Popular Culture in the US Essay Example

Popular Culture in the US Essay Example Popular Culture in the US Essay Popular Culture in the US Essay The website provides resources for the critical analysis of popular culture in the US, including the impact of that culture beyond national borders. Resources include sites on various forms of popular culture, including music, film, television, advertising, sports, fashion, toys, magazines and comic books, and the medium in which this message moves, cyberculture. The site focuses on issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, cultural imperialism and censorship, as shaped by and reflected in various mass media. This site also includes sections that introduce and give resources for four main types r elements of popular culture analysis: production analysis, textual analysis, audience analysis, and historical analysis (of the first three dimensions as they change over time). Also included are links to online pop culture courses, to Journals treating popular culture, to some other key sites providing pop cultural analysis, and to media activist organizations that work to bring social Justice critiques to mass media. Use the navigation bar on the left to reach sites in all these areas. As with all Internet sites, the locations referenced vary in quality and usefulness. Some are commercial sites valuable more as objects of knowledge than as producers of knowledge. Others are academic sites that teach ways to analyze pop culture, or offer substantial resources for doing your own analyses. Since the Internet seldom, if ever, provides all the information needed on a given topic, users interested in the serious study of mass mediated culture are also strongly urged to consult the accompanying bibliography of books on popular culture, and use that old-fashioned, non-virtual space known as the library. On most pages in this site you will find parodies of advertisements. Some are aimed at the specific advertising practice represented, and some at questionable practices of the corporation sponsoring the ad. And all are aimed to remind us that a precious new public space, the World Wide Web, is in danger of becoming another space where only corporate free speech is protected. Most of the parodies are courtesy of AdBusters, with a few from other parody sites found on the Advertising page. Note that each of the other Culturalpolitics. net sites also treat some elements of popular culture. popular culture By zakaria-ghazi

Sample Classroom Rules for Teachers

Sample Classroom Rules for Teachers When designing your classroom rules, keep in mind that your rules must be clear, comprehensive, and enforceable. And then comes the most important part... you must be consistent in enforcing them all the time, with every student, using predictable and delineated consequences. Some teachers suggest writing the class rules with your students, using their input to create buy-in and cooperation. Consider the benefits of strong, teacher-determined rules that are not viewed as negotiable by the people who must follow them. Weigh the pros and cons before deciding which method to employ. State your rules in the positive (no donts) and expect the best from your students. They will rise to the high expectations you set starting from the first minute of the first day of the school year. 5 Simple Classroom Rules Here are the five classroom rules that are simple, comprehensive, positive, and clear. Be respectful to all.Come to class prepared.Do your best.Have a winning attitude.Have fun and learn! Of course, there are many variations of classroom rules that you can follow, but these five rules have been a staple in my classroom and they work. When looking at these rules, students know that they must respect each and every person in the classroom, including me. They also know that it is essential to come to class prepared and ready to work and do their best. In addition to that, students must enter the classroom with a winning attitude, not a pessimistic one. And finally, students know that learning should be fun, so they need to come to school every day ready to learn and have some fun. Variations of the Rules Some teachers like to be more specific in their rules, such as hands must be kept to yourself at all times. Bestselling author and Teacher of the Year Ron Clark (The Essential 55 and The Excellent 11) actually recommends having 55 essential rules for the classroom. While that may seem like a lot of rules to follow, you can always look through them and choose the rules that suite your classroom and your needs.   The most important thing is to spend time before the school year starts determining which rules fit your voice, personality, and objectives. Think about what you want your students to do and keep in mind that your rules must suite a large group of students, not just a few individuals. Try and keep your rules down to a limit between 3-5 rules. The simpler the rules, the easier it is for students to remember them and to follow them. Edited By: Janelle Cox

How political, economic, and other ideologies affect America, China, Essay

How political, economic, and other ideologies affect America, China, and Japan's societies - Essay Example The rise of China also presented strategic challenges to Japan, and the effects were deepened by the economic recession – necessitating the painful restructuring and reform of the economy and system. Areas requiring restructuring include that the Japanese economy is suffering from the effects of an aging society. The US economy, similar to that of Japan, suffered from stock market and real estate bubbles that deflated, ushering in an anaemic growth (Wiseman and Ellig 866). The US is facing a similar fate as Japan, mainly because low interest rates and monetary measures have hindered the proliferation of imbalances. This paper will compare and contrast the economic systems of America, Japan and China, and also explore the effects of their respective economic, political and other ideologies. The similarities between the two countries include that the national cultures and the economic ideologies of the three countries are predominantly shaped by their historical values and national heritage. For example, individualistic values are more predominant in the US and in China; the collective outlook is predominant (Ralston et al. 9). On the other hand, Japan has an individualistic-inclined economic ideology, but a collectivist national culture, which distinguishes it from the rest. The second area of similarity between the three is that individual work values have been shaped by their cultural and social heritage. For example, in China, poor performance at work is not enough grounds to fire an employee, the case of Japan is relatively less extreme and in the US, the individualistic outlook makes it very easy for one to lose employment due to poor performance (Ralston et al. 10). Despite the fact that the Chinese and the Japanese share many characteristics, including religion, philosophy and culture, some political and economic-based factors make the two societies distinctive. To start with, Japan and China

Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Essay

Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Program) - Essay Example oil back in December 1996, the Security Council allowed Iraq to deliver a maximum of $4 billion worth of oil each year wherein two-thirds of the profit will be used in the purchase of humanitarian goods and services. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) This value was eventually increased to $10.52 billion a year in 1998. Due to the huge demand for oil globally, the Security Council removed the export limit in December 1999. Despite the huge amount of money that is expected to be collected from this program, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that more than $67 billion of oil revenue has accumulated over-the-years but only $31 billion or less than 50% was spent on the humanitarian program in Iraq. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006, p. 2) The Oil-for-Food program has been successful in achieving its main objectives. As of March 2003, a lot of positive improvements with regards to the Iraqi’s socio-economic status were reported to have increased the living status of its local people. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) However, negative issues related to the oil corruption scandals connected to this program have been tremendously debatable for many years. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006; Asman, 2004) In line with the act of removing the export limit of oil under the Oil-for-Food program, the study will examine the major causes and effects of oil corruption; the well-known personalities who are directly and indirectly involved behind the oil corruption scandals; the negative impact of oil corruption to the local people in Iraq; and the strength and weaknesses of Alaska’s regulation on oil corruption. At the end of the study, the researcher will discuss and suggest several ways on how the government of Alaska could prevent and minimize the negative impact of oil corruption among its

Background and purpose of the project Essay Example for Free

Background and purpose of the project Essay Introduction. The Manuscript Digitization Demonstration Project was sponsored by the Library of Congress Preservation Office in cooperation with the National Digital Library Program (NDLP). This report includes copies of sample images created during the projects Phase I, which extended through 1995.1 During 1996, Phase II of the project created a testbed of 10,000 images of manuscript items from the Federal Theatre Project collection in the Librarys Music Division. These images are now online as a part of that collection; selected examples have been referenced and made accessible in later sections of this report. Background. The Library of Congress is developing its capabilities for providing computerized access to its collections. In part, this means wrestling with practicalities of production and identifying and testing a broad range of tools and techniques. In part, it also means investigating the ramifications of digitization as it pertains to preservation, understood to include both the conservation of the original item and the conversion of originals through preservation reformatting. Preservation reformatting refers to the copying of items as a safeguard against loss or damage, i.e., insurance that the worlds heritage will be kept alive for future generations. Today, most preservation reformatting consists of microfilming, although other types of copies are also made. Two features are of special concern to those responsible for carrying out preservation reformatting: the faithfulness of the copy and its longevity. This demonstration project was concerned with the former, i.e., image quality. Other parallel projects are investigating longevity issues.2 The Library commissioned the Manuscript Digitization Demonstration Project because it believes that certain classes of manuscript documents lend themselves to the creation of digital copies that are faithful to the originals in a reasonably efficient manner. The Library was cognizant of the work being carried out by the Cornell University Library regarding printed matter3, and saw that manuscripts would make for a useful demonstration project at the Library of Congress. A key issue for the Library is finding the most judicious balance between conserving precious original documentsprotecting them from damageand achieving a reasonably rapid rate of conversion. The outcomes of this project are expected to assist the Library in designing models for further conversion applications for the Librarys collections. Manuscript collections. The manuscript holdings of the Library of Congress include extensive papers of individuals and organizations, many from nineteenth and twentieth century America. Since the Librarys digitization efforts are initially focused on its American holdings, this demonstration project emphasizes the physical types of documents found in these papers collections. The specific test documents were selected from the Federal Theatre Project collection held by the Music Division. The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a New Deal effort that employed out-of-work playwrights, actors, directors and stagehands to produce and perform plays in many American cities during the latter years of the Great Depression. For the purposes of this project, a manuscript page was defined as a separate handwritten or typed sheet of paper, generally at A size or legal size, i.e., from 8.511 inches to 8.514 inches. The test documents include scripts, administrative files, and surveys of theater genres commissioned by the FTP. During Phase I, a set of documents was used to produce a variety of sample images for study. Examples of these images illustrate this report and are accessible from Appendix A. A portion of the sample set represented paper in good condition with reasonably clear, dark writing on a reasonably light background. The other portion of the preservation research sample included documents that represent typical scanning problems: * a mix of colors or pencil and ink, * low contrast and carbon copies of typed materials in which the edges of the character imprint are soft, * documents that have extraneous markings or print-through. The Document Digitization Evaluation Committee. The Manuscript Digitization Demonstration Project was carried out by Picture Elements, Inc., working in close relationship with a special Document Digitization Evaluation Committee. This committee was made up of Library of Congress staff members (listed here alphabetically) representing various units with an interest in digitization. * Ardith Bausenbach Automation Planning and Liaison Office, Library Services * Julio Berrios Photoduplication Service * Lynn Brooks Information Technology Services * Paul Chestnut Manuscript Division * Carl Fleischhauer National Digital Library Program; project planner and contracting officers technical representative * Nick Kozura Law Library * Basil Manns Preservation Research and Testing Office * Betsy Parker Prints and Photographs Division * Ann Seibert Conservation Office * Leo Settler Automation Planning and Liaison Office * Tamara Swora National Digital Library Program; project planner and contracting officers technical representative * Peter Waters Conservation Office * Walter Zvonchenko Music Division The committee met on a regular basis during Phase I. At these meetings, Picture Elements representatives reported their survey findings, presented sample images, conducted tours of sites at which special scanners could be examined, and led the discussions that ultimately resulted in the findings and proposals provided in this document. The activities of Phase II are reported in Sections 12 and 13. The projects findings are summarized in Section 14. Developing Project Objectives Proposals should include both goals and objectives. Goals provide an overall philosophy, a concise statement to the purpose of the whole project. Objectives relate directly to the goals and say what you are going to do, but not how you are going to accomplish your goals. The Methods or Procedures section describes how. A well-considered project will have one to three main goals, several objectives related to each goal and many action steps to take to achieve each objective. Objectives discuss who is going to do what, when they will do it and how it will be measured. For example†¦ At the end of the three-day training session (when), workshop participants (who) will infuse quantitative reasoning into one course (what) as determined by a survey distributed and reviewed by a panel of knowledgeable faculty members. Objectives discuss the desired end results of the project, not how those results will be accomplished. For example, an objective would not be â€Å"to construct a new Art Gallery.† That is a method, or one way to accomplish the goal of building the audience for art appreciation. Objectives for this goal might be to†¦ Increase attendance from the local community (what and who) within the next five years (when) at the scheduled art exhibits, as indicated by daily registers of attendees. AND/OR†¦ Affect the level of art appreciation (what) within the local community (who) by offering an annual series of four regularly scheduled lectures (when) as measured by pre- and post-surveys of audience members. Writing research objectives are somewhat different, since basic research involves the generation of new knowledge rather than changing a behavior or developing a product. Research objectives may be stated as hypotheses or as research questions. Research objectives/hypotheses/questions are generally short. For example, research objectives might be to†¦ * Determine the impact of contaminated sewage water on the xxx fish population in Barnegat Bay. * Identify the needs of the fish industry in preventing the loss of these fish due to contamination. * Formulate guidelines for the wastewater treatment plant to meet the needs of the fish industry and the xxx fish. Objectives should flow logically from the problem statement/needs assessment. After identifying a set of objectives, you can develop methods and activities that will lead to these objectives. The evaluation plan will follow easily from well-developed objectives.

Got Milk? Advertisement Analysis Essay -- Advertisements Commercials M

â€Å" This advertisement was found in the October issue of Cosmopolitan. â€Å"Got Milk† advertisements are seen in all types of magazines from sports to beauty, featuring many different kinds of celebrities selling their product. The product being sold in â€Å"Got Milk† advertisements is, of course, milk. They are trying to reinforce that the calcium in milk keeps bones strong and helps prevent osteoporosis. In this advertisement for milk irony is it’s secret weapon to get the point across. There is a green eyed blonde with a low cut â€Å"little black dress† caressing her flawless body with her arm around a martini glass filled with milk. She is seductively leaning against a glass covered wooden bar with a luring gleam in her eyes. Her and the milk are the main focus of this advertisement. In the background is faded liquor and wine bottles. While looking at her you cannot take your eyes off of her milk mustache and the milk martini glass that got to touch her full pink lips. The irony of this advertisement is that out of all the handsome tall liquor bottles, she chose the thin lean martini with milk in it. The difference between her night black dress and the pure white milk contrasts like night and day. Good and bad shows their faces at the bar. The sex appeal of this woman in a bar full of alcohol drinking milk makes you question what the purpose of this add is. The positioning, proportions, and color in this ad portray the use of the goodness/purity of white milk positioned directly by the dark seductive woman and liquor bottles, which make you question what is good and bad for yourself. The proportions of the liquor bottles and the martini milk glass in this advertisement show the sizes, or importance of these objects. The liquor bottles, being small and in the back of the advertisement show that they are not as important to the viewer as the milk, which is larger and in the front. Of course it would be this way because the whole point of the advertisement is selling the product, milk. The liquor bottles are, therefore, in the back of the advertisement to cause your eye to wander to notice them and to intrigue your conscience. The martini glass is tall and slender just like the woman that stands beside it. The figure of the martini glass stands out to the viewer and makes him or her think about what is right for their body. The martini glass is a positive aspect of ... ...s for yourself. With the dark, liquor bottles in the background it suggests to the viewer that they should accept the temptation and not choose the milk. The milk, being the only white object in the advertisement is chosen by the woman and will influence the viewers by the vibrant white color of the milk. The colors used in this advertisement try to influence and tempt the viewer into picking what is bad for them, but because of the bold, white color of the milk viewers are not mistaken. The use of the goodness/purity of white milk positioned directly by the dark seductive woman and liquor bottles, that make you question what is good and bad for you is portrayed by the proportions, positioning, and color in the advertisement. The proportions show the sizes and importance of the objects in this advertisement by deceiving the eyes of the viewer. The martini milk glass and the liquor bottles in this advertisement lead one to think about the good and bad choices they make for themselves everyday by the positioning of the objects. The enforcement of the idea, black and white, or good and bad, is described through the colors of the liquor bottles and the martini milk glass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Macbeth theme of kingship Essay

What is Kingship? During the Shakespearean time, being a king means that you are god-appointed to rule on Earth. It was a kings’s responsibility to rule wisely and well and his subjects’ duty to serve him loyally. We see how King Edward is described as ‘good’,’pious’,holy’ and ‘full of grace’ who has the ability to miraculously cure his subjects. While Macbeth’s tyrannical rule is contrasted to the rightful reign of good and lawful kings, bringing death and disease to his country.†i think our country sinks beneath the yoke; it weeps, it bleeds, and each day a gash is added to her wounds.† In the play Macbeth, when Duncan made his first appearance he immediately apprehends the traitors and rewards the good. â€Å"No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bossom interest. Go pronounce his present death and with his formal title greet macbeth. He also portrays another trait of being a king, one who is humble,†there’s no art to find a mind’s construction in the face.† He expressed humility when he misjudged the previous thane of Cawdor. When Duncan rewards Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor, he brought about his own downfall as a king, fulfilling the Witches prophecies on Macbeth â€Å"Hail to thee, thane of Glamis†¦ Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor†¦ Hail to thee, that shalt be king thereafter.† When Macbeth commits regicide on the good Duncan, his inner guilt sets in and he then says,†wake Duncan with thy knocking, i would thou couldst†. After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth takes over the reign of Scotland as king. This unlawful order causes turmoil within Scotland, turning healthy Scotland to a sick and wounded Scotland under an intolerable burden.†Alas poor country, almost afraid to know itself, it cannot be called our mother, but our grave.† This shows how terrible Macbeth’s reign as a king as compared to Duncan. Macbeth does many unscrupulous deeds to keep his throne. He plots the murder of Banquo and Fleance due to Banquo suspecting Macbeth of murdering Duncan as he knew the witches prophecies. Macbeth also massacre Macduff’s family as he wants to give himself self-affirmation that he would be safe for the time being as Macbeth had been told by the witches to â€Å"beware Macduff† Finally, when Malcolm and Macduff unites to rebel against this Tyrannical Macbeth, Malcolm, the rightful heir of the throne, claims back the throne. Malcolm is seen to be the Medicine of sick scotland and macduff seen to be Scoland’s avenger. Macduff, carrying Macbeth’s head on a pole, hails Malcolm as king of Scotland and says, â€Å"Behold, where stands / The usurper’s cursed head: the  time is free† . The â€Å"time is free† because they are all now free of Macbeth’s reign of terror over Scotland. Macduff then leads the men in a shout of victory and loyalty. He says, â€Å"I see thee compass’d with thy kingdom’s pearl, / That speak my salutation in their minds; / Whose voices I desire aloud with mine: / Hail, King of Scotland!† . â€Å"Compassed† means â€Å"encircled† and Malcolm’s â€Å"kingdom’s pearl† is Malcolm’s circle of loyal thanes, who encircle him like a string of pearls encircles a crown. Macduff knows that these thanes already think of Malcolm as their king, and now he asks them to join him in shouting out loud, â€Å"Hail, King of Scotland!† And so they do, honoring Malcolm, above whose head looms th e severed head of Macbeth.

Performance Appraisal and Its Negative Feedback Essay

A performance appraisal system had been established in that firm several years ago. The management with the help of consultants, conducted several innovative experiments and introduced many improvements in their existing system. The company believes that the system of performance appraisal is a strong tool and if it is wrongly rated, the results may mar . It printed on the format , a flowchart with full details mentioning dates and months for execution. At first ,it would go to the appraisee who would write down, if any, all his non-routine and excellent achievements in the self-appraisal column. Then the rather, his immediate boss ,would put his remarks on this and would rate the appraise by ticking ‘outstanding, good,fair and unsatisfactory’ on the columns of quality of output, job knowledge, decision-making, communication skills, human relations, planning and organizing, creativity and initiative, leadership, time management etc. The reviewer would thoroughly review column by column and would give his opinion. Before it was sent to the top management for better transparency, the signature of the appraisee was obtained. This system was in vogue and the management took pride in this modified system, which resulted in retention of employees. The blank form was given to SD Misra ,Manager (HR),a very sincere and a highly dedicated employee, who had achieved ‘outstanding’ rank for the last six years, for writing in the self-appraisal column. He did certain critical jobs during the year and wrote three. One, the industry suffered a scarcity of water during summer, which affected their industrial canteen also. Misra who was in-charge of the canteen, went to the small dam from where they receive water. He found the pipeline supplying water to the industry’s main pump during night time everyday. One night, he went along with his assistant and observed to his surprise that the employee of the dam has closed the valve of their pipeline and had opened another valve for supply of water to another company. They caught that person and stopped this malpractise and continued to visit that place during nights for more than a week. The problem of scarcity of water was solved with this initiative. Two, there was an accident just outside the factory’s gate where one of the employees was killed by a speeding lorry. It was about 2:15 p. m. when Misra received this sad news. He rushed to the spot and identified the employee. The doctor of their first-aid was brought who declared the employee dead. He took the responsibility of breaking this news to his family staying at a village at a distance of 12 kms. He met the police, who had already reached the accident spot, and ccompletely involved himself in the whole job of police formalities, post-mortem of the body. Due to some politician’s interference, the family members refused to accept the body till the management promised a job for one of the family members of the deceased. Misra made successful negotiations with the family, which gave up its agitation and accepted the body for the cremation. He received two appreciation letters from MD for these two successful achievements. Three, once Misra arranged a meeting for finalizing a three-day in-house training programme at one of their group companies,73 kms away. He was to go three along with his three colleagues. The driver was told to make jeep ready. Next morning, there were to start by 7 a. m. and all four were present. The driver phoned saying that his daughter was sick and he could not come to duty. Misra was firm in his resolve that â€Å"Our programme goes on as usual and there shall be no postponement. Misra said that he is going to drive the jeep and said †One employee cannot disturb any of our scheduled programmes†. He drove the jeep to and fro and finished the job successfully. Having written these three achievements in the self appraisal column,he handed them over to his immediate boss, KM Singh, Sr. Manager(HR),in a confidential envelope. KM Singh, who is known to be a procrastinator and lethargic, kept pending all appraisal forms till last day. Further, he had three enquiry reports for study and comments. Out of these, one was a case of suspension pending enquiry. He had kept pending all these reports and appraisals, which had now become urgent. His boss was pressurizing him to complete this jobs immediately. KM Singh took up the suspending pending enquiry case first . It took more than a day. He then began rating nine appraisals and completed the job without any concern for the consequences. The form, with comments of the rater and the reviewer, came back to Misra for his signature. He was shocked and reacted very sharply. It was an ‘unsatisfactory’ appraisal which he had seen for the first time. The cool and gentle Misra lost all his patience. He now began thinking. KM Singh wanted to promote his junior, Srivastav, and had deliberately spoiled his appraisal.

Socialist Feminism Definition and Comparisons

Socialist Feminism Definition and Comparisons The phrase socialist feminism was increasingly used during the 1970s to describe a mixed theoretical and practical approach to achieving womens equality. Socialist feminist theory analyzed the connection between the oppression of women and other oppressions in society, such as racism and economic injustice. The Socialist Basis Socialists had fought for decades to create a more equal society that did not exploit the poor and the powerless in the same ways that capitalism did. Like Marxism, socialist feminism recognized the oppressive structure of a capitalist society. Like radical feminism, socialist feminism recognized the fundamental oppression of women, particularly in a  patriarchal society. However, socialist feminists did not recognize gender and only gender as the exclusive basis of all oppression. Rather, they held and continue to hold that class and gender are symbiotic, at least to some degree, and one cannot be addressed without taking the other into consideration.   Socialist feminists wanted to integrate the recognition of sex discrimination within their work to achieve justice and equality for women, for working classes, for the poor and all humanity.   A Little History The term socialist feminism might make it sound as though the two concepts- socialism and feminism- are cemented together and intertwined, but this has not always been the case. Socialist Party leader Eugene V. Debs and Susan B. Anthony were at odds back in 1905, each of them supporting a different end of the spectrum. Decades later, Gloria Steinem suggested that women, and particularly younger women, were eager to throw their support behind socialist Bernie Sanders rather than Hillary Clinton, a concept that became evident in the 2016 national election when Sanders won 53 percent of the female vote in the New Hampshire primary in contrast to Clintons 46 percent. How Is Socialist Feminism Different? Socialist feminism has often been compared to cultural feminism, but they are quite different although there are some similarities. Cultural feminism focuses almost exclusively on the unique traits and accomplishments of the female gender in opposition to those of men. Separatism is a key theme, but socialist feminism opposes this. The goal of socialist feminism is to work  with  men to achieve a level playing field for both genders. Socialist feminists have referred to cultural feminism as pretentious.   Socialist feminism is also distinctly different from liberal feminism, although the concept of liberalism has changed over the early decades of the 21st century. Although liberal feminists seek equality of the sexes, socialist feminists do not believe that is entirely possible within the constraints of current society.   The focus of radical feminists is more on the root causes of inequalities that exist. They tend to take the position that sexual discrimination is the sole source of the oppression of women. However, radical feminism may be more closely related than some other forms of feminism are to socialist feminism.   Of course, all these types of feminism share similar and often identical concerns, but their remedies and solutions vary.

Effective Strategies for Boosting Teacher Morale

Effective Strategies for Boosting Teacher Morale Enthusiasm is contagious! Teachers who are enthusiastic and genuinely enjoy their job will typically see better academic results when compared to teachers who do not exhibit those characteristics. Every administrator should want a building full of happy teachers. It is critical that administrators recognize the value of keeping teacher morale high. They should have several strategies in place designed to boost teacher morale throughout the year. Unfortunately, teacher morale is on the decline across the United States. This is due to several factors including low pay, teacher bashing, over testing, and unruly students.  The demands of the job are continuously changing and increasing.  These factors along with others have forced administrators to make a conscious effort when examining, maintaining, and boosting teacher morale. It will take more than one approach to boost teacher morale successfully. A strategy that works well in one school may not work well for another. Here, we examine fifty different strategies that administrators can use in boosting teacher morale. It is not feasible for an administrator to try to implement every strategy on this list. Instead, pick a handful of these strategies that you believe will have a positive impact in boosting your teacher morale. Leave handwritten notes in each teacher’s mailbox telling them how much you appreciate themHost a teacher cookout at your home.Give teachers a day off to celebrate their birthday.Allow teachers to showcase their strengths by modeling during faculty meetings.Support your teachers when parents complain about them.Put a treat in their mailbox with a short appreciation note.Allow teachers in the district to eat lunch and breakfast for free.Implement a casual Friday dress code for teachers.Organize some volunteers to cover teacher duties a couple of times a month to provide teachers with an extra break.Back the teachers 100% when it comes to a student discipline referral.Offer continuous feedback, support, and guidance for teacher improvement.Initiate a potluck luncheon for teachers one time per month.Email words of encouragement or wisdom on a daily basis.Spread out extra duties evenly. Don’t put too much on a single teacher.Buy their dinner when they have to stay late for parent/teacher conferences. Brag about your teachers anytime the opportunity presents itself.Organize an over the top Teacher Appreciation Week full of goodies and surprises for the teachers.Provide them bonuses at Christmas.Provide meaningful professional development that is not a waste of their time.Follow through on any promises that you make.Provide them with the best resources and teaching tools that are available.Keep their technology up-to-date and working at all times.Keep class sizes as small as possible.Organize a night out for teachers with activities such as dinner and a movie.Provide them with a terrific teacher’s lounge/workroom with lots of extra comforts.Fill instructional material requests through any means if the teacher believes it will benefit their students.Provide teachers with matching 401K accounts.Encourage creativity and embrace teachers who think outside the box.Conduct team building exercises such as going to a ropes course.Do not dismiss any concern that a teacher may have. F ollow through with checking into it and always let them know how you handled it. Offer to mediate any conflicts a teacher may have with another teacher.Go out of your way to offer encouragement when you know a teacher is struggling either personally or professionally.Give teachers decision-making opportunities in the school by allowing them to sit on committees for hiring new teachers, writing new policy, adopting curriculum, etc.Work with the teachers, not against them.Host a celebration BBQ at the end of the school year.Have an open door policy. Encourage teachers to bring their ideas and suggestions to you. Implement the suggestions you believe will benefit the school.Solicit donations of prizes from local businesses and have BINGO night just for the teachers.Provide your Teacher of the Year a meaningful prize such as a $500 bonus stipend.Organize a Christmas party for teachers with delicious food and a gift exchange.Keep drinks (soda, water, juice) and snacks (fruit, candy, chips) in stock in the teacher lounge or workroom.Coordinate a teacher vs. parent bask etball or softball game. Treat each teacher with respect. Never talk down to them. Never question their authority in front of a parent, student, or another teacher.Take an interest in their personal lives learning about their spouse, kids, and interests outside of school.Have random teacher appreciation drawings with magnificent prizes.Let teachers be individuals. Embrace differences.Host a karaoke night for the teachers.Provide teachers the time to collaborate with each other on a weekly basis.Ask their opinion! Listen to their opinion! Value their opinion!Hire new teachers who not only fit the academic needs of your school but who have a personality that will mesh well with the current faculty.Be an example! Stay happy, positive, and enthusiastic!

Self Reliance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Self Reliance - Term Paper Example Self-Reliance – how to get that? The primary necessity for the presence of self-reliance in a leader is to understand what one is capable of doing and believe in the virtues of his/her values. If such belief is created within oneself, then there is every possibility for the emotional quotient of the human brain to generate energy that would motivate the leader to back every decision he makes and subsequently act on those decisions. So, it could be said that behind every successful organization or every successful team activity, there would always be a person who is able to display his motivations, inner self and as a result, will be capable of telling others who they are, why they do such things and what he wants them to do to in order to succeed in that activity. Any leader who is independent enough to act on his decisions can be considered as self-reliant. Advantage A major advantage of a self-reliant and an independent person is that they would be totally in control of thei r emotions while taking decisions. As a result, any problem could be dealt by them in a balanced manner and such a person would arrive at any decision only by understanding the pros and cons of that decision and would not allow any emotional leverage to pull them to any side. Also, when such decisions are made, one could easily motivate others in the team to act to their full potential because, they would be clearly aware that true and hard work will turn successful and be rewarded under the self-reliant person’s leadership. One exemplary example of self-reliance being the primary force of leadership could be the life and struggle of Gandhi, popularly called as the ‘father of India’ (Chadha, 1997). Gandhi brought into a country filled with chaos and fight, a sense of peacefulness and unity only through his self-reliance. He was not a well-built man and he was totally ignorant about the artilleries and nuances of war, but he was completely aware of what he is capa ble of. He understood his capabilities and fought with that. He always believed that to free India from the British, it can never be done through violence and action. Only with non-violent movements and consistent protests can there be any sort of positive movement. He stood in front of the British, took their beatings and still continued to fight in a non-violent way. His was a perfect example of how a leader can unite a nation just by his determination and self-reliance. His practices and preaches were clearly a result of understanding of his own true-self and the success that was tasted in the form of India’s freedom was actually a direct result of his self-reliant attitude (Chadha, 1997). It is evidently clear that from the above example, that unless one understands the true nature of himself, one can never become self-reliant and thus a good leader. It is an age old truth and even Emerson (1967), in his poem â€Å"Self-Reliance†, written several years ago has clea rly iterated this truth by stating that no man, irrespective of how much ever he tries and copies the attitude, living way or the behavior of other person, can never become another person and can only remain as his true self (Emerson, 1967). Negative-side There is another issue that could be considered as one of the negative effects of being self-reliant. If a person believes