My Philosophy Statement Essays -- Progressivism Teaching Education Ess

My Philosophy Statement Education is a very important aspect of our lives. It is our education that makes us who we are and determines what we become. Therefore, education is not something to be taken lightly. As a teacher, my goal will be to provide the best possible education for my students. Every student is unique. I must see students for who they are individually and respect their ideas and opinions. Each student has a different learning style. I must take this into consideration because I want to provide a constructive learning opportunity for every student. I believe that every student has the potential to learn. My philosophy at this point is progressivism. William James and John Dewey are accredited for developing the characteristically American philosophy that is progressivism. Progressivism relies on the theory that the student should be the focal point. By adjusting the curriculum and teaching techniques to reflect the student’s needs and interests, the teacher is encouraging the student’s desire to learn. Another theory of progressivism is that of a democratic system. Students will fare better in life if they are exposed to the ideas and cultures of different ethnicities and personalities early. By encouraging group work, instead of solo work that will lead to competitions, the students will be more open minded and will be better prepared for the diverse world. A branch of progressivism is logic and it is one that the students will come to know by the progressivist ideal that what is learned in the classroom has relevance to the real world. Progressivists believe that education should mirror life. Education often uses past experiences to gain more knowledge, much like life. Therefore, e... ...book. The teaching methods used in a progressivism classroom supports the idea of problem-based learning wherein the students are required to develop original solutions to existing or potential societal problems. Together with the teacher and classmates, students are given the opportunity to speculate and question the world around them and the world awaiting them. Within small peer groups, for instance, students are encouraged to discuss, share and compromise. The teacher is there to encourage this process rather than to provide prescribed solutions. Similarly, the learning environment is collaborative and democratic, giving opportunity for all to speak their minds and receive feedback from peers as well as the teacher. This continuous loop of feedback, potentially positive or negative, serves as the means of assessment for problem-solving based instruction.

Hacking and Countermeasures: Controls

Aim Higher College needs to ensure the safety of all its information. Recently we have seen suspicious and careless activity in the research data center. Data center technicians have reported lights left on, doors left open, successful logins to the research database, as well as login attempts in the backup business database after normal hours of operation. Because this is also the backup for our business information we need to keep this area as secure as possible.In order maintain control over who has access to what in the center we need first ensure that only those that need access to the center are granted the appropriate permissions to the areas that they need. The revolving door should only allow one person through at a time, this will help to prevent someone without access from slipping by with some one that does have access or allow a person with access giving access to some that is not authorized in the build. This will be done with a using simple radio frequency identificati on (RFID) cards for the initial access to the building’s lobby.Both entry and exit will require that the card be read so that a log of who enters and leaves the building can be kept. Entry to the staff offices will simply be with a RFID card reader. With these cards, we can select what areas they have access to according to their needs. The front double doors and access to the receiving area can only be opened from the inside of the building. By allowing one-way access we ensure that hacking of the reader is not possible. Biometric scanners should be used for all sensitive areas as a second method to prevent card cloning. Those that have access to sensitive areas or doors that can allow more than one person through such as the shipping area and front double doors will be issued a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards. These card work with the biometric scans. When the card is scanned it relays to  the biometric scanner the information that the scanner will need to make the identification.This means that even if the card’s RFID is cloned as soon as it is read it would be denied because the biometric information is not there. The biometric that we should use is an iris scanner. Rather than hand dimensions that can change or fingerprints. Fingerprints are easy to fool, if the finger is dry the scan may not read correctly, the maintenance if high as the sensor must be cleaned, impurities on the hand or air can give false readings, and lastly to prevent the spread of disease. Iris scanners do not require physical contact, eyeglasses, and contracts normally do not disrupt the reading.To make things easier the iris scanning is much faster. The iris can be scanned as the person is walking up and then compared to the card when the PIV is read . In addition, it is my recommendation that the datacenter be physically separated between the backup site and the research site. This will allow students and staff to gain access to the research center but no t the backup center. Only those that need to have access to the business side backup will be required to use biometrics and a PIV card. All servers will be locked in cabinets for the protection of the severs and SANs that are on site.This will deter theft of any equipment that might contain information. Security cameras will be used to monitor all access and movement within the building. Thirteen stationary static cameras will need to be in use to watch all hallways, doors, and the datacenters. Two motion detecting pan / tilt / zoom (PTZ) cameras will be paced in the center of the data centers (one in each) to follow and watch the activity of persons entering. This should be accompanied with a security system that monitors movement, doors and windows. The diagrams below show the position of the cameras and access control equipment and measures that are recommended.In the event of a power outage, it is highly recommended there is enough UPS in place for at least 15 minutes to allow f or proper shut down. Preferable would be to have a backup generator so that information can be saved and moved to another site or to maintain functionality until the power comes back on. Protection of the systems will consist of the floor being raised by at least eight inches from the ground and an automatic pump system in place to mitigate flooding. Because there are people working in these areas  we need to ensure that we have an adequate fire suppression and we need to keep in mind the equipment that is in the room.The recommendation here is to use an waterless fire suppression. While it may not be as cheap as using water, the damage of having a water system in the area will be much more expensive. Waterless systems work by lowering the oxygen in the area to a point that the fire cannot continue combustion without the harmful effects to persons like Halon or CO2. The have been proven to put out fires faster without any damage people. This will give all persons enough time to ev acuate calmly in case of fire . Water systems only help in containing the fire until fire fighters can arrive, in the meantime, we are causing damage to our own equipment They cost of the damage would be in the millions to replace servers and other equipment.The estimated time after a fire with a water system is approximately one month if data can be recovered. Not that we have the physical aspect of the data centered covered we need to look at the technical or logical side of protecting the information. Safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, accessibility, and the non-repudiation (CIA) is vital. As stated before an IDS and IPS will be put in to place to watch the system at all times to report and mitigate if not stop unauthorized activity to the business backup and research databases. This will help with monitoring the network and see what and where unauthorized traffic and attempts are coming from. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs will be installed on all systems in both databases to protect the information and programs.Firewall implementation between the networks is necessary to keep unauthorized attempts from getting in to the business side of the database. All information will be encrypted so that if the data is or any hardware is stolen then the information be more difficult to read and will hopefully discourage the thief. To prevent a brute force attack through a console connection after 3 attempts at a password the system will lock down that port and a flag will be sent to the data center technician on duty.To ensure that the person that is attempting to gain access to the server through a console connection a token that generates a random alphanumeric code will be used. As we all know people are where we see the biggest problems in security breaches and problems on any computer or network system. People need to understand what they are allowed and not allowed to do, this is where policies, procedures, and training come in to play. By  impl ementing policies that use best practices, such as an acceptable use policy for all staff and students, we make it known what they are allowed to do, and what the consequences are should they choose to ignore the rules.Training all staff and students on security awareness is something that is necessary so that people to go or do things that can jeopardize the network. Making sure that procedures are documented help if there is a problem that can arise again, this reduces down time should the problem return. Making sure that a disaster recovery plan (DRP) is in place, practiced and trained on regularly. This is critical to make sure that down time is as minimal as possible. The separation of duties helps to break up the processes involved to complete a task prevents one individual from having total control over the whole system.Each person or team is responsible for his or her area only and if required forces collusion so that someone else is needed to meet the end goal. It acts like a checks and balance. With these policies in place we need to ensure that they stay current with or business continuity plan and the goal of our mission statement. This will be accomplished by security reviews and audits. This helps to ensure we do not get complacent as well. Performance evaluations help with ensuring that all staff is at their peak performance. Here is where performance correction for both junior and senior members comes in to play. We always need to keep even our staff up to date and fine-tuned to keep one-step ahead. Background checks from time to time are a good way of making she that all employees are acting honestly.There by safeguarding from any circumstance outside of work, that would lead one to perform maliciously with in work for a personal gain. Required vacations will help with employees with being overwrought with situations at work. As people, we need to step back, rest, and regain focus. Forcing staff to take vacations helps this happen. Finally, ro tation of duties helps to make the team come to a better understanding of the network as a whole. This allows all members to be cross platform trained, which helps when someone is sick, on required vacation, or a team is short from termination. Aim higher college has come a long way in the two months now that security is serious concern.If we work together then we can make this college one that students and faculty feel safe coming to, to learn and teach. With colleges competing with online schools and courses, our information system needs to be at its most secure and best  performance to keep pulling students in. These controls are just an insight as to the recommendations that looked at seriously and deeply considered to make sure that Aim Higher College stays at the top.

Of mice and men help Essay

   Men’s view of women The working men’s view of women is like to buy women like they buy a drink so even women did not have proper rights just like Crooks, men would not think of having a proper relationship with women although Curley did have a wife he also used to go out with the other men into town and so there is a possibility that he may have spent a night in a whore house with other women. In the novel Steinbeck did not give Curley’s wife a real name as all the workers referred to her as a ‘whore’, ‘slut’ or simply ‘Curley’s wife’. This shows and adds to how women were treated and seen as in society by men for the reason that they are more dominant. How they spend their time The men have their free time on a Saturday night into the town, the men can go to ‘whore houses’, have a horseshoe tournament and gamble money. They would spend some money on drinks and play card games, solitaire and read magazines. They would allow Crooks to play with them and join in so that he was not completely considered an outcast but they still made fun of him so Crooks spends most of his free time reading ‘books’ as this is the only way he is not discriminated and so he dreams of a being seen as an equal to everyone else, he knows his civil rights and he also remembers childhood when he played with the white children who came up to his family’s chicken ranch plus longs for a similar relationship with white people again. Most of the other workers dream about a life that they don’t have for example George and Lennie, they dream of owning a ‘little patch of land’. Prejudice In the novel ‘of mice and men’ prejudice plays a big part and it is shared among some of the characters like Candy, Crooks and Lennie and they were also considered as outcasts these all have some kind of disability also their positions were low in the ranch. Candy was considered an outcast in position to his job because of his hand cut of by a machine so he can not work therefore he is considered an outcast, in addition he is old so he different from other hands. Crooks is disabled because he was ‘kicked’ in the back by a horse and as a result became a cripple on top this he was black so he was racially abused as well, he was mostly abused by the boss because he seems to take it out on him. This was because the boss knew that he could not do anything for example he ‘gave the stable buck hell’ because George and Lennie were late arriving to the ranch so he took his anger out on Crooks and so Crooks could not fight for his rights. Lennie is retarded and his mind is the age of a young child, as children like to stoke soft things Lennie likes to ‘stroke’ mice because they are soft and he likes to pet them. Lennie has no physical disability so he can go out and work with the rest of the workers and to the advantage of his strong body he can ‘buck barley’ very fast in addition he can follow instructions very well. Loneliness Loneliness affects many of the characters, and Steinbeck seems to show that it is a natural and inevitable result of the life they are forced to follow. Steinbeck shows that the workers are caught in a trap of loneliness and they never seem to say in one place to form a permanent relationship or even think of one. Even if they did have one then it would be likely that the relationship would not stay together or even have problems by the demands of the workers life. Candy is lonely because of his old age and the only company he has is his old dog and this reminds him of the days when he was young and whole. Candy has no relatives and once his dog is shot he is totally alone and he tries to get into George and Lennie’s dream of having a piece land. George is also caught in the trap of loneliness when he is forced to shoot his companion in the back of the head, like Candy and his dog George had Lennie (who is described as an animal) he is left lonely as well at the end of the novel. Another lonely character is Curleys Wife, she is newly married and in a new strange place. Curley forbade her to talk to anyone through his jealousy and so she countered it by approaching workers to ask were Curley is in door ways therefore the men regarded her as a ‘slut’ and that became her name other than Curley’s wife. Steinbeck never gave Curleys Wife a name. Finally loneliness leads to her death as she tries to overcome Curley’s instructions by letting Lennie feel her hair; consequently Curley is now left alone because he chose a wife which was totally inappropriate for his life that he leads in an attempt to overcome his loneliness. This is because all the workers despise him for his cowardice. Crooks is another who is isolated because he is different, he tries to cope with this by keeping a distance from the other workers and reading books as these are his only companions. Dreams In the novel Dreams is something that some characters use to combat with loneliness of their existence. The most obvious dream in the novel is George and Lennie’s dream farm, this dream is only shared by the two at first but then later spreads to Candy and Crooks. The American dream is what people used to think that in America there is a piece of land for everyone because of its vast lands, this gave people a sense of Independence and this is what made them go on and continue to tackle the harsh realities of life most people were likely to never achieve their dreams. This is revealed in the poem by Crooks ‘seems live ever guy got land in is head’. The reason why Lennie asks George to recite the descriptions of the farm is because it is an antidote to overcome his disappointment and loneliness. Curley’s wife is another who has dreams and they were to become a movie star and the life of luxury and fame, this comes to nothing when Lennie kills her. Conclusion In conclusion the title to this book tells you the about the novel in a few words. The title of this book is taken from an Irish poem by Alfred Burns; â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men always go wrong†. Steinbeck has portrayed this in a correct way as the story deals with so many dreams from the characters point of view and so none of these were destined to come true anyway. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

At Risk Students

Below is a list of warning signs that an educator may see with these types of abuses. Warning Signs of Potential Abuse: Be aggressive, oppositional, or defiant * Act out, displaying aggressive or disruptive behavior * Fear of going home * Be described as â€Å"accident prone† * Being a low achiever * Showing regressive or less mature behavior * Dislike or shrink from physical contact These are just a few of the signs that are listed as â€Å"Behavioral Clues That May Indicate Child Abuse† (Cross-Tower, 2003, Para. ), since bruises are not always a sure indicator of abuse. Warning Signs of Potential Drug Abuse: * Withdrawal * Isolation Fatigue Depression * Aggressive Rebellious Behavior * Change in Friends * Drop in Academic Performance These are a few of the signs that In an article by Bowers (2013) and according to him, â€Å"[m]ore than one of these behavioral changes must be present In the student for a substantial amount of time before an assumption is made by a te acher about drug use† (up. 2).Warning Signs of Suicidal Tendencies: * Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed * â€Å"Acting out† verbally or physically, at home or at school * Preoccupation with death and dying * Loss of Interest or participation In school life Sudden reports of trouble at school * Difficulty concentrating These are a few signs that could indicate, â€Å"[p]attention signs of suicidal feelings and Houghton† (Boson's Children Hospital, 2013, Para. 18); however, these could also be signs of depression.Moreover, a teacher should see assistance If these signs appear If one of my students had any of these signs, I would be concerned. The first thing I would do is my research and find out what the protocols are when reporting suspicions of child mistreatment or abuse. Secondly, in these cases I wouldn't second guess myself and I would report my suspicions to the appropriate authority, in addition, I would indicate that these are suspicions a nd that I do not know for sure if abuse is occurring. Furthermore I would do was talk to the child to see if they are willing to disclose what is going on with him or her.If the child discloses anything, I will add that to my suspicions when I turn in my report to the proper authorities. I will continue to keep a watchful eye on the student, and if anything else occurs after I make my report, I will turn that information in as well. Next, I will follow the progress that is going on in the case and ask for any updates available. Moreover, my main priority at all times is my student's well-being and I will continue to report each case f abuse I witness because it is my responsibility to ensure my student's safety and well-being when he or she is in my care.

Praise Song for the Day – Interpretation

Praise Song For The Day November 26, 2012 This poem, Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander, is one of the most memorable poems that have been recited within the last 20 years. Immediately after President Obama was sworn into office, Elizabeth Alexander recited her poem to the masses that had gathered on that cold winter day in January. The piece is full of symbolism, with the tone being hopeful, inspiring and thankful.The poem begins with a description of daily life which is filled with the daily grind of hard working individuals, often doing the work that drives this great nation of ours†¦small businesses, blue-collar laborers, honorable professions such as teaching. The possibility of coming together as a people in spite of our differences is expressed in terms of our words (â€Å"spiny or smooth†¦words to consider, reconsider†). From will to words to concrete results (e. g. , highways), we interact with each other–past and present.The boundary of a highway may inspire someone today to go further and see what else is possible, keeping hopeful aspirations alive by â€Å"see(ing) what’s on the other side. At the same time that we fear the uncertainties of the future (which also divides us), we can envision it in terms of its possibilities (â€Å"We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see†). I think she is trying to say that we should also honor the sacrifices of poor, immigrant laborers of the past who made our present reality possible as well as the modern immigrant laborers who continue to build upon the dreams of their ancestors. â€Å"Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of†) The resolution of conflicts between people has many routes. Fo r families it may be â€Å"figuring it out at kitchen tables† while other conflicts require political movements, struggle, and protest. This poem is a song of praise for such peaceful resolutions and for this historical inaugural day which would not have been possible without the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.The religious belief systems of different peoples that allow us to get along with other peoples differ in degree. The poem presents an even stronger concept of love that goes beyond â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thy self†, and even beyond â€Å"marital, filial, national. † Some believe the way to unity is to avoid being selfish, not hurting others, and treating others as you would your compatriots, your kin, or yourself. This poem suggests there is a love that extends beyond those whom we are familiar with to include â€Å"a widening pool of light. Finally, in relation to the present day, there is a sense of the immense possibilities (â€Å"anything can be made, any sentence begun†). This is contained in the words that may inspire others to action that may bring such a love closer toward reality. From disunity (â€Å"walking past each other†) to blindly â€Å"walk[ing] into that which we cannot yet see,† this poem now suggests the alternative of â€Å"walking forward in that light† guided by a new vision of a love that may unite us. I focused on the symbolic element of the poem, because I liked the presentation and how it flowed.It made me think about how far we’ve come in this country. I believe that Elizabeth draws the reader into the poem just I was drawn, by suggesting that we as a nation that was literally built off the labor of slave labor and indentured servants, has evolved into a country that elected its first African-American President. Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each other’s eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues.Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere, with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum, with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin. We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed, words to consider, reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of some one and then others, who saidI need to see what’s on the other side. I know there’s something better down the road. We need to find a place where we are safe. We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain: that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked th e cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign, the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself, others by first do no harm or take no more than you need. What if the mightiest word is love? Love beyond marital, filial, national, love that casts a widening pool of light, love with no need to pre-empt grievance. In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, any thing can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp, praise song for walking forward in that light. Alexander, E. (2009, Feb). Retrieved Nov 26, 2012, from Poetry Foundation. org: http://www. poetryfoundation. org/poem/244896

Foreign Workers in Malaysia

Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. At least that’s what quite a lot of Malaysians I know feel about them. Deputy Human Resources Minister, Senator said that there are 1. 403 million foreigners here holding the Temporary Employment Visit Pass, which accounts for 11. 2% of Malaysia’s total workforce. That’s actually quite a lot of foreigners for a country with a 2. 7% unemployment rate as of last year. But it’s no use denying the fact that we need them. The fact that we still don’t have minimum wage means that there are just too many jobs out there that pay too little (from the perspective of Malaysians) and are considered not worth the trouble by Malaysians. As our cost of living continues to rise against stagnating wages, even fresh graduates earning around RM2,000 will sometimes find it hard to keep things afloat living in Kuala Lumpur, let alone having to survive on a construction worker’s wages. And even now we can see foreign workers in supermarkets and restaurants, jobs that are considered ‘comfortable’ and not ‘heavy’, but more and more locals are turning away from them simply because in the current economic climate the pay is nowhere near good enough. On the one hand it’s a shame that we prefer being unemployed rather than at least earning something, even if it means working a hard job with not very good pay. But on the other hand it’s also understandable why we’d prefer to hold out and keep looking for something better, considering the economic realities that we have to face in our daily lives. The side effect of being dependent on foreign workers is that it puts a strain on a lot of things – public amenities and services especially. They also compete with the poor for low cost accommodation, and the congested living conditions have also contributed to societal and environmental problems. But blaming things on them will not solve anything. The fact of the matter is, these are men and women trying to make an honest living in a foreign country where their presence is not exactly welcomed with open arms. They had to leave their family behind, live in sometimes abominable and unacceptable conditions, and push themselves to the limit to work as many hours as possible in order to send as much money as they can home to their families. Try doing that and see if you won’t find yourself in similar social problems should you be in their exact same shoes. It’s easy to blame the ‘other’ when you’re comfortably on the other side of the fence, but not so easy when you really look and try to empathize with them. Trying to combat these problems will definitely cost money, and if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s just like dousing a raging fire – it’s unlikely that we can totally put a stop to it. The only way we can avoid these problems is by not having them here or not being too dependent on foreign workforce. Paying the 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult) better wages to attract locals to do it is a start. A good minimum wage is a start too. Of course companies employing foreign workers will moan that this is not good business, but that is why we vote and have a government – to think about how best to solve this dilemma, because what’s a government here for if not to take care of its people?

Is individual performance the key to organisational performance Essay

Is individual performance the key to organisational performance Critically discuss with reference to different approaches to HRM - Essay Example Personnel management is another variation of human resource management, but the former is a modification of HRM practices during the 1980s in order to address the growing need to develop people in the business organisation (Armstrong, 2000, p.579). Barney (1991 cited in Armstrong, 2000, p.579) writes that the main goal of developing the potential of every organisational member is to become competitive compared to business rivals, which do not â€Å"develop† the competitiveness of their people. Kamoche (1996 cited in Armstrong, 2000, p.579) also states that developing human resources will â€Å"improve resource capability† necessary to complement the resources of the company with the opportunities available for every employee. This essay discusses the importance of individual performance in achieving organisational performance based on the different approaches to HRM. While Armstrong (2000) believes that developing people inside the organisation is a necessary component, Heinen and O’Neill (2004, p.68) state that â€Å"talent management† is an important business strategy. Talent management is an invention of recent business history because previously, only executives are given focus in the development strategy of any business organisation. Talent management now involves focusing on five basic strategies mentioned by Heinen and O’Neill (2004, p.68). It involves â€Å"attracting, integrating, developing, motivating, and retaining† employees (Heinen & O’Neill, 2004, p.68). This strategy aims to correct previous strategy mistakes in history, which merely focused on developing business design and not the people working in the company. As the phrase suggest, talent strategy involves a holistic approach from identifying to retaining people in the company. In managing talent, processes are involved from â€Å"recruiting, selection, onboarding, mentoring, performance management, career development, leadership development, succession planning, career