What teachers need in order to deal with Ethical Dilemmas

What teachers need in order to deal with Ethical Dilemmas Ethics are defined as a set of principles of right conducts; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession ( Dictionary of the Human Language, 2000).   Teachers are often put in situations that require more than just knowing the basic school rules. It is within these situations, that the ethical dilemmas occur. There is not always a right way to deal with many daily problems that face educators, but there are ways to handle situations that are better then others.   Teachers should follow and refer to a code of ethics to help teach in the most appropriate and ethical way; as well as a guide to help deal with dilemmas. It is important that teachers give children a fair chance to show their knowledge when assessing.   The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can be used to improve student performance ( Orange 2000).   Teachers assess children to ensure that they are understanding the material, and to make sure they are learning.   For young children especially tests should never be the only criteria of assessment.   Instructors should always make sure that their assessment is fair.   When testing a child, make sure that the testing method used is appropriate for that child.   For example, if giving a test that relies on visual aids to administer the test it is important that the teacher is certain that all the children have good enough vision to clearly see the aids.   When assessing young children in particular it is important to look for more then simply right or wrong.   An in depth look is necessary to see what the children really know before giving them a poor grade.   Childrens work needs to critiqued in more then one way to be sure that they really do or dont understand. Varied assessment   methods developed and evaluated by teachers make a significant contribution   to knowledge about what children know, can do, and still need to learn. (Isenberg Jalongo, 2000) Children have the right to confidentiality.   It is inappropriate for a teacher to discuss a childs results with fellow colleagues or other students.   A childs grades should be private, and should not be posted.   Students might be ashamed of their grades, or some people might take poor grades as a bad reflection upon the students character.   Public pronouncements (of grades) are likely to taint everyones opinion of that childs ability (Isenberg Jalongo, 2000 ).   It is important not to share professional confidential information in any other way but a professional way.   There are appropriate and inappropriate times to share a childs information, part of becoming a professional is knowing when to keep quiet and protect confidentiality (Isenberg Jalongo, 2000).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just as braking confidentiality is inappropriate so is teacher bias and discrimination.   It is suppose to be that school is the only institution that can counter the accidents of birth, guarantee of opportunity and provide objective and fair ways to select and train talented individuals (Goodlad, Sirotnik Sober,1990).   However, discrimination towards students takes place all the time.   Teachers often discriminate against males and females, expecting different things from both.   Research over the last decade has shown that males and females have different classroom experiences because they approach learning differently and because teachers tend to treat them differently.   There is an expectation that for females in some subjects are usually lower, as they are for members of certain racial and ethnic groups and for poor students. (Hanson Shwartz, 1992). Boys are usually associated with doing better in math then girls, while girls are thought of as to excel in English.   It seems as though teacher are aware of this bias and instead of helping to stop it they make it worse by treating the children differently.   Teachers continue the bias by picking teachers pets.   Teachers are not suppose to pick favorites.   If they do they are certainly not suppose to treat them any differently from the rest of the class.   If teachers favor and esteem certain members of a peer group, the remaining children will understandably have a diminished sense of self worth (Orange, 2000).   Teachers should take the time to evaluate their own behavior, evaluating whether or not they treat children differently.   This could also help teachers overcome racial, social or gender biases as well as favoritism.   According to the survey, 82 percent of students say they have had a teacher who has favored one student over others and 52 percent of teachers admit to having done so (Argarwal, 2001). Teachers are inevitably going to have certain children they enjoy more, its human nature. Its when teachers begin to give special brakes, or give better grades to certain students solely because they like the students character better, that is when favoritism gets out of hand.   It is very easy to cross the line or use inappropriate punishment as a teacher.   Teachers must choose their punishment techniques carefully.   Corporal punishment is no longer allowed in a vast majority of states.   A school discipline policy is a good guide for teachers to follow to make sure they are using an appropriate discipline method. On the other hand, even the best policy is only a document, and how it is carried out is at least as important as what it says (Gushee, 1984).   When a child misbehaves it is important to consider what is causing this behavior.   Childrens motivation for bad behavior usually has to do with love, power, freedom or fun- or some combination. (Isenberg Jalongo, 2000).   When deciding appropriate discipline it is important for the educator to keep in mind whether or not the discipline is necessary, productive, fair, or age appropriate.   The basic minimum requirement for understanding any young childs behavior begins by building a relationship with them and depends upon effective communication ( Isenberg Jalongo, 2000).   Rather then constant discipline teachers should remember to look for the good as well.   To avoid dealing with problems unethically, and to guide educators in the right way there are a set of principles.   The principles are intended to guide, conduct and assist practitioners in resolving ethical dilemmas encountered in the field (The National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethical Conduct, 2000, as cited in Isenberg Jalongo, 2000).   There are answers to some specific questions, but not all dilemmas are addressed on the Code of Ethics.   They can not tell a teacher how to teach but they can lead them in the right way. Most problems will require the use of the Code as well as professional judgment (The National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethical Conduct, 2000, as cited in Isenberg Jalongo, 2000). The National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethical Conduct believes that there are certain values that teachers should always keep in mind while educating.   The Association states that Standards of ethical behavior are based on commitment to core values that are deeply rooted in the history of our field.   The core values include ideas such as: appreciating childhood as a unique stage, basing work on the knowledge of child development, appreciating and supporting the close ties between family and child, knowing that children are best understood in the context of their family and culture, respecting the dignity and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague), and to try to help children and adults achieve their full potential in the context in relationships that are based on trust, respect, and positive regard. There is no perfect way to teach, and it is hard to find the perfect solution to every problem.   The best way for a teacher to deal with ethical situations is to try to avoid the problem to begin with.   Teachers should always think about their actions and evaluate their behavior on a regular basis.   Problems that deal with concepts such as bias, or favoritism can be avoided by a teacher simply evaluating himself and his behavior.   Problems with assessment and confidentiality just take a little consideration, and thinking through.   If teacher would refer to the Code of Ethics it might help lead them in the most appropriate and ethical actions and solutions. The National Association for the Education for Young Children Code of Ethical Behavior states that; Above all, we shall not harm children.   We shall not participate in practices that are disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitive, intimidating, emotionally damaging, or physically harmful to children.   They say that, that principle has precedence over all others.

Old Spice Essay

This essay covers persuasive techniques used in the video commercial for Old Spice deodorant, as well as the messages that lie in the heart of the very commercial. The essay will try to explain the techniques and effects of persuasion on targeted audience, while at the same time referring to style and language. A great emphasis is put on humor, as it is the main technique of persuasion used in the very commercial. The commercial that is the subject of this work is Old Spice’s â€Å"The man your man could smell like† 33 second long video, which increased Old Spice sales as much as 106% at one point. In order to explain and understand this phenomenon, attention should be drawn to persuasive techniques used by advertisers to subconsciously influence targeted audience, while analyzing main messages itself. First, let us take a look at the concept of the commercial itself. The product, Old Spice deodorant, is presented to the audience by a physically attractive, stereotypically masculine African American, the narrator and the only character in the commercial, stereotyped to the point of exaggeration. Presented image leaves us with the idea of a parody. The main character is addressing the audience in second person, leading them through the commercial. One of the most interesting things about his narration is that, although the product itself is aimed at men, the commercial is not directly addressed to them. The narrator speaks to women, which is undoubtedly one of the factors of the popularity of this commercial, as it gives an unexpected twist to it, taking into consideration the well-known fact that most commercials of this type feature a stereotypical macho model, who addresses that men should aspire to look and act like him. By looking at some of the commercials of the type, especially at the older Old Spice commercials, a common persistent pattern can be noticed, which is now made fun of, the reason being the company’s attempt to try and abandon their outdated image. The narrator is, as mentioned before, an exaggeratedly stereotypical masculine persona, overly confident and arrogant to the degree that makes his personality unrealistic and humorous. He is trying to sell the product by selling himself, stating that any ordinary man could come at least close to what he was, just by using the same deodorant. The unintentional humor comes from his exaggerated personality and randomness of the commercial’s plot. First, we see the man in the bathroom, three seconds later he is on a boat, holding an oyster containing two tickets, which are soon replaced by diamonds and at the very end, he is on a horse. What makes this concept interesting and humorous is that he keeps eye contact with the audience through every second of the commercial, while describing everything that he is doing and everything that is seen on the screen, thus stating the obvious. The advertisement is not saying anything about the actual product, and is instead focused on selling the commercial rather than the product, which in this case is understandable as Old Spice is an established and popular brand. Advertisers count on the sense of humor of both men and women, whilst using an attractive man to occupy women’s attention. Targeted audience, as aforementioned, is the younger population of heterosexual men and women who share a particular sense of humour. By using mockery and a sort of parodying of the commercial, mixing it with sex appeal and personality, advertisers have created a persuasive and informative advertisement that is not aimed at a broader audience, as the above mentioned factors, do not appeal to older generations. Having a particular sense of humor is crucial to understanding this commercial, as it would otherwise face the risk of being labeled derogatory and sexist. Advertisers have applied the â€Å"sex sells† rule of advertising on this commercial, with the change of men being objectified rather than women, and mixed it with humor in order to create a desirable effect. Before turning to analysis of other techniques, it is important to mention the use of language and sentences as well, which cannot really be seen as a persuasive technique but is a powerful tool in manipulating audience. Sentences in the commercial are brief and straight to the point. The narrator is confident and he knows what he is talking about- no stops in between the sentences, no improvisation and no commas, which, aside with random images, helps to create the desirable dynamic effect. Dynamic commercial embodies the dynamic lifestyle led by the targeted audience, which consists of young people who are always on the move and trying to keep up with the modern world. As for the style and tone of the author, it is important to mention that the narrator states his point of view up-front, the language is forceful and persuasive, making the narrator sound arrogant and powerful, even superior to the audience he is talking to. He is even making fun of the audience, which is, however, not to be taken seriously, taking into account that the parodying tone is present from the very beginning and it is clear that the intention is to make fun of the male and female stereotypes, rather than the audience. After analyzing the messages, style, tone, and use of humor, an emphasis should be put on persuasive techniques, in order to understand the effect this commercial has on the audience. The second persuasive technique that can be read is â€Å"repetition†. Even by inattentive listening to the commercial it is clear that some of the words and sentences are repeated in order to reinforce the main point. At the very beginning, the narrator draws women’s attention by inviting them to compare their man with him, by repeating repeatedly â€Å"back at your man, now back to me†. This technique is used to state the obvious, and is meant to be a certain â€Å"wake up call† to all the women whose boyfriends and husbands are not as attractive, wealthy, confident and manly as the narrator is. Apart from â€Å"humor† and â€Å"repetition†, one of the persuasive techniques used in this commercial is â€Å"beautiful people†, an extremely common technique in ads that uses good looking models to attract attention of the viewers by implying that they will look like them if they use the product. In this instance, Isaiah Mustafa, an American actor, is used to draw the attention of female audience, by promising that their â€Å"man† would look like him if they used the product. Somewhat connected to the mentioned â€Å"beautiful people† technique, is â€Å"snob appeal†, another technique that uses beautiful, confident models to suggest that â€Å"the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle†. Not only the narrator in this commercial is attractive and confident, but he is also well dressed, wealthy and powerful, owning a boat and having the power to turn an oyster into diamonds, and is again implying that the use of the advertised product, Old Spice deodorant, made all the mentioned things possible. All of the mentioned techniques- humor, repetition, beautiful people and snob appeal, are just some of the well-known, common techniques used by advertisers in order to trick the targeted audience into buying the advertised product. Behind the effect and success of those techniques lays the complex human psychology and the role of the subconscious, which the advertisers understand very well. Most people never pay attention to the manipulation they are subdued to every day by consuming media, but the crude truth is that the manipulation is ever present- in advertising, media and political speeches. The success of the Old Spice commercial lays behind the canny techniques of persuasion used by the advertisers, and although the parodying in this case is not accepted by everybody, and there are people who argue that the commercial is derogatory and shallow, advertisers undoubtedly got what they wanted- popularity and publicity.

Anyone can make a difference

There is no such thing as a perfect world although we continue to try and make it seem that way. Mankind has dreamt about making this wish a reality for many centuries yet has failed in its attempts. This concept along with the failure it carries exists because no one man or women can entirely change the world we live in. No two people are alike so therefore how can millions of individuals be expected to have the same exact motives or desires.In contrast, the reality is that no matter what sex, GE, religious belief or ethnicity you carry, everyone has the same bottom line basic needs that must be met for survival. If each and every one of us could understand that perception and accept it than the key to peace would be among us. Over the centuries in which humanity has been alive it seems that this fact has not been discovered by all its civilization. So therefore many have learned that by separating themselves from trying to persuade this thought, they can more over begin to focus on their own parts to play in this action movie called â€Å"Life†.This world is filled opportunity; anyone of us can have and will have the chance to take a stand in making our home a better place. Being a strong advocate of voting, it is shocking to conclude that many of Americans do not participate in the act of voting, elections or other democratic virtues. The best tool that we have at our disposal is the Benton 2 power to vote, which is the most sufficient way to voice our own opinions. Too many people described as Americans like the idea of problems fixing problems but this solution is unrealistic.If someone does not agree with how the government is running things then it is stated in the Declaration of Independence to speak up! It is overall OUR RIGHT to say so! The government should never have full control over our country; we are supposed to have a democracy run civilization not some communist dictatorship! Another action that should be used in attempt to make our wor ld a finer place is to recognize how something so simple as showing respect and love towards one another can lead to such positive self-outcomes beyond measure.Anyone no matter hat sex, age, religion or ethic background again should be treated equally and not any different then how you would want or expect to be treated. No one human being is better than another even if he or she makes more money or is shown to be in a higher standing within the system. I mean if there really is a â€Å"God†, than we are all his children, correct? No favorites would have been picked from the bunch over another. Nevertheless, along with these examples, a dedication to volunteer activities can also provide an impact on the community not alone on you.Regardless of the location in which you become involved with such extracurricular activities it is always known to show a positive feedback. There are so many amazing, kind hearted and wonderful people who reside here in Fresno, California not menti oning the rest of the planet yet along with these people one should recognize that there will be a lot of harsh ones to follow. Yet, experiences with others should never change your own view and relations to the outside world. It is true that his economy is so horrid Benton 3 eight now that it is causing thousands to morph into self-centered monsters.This reality is disgusting as it is the barrier that is separating that of commonality. Sadly enough, this sequence of events is taking venue only because of the way we have let such issues prolong. The need for survival is a mind-controlling factor yet if we could all realize that by working towards a much deeper long-term goal, we all would be much better off. The strong crave for the light bulb to one day appear over the naive is prodigious as help from America's people is so desperately needed.Evidentially enough, it is impossible to turn the minds of everyone single handedly so some must carry on with their own lives and continuall y try their best in spreading their own opinions and words in the appropriate ways. While dreaming of a greater day, maybe this exhibit will one day be transformed into a reality for at lease our children or children's' children to experience. All that any single individual can do is give effort and think that maybe their suggestions will make a positive influence and one day spread into something larger and far greater†¦

An Exploration Of The Modern American Hobo Through Memoir

â€Å"Where have all the hobos gone to†: An Exploration of the Modern American Hobo Through Memoir Perhaps you have heard about them in songs like Harry McClintock’s â€Å"Big Rock Candy Mountain† or John Prine’s â€Å"The Hobo Song†. Maybe you’ve read about them in the stories like Horatio Alger’s Tony, the Tramp or seen them depicted in animated cartoon shorts like Merry Melodies â€Å"Hobo Gadget Band†. They go by a variety of names: hobo, tramp, vagabond, bum, traveler. When asked to describe a hobo perhaps you recall the Norman Rockwell painting â€Å"Hobo and Dog†- complete with patchwork clothes, stick and bindle. Maybe you imagine a depression era young man sitting in a box car or a villainous old transient out to cause harm. As John Prine’s â€Å"The Hobo†¦show more content†¦While this practice was somewhat tolerated, it was in contrast to the era’s idea of the hard-working, self-made man and was considered to be lazy and cowardly (995). Tramps were â€Å"demonized [by cultural elites who] failed to acknowledge the vital role [such a] mobile population played in the project of US industrialization† (997). A strange juxtaposition formed. The idea that hard work always paid off was in stark contrast with the fact that there was a real lack of consistent work opportunities. Instead of the upper class seeing the need for transiency in order for these workers to survive, the tramp was seen as willfully living on the fringe of society and â€Å"removing themselves from fundamental American institutions† (998). The upper and middle class viewed the tramp as lacking work ethic and morality, giving rise to the stereotype that they possessed the potential to be dangerous and wild (998). This was further epitomized by the railroad strike of 1877. The violence of these strikes created a perfect situation to further the stereotype of the dangerous and wild hobo, as Photinos describes in her article, â€Å"The Tramp in Gilded Age Success Narratives†: Eighty tho usand striking railroad workers were joined in the streets of the nation’s cities by thousands of other laborers suffering from repeated wage cuts as well as by throngs of homeless and jobless.