The Role of Mental Set in Classroom Management Essay - 15

The Role of Mental Set in Classroom Management - Essay Example Mental set helps teachers to cultivate stance in relation to the classroom. Teachers can come up with solutions quickly in a classroom situation. For example, when children disrupt the classroom the teacher acts fast because he or she has experienced a similar problem and had a solution to it. This helps to minimize class disruptions because the students know the teacher is in control (Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, 2003). Every human being has their strong and weak points. It is important for teachers to evaluate themselves in order to know their strengths and weaknesses. It helps a lot in maintaining effective classroom management. As a teacher, my main strength is my ability to maintain a good relationship with the students. Having taught for some years, I have learned the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the students. This helps in improving the students’ performance and also helps in cooperating with them. My ability to accommodate students from different cultural backgrounds is another area I do well. Having taught student from a different culture, I have come to learn the importance of understanding the students (Montgomery, 2001). Different cultures have different practices that if not understood can be misinterpreted. For example, Mexicans expect their children to be obedient, quiet and seek approval before acting. This can be interpreted as been overly dependent on the teacher. As a teacher, I tend to act swiftly in class this is an area I can do better. A case of a situation in class, I tend to act quickly without consulting what had caused the particular incident. Due to the fact, I have encountered similar situations in the classroom. This is an area I can work on in order to be a better classroom manager (Weinstein, Curran, & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003).

Tim O’Brien Essay Example for Free

Tim O’Brien Essay Tim O’Brien is a well-know war writer, probably the most famous war writer of our time but also a writer about relationships that disintegrate and how they do so.   His novels hinge on his own experiences in the Vietnam War or the time leading up to that experience.   But he is not a typical writer of war.   In Tim O’Brien’s novels, O’Brien blurs the lines between truth and portrayal of truth or fiction. In essence, he says that there is no such thing as truth. Truth depends on the perception of the person experiencing the episode and what goes on in the mind of this person. The truth fades and shifts or is illuminated further in the telling. Truth is slippery and ever-changing and completely subjective. He blurs these lines over and over again to show the reader the slippery slope of what we call truth.   O’Brien, in some ways, can tell the same kinds of stories but with a different focus so they are completely new.   Overall, O’Brien believes in the power of stories.   As O’Brien says, I’m a believer in the power of stories, whether they’re true or embellished, and exaggerated, or utterly made up.   A good story has a power that transcends the question of factuality or actuality† (Bonn).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   O’Brien’s novel styles and themes begin right from the start of his career.   .   If I Die in the Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home was published in 1973.   It is a memoir which deals with Vietnam and the region around My Lai.   It was the first book that began O’Brien’s genre of what is called â€Å"creative nonfiction.   And then comes his first published novel, Northern Lights discusses two brothers.   One has returned from war wounded and the two brothers are uncomfortable with their own lives as well as their relationships with their father, who has died.   His themes of war and disintegration of relationships begin to be shown in this novel. He continues with these themes in Going After Cacciato published in 1978 and the Nuclear Age in 1985.   Going After Caccioto is the story of a soldier who decides to run away from the Vietnam War. In many ways, this novel is an earlier telling of a story from â€Å"The Things They Carried.†Ã‚   The short story â€Å"On the Rainy River† retells this novel, only with a different ending, which characterizes O’Brien’s creative nonfiction.   In other words, the novel is another way that the story could have ended, not necessarily the way it did end.   Nuclear Age is a discussion of how we would live if confronted with the possibility of nuclear extinction. Then in 1990 he seems to hit a stride and critical acclaim with The Things They Carried.   This is a collection of short stories but also a novel in itself as it begins and ends with the same story.   The book begins with the quote, â€Å"This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author’s own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary† (O’Brien).   Two pages later O’Brien provides a dedication to â€Å"the men of Alpha Company, and in particular to Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins, and Kiowa.† (O’Brien).     These are the novel’s main characters. The reader is meant to question the blur of the lines between fact and fiction. The reader is meant to ask, â€Å"Why O’Brien would be thanking these men if this work is entirely fiction?†Ã‚   In this book, Tim O’Brien manages this blur of truth in many other ways as well. One of thos e ways is that he creates a narrator who is modeled after himself. This narrator is a Harvard grad, a drafted Vietnam War vet, and goes by the name of Tim O’Brien. The reader is encouraged to connect the narrator with the author as a way to question what is true. The narrator says, â€Å"I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer than happening-truth† (O’Brien 203). When asked in an interview, â€Å"What do you say when people ask, â€Å"Are these stories true?† Tim replies, Tim: â€Å"I tell them to reread the book. It’s kind of the point of the book: What is truth?†Ã‚   Tim explains more thoroughly when he talks in the same interview about getting to a deeper truth through fiction.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"One of the chapters in â€Å"The Things They Carried† is about a character with my name going to the Canadian border. He meets an old man up there, almost crosses into Canada but doesn’t. I never literally did any of these things, but I thought about it. It was all happening in my dreams and in my head. And the one thing fiction can do is make it seem real. To let the reader participate in this kid making this journey and it feels like it’s really happening. You hope the reader’s asking the same questions that you were back then. You know, like ‘What would I do? Would I go to Canada? What do I think of war?’ So even if the story never happened, literally, it happened in my head.† If I were to tell you the literal truth about that summer, the truth would be that I played a lot of golf and worried a lot about the draft† (Curran).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In other words, what is the real meaning of truth?   O’Brien plays with this concept over and over in his fiction.   The portrays the strangeness of how the mind works when dealing with memories and hypothetical situations. In the Lake of the Woods published in 1994 A spooked veteran who has secrets discovers that his wife has secrets too.   Both of these people â€Å"escape† to the inner recesses of their own minds in order to come to some kind of terms with their lives.   O’Brien shows his mastery at blurring the lines between reality and fantasy here as well as the novel focuses on two of his favorite subjects, war and failing relationships.   As the couple struggles with the secrets in their relationship, O’Brien uncovers that fact that truth is what we say it is, and what we say determines how and what we think.   He continues to blur the lines even further with an essay called The Vietnam in Me in 1994 in which he goes back to Vietnam twenty years later to reflect on the experiences of the Vietnam War.   This essay also explores the deterioration of a relationship for him.   He basically tries to reconcile what really happened in My Lai in his mind after all these years while faced with the gap opening up between he and Kate. His more recent work changes focus just a bit.   War becomes more secondary content.   In Tomcat in Love (1998) this humorous story or â€Å"black comedy† as it is called in the Gadfly interview is told from the perspective of a sexist professor who attempts to deal with the disintegration of his relationship.   However, he tries to wreak revenge on his ex-wife by sabotaging her current relationship.   And in July, July (2002) ten friends reunite about 30 years after they graduate.     They find that many of the same things haunt them now as haunted them then, only they are at totally different places in their lives.   This story is much like The Things they Carried in that the individual stories are tied together in the end. One of the characters has been through Vietnam, but more than anything this book is again about re-telling of the truth.   The â€Å"truths† that these characters had identified for themselves thirty years ago are different in many ways than their truths of today.   Does that make them any less true? When asked about the various truths of this novel,   BRC: Your books, and their characters, display a certain amount of moral ambiguity—a sense of this is true but that also is true—or both could be true at the same time. Does this reflect your personal philosophy? TO: Yes. Truth evolves. Truth is fluid. Truth is a function of language. (If I were to say to you, ‘It’s now 10:00 A.M., I would be telling the ‘truth’ of Boston, Massachusetts, but not the ‘truth’ of Tokyo Japan). A lie, sometimes, can be truer than the truth, which is why fiction gets written. (Bookreporter). Ultimately Tim O’Brien is a writer who deserves all the acclaim he gets as he has much to say not only about war and relationships but about the very essence of truth itself.   He is a storyteller in every sense of the word and believes in the power of stories, no matter what kind they are.   In an interview, he clearly demonstrates his philosophy about the power of storytelling and truth. Interviewer: What can stories do for us? Tim: Stories do a lot for us. They can help us heal. They can make us feel part of something bigger. We all tell stories to ourselves—about today and tomorrow—we live our lives based on a story we tell ourselves. And we’re constantly adjusting it†¦hoping for a happy ending. (Curran) He describes good fiction as fiction that makes us look inside ourselves and O’Brien is a master even when the â€Å"content† of the stories are not typical for most of us.   He can make us look at courage and truth and evaluate our own relationships all in the reading of his fiction. Works Cited Tim O’Brien, Novelist.   Retrieved November 27, 2007 at Web Site:   http://illyria.com/tobhp.html Iver, Pico, Missing in Contemplation, Time Magazine.   2001, Retrieved November 27, 2007 at Web Site:   http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101941024-163119,00.html Bonn, Maria S. Can Stories Save Us?   Tim O’Brien and the Efficacy of the Text, Critique, Fall 1994, No 1:   2-5. ’Brien, â€Å"The Things They Carried,† Broadway Publishing. 1991. Curran, Colleen. Tim O’Brien discusses â€Å"The Things They Carried in Richmond for GO READ. Nov. 11, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2007 at http://www.richmond.com/ae/output.aspx?Article_ID=2730476 Tim O’Brien. Retrieved November 30. 2007 at Web Site:   http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-obrien-tim.asp

Free Essays - Importance of Creativity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Importance of Creativity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn What would you do if you were a young teenager traveling down the Mississippi River, not knowing where to sleep that night or find food for your next meal? That is the dilemma faced by Huckleberry Finn, and Huck always found a lot of trouble. When most people are in trouble they either take the easy way out and lie, or they use their creativity and wit. The protagonist of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, uses more wit than most fourteen year old kids use in their lifetime. Whenever life hits Huck with a problem, he always conquers it by using awareness, cleverness, and insight. Before Huck starts his adventure down the river, he must fake his death to "escape" from pap. The first thing Huck did was to make sure that pap was far away before starting his getaway. At this point, many children of Huck's age would merely get in a canoe and head down stream, most likely getting caught the next day. Huckleberry Finn is smarter than that. Huck wanted to make sure that no one would come down the river looking for him, except to make his corpse rise. First, he collected all the supplies that he could find and loaded them into a canoe. After that, he went into the woods and caught a wild hog. He brought the hog in the Cabin, and slaughtered it, making sure that it left behind a pool of blood on the hard packed dirt ground. He disposed of the dead hog by throwing it in the river to float downstream. Huck also opened a sack of corn and left a trail leading to a shallow lake nearby. Before leaving the cabin, he filled another sack with rocks, and made a path toward the river. This was done to simulate the trail of the robbers dragging their bounty to the river bank. Huckleberry hoped that pap would think he was killed by a group of robbers that stole all his possessions. After using these tactics to avert any search parties, he floated down the river to Jackson Island. Huck made every attempt to make sure that he could sail down the river in Free Essays - Importance of Creativity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays Importance of Creativity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn What would you do if you were a young teenager traveling down the Mississippi River, not knowing where to sleep that night or find food for your next meal? That is the dilemma faced by Huckleberry Finn, and Huck always found a lot of trouble. When most people are in trouble they either take the easy way out and lie, or they use their creativity and wit. The protagonist of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, uses more wit than most fourteen year old kids use in their lifetime. Whenever life hits Huck with a problem, he always conquers it by using awareness, cleverness, and insight. Before Huck starts his adventure down the river, he must fake his death to "escape" from pap. The first thing Huck did was to make sure that pap was far away before starting his getaway. At this point, many children of Huck's age would merely get in a canoe and head down stream, most likely getting caught the next day. Huckleberry Finn is smarter than that. Huck wanted to make sure that no one would come down the river looking for him, except to make his corpse rise. First, he collected all the supplies that he could find and loaded them into a canoe. After that, he went into the woods and caught a wild hog. He brought the hog in the Cabin, and slaughtered it, making sure that it left behind a pool of blood on the hard packed dirt ground. He disposed of the dead hog by throwing it in the river to float downstream. Huck also opened a sack of corn and left a trail leading to a shallow lake nearby. Before leaving the cabin, he filled another sack with rocks, and made a path toward the river. This was done to simulate the trail of the robbers dragging their bounty to the river bank. Huckleberry hoped that pap would think he was killed by a group of robbers that stole all his possessions. After using these tactics to avert any search parties, he floated down the river to Jackson Island. Huck made every attempt to make sure that he could sail down the river in

Cause Of Unemployment Essay

Unemployment is a status in which people are without a profitable job. It has been an major issue in most societies nowadays and is a problem that most countries have been facing and are trying to address. Moreover, when we talk about unemployment, we have to consider the employer and the employee point of view. Till this date there are significant theorical debates regarding the causes, consequences and solutions for unemployment. This essay will focus on causes and effects of unemployment in our society. These days, one of the biggest causes of unemployment is the Global Recession. When a country goes through economic crisis, the consume of goods and services tend to reduce; as a result, many people are being sacked by their companies, in order to reduce costs and confront the crisis. The salary of employees are being fairly reduced and the rate of unemployment is rising day by day, leading to low wages for the people that are in fact employed. In addition, the recession also detracted the young job seekers, the ones out of college, to find a job because most companies can not afford to hire new people. Another important factor is the Technological Unemployment. Technology usualy is more efficient and increases production of a company. Machines do not need vacations, breaks, insurance and can work 24 hours per day (every day); consequently, peaple are being replaced by computers. The output potencial of technology is beyond superior compared to humans, turning the human work impractical and less profitable. Nonetheless, companies do not realise that the way the mechanization rise and display people, fewer people will have money to buy their products becouse of the lack of employment. Additionally, in less developed counties lack of qualified people for certain jobs, result in many companies having vacancies and no one good enough to fill them. To sum up, unemployment is undergoing a sort of cycle, that means when the number of unemployment and the low wages increase, the number of buyers decrease, leading to more unemployment and lower salaries. In addition, high qualification is one of the best ways to the rise the work opportunities. Bibliography Maria. (2008). Unemployment in Global Recession Scenario. StudyMode.com. Retrieve 01, 2013. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Unemployment-Global-RecessionScenario-172794.html Ward, T., et tal. (2009). Low-qualified Workers in Europe. Eurofound.europa.eu. Retrieve 01, 2013. http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/studies/tn0810036s/tn0810036s_3.htm Wiesen, G. (2012). What Is Technological Unemployment? wisegeek.com. Retrieve 01, 2013. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-technologicalunemployment.htm

Creating Computer-based Learning Essay

Computer-based learning, or e-learning, refers to online or offline learning through the means of computers. It can be offline through the means of CDs or it can be online wherein the student accesses an online web-based training module to acquire learning. Computer-based learning provides various advantages as compared to classroom learning. It provides flexibility to the learners who can access the course at their own pace and at their convenient times. It also enables the students to undertake distance learning wherein a large distance separates the instructor and the students. It is estimated that in 2006 nearly 3. 5 million students in the United States were undergoing some kind of computer-based learning. In this essay, I will discuss computer-based learning and will also provide a sample outline of a computer-based learning course. A storyboard is used to provide a screen-by-screen description of the e-learning course to the programmers, graphic designers, and animators who construct the e-learning course. It contains the On-screen Text (OST) and detailed instructions on graphics and animation. A storyboard should be detailed enough to provide all the required information to construct the course. It should have the following minimum eight elements – project information, screen label, audio/narration text, video clips if used, graphics, OST, navigation and interactivity, and notes to programmers and artists (Creating Scripts and Storyboards for E-Learning). The OST in a storyboard should only contain the relevant information that the learner needs to see. Transition text should only be provided in the audio script of the storyboard. This enables the learners to focus on the core concepts that they have to learn. An e-learning course can have a linear or a staggered navigation. Providing staggered navigation through inserting hyperlinks or cross-references allows learners to choose their learning path, but it is more complex, provides slower navigation, and has greater upload time (Storyboarding for E-Learning Courseware). Secondly, a hyperlink to an outside site will make the learners navigate out of the course, and they may not return to the course. It is not necessary to describe each step of an animation in a storyboard. Only the key aspects of the animation should be outlined and the animation should be described in a separate document. It is not advisable to use too many animations in a course as an animation may take a long time to load. The development life cycle of a computer-based learning course consists of analysis, design, development, implementation and, evaluation phases. The content, graphics, and assessment are developed during the â€Å"development† phase. A sample outline of a course on â€Å"How to Buy and Sell a House† would be as follows: I. Welcome page II. Introduction screen a. Slide 1 – Opening questions (to establish motivation for learning). i. Questions on what type of house is required and various available options. ii. Questions on problems faced in buying and selling a house. b. Slide 2 – Common mistakes while buying or selling a house. III. Learning Objectives i. Given a specified budget and location preference, the learner will be able to identify how to buy the most suitable house for his or her needs. ii. Given a specified budget, the learner will be able to identify how to negotiate successfully with a seller or a buyer on the price and obtain the optimal bargain. iii. The learner will determine how to avoid hidden costs and charges while buying a house. iv. The learner will identify how to do the paperwork, such as house registration correctly. Unit I – Finding the Best House Within Your Budget and Location Preference Unit II – Negotiating Successfully Unit III – Avoiding Hidden Costs Unit IV – Carrying Out Paperwork Correctly There will be assessments for the course – one at the end of each unit and one at the end of course. A sample question for Unit II is as follows: 1. Which of these are correct negotiation techniques while buying a house? a. Refuse to budge from your price. b. Request persuasively to provide additional benefits. c. Give examples of other lower cost options that you have. References Kruse, Kevin. Creating Scripts and Storyboards for E-Learning. Retrieved May 23, 2008 from http://www. e-learningguru. com/articles/art2_5. htm Pandey, Amit. Storyboarding for E-Learning Courseware. May 1, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2008 http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/229486/storyboarding_for_elearning_courseware. html? page=6

Class Tardiness A Survey of Elementary Schools

Class Tardiness A Survey of Elementary Schools Introduction Education has proven to be the most essential background to numerous individuals across the globe. Success of several global greatest achievers has always affiliated with substantial educational background.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Class Tardiness: A Survey of Elementary Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given its renowned importance in shaping the lives of individuals, education from a worldwide perspective has become one of the essentials in human social and economic life. However, the path to success in academic achievement remains arguably the most anticipated outcome of the general learning process. For the past several decades, substantial research findings have concluded that the level of academic achievement among students remains relatively low, with several factors underlying this phenomenon. Postmodern research has substantively tried to examine several underlying factors that inhibit ostensible academic performance. One of the contemporarily contested matters within the educational paradigm is the issue surrounding punctuality in schools with both students and teachers reported to fail in keeping time, which has always been a considerable factor in academic performance. School or classroom absenteeism and unpunctuality normally result to disrupted learning processes. Two educational associate members are a key component that determines the successfulness of the educational achievement. Teachers and students are inseparable corporate figures whose association within and outside the school milieu adversely determine the success of either individuals as well as the entire school.Advertising Looking for proposal on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main discussion for this proposal is the issue of classroom tardiness associated with elementary students and teachers. Tardiness ha s emerged to be the most modern aspect that is continuously affecting academic achievement. Tardiness according to its basic definition refers to appearing, arriving or even acting late contrary to the stipulated time. Classroom tardiness may therefore refer to arriving or performing classroom activities in delay. Classroom tardiness is not however a modern problem within the elementary schools, since it has existed in several academic literatures. Augmented cases of tardiness among students reflect the extent at which student discipline in several elementary schools has continuously deteriorated. The aspect of tardiness seems to be affecting numerous schools globally and causing dwindles in academic performance. Aim and Objectives of the study The purpose or aim of this study is to explore the issue of tardiness in relation to identifying whether it correlates directly with the teaching process and the entire academic performance. According to Gebski et al. (2002), â€Å"an object ive is a precise statement of the degree of benefit expected from the intervention, as well as the duration of the benefit† (p.491). Apart from having the principle focus for the entire study, the study relies on secondary objectives developed to enrich the researcher’s argument with great evidence on the status of student tardiness within the desired study area.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Class Tardiness: A Survey of Elementary Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The study will have secondary objectives as follows: to examine the extent of class tardiness among students in some schools in United States; to identify the major reasons behind class tardiness among students in the targeted schools; the study will as well investigate teacher’s perceptions on the influence of class tardiness in their teaching procedures; the study will determine how class tardiness affects individual stu dent and school performance. Problem statement As the pursuit for greater academic performance continuously arises across the globe, several challenges associated with academic achievement are on a constant rise. Substantial research linking teacher-student association and their related preparedness to academic achievement has existed, but shaping up student’s behaviors, school and class tardiness remains anticipated matters. An unattractive number of students within the elementary schools have been arriving in schools and classroom behind schedule. Scholars in different educational backgrounds have consistently cited a greater correlation between school attendance problems and academic performance and students behaviors as well. Tardiness according to prior studies influence the learning process since it results to classroom disruption that subsequently affects the entire student learning and academic performance. Contemporary studies on tardiness are increasing with an ove rview indicating that the tardiness aspect is increasing with time depending on the regions. Despite evidence and aforementioned studies unveiling the realities behind tardiness in schools worldwide, the impact of this matter remains underestimated. For such reasons, this proposal seeks to explore tardiness in elementary schools.Advertising Looking for proposal on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Literature review Extensive research in the educational paradigm covering the issue of tardiness in relation to its influence to academic performance has existed and proved quite significant in understanding some internal school affairs affecting knowledge enlightening. A contemporary study undertaken by Dinkes (2009) demonstrates an example of the studies that uncovered the true situation of tardiness among schools in United States. In this study, several student behaviors emerge to be affecting the school materially, socially and academic wise. Typically, this study analyzed bullying at schools and other places, physical fights and the existence of weapons and other illegal substances within the schools. In a bid to consolidate facts about the state of school discipline and school performance, the researcher investigated the issue of school tardiness as one of the behavioral problems. According to Dinkes (2009), tardiness is a form of indiscipline that involves unpunctuality by st udents that lead to disrupted learning. Disrupted learning has generally been one of the courses of poor school performance. In this empirical evidence, Dinkes (2009) undertook a comprehensive comparison of prior surveying processes involving the schools and the staffing across some public and private schools within the United States. The main objective for this study was to examine if student behavior, student tardiness and class cutting interfered with the learning. According to Dinkes (2009, p.40), between 2003 and 2004 at least 35 percent of teachers involved in this study agreed or strongly agreed that student behavior interfered with their teaching, approximately 31 percent of the teachers testified that class cutting and student tardiness interfered with their teaching. However, the proportion of teachers who testified that class cutting, student behavior and tardiness affected or hampered their teaching differed depending on individual teacher and the school environment. For instance, in this study according to Dinkes (2009), in 2003and 2004, a considerably higher percentage (42%) of teachers in a city or metropolitan schools than in rural or suburban (31%) reported that misbehavior and tardiness interfered with learning. A continuum of investigations undertaken by Purvis in the report complied in 2008 can successfully provide significant empirical literature that complements the argument of this study. Purvis (2008) defines tardiness to class as a state of arriving late or behind stipulated time for the assigned class. The researcher investigated three types of tardiness associated with students within the school environment including tardiness to class, tardiness to school and tardiness towards an assigned area of educational interest. According to this study, some of the basic reasons behind class tardiness may be because teachers failed to dismiss students on time from their previously assigned class, teachers keeping students in class immediately after lesson end, or school administrators stopping students along corridors or simply students having fun or playing games. Purvis (2008) admits that tardiness is among student misconducts, but according to him, one of the most important issues that the school officials must explore in relation to student tardiness is the aspect of if the tardiness is excusable or non-excusable. Another significant study that may form imperative empirical evidence to the issue of school and class tardiness is the study undertaken by Martella et al. (2011). Based on this study, the researcher investigated school safety in depth. The researcher examined the extent of school safety in America by reviewing comprehensive reports conducted by numerous organizations including National School Safety Center, Institute of Education Science, and the National Center for Education Statistics and the Center for Disease Control. Apart from covering information pertinent to school-related violence deaths, school s afety, physical fights and other forms of school bullying factors, the study considered the significance of investigating teacher’s perceptions of class cutting, tardiness and student misbehavior in relation to their influence on learning. Similar to Dinkes (2009) this study principally examined reports from public and private school teachers regarding the state of student tardiness, misbehavior and class cutting and their relative influence to their teaching process. According to Martella et al. (2011), the behavioral phenomenon has been fluctuating in each successive year. According to Martella et al. (2011), the percentage or number of teachers who report stated that student behavior interfered with their teaching fluctuated between 1987-1988 and 2007-2008. The percentage of teachers who reported that class cutting and student tardiness obstructed their teaching remained constant between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008. Furthermore, â€Å"there were no measurable differences in t he percentage of teachers reporting that students misbehavior or tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching between two most recent surveys, 2003-2004 and 2007-2007† (Martella et al., 2011, p.289). Just as other studies conducted to determine the influence of truancy and lack of proper timing, the researcher in this study noticed that the proportion of tutors who noted that these factors affected their teaching and performance were disparate with regard to individual teacher and school characteristics. For instance, in the year 2007, â€Å"more public school teachers (36%) than private school teachers (21%) reported that student misbehavior hampered learning, 33% verses 18% asserted that class cutting affected learning while 39% verses 33% blamed student tardiness over learning† (Martella et al., 2011, p.289). Class and school tardiness have appeared in several studies across the globe and the condition may even become worse in future depending on the pr evailing conditions of the future in the educational paradigm. Studies conducted by Thompson (2012) and Abadzi (2007) have portrayed significant influence of class and school tardiness to academic performance and individual student’s behavior. According to the two researchers, very few students can manage to attend classes or schools throughout the term period. According to Thompson (2012), the problem of student tardiness mostly affects new teachers in a certain environment, but reasons behind such behaviors differ from worldwide. Thompson (2012) further asserts that tardy students are harmful to the academic performance since they cause disruptions during the teaching process as well as setting negative tone in a class where the possibility of others imitating is considerably high. On the other hand, Abadzi (2007) claims that tardiness results to disrupted learning since it affects teacher’s instructional plan that subsequently affects the entire class performance. F inally, empirical analysis of educational reports by Garrett in the year 2001 can significantly provide empirically validate literature necessary to support the basic argument of this study. Among the most significant issue examined in this study, include trespassing, student tardiness, and student misbehavior and teacher absenteeism that are core factors to poor academic performance among schools worldwide. According to Garrett (2001), of the total number of principals involved in these studies, 43% of them perceived these issues as serious matters. The disciple issue most reported between 1996 and 1997, tardiness accounted for 40 percent, absenteeism or class cutting accounted for 25 percent while physical conflict accounted for 21 percent. According to Garrett (2001), â€Å"for elementary and high schools, student tardiness and student absenteeism or class cutting were among three most often cited offenses† (p.13). In general, student tardiness in an estimated average acco unted to 67 percent while school absenteeism accounted to 33 percent with all principles concluding that the level of student tardiness behaviors were on a constant rise. Research Methodology Research methodology refers to the techniques employed by the researcher to undertake the study considering all necessary principles covering the research studies. According to Farrugia et al. (2009), research methodology is a logical way of solving problems while research methods are various measures, schemes or algorithms employed in any undertaken study by researchers. It is important â€Å"for the researcher to know not only the research methods necessary for the research under taken but also the methodology† (Rajasekar et al., 2006, p. 3). In this proposal, the study will take the qualitative approach where the application of reasoning and words will be imperative to arrive to the conclusion on the stated problem. According to Rajasekar et al. (2006), qualitative research methodolog y, â€Å"is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning, and uses words†¦its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the situation† (p.3). The study will involve several procedures from setting up of questionnaires, undertaking a piloting study, collecting the information and analyzing the data collected appropriately. Target population and sample size Since the study involves three important individuals in the education sector, school head teachers and teachers will form part of the target population desired to undertake the research. The researcher in the context of determining the extent of class tardiness in schools, major reasons behind class tardiness among students, teacher’s perception on class tardiness its influence on individual student and school performance, this study will target five renowned schools within the predetermined study area. For the study to arrive to unbiased conclusion over the problem identified, the researcher will consider acquiring data from all the teaching staff ranging from the school administrators to teachers. The study will target at least three teachers in each respective school under the study coverage and approximately five head teachers in all the schools. The study will manage to acquire approximately a total of fifteen teachers and five head teachers to represent the entire populace in the study. Since the target population will be appropriate to undertake the study, there will be no sampling. Piloting or/and reconnaissance The researcher will undertake piloting or/and reconnaissance to the desired study region with the aim of identifying challenges, opportunities and to have a familiarization with the study region. Piloting or pilot study is a form of study that involves undertaking a visit to the predetermined or determined study area with the necessary data collection material to test their validity and reliability. During the pilot study, the research will introduce some of the data collection material to non-respondents of the actual study to examine the reliability of the data collection material and the way respondents will behave on the desired data collection material. Reconnaissance is similar to the pilot study, but in the real meaning of the two aspects to this study. Reconnaissance will precede the piloting to enable the researcher familiarize with the study area, meet the school administration and seek permission to undertake the research, establish possible challenges that may affect the outcome of the research and estimate the cost of the intended study. Data sources and data collection techniques For any intended research study to produce desirable outcome under any given circumstances, the researcher must identify and utilize the most appropriate data sources and data collection methods. Data sources involve all materials used in collecting information required from the respondents to accomplish the mission of the research. The sources always carr y their opinions, ideas or even perceptions in a manner suitable for analysis. Based on the intentions of this proposal, simple questionnaires will appropriately suit, as data collection material for the teachers while interview schedules will be the most appropriate for the head teachers who will represent the school administration. The researcher will develop these questionnaires with the assistance of the respective professor to enhance validity and reliability. Data collection technique will involve planning appropriate data collection schedule that will guide the collection of data from the five stated schools. Each respondent will fill one questionnaire or one interview schedule to reach the desired population required for analysis and avoid multiple, irrelevant responses. Data analysis and discussion The researcher will ensure that all data collection materials pertinent to this study are complete in the filling process, collected and arranged properly for data analysis. The researcher will search, verify, and analyze the data in the questionnaires using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. Responses obtained in the form of figures will undergo a quantitative analysis approach where analytical tables of frequencies and percentages will represent the results in more simplified and understandable manner (Baxter Jack, 2008). Where necessary, the study will consider the application of graphs in analyzing data to provide a comprehensive and easy method of analyzing the data. Graphs frequency tables and percentage tables form the most appropriate data analytical techniques that are familiar to many, present large information on little space and scientifically validated through empirical research evidence. The ideas, opinions or even perceptions expressed in qualitative form will have a direct analysis where the researcher will expound and discuss the ideas in details. The researcher in the analysis phase may consider team members to en sure that the information contained in the study remain reliable and answers all research objectives and related questions. Discussion of data collected is necessary to provide a deeper insight into the findings and conclusions arrived from the undertaken study. Since data collected in the study, many are in qualitative or quantitative form, having little meaning to the laypersons and other scholars data analysis is necessary to simplify the information produced by the respondents in relation to the study. However, data analysis is not a convincible endpoint to the research process since the analysis process may not produce a proof of readable and understandable paper that one can draw possible conclusions from the study. Central to this reason, discussion of the data collected and analyzed is necessary to ensure that the study produces understandable and reliable research findings that learners and other researcher interested in investigating similar problem can draw possible concl usions and comments (Baxter Jack, 2008). The researcher will ensure comprehensive discussion of all data presented in mathematical or arithmetic manner in simple terms and terminologies that interested readers may draw conclusions and/or argue. Reference List Abadzi, H. (2007). Absenteeism and Beyond: Instructional Time Loss and Consequences. New York, NY: World Bank Publications. Baxter, P., Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544-559. Dinkes, R. (2009). Indicators of School Crime and Safety. Darby, PA: Diane Publishing. Farrugia, P., Petrisor, B., Farrokhyar, F., Bhandari, M. (2009). Practical tips for surgical research: Research questions, hypotheses and objectives. Canadian Journal of Surgery, 53(4), 278-281. Garrett, A. (2001). Keeping American Schools Safe: A Handbook for Parents, Students, Educators, Law Enforcement Personnel and the Community. New York, NY: McFarland. G ebski, V., Marschner, I., Keech, A. (2002). Specifying objectives and outcomes for clinical trials. Medical Journal of Australia, 176, 491-492. Martella, R., Nelson, J., Marchard-Martella, N., O’Reilly, M. (2011). Comprehensive Behavior Management: Individualized, Classroom, and School wide Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishers. Purvis, R. (2008). Safe and Successful Schools: A Compendium for the New Millennium. Bloomington, IN: Author House. Rajasekar, S., Philominathan, P., Chinnathambi, V. (2006). Research methodology. Web. Thompson, G. (2012). First year teachers survival guide: Ready-to-use strategies, tools activities for meeting the challenges of each school day. New Jersey, NJ: Wiley Sons.

The Halloween Storm of the Century in 1991

The Halloween Storm of the Century in 1991 The Perfect Storm was a rare monster storm with an unnamed hurricane in the center of the tempest. The perfect storm was a nickname given  to this storm by Bob Case, a retired NOAA meteorologist. The storm began as an extratropical low on October 28, 1991 and became famous as author Sebastian Junger profiled the sinking of the swordfishing boat the ​Andrea Gail in the novel The Perfect Storm. The storm would eventually produce 100-foot ​rogue waves. October Weather Conditions In October, most of the United States moves towards the cold winter months as the country slowly cools down from the summer heat. Ocean water has a high heat capacity meaning the landmasses of North America cool at a more rapid rate than the ocean waters. The heat retained in the Atlantic will often create massive storms in the still-warm waters. Because air masses retain the characteristics of their source, the continental air masses from the cooler land will often meet the maritime air masses of the warmer ocean creating large storms known as a Noreaster. Predicting the Perfect Storm Forecasters had a rough time forecasting this Halloween storm. The storm happened when a high-pressure system, a low-pressure system, and the remnants from Hurricane Grace collided in a trilogy of terror. The resulting waves and high winds hit many parts of the Eastern United States causing the famed sinking of the Andrea Gail and the death of her six passengers. An interesting aspect of the huge system was its retrograde motion (east to west)- not away from the New England Coast, but toward it. Even while New Englanders were enjoying clear bright blue October weather, forecasters were warning of this immense storm. A Rare Weather Event According to Bob Case, the set of meteorological circumstances leading to the storm happen only every 50-100 years. Much like the Fujiwhara Effect, several weather events (detailed at the bottom of the page) did a strange meteorological dance around each other. Storm damage hit as far south as North Carolina, Florida, and the Northern coast of Puerto Rico. The storm caused millions of dollars in damages to beaches and homes, including the seaside Kennebunkport, Maine home of former President George Bush. An Unnamed Hurricane A remarkable event occurred when a hurricane formed inside the Halloween Noreaster. Wind speeds topped 80 mph inside of the intense Halloween storm, making the storm of hurricane strength on the Saffir-Simposon Scale. This particular hurricane was never named as most tropical cyclones are named according to a pre-set list of hurricane names. Instead, it would become known as the Unnamed Hurricane of 1991. The storm finally broke up over Nova Scotia, Canada, on November 2, 1991, and remains only the 8th hurricane never to be named since the naming practice began in the 1950s. Why Wasnt the Hurricane Named? There is a difference between the Halloween Storm of 1991 and the hurricane that formed inside the storm. At the time of the storm, emergency officials and the media were scrambling to get more information on the storm damages and well as any forecasts for future problems. It was decided that the hurricane would be short-lived and should remain unnamed so as not to confuse people. Storm Records Broken Many locations up and down the Atlantic coast saw tide, flood, and storm surge records broken. In Ocean City, Maryland, a record high tide of 7.8 feet occurred beating the old record of 7.5 feet recorded during a March 1962 storm. Damages in Massachusetts topped $100 million dollars. Other specific facts are available from the National Climatic Data Center Damage Summary for the Perfect Storm. Causes of the Storm of the Century Hurricane Grace - On October 27, 1991, Hurricane Grace formed off the coast of Florida. As Grace moved north on October 29, an extratropical cyclone formed over Canada. The counterclockwise motion of this low-pressure zone left a trailing cold front over much of the Northern Atlantic coast. The cold front would later catch up with the dying hurricane. Grace would later make the retrograde turn to the east in response.A Low-Pressure System - The low-pressure system formed over Canada and ran into Hurricane Grace off the coast of Nova Scotia, tearing the already downgraded hurricane apart. There was intense wind shear that acted as a hurricane-breaker, but the low-pressure system absorbed much of the energy of Hurricane Grace. The low-pressure system reached a peak intensity of 972 millibars of pressure and maximum sustained winds of 60 knots on October 30. The later movement of this low-pressure system over warmer 80 degree Gulf Stream waters served to intensify the storm in the same way tropical storms are intensified by warm ocean waters in the tropics. A High-Pressure System - A strong high-pressure center extended from the Gulf of Mexico northeastward along the Appalachians into Greenland. Strong winds were generated from the tight pressure gradient between a strong high high-pressure in eastern Canada (1043 mb) and the surface low.