The Wrong Idea essays

The Wrong Idea essays (Today) You have a society where every black kid in the country thinks the only way to be successful is through athletics, said Charles Barkley to Sports Illustrated. Therefore, these kids think that the only way to go to college is by being good at a sport. What they do when they get to college is the real question. The past is a good place to see exactly what college student athletes have accomplished. A study was done on the graduation rates of athletes in college. Immediately in this study, black male athletes were spotlighted. Between the years of 1991 and 1994, only seven division one colleges graduated all of their black male basketball players. There were 47 division one colleges that graduated zero black male basketball players in this four year span. They are on what is called the zero percent list. The reasons for not graduating a single black player are unpublished. One of them might have been too much pressure from coaches. Another possible reason is that the players didnt care about their futures beyond basketball. This has been problem has been expressed by players in the past. The reason the black players were asked to go to the schools wasnt because of academic achievements. Coaches recruited these players on scholarships due to their athletic ability. It is interesting to note that between 1991 and 1994, the four national champion teams were not on the list of zero graduation. Duke University, the 1991 and 1992 national champions, graduated 82 percent of all their black male athletes. This shows that successful athletic programs can also include success in the classroom. The rules have become stricter for high school athletes to be eligible for college sports. The minimum required score on the SATs has been raised from 700 to 820. This forced college-recruiting coaches to select athletes who work hard in the classroom as well as ...

How to Help Your Homeschooled Kid Find Friends

How to Help Your Homeschooled Kid Find Friends It can be difficult for homeschooled kids to forge new friendships Its not because the unsocialized homeschooler stereotypes  are true. Instead its often because homeschooled kids dont have the opportunity to be around the same group of kids on a regular basis like their public- and private-schooled peers do. Although homeschoolers arent isoloated from other kids, some dont have enough consistent contact with the same group of friends to allow time for friendships to grow. As homeschool parents, we may need to be more intentional in helping our children make new friends. How can you help  your homeschooler find friends? Maintain Current Friendships If you have a child who is transitioning from public school to homeschool, make an effort to maintain his current friendships (unless they are a contributing factor in your decision to homeschool). It can put a strain on friendships when the kids dont see  each other every day. Give your child opportunities to continue to nurture those relationships. The younger your child is,  the more effort the investment in these friendships may require on your part. Make sure you have the parents’ contact information, so that you can  arrange regular play dates. Invite the friend over for sleepovers or a movie night. Consider hosting holiday parties or game nights on weekends or after school hours so your new homeschooler can spend time with his old public school friends and new homeschool friends at the same time. Get Involved in the Homeschool Community It is important to maintain friendships for kids moving from public school to homeschool, but it’s also important to help them begin to make friends with other homeschooled kids. Having friends who homeschool means your child has someone who understands her day-to-day life and a buddy for homeschool group outings and play dates! Go to homeschool group events. Get to know the other parents so that it’s easier for your kids to stay in contact. This contact can be especially important for less-outgoing kids. They may find it difficult to connect in a large group setting and  need some one-on-one time to get to know potential friends. Try a homeschool co-op. Take part in activities that reflect your child’s interests to make it easier for him to get to know kids who share his interests. Consider activities such as a book club, LEGO club, or art class. Participate in Activities on a Regular Basis Although some  kids have a new â€Å"best friend† every time they leave the playground, true friendships take time to foster. Find activities that occur on a regular basis so that your child get to see the same group of kids regularly. Consider activities such as: Recreational league sports teamsClasses such as gymnastics, karate, art, or photographyCommunity theaterScouting Don’t overlook activities for adults (if it’s acceptable for children to attend) or activities in which your childs siblings are involved. For example a ladies Bible study or weekly moms meeting gives kids a chance to socialize. While the moms chat, kids can play, bond, and forge friendships. Its not uncommon for older or younger siblings to wait with their parent while one child attends a homeschool class or activity. The waiting siblings often forge friendships with the other kids waiting on their brother or sister. If its appropriate to do so, bring along some activities that encourage quiet group play, such as playing cards, Lego blocks, or board games. Make Use of Technology Live, online games and forums can be a great way for older homeschooled kids to make friends who share their interests or keep in touch with existing friends. Teens can chat with friends and meet new people while playing online video games. Many  homeschooled kids use apps such as Skype or FaceTime to chat face-to-face with friends each day. Certainly there are dangers associated with social media and online technology. Its crucial that parents monitory their childrens online activity. Parents should also teach their kids  basic safety protocol, such as never giving out their address or engaging in private messaging with people they dont know in person. Used carefully and with parental supervision, the Internet can be a fantastic tool for allowing homeschooled kids to connect with their friends more often than they might be able to do in person. One of the best things about homeschool friendships is that they tend to ​break age barriers. They are based on mutual interests and complementary personalities. Help your homeschooled child find  friends. Be intentional about providing opportunities for him to meet others through shared interests and experiences.

What has been the best period in your life and why Essay

What has been the best period in your life and why - Essay Example Their presence makes me feel important and there is a natural attachment between me and my children. The period of their upbringing was difficult but the emotions that arose within me when they started talking and walking seem to be unforgettable. There were times when I had to give up my sleep and luxuries to make them happy and to give them time but I did not regret it. I realized that fatherhood was a position of giving without any hope of rewards. Their happiness instilled emotions of happiness within me and when they cried I tried to do everything possible to make them happy. Thus, it was a feeling and a relationship that was different from all other relations. The time of their upbringing has always been important for me and this period of fathering the two most beautiful children of the world has been the most important and unforgettable period of my life. This is owing to the strong natural bond that exists in the relation of a father and his

Personal development planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Personal development planning - Essay Example In addition, it motivates a positive attitude towards learning (Healey, Pawson & Solem 2013, p.141). This paper will discuss personal development planning and the importance of various aspects of a student’s life. Interpersonal skills are the evaluation of how masterful an individual is in interacting with others. Interpersonal skills are qualities, common sense, concrete and positive encounters to assist a student to become responsible and caring adults. The interpersonal competencies are necessary for the preparation of students to for the workplace. The interpersonal skills are developed through connecting with others, for instance, socialising with peers, interacting with family members and going to school. The interpersonal skills are critical to solving a dispute with others and minimise stress, promote intimacy and enhance joy. In addition, the skills improve communication, expand comprehension and help to solve disputes (Dyson & Casey 2012, p. 5). The presentation skill is the ability of a student to deliver information while at the same time attaining a maximum influence. Presentations in a students’ life are crucial in assisting them to gain and develop a hob after university. From the working life perspective, presentation skills are essential to individual prosperity, for example, reporting to superiors, sales and training. Presentation skills such as being a fine public speaker build confidence in students that can be expressed in areas of personal and business life. From social life point of view, a god presenter is perceived to have more authority compared to their colleagues (Lee-Davies & Bailey 2007, p 132). Communication skill is the capability to pass on information efficiently and effectively to another. The communication skills assist students to convey details distinctly on emotional and intellectual degrees. A student can describe concepts clearly and have the potential to raise questions in order to refine other

Cyber Bullying and Racial Discrimination

Cyber Bullying and Racial Discrimination Melissa Hui Xin Yue Q3: In the recent times, cyber bullying and hate mongering towards people groups have increased, especially in social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and other forms of similar negative impressions have dominated cyber space. Analytically discuss ways and means to combat the above mentioned phenomena in an amicable and workable manner. According to Bill Belsey (2000), cyberbullying is defined as activity that involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others. In this digital era, it is without a doubt that most children have their own cell phones, and with the fast Internet connectivity, it is safe to assume that most of the children has at least one social media account. This increase the chance of them being a cyberbully or being cyberbullied. Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism is generally associated with bullying. In a 1991 Runnymede Trust Report, Islamophobia was defined as hostility towards Muslims, and therefore fear or dislike of all or most Muslims. Whereas Anti-Semitism is the prejudice, discrimination and hatred of Jews as a national, ethnic, religious or a racial group (Lipset, 1969). These cyberbullying activities can be stopped and prevented by raising awareness for Islamic practice s and Judaism, have counselling for students who are being cyberbullied and government’s efforts in stopping cyberbully. Cyberbullying activities towards Jews and Muslims is a problem that can be stopped by raising awareness about Islamic practices and Judaism. Awareness can be raised by operating campaigns about Islamic belief and Judaism. These campaigns should run throughout the whole year in schools and also in public areas. Governments and schools should see the brighter side of these two religions instead of stereotyping them as terrorist in accordance to what have happened in the events of 9/11 Attacks in New York (2001) and Charlie Hebdo killings (2014). According to Martin et al. (2011), stereotyping is categorizing information about others in daily life. Campaigns should have activities like cultural talks about what Islamic beliefs and Judaism are about. What could be better than a little bit of eye candy to catch your attention? Clothing and accessories can be used as a media to spread awareness. Example, you can wear a blue t-shirt in support of Islamic beliefs and Judaism. Games and activ ities with the Muslims and Jews will show how friendly and fun they are in contrast of the stereotypes that people have about them. Student exchange programmes are a good way to raise awareness on Muslim students or Jewish students. These students can show their host families about their religion and culture, prompting their host families to stop having stereotypes towards the students’ religion. In response to the event September 11, 2001, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program is one of the programme that provides scholarship for students from Islamic countries to learn about American society and values (YESprograms, 2002). With raising awareness, this will help the students and society to not be afraid of Muslims and Jews. Thus, discrimination and cyberbullying towards Muslims and Jews will decrease because they understand and empathize that everyone in the world has feelings. Counselling is a great way to stop cyberbullying. Although you might think that counselling will not do much change, but in fact, according to Bower and Rowland (2006), counselling is more effective than usual care, people receiving counselling is likely to be satisfied after treatment. Muslims and Jews who are being cyberbullied can go to see a counsellor whether at school or outside of school. Victims can choose to join either one-on-one sessions if they are too shy or they can join group sessions where they get to listen to other victims’ experiences. Listening to other victims can help them because they empathize with the victims. Based on Dr Brenà © Brown’s research (2010), she defines shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging. When a victim decides to share his or her experience, the victim is being courageous to face his or her problem. Counsellors should always encourage the victims to talk about their feelings and relieve their stress about being in their own religion. Group sessions not only have experience sharing, but also should have games and activities to bring the victims together and show them that they are not alone. Dr Brenà © Brown once said, â€Å"To practice courage and compassion is to look at life and people around us†. Counsellors should teach the victims the ways to protect themselves when they are being cyberbullied, like reporting to the police or blocking the cyberbully on internet. No doubt that counselling is able to make an impact in the lives of victims of cyberbully. The Government should do their parts in stopping cyberbullying toward Muslims and Jews. Whenever victims report about cyberbullying, the police should not turn a blind eye over them just because the police is Islamophobia or Anti-Semitism. Police should be fair and just when it comes to criminal and law-breaking citizens. B.F. Skinner (1938) coined the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing of behaviour by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. If the cyberbully is a student, the school should give warning to the cyberbully. The cyberbully must undergo charity hours if caught cyberbullying anyone if caught by the school. These charity hours help them to reflect on themselves for what they have done so that they will not repeat it again. Governments should take away the cyberbullies’ electronic devices and internet when they are caught cyberbullying. Government should impose and reinforce the laws on cyberbullying. Hiring more cyber po lices will help to decrease the cyberbullying rate. Actions will be taken if the cyber police accepts bribery from the cyberbully. Incentives can be given by the government for the non-profit counselling groups that help the victims of cyberbullying. The government should provide a building for the non-profit counselling groups to do their activities in. By doing this, the government is helping the victims indirectly because the government provided facilities for the counselling groups. Thus, Muslims and Jews can share their emotions and relieve their stress caused by cyberbullying. Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism should not be the topic for cyberbullying nor should any characteristics be used as a topic for cyberbullying. You may not be the ones being cyberbullied, maybe one day your child might be cyberbullied. Being born into your own race is not your fault or your choice, we cannot change our race and should not discriminate other race as well. So, let us make an effort to stop cyberbully towards Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism by raising awareness, counselling sessions and also government’s efforts in stopping cyberbullying. References: Belsey, B. (2000). Cyberbullying. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.cyberbullying.org/ Defining Islamophobia (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://crg.berkeley.edu/content/islamophobia/defining-islamophobia 9/11 Attacks. (2010). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks# Charlie Hebdo and its satirical role. (2015, January 8). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15551998 About YES Program. (2001, January 1). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://yesprograms.org/about Lipset, S. M., â€Å"The Socialism of Fools- The Left, the Jews and Israel,† Encounter, (December 1969), p.24 Retrieved March 11, 2015 Martin, J.N. , Nakayama, T.K. (2011), Experiencing Intercultural Communication, McGraw-Hill International Edition Bower Peter, J. and N. Rowland (2006) Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of counselling in primary care. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Retrieved March 12, 2015 Brown, B. (2010, September 1). The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think Youre Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Retrieved March 12, 2015 Skinner, B. F. (1938).The Behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century.

Nick Djokovic Essay

In today’s world, there are many sport figures one can look up to. We have chosen the best of the best in the tennis world, Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Despite being the underdog during his early years as a professional tennis player, he is now the best professional tennis player overtaking the previous king of tennis Rafael Nadal. Ever since the age of four, he has been interested in tennis. Unlike most children his age, it was not a fleeting interest. He was determined to achieve his dream of becoming the best tennis player in the world. With his steadfast dream, he has won six Grand Slam titles and has brought him to where he is now. This report will cover Djokovic’s personality, values and attitude, motivation and leadership skills that had helped him to achieve his dream. The points highlighted are also the main reason he is worth following as an influential leader. 2.0 Personality The big five model of personality consists of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. Djokovic can be seen as a person that is highly extrovert as he is fun-loving, expressive and sociable. During his comeback as the winner in the Australian Open, he was so overjoyed that he threw his racket, wristbands and his shirt to his fans (AOL News, 2011). Djokovic is also socially attached to his fans that he created an application known as ‘Nole4You’ that focuses on a direct coverage of Djokovic’s real time games (New & Newsworthy, 2012a). On the other hand, Djokovic is low on the neurotism category as he is much balanced and emotionally stable. According to Suttles (2013), Djokovic was â€Å"gracious in defeat† as every defeat he channels it back into better concentration for the next match. Next, Djokovic is rather high on the agreeableness meter as he shows a great deal of care towards others through his charities. Djokovic created the Novak Djokovic Foundation which supports young children from disadvantaged communities especially in native Serbia (New & Newsworthy, 2012b). Besides that, he was also elected as the ambassador of The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Serbia as he was utterly concern in the welfare of the people in his hometown as well as the importance in early childhood education in Native Serbia (Look To The Stars, 2011). He was also keen in participating in fights for the betterment of society such as the fight against acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) which required him to use the Head Red special edition bag collection from Head to the French Open Grand Slam (Look To The Stars, 2013a). Djokovic is also high in conscientiousness as he is responsible for his career and he is well organized after his achievement in the Australian Open. Although being reckless in his previous season, he is where he is now due to his hard work in perfecting his service techniques and getting his diet right (Carter, 2011). According to Djokovic in an interview, he wants to be consistent in his games and to do this, he has to stay fit and take care of his health and physical condition (The National, 2011). Lastly, Djokovic is very open to new experience. One afternoon in year 2010, Djokovic received a phone call from Dr. Igor Cetojevic who said that his fatigue in the 2010 Aussie Open was due to his diet that consists of glutens that caused an accumulation of toxins in his large intestines. Djokovic listened to his advice to practice a gluten-free diet as well as to build him up spiritually. Besides that, Djokovic also took risk to change his serve technique as advised by Marian Vajda. As a result of Djokovic’s openness, he no longer suffers from fatigues and he felt much happier and balanced. In addition, a change in his serve technique enabled him to defeat the former world number one five times consecutively and brought him to the top of the tennis world (Saslow, 2012). 3.0 Values and Attitude As a well-known figure in the world of tennis, Djokovic has certain values that enable him to enjoy the success that he has today. According to George and Jones (2012, p.93), values are defined as personal convictions about what one should strive for in life and how one should behave. Values are further divided into two categories; work values and ethical values. In terms of work values, there are intrinsic and extrinsic work values. In definition, intrinsic work values are values that are related to the nature of the work itself. Some examples of intrinsic work values that are prominent in Djokovic’s work are the ability to make important contributions to the public, the interesting work and the challenging work that can be done. Firstly, in terms of the ability to make important contributions to the public, Djokovic is well known for his philanthropic work. Due to this status as the highest ranked tennis player, he is very well-connected and is able to influence his fans over his beliefs. From this, he has helped to raise awareness for AIDS, human trafficking, poverty, human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights and many more (Look To The Stars, 2013b). Aside from that, his ability to make important contributions to the public and society is further supported by his status as the ambassador of UNICEF in Serbia. Aside from him advertising his beliefs on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and his video blog, UNICEF has also advertised their cause through Djokovic because of his popularity among the younger generation (UNICEF, 2011). Although generating a high pay from his career, he did not choose this career lifestyle because of it. He started playing tennis at the age of four and played professionally when he was 16 years old. This is due to his passion and interest in tennis. He has trained and played in every single tennis tournament to gain the experience he needed. Even though he has been injured quite a number of times in terms of ankle and knee injuries, that has never stopped him from pursuing his dream of being the best tennis player (Mitchell, 2013). However challenging his work may be, Djokovic never gave up. He continuously pursues his dream of being the best. After relentless practice and competitions, he finally replaced Roger Federer as the top ranked tennis player in the world. This attitude of his is admirable and serves as a constant reminder to his fans that nothing is impossible. On the other hand, extrinsic values are values that are related to the consequences of work. One of the more prominent extrinsic values is the high salary. Not only does he get paid for playing tennis, he gets paid through his endorsements deals with well-known companies such as UNIQLO, Fitline and Telekom Srbjia (Badenhausen, 2011). His salary also includes appearance fees, exhibitions and prize money. Besides that, his career as a tennis player provides him with many job benefits. One of the many is fame. Unlike most athletes, Djokovic enjoys being in the limelight and often shares news and funny anecdotes of his life with his fans. Next, his job provides very flexible working hours. He practices his tennis with his coaches at any time he wants. Due to his flexible working hours, he gets to spend more time with his family and to indulge in vacations as well as hobbies. According to George and Jones (2012, p.97), work attitude is defined as the collection of feelings, beliefs and thoughts about how to behave in one’s job and organisation. Although similar to values, work attitudes are more specific and are not as constant as values as work attitudes change over time. In 2008, although he was winning tournaments, Djokovic hired a new fitness coach in hopes that it will help boost his performance. After the change, he was able to defeat the two reigning champions in the tennis world, namely, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. His attitude changed once a new factor was introduced into his life (ESPN, 2010). 4.0 Motivational Theories Everyone in the world possesses a particular set of skills that they are good at in their lives. People who managed to realize their potential often harness that skill and sharpen it to become a much better person. During those times, motivation towards that ability drives them to keep pushing forward in harnessing those skills. Many professional sportsmen and sportswomen started training during childhood. Motivation is what has kept them and pushed them into training harder every day until they finally achieve their goal. According to George and Jones (2012, p. 183), there are three elements of work motivation; direction of behavior, level of effort and level of persistence. Novak Djokovic, world’s best tennis player, possessed all these three elements. For example, although his family had economic problems in Serbia, he still chose to fly to Germany to train despite only being 12 years old. Even as a child, he loved tennis with a passion. He once skipped afternoon classes in school just so he could attend tennis training with his coach (PRPepper Production, 2012). His passion, effort and persistence during training are boundless. His motivation was driven because he loved tennis rather than his parents forcing the sport on him. 4.1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Djokovic’s efforts and achievements relate a lot to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs consists of five different types of needs from the lowest to the highest; physiological, safety, belongingness, esteems and self-actualization needs (George and Jones, 2012, p. 187). The two needs most emphasized by Djokovic are the esteem needs and self-actualization needs. Right from the beginning, Djokovic was always focused and determined to be the best in the tennis world, which directly means beating the best players in the world such as Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Tommy Haas and Rafael Nadal. Esteem needs emphasizes on an individual being recognized and respected by others (George and Jones, 2012, p.187). Djokovic strived hard during his early years under the guidance of Nikola Pilic. At the age of 16, he was awarded the champion of â€Å"La Boule†. This event leads to the start of his professional career (PRPepper Prodcutions, 2012). However, he did not stop that as he was motivated aim higher. This further explains Maslow’s self-actualization need theory, which is defined as â€Å"needs to realize one’s full potential as a human being†. Djokovic trained hard every day motivated by one goal; to be the best tennis player in the world. Due to him having a high self-actualisation, Djokovic obtained the title of being the best tennis player in the ATP rankings in 2012 after obtaining a 43% winning rate in 2011. Today, Djokovic is further motivated by his lost to Rafeal Nadal in the 2013 French Open. Instead of giving up, Djokovic evaluates his loss as a sense of motivation to train harder in order to win the next tournament, Wimbledon (Gajaria, 2013).

Autism Spectrum Disorder And Its Potential Treatments

About Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Potential Treatments Courtney Bowen West Georgia Technical College Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is characterized by various symptomology ranging from inappropriate social behavior due to inability to experience and express situation-appropriate affect and lack of interest in other persons in general to repetitive, stereotyped behavior like insistence on routine, situation-specific actions, or obsessive focus on object-placement or sensory aspects of objects. There have been several attempted strategies at correcting these characteristics of ASD over the years, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on thought process correction and behavior alteration,†¦show more content†¦In terms of repetitive behaviors, this may include a fixation on patterns or textures in objects, focus on following a particular routine to the point of being upset over any minor change in the routine, or repeating certain words, behaviors, or movements linked to certain situations (i.e. eating the same food every day for a given meal) (APA, 201 3; Rotheram-Fuller, 2011). In terms of treatment for autism spectrum disorder, there has been debate on whether or not a strict behavioral method should be used versus medication that may affect cognition through biological