Unity of Virtues Essay Example for Free

Unity of Virtues Essay Virtue in its broad meaning is replicating God which is a perfect being but for a moral being it means the habit of being righteous. This also means that virtue is a collection of traits for a being to be morally good. When we consider all the virtues, we can consider how each virtue is related to other virtues. For example, being honest also have an impact on being truthful, trustworthy and other virtues. In this point of view, we can see that virtues are dependent of each other. . Circular unity of virtues is the relation of each virtue to one another and the union of a group of virtue for a human being to be considered good. If one virtue is done, another virtue is also affected. However, this is not applicable to all virtues. It is true that one virtue affects other virtues but not totally all because not all virtues have the same essence and limitations. A good example is that you may be honest but you can also lack generosity at the same time. There are other examples showing that virtues are grouped according to their essence, but cannot be grouped as a whole based on their essence. Circularity of virtues according to Aristotle is having virtues through our own experiences but all normal men tends to the basics of being good. He also stated that being good is dependent on the opinion of each person. Therefore the action of man also states his virtues. This just means that there is no true unity of virtues. We can have a particular virtue but for sure but we cannot have it all because we are just humans and humans are not perfect. We are enclosed to different reasons that unconsciously causes us not to do other virtues. These variables are culture, principle, and experiences. If the standard of being good is having all the virtues then no man is good because we are bounded by our different cultures, principles and experiences which is sometimes a hindrance to other virtues. It is true that there is no unity of virtues but having virtues connected to one another is already a standard to being good. Virtues tends to rely to one another. This just means that being helpful also connects to goodness, generosity and friendliness. You can easily see the relation of each virtue to one another because if you do one virtue it also part of the limitation of the other virtues. Circularity tells us that the virtues we have because of actions we do must not be judged because we all do with our own principles, instinct and knowledge. Virtues we acquire are just part of what we do. In that case to avoid circularity one must only judge in a way that it is meaningful. This also rises the need for moral responsibility which will give rise to molding of your character. Bibliography â€Å"The Ends of Thought. , 2009: Journeys to Philosophys Third Kingdom. † http://endsofthought. blogspot. com/2009/02/aristotle-on-virtue-question-about. html Blackwell Refrence Online. â€Å"The Unity of the Virtues, 2006. † http://www. blackwellreference. com/public/tocnode? id=g9781405115216_chunk_g978140511521625

A recent newspaper report Essay Example for Free

A recent newspaper report Essay The council had fitted a new toilet into Judy Weisss flat as part of a refurbishment. Ms Weiss noted that it looked good, but also complained that it smelled when the weather was warm. A workman was sent by the council to look at it, who then said they could not smell anything. No further action was taken regarding this particular issue.[S1] After some time, Ms Weiss then noted that a leak had started at the back of the toilet, where the floor and wall meet. It was miniscule at first and initially placed on the Low Priority list, before it then got worse to the point that the area always became flooded after the toilet was used, therefore becoming a High Priority problem. A professional was called again to look at it, and they turned off the water to stop the leak, but said Ms Weiss must use the toilet in the corridor instead. Ms Weiss complained that the toilet had been troubling her for two weeks now, and continuing leaks are resulting in emerging rotting on the skirting and stains on the floor tiles and hall carpet. She is now asking for compensation, and for everything to be fixed as soon as possible. This is a document to inform tenants of the councils policies about housing problems and how repairs to their homes are categorised, as well as advise tenants about how to report any problems which arise. This report has a mixed purpose to inform as well as to support readers on their case. Some positive points about the council are mentioned at the start of the article, but it mainly concentrates on highlighting negative points. It is positively mentioned that Westchester District Council came top in the Local Government rankings, mainly due to the recent refurbishment of all rented homes. There is a quote by Council Chief Amy Ayomola about how thrilled tenants are by the highly successful project. A spokesman from a local tenants association accused the council of window dressing and said that the upgrades are overdue and being done at the expense of normal repairs. It is said that the council is failing to meet targets for repairs, and that the council came 54th out of 72 in the rankings for tackling non-urgent repairs. CONCLUSIONS 1 The toilet smell in Judy Weiss home was dealt with correctly as per the councils repairs policy, with regards to Low Priority problems: there is a need for repair but this is not affecting the tenants ability to enjoy living in the property. This could include flaking paint, minor drainage smells or cracked tiles. 2 The start of the leak was initially correctly marked as Low Priority, due to its small size. However, as the leak increased so much to a point that the floors were being flooded and causing considerable damp damage in the area, it may have possibly been in the best interest of the council to deal with this in quicker time. 3 Since Ms Weiss had been contacting the council every week for the past six months with little response in return, more should have been done on our part to help her on time and not keep her waiting unnecessarily. RECOMMENDATIONS 1 In light of the problems highlighted by this tenants letter, the repairs policy should be properly reviewed and some amendments should be considered in order to improve it. 2 More investigation also should be done to find out whether these issues are truly a common occurrence for many more other tenants in Westchesters councils homes. A questionnaire would be a suitable method for this. 3 A letter of responsibility should be written and sent as soon as possible to the tenant, Judy Weiss, to acknowledge and apologise for her problems, as well as to inform her of what we can to do help and advise her of what actions she should make in future. 4 A response article should be written for the Westchester Gazette to let the public know the councils side of the story, and to portray itself in a more positive light.

Ideal school for international education

Ideal school for international education Before to start talking about international education, it seems appropriate to give a definition from experienced researchers in this sector: The interest in the field of international education has never been more intense a rapidly increasing number of schools world-wide have been established specifically to meet the demands of those parents who, through their own global professional activities, wish to have their children educated in programmes based on international values and often in contexts other than their home country. Such schools have embraced the promotion of international education as one of their major goals.(Hayden, Levy and Thompson 2007:1) We also want to draw the readers attention to the fact that another researcher named Skelton also defines international education and international curriculum in relation to international schools. This is obviously only one vision and one definition of international education but these are the ones we are interested in investigating with this assignment because we will analyze whether an international school, namely St Andrews International School Bangkok, is close to the ideal school for international education. Our School St Andrews International School Bangkok is, as stated in the first definition above, a school that is established (in Thailand) to meet the demand for expatriate parents and wealthy local families who want their children educated in programs based on international values. St Andrews International School Bangkok, offers the international IGCSE and IB Diploma programmes ( we will explain later what are these IGCSE and IB programmes), and has, as main purpose, to promote international education as its mission statement says: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We will, of course further analyze the mission statement in later chapters when we will speak about ideologies, values and global citizenship education. What will we analyze? We defined above our focus, which is The International Schools. With this starting point, we must look at what are the components of an international school. We will focus on the following: the Values and Ideologies, the Curriculum, The Students, The Teachers, The administrators, the Board and the role of English language and other languages; compare and criticize all these points with what is said in the literature and our own experience in the field. What we are going to analyze is, of course, not all the elements of an international school, but those most important to analyze, in order to answer our assignments question. The values and ideologies In the syllabus, we read that Watson and Ashton (1995) point out that Society does not wait for consensus before transmitting values, and neither do schools. They convey values every day, knowingly or unknowingly, both at the more explicit level of what is taught, and at the less openly acknowledged level of how the school is administered (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Education cannot be value-free. Indeed, we believe that the official curriculum and also the hidden curriculum (what happens in the classroom, the relationship between teacher and student and how they interact) will automatically transmit values. In our school, the IGCSE curriculum transmits, clearly, the values of the Western World and more specifically, Great Britain. Even if the IGCSE allows adaptation to the context, the curriculum is there, with the knowledge to be transmitted, and that knowledge comes from Great Britain. The values transmitted, are humanists as we can read in our syllabus: Humanism as an ideology places a high emphasis on knowledge. Some forms of humanism (think classical humanism, conservatism, traditionalism, academicism) advocate the restriction of high status knowledge to an elite minority: the selective grammar school/secondary modern school system of pre-1960s England, for instance, typifies a classical humanist approach. Other forms of humanism, such as liberal humanism for instance, while still placing a great emphasis on knowledge advocate that high status knowledge should be accessible to all. We find that, indeed, the IGCSE curriculum focuses generally on knowledge. We also feel that they want this high status knowledge (a knowledge that comes from Cambridge University) to be accessible, if not to all, to the biggest number of students, abroad, especially in International Schools. Regarding the IB curriculum, it also transmits values, the values of openness, world mindedness, the child is the center of his learning, the child must be knowledgeable, balanced, Inquirer, etc. (IBO website, learner profile) These values are clearly progressivist because we can read on the IBO website: Progressivism as an ideology is essentially child-centered, with the emphasis clearly on the individual child. Curricula such as the International Baccalaureates Primary Years Programme (2008) are examples of a progressivist (or constructivist) approach to education. (Syllabus) Although we still do not teach the PYP program, these values are the same in the IB Diploma and are implied throughout the schooling of students until they pass their diploma examinations. In the syllabus, we read: Halstead (1996), meanwhile, argues that The values of schools are apparent in their organization, curriculum and discipline procedures, as well as in the relationships between teachers and pupils. Values are reflected in what teachers choose to permit or encourage in the classroom, and in the way they respond to childrens contributions to learning. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Even the seating arrangements in a classroom convey certain values. It is true that this transmits values as well. In our school, students are always encouraged to ask questions and to come to find the teacher after class for further explanation. The students are sitting in the classroom in a circle, to allow the exchange during the class. It is clear that in this case, the teacher is not the master of knowledge delivered to the student, but the students are encouraged to take control over their learning and there is a form of trust and closeness between the student and the teacher, to allow an o ptimal construction of the knowledge. To conclude this point, we read the mission statement of our school: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We note that the school wants to be inclusive which shows we put a high value on the acceptance of others. The mission statement also says we want our students to be happy to learn and, when learning, they receive all the necessary support from the staff. This is a value our school wants to transmit to the students. We can finally see that we place a great importance on the individual and their learning, and we hope our students to become Global Citizens. This shows that we give importance to the individuals but also to the overall population, which gives an international perspective to the values we try to instill. The Students St Andrews International School has a student population of more or less 680 children. There are about 40 percents of Thai students, 15 percents of Japanese, 10 percents of Indians and a large German and French community. One of the advantages of the international schools is the teachers students ratio, which is 1:25 by schools policy. It allows space for individual care. Anyway, by the Thai law, in an International School, there cannot be more than 30 students per class. The Thai students Regarding the huge percentage of Thai students, they are mostly from rich families, the countrys elite families or possessing businesses. These families have the choice of National Education (which is not highly regarded because there is a huge disparity in terms of quality) and International Education, which is very popular with families of these elites, as they want their children to have access to foreign universities in order to have more chances of success in this globalized world. These children will have an advantage over other local children. Their parents put them in these schools as an investment for the future. Langford says concerning these students, that they may feel isolated and different, living on the local economy rather than enjoying the many benefits shared by their expatriate classmates. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) or they may dominate the community to the extent that the school has to adjust practices to suit their interests and the expatriates are made to feel outsiders. (2002:48) This is true in the sense the Thai students at St Andrews International School, live in Thailand and many of them have never lived abroad, unlike their friends who often have lived, in most cases, in more than two countries. On the other hand, the Thai students are so much in majority (40 percent) compared with other nationalities; that, indeed, this may be the expatriate students who feel like outsiders, especially those Thais students often come from very wealthy families. That said, after what I saw, it seems the Thais students and those from other nationalities mix well, talk and play together, through a family atmosphere which the Head of School, Mr Paul Schofield was able to install. It should also be noted that students from our school have been there at least 5-6 years and feel, with the time, part of a family. The Expatriate students The expatriate students are, in the vast majority, Globally Mobile Children that Eidse and Sichel define as having parents who are educators, international business people, foreign service attaches, missionaries and military personnel. The children shuttle back and forth between nations, languages, cultures and loyalties. They live unrooted childhoods. (2004:1) In our school, most students are from families as described above and I would add, in many cases, their parents work for NGOs or in embassies. These children are also often better adapted to the teaching style of international schools in general. They also learn languages more easily than Thais students due to the fact they have lived in several countries and had to learn local languages each time. The Special Needs students Another important facet of the population of students in our school is the Special Needs students. As our mission statement says, our school is an inclusive school inclusive where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential. We have a Special Needs student population of about 10 percents and we also have in place, a wonderful learning support program for these students, with qualified, dedicated teachers and coordinators for several different Key stages. The Special Needs students are divided into two categories, those with learning difficulties and those with physical problems or syndromes such as autism or Down syndrome. It should also be noted that each student has a Special Needs individual tutor who accompanies them in the mainstream classroom. Our philosophy is that every child has the right to education. At the same time, we must emphasize that to be accredited by a body such as the CIS (Council of International Schools), if accreditation is to be given, that provision is made for the initial identification of the learning needs of students and for the subsequent addressing those needs. Therefore, did the school really have a choice to implement such a program? It is clear that, from the beautiful philosophy of we accept everyone, even if they have learning needs and the reality, that, to be accredited, we must implement a program of Special Needs, there is a gap. The relationship between the two is not very healthy. We think there is a market issue because, nowhere else than St Andrews we can find a school with an inclusive policy. Looking at this, we realize that International Schools, in general, are businesses with the purpose of finding a market and making money. In the case of our school, for the special needs children, it is beneficial, but it is not always the case of other I nternational School focusing on making money and not caring the students well being. With regard to the Gifted Children, St Andrews International School has no program in place, which is, in my view, inconsistent with the mission statement saying that all the students must realize their full potential. How can a student with superior capabilities than others realize its full potential? We have only the differentiation as a tool to work with the brightest students. The transition for students, from one school to another Another area of concern for students in international schools is the transition from one school to another. Regarding our school, unfortunately there is no transitional program for students from other countries or other international schools. Only teachers of these students can help them to integrate successfully into their new environment with techniques inspired by the mission statement: our teachers are fully trained in teaching methods that promote an interactive approach to learning within a stimulating and structured environment where the highest premium is placed on self- discipline and motivation and our children are confident communicators where they realize their full potential in an atmosphere of calm cooperation, tolerance and understanding. The teachers At St Andrews International School, we have a population of teachers around 90 people. From these 90 teachers, 70 are from Great-Britain, six teachers are from New-Zealand and the remaining teachers from Japan, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Thailand etc. The reason there are so many British teachers is certainly related to the fact that St Andrews is a British school, following the British curriculum as well. These Britannic subjects are teaching the core subjects at the school, such as Math, Science, History and Geography while teachers of Japanese, French, and Swiss etc., teach their native languages. All the teachers though, British or from another nationalities must hold at least a Bachelors Degree, a teaching certificate with, usually, a minimum of a two years full-time teaching experience. British International School, British teachers? M. Hayden cites Richards (1998: 174) who highlights a good point about this subject in a passage from a promotional brochure of an international school. He wrote: Over 70 teachers share a broad international experience, coming from such countries as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Can we infer from the above, Richards asks, that no teachers are employed (or employable?) from so-called less developed regions of the world? Or merely that advertising such teachers would not be a positive selling point for the school? When Richards says no teachers from developing countries are hired, this is almost true in our school as well, as 80 percent of the teachers are from developed countries. Maybe if the school hired teachers in developing countries, it would not have a good image for the school because it is a British School. We think that one of the reasons is the parents from local families would not appreciate paying an expensive international school instead of a local school for teachers to be hired from less developed countries than theirs. At the same time, it is in contradiction with our philosophy of internationalism to show a good example of tolerance and openness. We teach our students to be people with a global vision of the world, tolerance and a world mindedness, and the school sets a poor example by discriminating against the hiring of teachers, choosing only teachers from so-called developed countries because it looks good. Others will say it is normal for a British school to hire a majority of British teachers and that is what parents expect. Both views can be justified but there should be a right balance between pragmatism and ideology. The expatriate overseas hired, the expatriates locally hired and the host national teachers Another point we want to address here is, at St Andrews, there is no segregation between the expatriate teachers hired overseas and expatriate teachers recruited locally. There is no difference in contract or salary, or extras such as return flights and health insurance, which does not create jealousy among teachers and we think it is a good thing. On the other hand, host country national teachers are paid two times less than teachers from other countries, which sometimes creates a feeling of injustice because they teach the same number of hours as teachers who are expatriates and they are paid less. Again, this is a pity to notice that we, as an International School should promote equality between citizens of the world and, in practice, we do not really do what we say. Some will say that if there was not an advantageous package for those expatriates, they would probably not leave their home country to come to teach abroad, when, for instance, host country national teachers do not ha ve to leave their families behind and the comfort of their own country. So, again, the two views can be justified. The penelopes I just wanted to add that, at St Andrews there are a lot of Penelopes (who have been at the school for more than seven years), as Hardman says they are those teachers who remain faithful to the country they have adopted. I think it is a good thing for the students as a gage of stability, where in some other International Schools in Thailand, teachers cannot stay more than seven years. The induction Speaking about teachers, we must also mention the phase of induction of new teachers when they arrive at an international school. M.Hayden said:  « Any teacher who moves from one school to another within the International Schools system could reasonably expect some form of induction in at least the early stages of a new appointment.  » (2006: 82) Regarding St Andrews International School, the induction is four days. The Head of School spends four whole days with new teachers, explaining all aspects of the school and the culture shock that awaits them from the Thai culture. This allows a smooth start in the new host country. However, the induction is not going further. Never again, ones organizes any meeting with new faculty to ensure that everything goes well. To conclude this point we cite here Hayden who says that The question of how best support new recruits in a new cultural environment is by no means an easy one to answer. (2006:83) The teachers appraisal Dimmock and Walker say Teacher appraisal is a contentious and divisive issue regardless of the context within which it operates (2005: 143). It is true there is no recipe to make a good appraisal, it is a difficult process to implement. At St Andrews, the appraisal system is fairly simple and does not put too much pressure on the shoulders of teachers. Once a year, the head of department comes to visit the classroom for two lessons. At the end of the observation the head gives his feedback to the teacher and they set two targets for the following observation, the year after. The head of school come to observe the teacher once per contract to give his consent for its renewal. The method is simple, do not stress too much the teacher, but at the same time, is it a good tool to evaluate the staff? Coming to observe a lesson and give two targets for next year means that everything else is not important; the teacher will focus only on one aspect of his teaching. The Turnover In our school, the latest statistics, which date back two years and cover a period of five years, show that teachers remain at St Andrews about five years. There are about four to five teachers, from a number of ninety, who leave each year. We think this is a good sign because if a teacher stays five years in a school, we think it shows he is happy to work there. Another factor may be that the teacher cannot find a job elsewhere or he is married to a Thai person and therefore has no choice but to stay at the school, but our experience and discussions with teachers at St Andrews have shown us that teachers are generally very satisfied with working at this place. To be more complete, we should conduct a survey on why teachers stay but it would be difficult to the lack of time. The Administrators At St Andrews, there is a British Head of School who administers the school of a budgetary standpoint and oversees other heads such as the Head of Keystage1, the Head of Keystage 2 and the Head of high school with his Deputy. These people belong to the so-called Senior Management. In the Middle Management, there are the heads of departments. Under the Thai law, the sole Head of School must be a Thai national. This is indeed the case at our school. There is a Thai Head whose role on paper is very different from its role in practice. On paper, she has to take academic and budgetary decisions but in reality she does only take care of the Thai teachers and the Thai curriculum. We find that it is not fair because the law states that a person in charge must be a Thai Head of School. Our school lies on paper to meet the Thai law and to meet the demand of parents who want to see a foreign Head of School. On top of that, the Thai Head is also paid as a local teacher, that is to say, four times less than the foreign Head. The Board Littleford writes Schools with healthy boards do not have crises, and we must agree with him regarding our school. In our school, the board is only composed of a family, Thai and very rich. They are the only ones to make big financial decisions for the school development. They always follow the recommendations of the Head of School and never intervene in the daily running of the school. There never was any crisis between the Board and the Head of School since the inception of the school and we welcome that fact. The Accreditation St Andrews is currently accredited by CIS (the Council of International Schools), the Thai Ministry of Education, and is in the process of being accredited by CFBT. The fact our school is accredited by the Ministry of the host country and by an internationally acclaimed body shows that we are in the standards of international education. We read on the website CFBT Accreditation with CfBT shows that your school demonstrates high standards of student achievement with an effective curriculum, good use of resources, a successful leadership team and strong partnerships with parents. CFBT therefore focuses on quality of student achievement, curriculum and relationships with parents. We may wonder whether the failure to look at the results of pupils is not just elitist. Should not International schools give students a chance to improve? Another aspect that CFBT looks at is the curriculum, which is normal, but they should also look at internationalism, the values, etc. The last point CFBT looks at is the relationship the school has with parents. In our school we have a very active group of parents who organize events of all kinds at school and are much supported by our Head of School. To return to accreditation with CFBT, we feel that our curriculum deputy encourages us to only look at the CFBT criteria to satisfy them. We can therefore ask whether the accreditation system is not a little hypocritical. Yet we do a great job, professionally, but we offer something completely prepared to CFBT, just to satisfy their criteria, which does not seem very ethical or honest. On the other hand, accreditation can be useful tool, to give us the time to reflect on our practices. The English as a Second Language and Mother-Tongue languages English as a Second Language Hayden says: Many International Schools offering an English-Medium education provide language support for non-native speakers of English () the extent and nature of support clearly vary. It is true that in our school, support comes down to putting these students in an ESL class a few times per week, while other students have classes in French or Japanese, and these ESL students follow the rest of the courses in mainstream class where they understand almost nothing. In my old school, Hanoi International School, we had ESL classes and on top of that, for mainstream courses, an ESL support teacher came into class to help students understand the instructions or what the teacher explained. We believe this latter approach is more effective because students receive constant support and feel less stressed towards the English language because there is always someone to help them understand what is said in class. After a while, of course, if the students made significant progress, they join the mainstream class, without any ESL support anymore. Mother-Tongues About the provision of other languages, Murphy is in favor of a greater provision of support for the childs first language in order to support cognitive development in that language, which would make the second language less difficult to acquire (Murphy, 2003: 36-7). That is exactly what our head of School think about the fact that a student cannot have a good cognitive development with a language he does not control at all if he does not master his own language. Children need intellectual development in their own language before they can grow intellectually in a different language. In our school, that is why we have an extensive program of mother-tongue language. It is obvious that such a program is not easy to implement, especially for smaller schools that have limited financial resources. Carder said: There are certainly scheduling and administrative problems in mother-tongue in finding teachers, and financial difficulties about whether to add it to the payroll or to the parents to pay extra. At St Andrews, it is certain that it is not easy to administer the program of mother tongue and foreign language as it creates a lot of clashes in the timetables. It is not easy either to find language teachers for French, Japanese and German in Thailand. From a financial standpoint, the school request parents wishing to enroll their children in the first language program, a supplement to the school fees of about 300 U.S. dollars. This program meets over the years, more and more success because kids love to speak their mother tongue at school, a few hours per week; and parents are reassured that their children can more easily reintegrate school in their home countries if they move back there. Écouter Lire phonà ©tiquement Dictionnaire Afficher le dictionnaire The Curriculum In the world, there are several international schools curricula. The most common are the British connoted IGCSE, and IB which claims to be more international. Before considering in more detail the two mentioned curricula, we will dwell a moment on some definitions of curriculum. Hayden cites Bulman and Jenkins in her book International Education, International Schools and their communities, which describes the curriculum, following three aspects: The academic curriculum or what is formally taught in schools, the pastoral curriculum which includes social skills, study skills, careers and counseling for the hidden curriculum that all these practices are not explicit in the official curriculum, such as teacher-student relationships, the rules in the classroom, the structures rewards etc. We will come back to these aspects later on this chapter. At St. Andrews, the academic curricula are the IGCSE and the IB. Our Head of School says that we teach the IGCSE in the middle school because it gives more importance to academic skills and therefore prepare well for the IB which has an approach to the whole child and preparing students for university and has a globalized world. To corroborate these claims, we will read what the IGCSE and IBO say on their websites: The IBO: On the IBO website, we can read: Our challenging Diploma Programme assessment is recognized by the worlds leading universities. The IB diploma is not recognized in all universities, but by the world leading Universities. Does that mean, as some people think that the IB is elitist? They also write: We encourage international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally-essential for life in the 21st century. At St Andrews, we encourage students to learn their culture and their first language. We have a large program such as First Language: Japanese, German, French and Thai, which allows these students to stay in touch with their languages and cultures within the international school. On the other hand, we do not provide first language courses for all nationalities, creating a division between the languages called important and others, which results in a risk of partitioning students between important and not important languages, which can cause frustrations. At the same time, all students, without exception, learn a second language. They can choose between Japanese, Chinese (very popular with Thai students), German, French and Thai. The range offered is wide enough for second language courses, allowing students to sample a different culture or language of their choice, enabling them, as stated by the IBO, to live, to communicate, to understand and to work with others, internationally. At St Andrews, we organize an international day, which allows students to see how their friends from other cultures dress (thanks to the international fashion show), what are the typical dishes of other countries (through the international buffet), which languages are spoken, and thus learn to know each other, which leads to some form of international friendship and tolerance. On that matter, we believe that our school reflects well the values of international IBO. On the IBO website we can also read: We encourage a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to reflect critically, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. We encourage community service because we believe that there is more to learning than academic studies alone. The curriculum is, as stated above, child-centered. The child is responsible for their learning, encouraged to ask questions, think critically, research, and to learn how to learn. All this forms the learner profile that the IBO tries to promote. This approach is progressivist, as described in the syllabus. The IBO also encourages community service through the program, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service), since the IBO says that academic studies are not enough and we have to consider educating the child as a whole, it is therefore, without a doubt, different from the IGCSE which just consider the academic side of the learning process. We personally believe that the CAS programme is beneficial for students because it allows them to be more open t

The Women of Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Women of Othello The women of Shakespeares Othello are put into stereotypical roles, but behind peoples backs play much stronger types. Desdemona, goes against her fathers orders and marries a moor. Bianca innocently takes part in Desdemona's death. Emilia has an opportunity to save Desdemona but sneakingly remains silent. These women are similar because they are treated like they are lower then the men in their days. But they do not let that hold them back. These women take part in anything that pleases them. In no way would they let men tell them what to do! Desdemona was the daughter of the Venetian Senator Brabantio. Against her father's wishes, she marries a moor, Othello. "The marriage seems to be monstrous- in the sense that it represents a deviation from that which is natural. How else, Brabantio asks, would Desdemona, so carefully, have brought such scandal upon herself and her father by shunning, the wealthy curled darlings of our nation"(Act 1 Scene 2 Line 68). Desdemona arrives and gently resolves the dispute by acknowledging split loyalties to her father and to her new husband, but making it clear that she now belongs to Othello. For the play being set in the late sixteenth century, Desdemona's defense of her actions is remarkably forthright, spirited, and courageous. She was aware of the great risk involved when she married a moor. She says "She remains bound to her noble father for her life and education; he remains her lord of duty, and she will always honor him as such. Now however, she has a husband, and she must recogniz e her duties to him just as her mother did to Brabantio"(Act 1 Scene 3 Line 181). Desdemona is a well-born and well educated daughter of a Venetian senator. She has been trained to adapt herself easily to any social situation. You could see how she is headstrong in her choice of a husband and in her defense of him. Desdemona's generous nature tries to help Cassio receive his spot as Liutenant back. This is when her kindness falls for weakness. Using Desdemona and her natural goodness, Iago will "turn her virtue into pitch, and make the net that shall enmesh them all"(Act2 Scene 3 Line 366). It is Desdemona's innocent attempt to reconcile Othello with Cassio that gives Iago the opportunity to wreak vengeance upon Othello, causing the murder and suicide, which bring this tragedy to its violent conclusion.

Freud and Hedda Gabler: The Wolf Behind the Protagonist Essay -- Liter

From its very creation until now; civilization has been at odds with the fundamental human instinct. While civilization is just a mechanism used to control the human instinct and place an order so a broader society can function; the basic human is far from controlled. Sigmund Freud in ‘From Civilizations and Its discontents’ suggest that nothing can really control human instinct but rather deter it from its ‘homo homini lupus’(Freud, 1697) nature which translates into man is a wolf to man. This ‘homo homini lupus’ form of instinct suggest a more aggressive side of humans with the tendencies of not interacting with people but merely using people. Henrik Ibsen, through his use of the character Hedda Gabler, illustrates Sigmund Freud’s homo homini lupus form of instinct and uses that as a means of drawing out of the flaws of civilization at large. Henrik Ibsen always had the persistent theme of placing that one character within the setting that did not fit into the natural societal confines. This was done as a way of showing that what society or civilization was placing upon the people was unjust and unlike a natural human trait. Hedda Gabler, through her exhibition of homo homini lupus or what Sigmund Freud asserts as the natural human instinct, is the fulfillment of Ibsen’s one character theme. Her aggressiveness toward and utilization of others is a prime example of this societal exclusion and a primarily natural use according to Sigmund Freud. One such character that Hedda is constantly using is her newly-wed husband, George Tesman. Though Tesman loves her greatly and married her for the usual reasons (love, etc.) Hedda’s reasons are quite different. She marries Tesman for only selfish reasons; an example of this would be wh... ...her instinct. Hedda was able to break away from the one thing civilization was trying to control. Freud suggests that â€Å"the time comes when each one of us must give up as illusions the expectations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Freud, 1697). This implying that at the end of every illusion comes the realization that the expectation is meaningless when conforming to the civilization is just as pointless in achieving. Hedda had the expectation of financial riches but due to the ennui of the civilization at hand Hedda was inclined to escape in beauty or in Ibsen’s theme through the defiance of conformity. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. 1890. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Lawall. [8th edition, vol.2, 1984]:1411-1466. Freud, Sigmund. From Civilization and Its Discontents. 1929. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Lawall. [8th edition, vol.2,1984]:1696-1699.

Essay --

In the field of medicine, diagnosis and management are initiated by the presence of symptoms. Nevertheless, a number of technological advancements allow for an individuals disease susceptibility to be identified, through DNA-based diagnostic testing. Although seen as the â€Å"holy grail† in disease prevention and management, DNA testing raises issues that can lead to widespread disapproval amongst the public. Hereditary Haemochromatosis (HH), an autosomal recessive disorder, is a disease that can not only be treated effectively, but if identified early it can also be prevented. HH is a metabolic disorder caused by a mutation in the hemochromatosis (HFE) protein, leading to an increase in intestinal iron absorption despite adequate or even excessive iron stores that lead to liberal iron accumulation in the body, thus causing irreversible organ damage. (Fowler, 2008) HH is commonly known as adult onset-HH, as the disorder is often asymptomatic, with excessive iron accumulation observed after the age of 40 predominantly in the liver, but also in the pancreas, pituitary, heart, joints, and skin. This can lead to clinical complications such as cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, arthritis and liver fibrosis, in addition to skin hyperpigmentation. (Papanikolaou and Pantopoulos, 2004) In the bloodstream, iron binds to transferrin, establishing an iron-transferrin complex (diferric transferrin). Iron is released from transferrin when the compound binds with the transferrin receptor at the hepatocyte surface. Binding of the HFE protein to the transferrin receptor reduces the affinity of the transferrin receptor for the iron-transferrin complex; which in turn reduces the amount of iron being released by the complex. (Vora, 2012) The HFE protein is ... ...d be tested for, in order to minimise the adverse effects it may have on any one individual or family. These individuals adopted a deontological approach, where they believe the well-being of each individual in a population should be accounted for by the health sector. Conclusively, genetic screening for HH can be approached from many interest groups, each with their own contrasting view, based on their rational. As a young scientist, I believe that the well-being of each individual in the population should be cared for when implementing any genetic screening. Even though haemochromatosis has a low penetrance rate, and is rarely seen in non Caucasian ethnicities, the continuous admixture of ethnicities, its 1 in 300 prevalence rate and its preventability, indicates that any test for it cannot be dismissed, regardless of its ethnic discrimination or other issues.

Why Harry Potter Should Be Taught in School

Grace Farrow Scott English 1301. 18 October 31, 2012 Why Harry Potter should be read in college classes. â€Å"Happiness can be found in the most darkest of places, if only one remembers to turn on the light. † – Albus Dumbledore. (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). The most dynamic series of books and movies of all time is Harry Potter. I, like many other students, am taking both high school and college classes at the same time. In doing so I have a lot of homework.The one book I have found that I and many others read in the very little spare time we have, is Harry Potter. Many people say that Harry Potter is â€Å"bad† because it has witchcraft throughout the story line. Many say that it is a series written for younger adults. Many people say that the settings, characters, and plot lines in Harry Potter are unrealistic and childish. Many books such as The Hobbit, several works of Shakespeare, and the classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Gulliver' s Travels are unrealistic but are required reading in many college classes.Harry Potter covers much of the same ground as the classical stories, and the students would be more interested in reading the story instead of just the Sparknotes. Harry Potter is one of the most read and talked about series of all time. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alone had 8. 3 million copies sold the first day of its release, not including the pre-orders. Mine was pre-ordered so it was not counted in that figure. Four hundred and fifty million dollars, is the amount of money the books have made just from their respective release dates put together.Harry Potter is a major world wide phenomenon. From 2001 to the present day researchers have found that â€Å"Children who had previously read short chapter books were suddenly plowing through more than 700 pages in a matter of days. †, (moviefone. com). Harry Potter has been beneficial to my generation as we have grown up. Now many colleges are incorporating the Harry Potter books into their lessons. This is helping many students understand more of what they learn in class because the topics are interesting.Also â€Å"Colleges and University professors from all over have begun teaching the literature of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in the classroom. And for those who grew up reading the seven book series, professors are finding that students are able to better understand and appreciate the classic literature of Charles Dickens,† (Mugglenet. com) according to a Washington and Lee University English professor. A generation that enjoys reading long books, talking about books with other students, and better appreciating classical English Literature with the likes of Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.While it is interesting that college students themselves are still reading the books, what is most surprising is how readily universities are embracing the books and incorporating them into courses. I know that i f my college professors decided to incorporate Harry Potter into the literature that my class reads, I would be more apt to read and interact with discussions in class because it is fun and interesting. Right now English classes read books like Beowulf, Hamlet, and Macbeth, these books are classics and should be read but not only these books should be read in the classroom.Books such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games are books that interest young adults, and should at least be incorporated so the students will want to participate. Many students in both high school and college say that Harry Potter brings them a nice break from all of the books they have to read for school. The students still like the fantasy elements in Harry Potter. High school and college students can understand the challenges that Harry had to go through during his school years.Even though the books have very unrealistic angles, like magic and wizardry, young adults can still understand what he is g oing through. The loss of his parents, the hidden love between Ron and Hermione, and the teachers that Harry does not like, and then the ones that do not like Harry. The unrealistic magical way that Harry gets through his problems offer an escape for those people reading the book, who are going through the same problems as Harry. Harry Potter has no age limit- my parents read them, my sister read them, and my niece is reading them.If you have not already read them, do so. Harry Potter offers romance, action, and magic, it is the book for all audiences. The next time you find yourself in a book store just pick the first one up. They are amazing. And who knows you might find it in your literature classes next semester. Rowling J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print. â€Å"Harry Potter Numbers Trivia. † Moviefone. com. 13 July 2007. Web. â€Å"Harry Potter in Literature. † Mugglenet. com. 02 February 2012. Web. Why Harry Potter Should Be Taught in School Grace Farrow Scott English 1301. 18 October 31, 2012 Why Harry Potter should be read in college classes. â€Å"Happiness can be found in the most darkest of places, if only one remembers to turn on the light. † – Albus Dumbledore. (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). The most dynamic series of books and movies of all time is Harry Potter. I, like many other students, am taking both high school and college classes at the same time. In doing so I have a lot of homework.The one book I have found that I and many others read in the very little spare time we have, is Harry Potter. Many people say that Harry Potter is â€Å"bad† because it has witchcraft throughout the story line. Many say that it is a series written for younger adults. Many people say that the settings, characters, and plot lines in Harry Potter are unrealistic and childish. Many books such as The Hobbit, several works of Shakespeare, and the classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Gulliver' s Travels are unrealistic but are required reading in many college classes.Harry Potter covers much of the same ground as the classical stories, and the students would be more interested in reading the story instead of just the Sparknotes. Harry Potter is one of the most read and talked about series of all time. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alone had 8. 3 million copies sold the first day of its release, not including the pre-orders. Mine was pre-ordered so it was not counted in that figure. Four hundred and fifty million dollars, is the amount of money the books have made just from their respective release dates put together.Harry Potter is a major world wide phenomenon. From 2001 to the present day researchers have found that â€Å"Children who had previously read short chapter books were suddenly plowing through more than 700 pages in a matter of days. †, (moviefone. com). Harry Potter has been beneficial to my generation as we have grown up. Now many colleges are incorporating the Harry Potter books into their lessons. This is helping many students understand more of what they learn in class because the topics are interesting.Also â€Å"Colleges and University professors from all over have begun teaching the literature of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in the classroom. And for those who grew up reading the seven book series, professors are finding that students are able to better understand and appreciate the classic literature of Charles Dickens,† (Mugglenet. com) according to a Washington and Lee University English professor. A generation that enjoys reading long books, talking about books with other students, and better appreciating classical English Literature with the likes of Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.While it is interesting that college students themselves are still reading the books, what is most surprising is how readily universities are embracing the books and incorporating them into courses. I know that i f my college professors decided to incorporate Harry Potter into the literature that my class reads, I would be more apt to read and interact with discussions in class because it is fun and interesting. Right now English classes read books like Beowulf, Hamlet, and Macbeth, these books are classics and should be read but not only these books should be read in the classroom.Books such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games are books that interest young adults, and should at least be incorporated so the students will want to participate. Many students in both high school and college say that Harry Potter brings them a nice break from all of the books they have to read for school. The students still like the fantasy elements in Harry Potter. High school and college students can understand the challenges that Harry had to go through during his school years.Even though the books have very unrealistic angles, like magic and wizardry, young adults can still understand what he is g oing through. The loss of his parents, the hidden love between Ron and Hermione, and the teachers that Harry does not like, and then the ones that do not like Harry. The unrealistic magical way that Harry gets through his problems offer an escape for those people reading the book, who are going through the same problems as Harry. Harry Potter has no age limit- my parents read them, my sister read them, and my niece is reading them.If you have not already read them, do so. Harry Potter offers romance, action, and magic, it is the book for all audiences. The next time you find yourself in a book store just pick the first one up. They are amazing. And who knows you might find it in your literature classes next semester. Rowling J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print. â€Å"Harry Potter Numbers Trivia. † Moviefone. com. 13 July 2007. Web. â€Å"Harry Potter in Literature. † Mugglenet. com. 02 February 2012. Web.