Binding Languages: ‘American’ Identities and Bilingual Education :: Free Essays Online

Binding Languages: ‘American’ Identities and Bilingual Education The turning points in one’s lifetime remain imprinted in a person’s mind like stamps on an envelope. They are always vivid and no matter how long time passes, the smells, noises and emotions felt always remain on our minds. The day I arrived at St. Vincent Ferrer ’s elementary school, I was only nine years old. Three days earlier, I had stepped off a plane at the Cincinnati’s international airport from Italy. My English knowledge was constrained to naming colors and counting up to one hundred. And yet, when I first stepped in my new 4th grade class, I felt welcome. Perhaps this was because I was the novelty in the class and all eyes that day remained on me. Many stood in awe wondering how and if an Italian girl looked, dressed, or talked differently from an American girl. That day, I was assigned to spend the day with Amanda, a girl with blue eyes and brown hair who seemed to have a happy expression on her face. It is still amazing to me today that, despit e completely not understanding each other, Amanda and I got along. This became evident during recess when she taught me how to play tag, a game not common in my native land, by using gestures to explain the rules. However, this use of gestures could not remain as the permanent mode of communication between us. Soon, the inability to interact with others because of a language barrier would impede my social development. This not only meant that I could not grow deep friendships with my peers, but also that I was left completely alone. No one talked to me during lunchtime; no one included me in his or her games; no one wanted to be my partner in any activity. Furthermore it would also slow down my intellectual expansion. Being unable to understand the meaning of words spoken by my teacher, I could not understand what the lesson was about. This made me feel as if I had lost my intelligence and my capability of learning. However, if I had been allowed to speak my own language within the school system while learning English, perhaps much pain and frustration might have been spared. The bewilderment, excitement and sense of fitting in on the first day of classes began and ceased that day. It would take months before I would feel again that I could belong with these people.

Aldo Leopold and his Land Ethic

Born on January 11, 1887, Aldo Leopold grew up in Iowa, Burlington. He became interested in the environment and natural history when he was still a small boy. Most of the time, he was involved in observing and drawing the features of his surrounding. He attended Lawrenceville Prep school in New Jersey, Burlington and Sheffield Scientific School in Yale (Meine 6). He enrolled at Yale Forestry School and graduated with masters in 1909. Yale Forestry School was the first School in the United States to offer forestry. After graduation, he got actively involved in Arizona with the U.S. Forest Service. The whole of Arizona was under his docket and he became a great conservationist of the environment. Aldo viewed land as an organism which has life. In New Mexico, he worked with Carson National Forest where he became the Supervisor at the age of 24 in 1924 (Meine 6). He helped in the conservation of Gila National Forest in 1922. He was among the people who proposed the conservation of this f orest. During his tenure with the Forest Service, he persuaded the department to conserve areas not meant for roads as wilderness. This was known as the wilderness concept.He was against the subdivisions of these areas for the purpose of recreation such as camping sites, private use and for building homes. He argued that such actions were based on self interest. He, therefore, disagreed with the idea of utilitarianism of people like Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot who were also conservationists. Pinchot and Roosevelt believed that people can use the environment while at the same time renew it for the future generations. In his opinion, land was meant to be used by the public not set aside as reserves.Aldos’ idea came into reality when the recommendations were accepted and the Gila region became a wilderness area. This happened long before the wilderness act was established and enacted (Meine 29). Aldo Leopold traveled widely and continued with his work of conservation and ecological studies. He was involved in wildlife management and he later published a book in this field in 1924. He was transferred to Madison where he worked as an associate director with the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory in Wisconsin. The laboratory was involved in research on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service. He held onto this position till the time of his death. In 1928, Aldo Leopold taught at University of Wisconsin. He was to make the students to understand the land and enjoy what he taught. Some of the assignments that he gave mainly involved land puzzle which required the students to understand the interaction between the different components of land such land use, plants, animals, soil and the changes that take place. Aldo Leopold wrote several articles and books which mainly focused on human’s relationship to the natural environment.He described how man views the environment (Meine 7) During his work in Mexico, Aldo Leopold was assigned the duty of hunting do wn wild animals such as lions and bears. The natives in Mexico killed the predators because they attacked their livestock and caused major losses. Leopold believed that the predators were important in that they helped in ensuring a balance of nature. His concept helped in preservation and repopulation of bears and lions in the wilderness areas of Mexico (Flader 26). He was actively involved in the management and conservation of wildlife and in the wilderness system.He believed that the wildlife in America had a future but this entirely depended on decisions of farmers and the owners of the land. He fought for the preservation of the habitats by everyone rather than living the task to laws that only protected particular species only. He was involved in the formation of the Wilderness Society that was mainly involved in the expansion and protection of these areas. In his book, Game Management which he wrote in 1933, he explains the important methods of wildlife management. He further writes on the techniques to help in restoring these populations.His work contributed to his success since he was appointed the chairman of Department of Game management at the University of Wisconsin. This department encompassed several fields such as; ecology, zoology, forestry, education and agriculture. He was known as the father of wildlife conservation and a hero in Wisconsin. Aldo Leopold was a scientist, a teacher and a renowned write (Newton 43). His family greatly supported him in his efforts to conserve the environment. In 1935, they bought and restored a degraded farm in Wisconsin near Baraboo (a place known as the sand counties).Their work involved planting pine trees and monitoring the changes that took place afterwards. This further inspired Aldo to do his work even more. He believed that tools for destruction can also be used as tools for rebuilding the landscape. Through his entire life, he was mainly involved in conservation movement. He frankly criticized the injus tices that the natural environment was subjected to (Newton 66). Aldo Leopold died of heart attack on 21st April 1948 when he was trying to put off a fire which was about to burn his farm.His essays were later compiled and published in a collection which was titled, A Sand County Almanac. It mainly involved the conservation of the environment and has greatly been respected. It gives guidelines on how the environment should be handled. His legacy has for a long time been informative and an inspiration to many generations. It has been an eye opener on how people should view the natural environment and the way to preserve it. The natural world is a community where every person belongs to (Meine 51). Philosophy of Land Ethic This concept was developed by Aldo Leopold.It dates back in Iowa on the shores of River Mississippi where he was interested in the natural environment. Aldo appreciated what he saw in the environment as he was adventuring the forests and rivers in Iowa. His strong a ttachment to the environment drove him into studying forestry at Yale school. He suggests that it is a moral duty to take care of the land rather than the fact that you expect to benefit from it (Meine 56). The land ethic transforms man to be a citizen and just a member to the land community rather than a conqueror. It commands respect for such a community together with its members.The land ethic basically defined the community in a broader aspect to involve waters, soils, animals and plants. The land, therefore, was a community. He describes the degradation that the environment has been subjected to such as; soil erosion, the extermination of plant and animal species that were considered beautiful. He notes that it would be difficult to control or alter these changes. A land ethic may not alter the use or management of the available resources. However, it affirms that they should continue existing as they were in their natural environment (Leopold 204).In his concept of land ethic, he described conservation as a harmonious state between human and the land just as is the case of harmony between friends. The land is an organism which is treated as one unit and encompasses everything inside or above the earth. Every component of the land is important and should not be abolished. Leopold believed that conservation should be done in all areas but changes can be made but with caution. It is not possible to be involved in water conservation while at the same time the ranges are being wasted.He further argues that a person cannot love game hunting whereas he hates the predators (Leopold 145). According to Leopold (153), the land acts as a source of livelihood for people. It is therefore the duty of everyone to ensure that the beauty of biotic community is maintained in a stable manner. However, most of them do not take part in its conservation. In forestry, for example, there has been continuous devastation due to felling of trees for the purposes of selling. Leopold argues that land is seen as a commodity that is owned by people rather than a community where they belong.This is the reason why it is being abused, (Leopold 153). Conclusion Leopold was a significant figure whose work became useful in many generations that followed. His concepts and philosophies have been applied in efforts to conserve the environment and wildlife. It acted as a motivation and an eye opener to people so that they can understand the environment where they live and take it as a personal responsibility to take care of it. His work paved way to other environmental philosophers and conservationists who have applied his ideas to help in the environmental conservation. Works citedFlader, Susan L. Thinking Like a Mountain: Aldo Leopold and the Evolution of an Ecological Attitude toward Deer, Wolves and Forests. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1974. Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. (ISBN 0-19 -505305-2). Leopold, Aldo. Round River. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Meine, Curt. Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. Newton Julianne, L. Aldo Leopold's Odyssey: Rediscovering the Author of a Sand County Almanac. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2006.

Rethinking Calculus

Mathematics can sometimes seem scary for me, and I am sure that a lot of other high school students feel the same way. Maybe, it’s because we often see math as merely a series of problems to be solved and rules to master and apply. Calculus is one of the branches of math that some students like me find intimidating to learn.This paper aims to establish an appreciation and better understanding of calculus by reviewing its historical groundings and giving the practical application of the subject.The foundation of calculus did not just appear in history, in fact, mathematicians had encountered numerous difficulties and problems that had led to their desire to find ways in which to offer solutions. It is the case that although Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz were the ones to formulate the theorems of Calculus we know today, a fair share of mathematicians began utilizing concepts of calculus as early as the greek period. Calculus was developed from ancient Greek geometry.It was mainly use to Democritus calculated the volumes of pyramids and cones, probably by regarding them as consisting of infinitely many cross-sections of infinitesimal (infinitely small) thickness, and Eudoxus and Archimedes used the â€Å"method of exhaustion†, finding the area of a circle by approximating it arbitrarily closely with inscribed polygons. In fact it was Archimedes who was the first person to find an approximation of the area of the circle using the â€Å"method of exhaustion†; it was the first samples of integration and led to the approximated values of ?(pi). In line with the developments in the field of theoretical mathematics, it can be said that mathematicians encountered their own difficulties with math problems before they were able to actually find the answers through calculus. It was not until the 16th century when mathematicians found the need to further develop the methods that could be used to calculate areas bounded by curves and spheres.Johannes Kepler for example had to find the area of the sectors of the ellipse in order for him to proceed with his work in planetary motion. He was lucky enough to find the answer in two tries despite the then crude methods of calculus. Imagine if he was unable to compute the area of ellipses during that time, chances are there would have been a delay in the development of astronomical science. It was through Kepler’s exploration of integration that laid groundwork for the further study of Cavalieri, Roberval, and Fermat.The latter especially contributed a great deal to calculus by generalizing the parabola and hyperbola as y/a = (x/b)2 to (y/a)n = (x/b)m and y/a = b/x to (y/a)n = (b/x)m respectively. It is the case that some mathematicians (like Joseph Louis Langrange) consider Fermat to be the father of calculus, especially with his formulation of the method used in acquiring the maxima and minima by calculating when the derivative of the function was 0; this method is not far fro m that which we use today in solving such equations.The formulas we use today to determine motion at variable speeds use calculus. Toricelli and Barrow were the first mathematicians to explore the problem of motion by implicitly applying the inverse of differentiation, integral and derivative as inverses of each other in asserting that the derivative of distance is velocity and vice versa. Newton and Leibniz are considered to be the inventors of calculus because of their discovery of the fundamental theorems of calculus.However though both shares credit for the latter, Newton was able to apply it further showing its use both in his works in physics and planetary motion which are considered the most significant of all his contributions. The three laws of motion echoed if not are born out of the notion that since the world changes and derivatives are the rates of changes, and then the latter becomes pivotal to any scientific endeavor that attempts to understand the world. Newton was a ble to use calculus in determine a lot of things during his time.We must remember though, that in voicing Newton it is good to reminisce his advice that abstractions and concepts don’t stand alone, they’re pieced together with other ideas to find a solution, an answer. This goes with his Newtonian laws, which if we are to really understand we must see how it relates with his law of gravitational force. Calculus bridges the gaps between theoretical math and the applied sciences/mathematics; if we are to look at it exclusively then we would miss the entire point of why we use it as such fail to realize its true value.Calculus plays a role in the natural, physical as well as the social sciences; it is being employed in solving numerous problems that wishes to determine the maximum and minimum rates of change. It is capable of describing the physical processes that occur around us. It has even been used to solve paradoxes created during the time of Zeno in ancient Greece. It is impossible to imagine how we can be able to understand the world today without the calculus as one of our tools in acquiring knowledge. We may perhaps still be slaves to mystical forces that were claimed to be the cause of change in this world.Mathematics would remain to us mere abstractions if calculus was not introduced to become the mediator of thought and practice. The development of other disciplines would have not followed without first establishing the existence of the fundamental concepts of calculus. Things which in history were thought to be inconceivable were able to have a figure that man can understand and therefore have the capacity to manipulate though not complete control. Students like me get frustrated when trying to solve a mathematical problem and failing once or twice.Reading on the history of calculus made me realize that mathematicians would not have come up with the theorems and methods we use today if they too decided to simply get frustrated. In as mu ch as Calculus teaches you at what rate things change and how the infinite can be understood, one could also learn the value of knowing something even if exclusively it seems unimportant. In order for us to appreciate the subject we must look at it as part of the greater system of knowledge, without it all things would not be coherent.

Creatine Response essays

Creatine Response essays Contrary to the popular belief, not every single person will respond to creatine monohydrate. Approximately 20-30% of the people who try to use creatine in order to gain muscle mass will not be affected in normal circumstances. These nonresponders may not always be unresponsive to creatine administration. Under certain circumstances, such as taking the creatine monohydrate along with high glycemic sugars (sugars that are quickly absorbed into the blood stream), the desired results may be attained. People who may not necessarily benefit as much from creatine supplementation are those individuals who have a naturally high level of creatine in their blood due to liver production. Also, older people and very young people such as children seem to respond less to creatine supplements. Less known to the general public is creatines medical use. Even though touted for its effects on helping to increase muscular mass, creatine monohydrate can also be used as a therapeutic agent. Studies at McMaster University in Canada have shown that people suffering from muscular dystrophy have had positive results when creatine was given to them. While creatine cannot cure muscular dystrophy, it can certainly improve the quality of life for a person suffering from this disease. Creatine also can be useful in helping people ailing from Huntingtons disease or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease). A study by Cornel University Medical Center proved showed that the taking creatine supplements by people suffering from neuromuscular diseases such as ALS or MD shows better maintenance (up to 100% better) than some prescription drugs. According to the Cornell study, the reason for ALS improvement is that there is an increased availability of energy to injured nerve cells or to a blocking of the chemical pathway that le ads to cell death. ...

in the boardroom 8 Essay

in the boardroom 8 Essay in the boardroom 8 Essay a. Escuela de Ingles can use currency futures to hedge the business in Mexico. For example, an investor of the school may receive a cash flow of a foreign currency that is denominated on some future date. In the case of the school, all revenue and expenses are denominated in Mexican pesos. By entering an offsetting currency futures position, the individual may then be able to hook the current exchange rate that expires on the date written on the cash flow statement. In Escuela de Ingles’ case, however, the manager may be one of the investors. Say he or she will receive $100,000 (Mexican pesos) on November 1st. The current exchange rate in the futures is $13 Mexican pesos/$ American dollars. The manager can then go about â€Å"locking† this exchange rate by selling $100,000 (Mexican pesos) worth of future contracts expiring on November 1st. In this way, the investor is assured an exchange rate of $13/$ regardless of exchange rate fluctuations that occur in the period. b. The business could also use currency options to hedge the business. As opposed to currency futures, currency options allow the business to have the right to buy or sell the options, enjoy premium payables, retain unlimited profit potential while limiting downside risk, and having the flexibility of the delivery date of the currency. Two options are made readily available: call and put. I would advise the manager to take up a put option, rather than a call option, at first since it requires a short position and

Malcolm X Quotes

Malcolm X Quotes Controversial. Witty. Eloquent. These are some of the ways African-American activist and former Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X was described before and after his death in 1965. One of the reasons Malcolm X developed a reputation as a firebrand who intimidated whites and middle-of-the-road blacks is largely because of the provocative comments he made in interviews and speeches. While the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. earned praise and respect from the mainstream public by embracing Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence, Malcolm X struck fear in the heart of white America by maintaining that blacks had the right to defend themselves by any means necessary. In contrast, many African Americans appreciated Malcolm for discussing black love and black empowerment. Excerpts from his speeches reveal why Malcolm X surfaced as a leader that the public both feared and admired. On Being an American On April 3, 1964, Malcolm X gave a speech called the â€Å"Ballot or the Bullet† in which he urged blacks to overcome their class, religious and other differences to counter racial oppression. In the speech, Malcolm X also pointed out that he wasn’t anti-white but anti-exploitation and that he didn’t identify as a Republican, Democrat or an American. He said, â€Å"Well, I am one who doesn’t believe in deluding myself. I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American. Why, if birth made you American, you wouldn’t need any legislation; you wouldn’t need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn’t be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now. †¦No, I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism.† By Any Means Necessary In life and in death, Malcolm X has been accused of being a violence-loving militant. A speech he gave on June 28, 1964, to discuss the founding of the Organization of Afro-American Unity reveals otherwise. Rather than support wanton violence, Malcolm X supported self-defense. He remarked, â€Å"The time for you and me to allow ourselves to be brutalized nonviolently is passà ©. Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist, then Ill get nonviolent. †¦ If the United States government doesnt want you and me to get rifles, then take the rifles away from those racists. If they don’t want you and me to use clubs, take the clubs away from the racists.† Slave Mentality During a visit to Michigan State University in 1963, Malcolm X delivered a speech discussing the differences between â€Å"field Negroes† and â€Å"house Negroes† during slavery. He painted the house Negro as content with his circumstances and subservient to his master, the field Negro’s opposite. Of the house Negro, he remarked, â€Å"His master’s pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master’s house out than the master himself would. But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The masses- the field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that he’d die. If his house caught on fire, theyd pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze.† Malcolm X said that while the house Negro would refuse to even entertain the thought of leaving his master, the field Negro jumped at the opportunity to be free. He said that in 20th century America, house Negroes still existed, only they’re well dressed and speak well. â€Å"And when you say, ‘your army,’ he says, ‘our army,’† Malcolm X explained. â€Å"He hasn’t got anybody to defend him, but anytime you say ‘we’ he says ‘we.’ †¦ When you say you’re in trouble, he says, ‘Yes, we’re in trouble.’ But there’s another kind of black man on the scene. If you say you’re in trouble, he says, ‘Yes, you’re in trouble.’ He doesn’t identify himself with your plight whatsoever.† On The Civil Rights Movement Malcolm X gave a speech on Dec. 4, 1963, called â€Å"God’s Judgment of White America.† In it he questioned the authenticity and effectiveness of the civil rights movement, arguing that whites were running the movement. He said, â€Å"The Negro ‘revolt’ is controlled by the white man, the white fox. The Negro ‘revolution’ is controlled by this white government. The leaders of the Negro ‘revolution’ (the civil rights leaders) are all subsidized, influenced and controlled by the white liberals; and all of the demonstrations that are taking place on this country to desegregate lunch counters, theaters, public toilets, etc., are just artificial fires that have been ignited and fanned by the white liberals in the desperate hope that they can use this artificial revolution to fight off the real black revolution that has already swept white supremacy out of Africa, Asia, and is sweeping it out of Latin America...and is even now manifesting itself also right here among the black masses in this country.† The Importance of Black History In December 1962, Malcolm X gave a speech called â€Å"Black Man’s History† in which he argued that black Americans aren’t as successful as others because they don’t know their history. He stated: â€Å"There are black people in America who have mastered the mathematical sciences, have become professors and experts in physics, are able to toss sputniks out there in the atmosphere, out in space. They are masters in that field. We have black men who have mastered the field of medicine, we have black men who have mastered other fields, but very seldom do we have black men in America who have mastered the knowledge of the history of the black man himself. We have among our people those who are experts in every field, but seldom can you find one among us who is an expert on the history of the black man. And because of his lack of knowledge concerning the history of the black man, no matter how much he excels in the other sciences, he’s always confined, he’s always relegated to the same low rung of the ladder that the dumbest of our people are relegated to.†

The New Coalition Government in the United Kingdom Assignment

The New Coalition Government in the United Kingdom - Assignment Example These new statutory rules had taken effect last October 1, 2010 and pertain to the gathering of sensitive information and also the handling of confidential correspondence and communications related to child protection and other serious child care incidents.#2 These are all part of social work reforms that are being implemented. However, it must be emphasized that safeguarding is a bit different from child protection in the sense that the former pertains to protecting children from mistreatment, the prevention of impairment in a child’s development and ensuring children grow up in the right environment consistent with their safe and effective care. Child protection is just a part of the overall safeguarding and undertaken to protect vulnerable children who might be suffering.#1 It requires special skill to deal with family situations in which professionals have no other choice but to intervene, or intrude into the family life of a young child. Discussion Parents today are very protective of their children and this is understandable. There are some instances, however, when the children have to be separated from their parents and other adults who might be causing them harm. This is why the English government has taken a right to take care of these vulnerable children as the protector of society.... Although this reaction might be normal for any other person, it must not cloud my judgement on the proper actions to take, such as hesitating to report the matter immediately. For example, I would naturally feel pity for the young Steve and might get into the wrong conclusions about the conditions in the home of Steve and what his parents are doing to him. The appropriate professional response would be to observe Steve objectively, such as how he acts in the classroom or what his reactions are when his stepfather arrives to pick him up. My personal reactions can interfere with my own judgment about what needs to be done in this situation. I need to be quietly inquisitive into the circumstances of Steve’s family life without being obnoxiously intrusive. I have to protect the family’s privacy but not to the extent of possibly neglecting Steve or leaving him at the mercy of his parents. The idea is to correctly identify, understand and deal with possible child abuse. My pe rsonal reactions can lead to an over-reaction, such as reporting Steve’s parents to the authorities when in fact no child abuse has taken place. Steve might just be suffering from some physical ailment. 2. Immediate Concerns – there are some tell-tale signs that all is not well with Steve. The first is his reaction when told about his misbehaviour such as intentionally bumping into other people and his classmates. He was not upset when school staff had told him it is bad for him to keep knocking other people down and even seemed to relish the seemingly violent actions. He is quite aggressive and seems tired just coming into the school in the mornings. It is also noticeable that he is restless and seems always very hungry (which means