like or if it truly exists, yet it can serve as a goal. The afterlife can be seen as a state, or a meaningful spiritual life. It can motivate one to devote themselves to something much larger and allow that person to push past pleasure and pain. At the beginning of the semester, I would have immediately assumed that the story of Noah and the Arc was literal, intended to show believers the depth of Gods love, holiness, and compassion. Now when I look at images such as the flood, Kali and Shiva, or any other religious story, I can see more than just the black and white. I realize that these stories can have a deeper meaning and I can to relate to them more clearly through techniques such as simple realism. Tolerance is involved as a factor regarding the truth of a religious subject. An individual has to find out what is critical to them and make a choice. This choice reaches beyond yes or no and can bred more meaningful discussion. All the options make the individual find the data and meaning in the in between. Tolerance allows a person to think over religious stories, like the flood, or topics, like afterlife, so that they can develop discipline. Although it may be hard to make sense of and be truly confident in what one hopes for, researching and opening dialogue about these things can allow a person to find goodness in life and personal truth in religion. Works Cited Genesis. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles. Good News Publishers. 2016. Text