W

Writing a Diversity Essay

On February 22, 2012, in How To Write an Essay, by go2essay.com

There’s no need to panic if you don’t know how to write a diversity essay. Read these valuable tips from a professional custom essay writing service. They definitely know how to do it.

Diversity is a hot topic to write about, not because it is very controversial, but because governments, businesses, schools, and private organizations seek to promote diversity within their ranks and in the social arena where they flourish.

When you write a diversity essay, make sure you define what diversity is and how different it is from other concepts that are almost similar, such as multiculturalism and equality. It is also important to outline the various social benefits that an organizational unit and the entire society can reap from having a diverse background. Ultimately, however, the goal of a diversity essay is to persuade people to promote diversity and provide recommendations as to how we can do it.

Defining Diversity

Diversity, in a nutshell, refers to the existence of members of a particular political unit that belong to difference ethnicities. The diversity index that is used to measure diversity is arrived at by defining the probability that two random individuals are of different ethnicities. For example, if half of a group is all white Americans and the other half are Chinese, the diversity index in that group is 0.50. If everyone is Mexican, the diversity index in that group is 0.

It is important to note in your diversity essay that diversity does not only refer to differences in ethnicity, as there are also other human features that we have little or no control over, such as age, sexuality, gender, physical disabilities, mental health, attractiveness, and socio-economic background.

Importance of Diversity

Advocating a difference of ethnicities and cultures in a diversity essay also involves explaining why diversity is important, whether in the workplace or inside the classroom or elsewhere. The following are some reasons why diversity has become one of the utmost priorities of businesses and the academe. You may cite these reasons in your diversity essay and find out how you can further explain them in your own words.

  • Diversity provides an objective way to recognize talented individuals and promote them.
  • Diversity establishes a healthy environment where discrimination is non-existent and all individuals are given the chance to reach their maximum potential.
  • Diversity allows a wholesome exchange of different ideas coming from people of different backgrounds and provides new and novel ways of tackling a problem.

Promoting Diversity in Your Essay

There are so many ways that organizations can promote diversity within their ranks and in their external dealings. For example, corporate entities can create a system-wide culture that sees the importance of diversity by promoting it as a team effort. In other words, everyone works on it instead of a designated team of specialists. It can also help if there is an observable assessment method in place to gauge the extent of diversity within the organization. Hiring and recruitment can also place emphasis on diversity by reviewing their employment and human resources management practices. A clear and efficient process for filing racial discrimination and harassment complaints, backed by a supportive environment, should also be present.

These are only some practices that you can suggest in your diversity essay. Don’t be limited by these suggestions and try to come up with more of your own.

W

Surrogate Motherhood – Yes or No?

On February 20, 2012, in Controversial Essay, by go2essay.com

Below is another controversial essay example from a Go2Essay team. If needed, be sure to check out more sample essays on the web site.

Throughout the world, scientists have investigated and revolutionized our way of deciding how we should live out our lives, how doctors should practice medicine, how scientists study biology, and how we think as individuals.  It is called the Human Genome Project.  While many researchers strive to collect human genetic materials and determine the chemical sequence, the main goals are to detect, understand, and provide new understanding of human evolution in order to develop new ways of treating and preventing debilitating disorders.

One of the medical advancements made available to a husband and wife that can not have much wanted children naturally on their own may look to surrogate motherhood.  “Typically in this procedure, sperm from a man whose wife is infertile are used to inseminate a woman, called a surrogate, who is paid a fee for her childbearing services.  In return, the surrogate agrees to turn the baby over to the man (who is the natural father).  The child is then adopted by his wife” (Berk, 68).  A woman who is unable to conceive or bear a child naturally with her mate due to infertility may seek another woman to provide an egg and carry the child to term.  Upon the delivery, the infant is given to the biological father and adopted by the infertile wife.  These surrogate mothers are often said as giving the “gift of life” to couples who otherwise are unable to have children.  Proponents often argue that “it is a good way to help infertile women satisfy a fundamental human longing and, therefore, should be permitted and even facilitated” (Baldi, 42).

If surrogate motherhood is looked at in regards to the child’s best interest, there are some questions to be answered, however.  “Should the child be told, when old enough to understand, the pertinent details of his or her conception and birth?  Should the identity of the surrogate mother be routinely disclosed? What if the surrogate mother wants to be known to the child?  What if she doesn’t?  What if she insists on visitation rights or other ongoing involvement with the child?  Should a child be deprived of personal information-information that not only might be important medically but can also affect the child’s individual being?” (Baldi, 56).

Surrogate motherhood may be an option for postmenopausal women as well as women of child bearing years.  For the most part most of these women went through menopause early and are still quite young and healthy and in the minority are women that may be in their sixties.  Overall the concerns are the same as in choosing surrogate motherhood but added to them is the concern of age and life expectancy.  “Serious questions arise about bringing children into the world whose parents may not live to see them reach adulthood” (Berk, 69).  The death of a parent is devastating to a child as well as the possible relocation to another family and community.

Another great scientific advancement is the detection of abnormal genes resulting from the Human Genome Project.  “Its main goals are to provide powerful new approaches for understanding human evolution and the development of genetic disorders so they can be prevented and treated” (Berk, 70).  Scientists have already been able to trace several genetically linked diseases.  The procedure entails replacing a defected gene with one that is normal, of course this is oversimplifying the process greatly.  “Stopping many human tragedies (due to genetically linked diseases) at last has become a realizable human goal for medical research” (Watson, 33).

Although this sounds wonderful and very promising, there are some concerns when it comes to protecting the public and the public’s privacy.  “A major controversy involves testing children and adults who are at risk for genetic diseases but who do not yet show symptoms” (Berk, 71).  The problem would be that although testing is available, the ability to correct the disorder is not.  There is also a concern of discrimination especially in the workplace or in regards to health insurance.  If an employer or health insurance carrier obtains information regarding the disease of an individual, they may deny employment or insurance, at a time when it is needed most.  Lastly, there is a concern over choosing specific traits for future children, the Ken and Barbie look in a combination with a mind of a great thinker.

The world of science has made tremendous advances in so many areas.  There has been a remarkable progress in fetal surgery, surrogate motherhood, postmenopausal-assisted childbearing, and detection of abnormal genes resulting from the Human Genome Project.  With the countless medical improvements, however, come many ethical and moral controversies that will be discussed in our society for many years to come.

References:

  1. Baldi, Pierre. The Shattered Self: The End of Natural Evolution. Bradford Book; 2001.
  2. Berk, Laura E.  Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Allyn and Bacon, 2002, pp. 69-71.
  3. Watson, James D. A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society. Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2000.
  4. The Human Genome Project. Retrieved February 8, 2004, from www.georgetown.edu/research/nrcbl/scopenotes/sn17.htm.

The Science Behind the Human Genome Project.  Retrieved February 9, 2004, from www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/info.shtml

We have plenty of controversial essay samples – be sure to check out our Controversial Case Study Essay on U.S. Education.

W

Child Labour Essay Writing Made Easy

On February 19, 2012, in How To Write an Essay, by go2essay.com

Here’re some essay writing tips from Go2Essay Pros.  Be sure to take them into account when completing your school task.

There are several issues to touch upon when writing a child labour essay. It is not imperative to talk about all these issues in one essay. What is important is that you, the writer, can adequately cover a single issue on child labour that you wish to illuminate upon.

Child Labour and Education

A common cause of child labour in several countries all around the world, even in first-world and developed nations such as Canada and the United States, is the ineffectiveness of education to prevent children from dropping out of schools and turning to the farms or the streets to work for less than the prescribed minimum wage. In less developed nations, the lack of school facilities, teachers, and a curriculum that is not fit for the children’s needs eventually lead to students leaving the classroom to earn money. If this is the angle you wish to take in your child labour essay, remember to provide possible solutions to the problems in education so schools can prevent the rise of child labour.

Child Labour and Poverty

In Asia and Africa, poverty or the lack of resources to keep a family alive is the biggest problem that governments and charitable institutions focus on. Parents, who were also improperly uneducated in their earlier years and who do not have the means to feed their families that are usually bigger than the average family size of the rich, resort to sending their children to the fields or the streets to work. Children are then burdened with the obligation to provide for their family at an age when they are not yet capable of doing so. In the process, they are left out of an education that they can take advantage of to liberate themselves from poverty.

Child Labour and Slavery

Accounts of abuse and slavery have been inevitably linked with reports of child labour, which you may wish to include in your child labour essay to provide a more human flavor to it. Children forced to work for big-ticket businesses engaged in shady operations were interviewed by journalists and social workers after being rescued from their appalling living and working conditions. They tell stories of physical abuse, emotional cruelty, sexual exploitation, and debt bondage to force children to work for them without wages. This angle in your child labour essay does not only a human touch to your paper, it might also address the deep-seated psychological effects of being forced to work at an early age.

Child Labour in Developed Countries

While majority of child labour problems originate in third-world nations, it cannot be denied that even well-known and prestigious Western companies have found themselves swimming in hot water due to allegations of encouraging or tolerating child labour in the countries where they outsource much of their manufacturing operations. Gap, Inc., for example has been accused of employing child workers in the production of its Gap Kids Line, although there was no evidence to prove that the child labourers worked in adverse conditions. H&M and Zara, both established clothing retailers in the West, were also alleged to have used cotton picked by children in Uzbekistan. These companies have denied the allegations, but it is worth including investigation results in your child labour essay.

 

Child Labour Essay Writing Made Easy

W

Controversial Case Study Essay on U.S. Education

On February 17, 2012, in Controversial Essay, by go2essay.com

If you wish to buy custom essay online, please click here. Or feel free to check out this sample essay below and write your own.

The controversy over the efficiency of U.S. standards and patterns of education has long been around. Although the traditional approach to education has remained largely unchanged over the last century, the American education became, perhaps, the most democratic and integrated as compared to the majority of other countries. As far as the science concerned, the 1960’s brought the curriculum revolution in this field with new content added to the educational approach. The hands-on activities were generally reduced in favor of more complex and abstract concepts (Slavin, 2002). While the efficiency of this practice is being discussed by scholars and various participants involved, the presented case study demonstrates the actual advantages and disadvantages imposed both on a teacher and his students.

One of the issues brought in this case is teacher-student interaction and the extent to which this interaction should be brought. As opposed to typical pedagogical pattern that involves didactic authoritarian approach to classroom management, the teacher in this case is rather open, friendly and communicative with his students. If we look at the recent studies in educational psychology, we will find that such approach is broadly welcomed by current scholars. They argue that authoritarian approach to teaching the curriculum brings no benefits to students, who become capable of nothing else than performing rote and repetition from teachers, while their critical thinking abilities are not being practiced (Krause, 2003). However, it is important to define the extent of this interaction, because no extreme is beneficial. In the presented case we see that teacher engages in dialogue with his students about the amount of homework they should perform. He then accepts their terms rather than setting a compromise or leaving his terms unchanged. This can grow to a bad habit for students, since once they realize their power to persuade the teacher to agree to their terms, it will get harder for the teacher to defend his position and put forward his curriculum requirements in the future. Besides, the true benefits of education are achievable only by means of independent studying, especially when it comes to math that requires a lot of exercising and practice, and therefore if the teacher doesn’t make it hard for students to learn a certain curriculum, they will never get to the point of acquiring necessary skills in order to proceed in their studying (Eggen, 1995).

Another important issue brought by the above mentioned case is the extent of students’ motivation, which should always be a solid teacher’s responsibility to implement. While the subject of motivation is being thoroughly studied and examined, when it comes to practical achievements, the majority of teachers cannot boast with any significant results (Eggen, 1995). One of the reasons is because they refuse to practice classroom motivation, assuming in old-fashioned manner that education is a must for everyone and no further explanations required. Others attempt to implement this practice, but lack professional experience or theoretical grounding for this matter. As a result, students are told that education will bring them long-term benefits, such as high-paid job and social security, but this doesn’t appear to be much convincing in a short-term run, when students are less worried about their future and much worried about their present (Shulman, 1998).

The presented case demonstrates low motivation of students and even fear of being called up to the board to demonstrate their knowledge. As it is mentioned in the beginning of scenario, the subject of decimals is none’s favorite subject and therefore none feels motivation to learn it except for the need to pass the exam. This simultaneously brings two issues for discussion. First, the teacher makes a mistake by expressing his own lack of excitement for studying the decimals and his behavior shows that it’s a must-do for him as well. While this may be true for him as a person, he should not forget his responsibilities as a role model and authority for his students, and therefore he should be careful with expressing his personal views, because they are automatically accepted as the ultimate truth and followed by the rest of his audience. The second issue brought to the point of discussion is that although this teacher works hard on giving interesting and practical examples of using the decimals calculation in real life, no other motivation is given to students to learn the calculation techniques. The educational process would bring more benefits for students if it is both fun and exciting. The best way to achieve it is to create the competition environment, which not only implies to grades, but also to social activities created to enhance learning of decimals or any other subject in math.

Although my suggestions may sound as a return to teacher-centered classroom, they aren’t. Instead of going to extremes, the education should not only focus on highly-dynamic interaction and student’s satisfaction, but also on the quality of knowledge they perceive. If the educational process is only concerned with poring the greatest amount of knowledge to the greatest number of students, providing the general overview and abstracts, especially when the precise sciences are concerned, than at a certain point students will experience the gap that will not allow them to proceed with studying, since in order to lean one subject they are required to have a background in another (Slavin, 2002). The issue may raise not only in a high school or college, but also during the process of acquiring new knowledge in the professional sphere, e.g. for raising the level of one’s skills, etc. Of course, the approach with constant repetition, practice, frequent recall, recitation and tests will not lead to the expected results, and therefore it is crucial for current scholars to reconsider their findings and find optimal solutions for quality long-lasting educational benefits.

While new theories of educational psychology may be on their way, today it is crucial that teachers are encouraged to establish high-achieving learning environment that will benefit all students. In order to support learning, the instruction techniques should therefore be combined with the most advanced curriculum, provided that such learning environment will encourage students to solve complex problems, to explore new ideas, to consider important issues, and to involve students in cultural activities and professional experiences.

References:

  1. Eggen, P.; Kauchak, D. (1995). The teaching of educational psychology: A research agenda. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
  2. Krause, K., Bochner, S. & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational psychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, VIC: Thomson Learning.
  3. Shulman, L. S. (1998) Theory, practice, and the education of professionals. Elementary School Journal, Vol. 98(5), pp. 511-526.
  4. Slavin, Robert E. (2002) Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. Pearson Allyn & Bacon
 

If you wish to buy custom essay online, please click here (link to order form). Or feel free to check out this sample essay below and write your own.

The controversy over the efficiency of U.S. standards and patterns of education has long been around. Although the traditional approach to education has remained largely unchanged over the last century, the American education became, perhaps, the most democratic and integrated as compared to the majority of other countries. As far as the science concerned, the 1960’s brought the curriculum revolution in this field with new content added to the educational approach. The hands-on activities were generally reduced in favor of more complex and abstract concepts (Slavin, 2002). While the efficiency of this practice is being discussed by scholars and various participants involved, the presented case study demonstrates the actual advantages and disadvantages imposed both on a teacher and his students.

One of the issues brought in this case is teacher-student interaction and the extent to which this interaction should be brought. As opposed to typical pedagogical pattern that involves didactic authoritarian approach to classroom management, the teacher in this case is rather open, friendly and communicative with his students. If we look at the recent studies in educational psychology, we will find that such approach is broadly welcomed by current scholars. They argue that authoritarian approach to teaching the curriculum brings no benefits to students, who become capable of nothing else than performing rote and repetition from teachers, while their critical thinking abilities are not being practiced (Krause, 2003). However, it is important to define the extent of this interaction, because no extreme is beneficial. In the presented case we see that teacher engages in dialogue with his students about the amount of homework they should perform. He then accepts their terms rather than setting a compromise or leaving his terms unchanged. This can grow to a bad habit for students, since once they realize their power to persuade the teacher to agree to their terms, it will get harder for the teacher to defend his position and put forward his curriculum requirements in the future. Besides, the true benefits of education are achievable only by means of independent studying, especially when it comes to math that requires a lot of exercising and practice, and therefore if the teacher doesn’t make it hard for students to learn a certain curriculum, they will never get to the point of acquiring necessary skills in order to proceed in their studying (Eggen, 1995).

Another important issue brought by the above mentioned case is the extent of students’ motivation, which should always be a solid teacher’s responsibility to implement. While the subject of motivation is being thoroughly studied and examined, when it comes to practical achievements, the majority of teachers cannot boast with any significant results (Eggen, 1995). One of the reasons is because they refuse to practice classroom motivation, assuming in old-fashioned manner that education is a must for everyone and no further explanations required. Others attempt to implement this practice, but lack professional experience or theoretical grounding for this matter. As a result, students are told that education will bring them long-term benefits, such as high-paid job and social security, but this doesn’t appear to be much convincing in a short-term run, when students are less worried about their future and much worried about their present (Shulman, 1998).

The presented case demonstrates low motivation of students and even fear of being called up to the board to demonstrate their knowledge. As it is mentioned in the beginning of scenario, the subject of decimals is none’s favorite subject and therefore none feels motivation to learn it except for the need to pass the exam. This simultaneously brings two issues for discussion. First, the teacher makes a mistake by expressing his own lack of excitement for studying the decimals and his behavior shows that it’s a must-do for him as well. While this may be true for him as a person, he should not forget his responsibilities as a role model and authority for his students, and therefore he should be careful with expressing his personal views, because they are automatically accepted as the ultimate truth and followed by the rest of his audience. The second issue brought to the point of discussion is that although this teacher works hard on giving interesting and practical examples of using the decimals calculation in real life, no other motivation is given to students to learn the calculation techniques. The educational process would bring more benefits for students if it is both fun and exciting. The best way to achieve it is to create the competition environment, which not only implies to grades, but also to social activities created to enhance learning of decimals or any other subject in math.

Although my suggestions may sound as a return to teacher-centered classroom, they aren’t. Instead of going to extremes, the education should not only focus on highly-dynamic interaction and student’s satisfaction, but also on the quality of knowledge they perceive. If the educational process is only concerned with poring the greatest amount of knowledge to the greatest number of students, providing the general overview and abstracts, especially when the precise sciences are concerned, than at a certain point students will experience the gap that will not allow them to proceed with studying, since in order to lean one subject they are required to have a background in another (Slavin, 2002). The issue may raise not only in a high school or college, but also during the process of acquiring new knowledge in the professional sphere, e.g. for raising the level of one’s skills, etc. Of course, the approach with constant repetition, practice, frequent recall, recitation and tests will not lead to the expected results, and therefore it is crucial for current scholars to reconsider their findings and find optimal solutions for quality long-lasting educational benefits.

While new theories of educational psychology may be on their way, today it is crucial that teachers are encouraged to establish high-achieving learning environment that will benefit all students. In order to support learning, the instruction techniques should therefore be combined with the most advanced curriculum, provided that such learning environment will encourage students to solve complex problems, to explore new ideas, to consider important issues, and to involve students in cultural activities and professional experiences.

References:

1. Eggen, P.; Kauchak, D. (1995). The teaching of educational psychology: A research agenda. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

If you wish to buy custom essay online, please click here (link to order form). Or feel free to check out this sample essay below and write your own.

The controversy over the efficiency of U.S. standards and patterns of education has long been around. Although the traditional approach to education has remained largely unchanged over the last century, the American education became, perhaps, the most democratic and integrated as compared to the majority of other countries. As far as the science concerned, the 1960’s brought the curriculum revolution in this field with new content added to the educational approach. The hands-on activities were generally reduced in favor of more complex and abstract concepts (Slavin, 2002). While the efficiency of this practice is being discussed by scholars and various participants involved, the presented case study demonstrates the actual advantages and disadvantages imposed both on a teacher and his students.

One of the issues brought in this case is teacher-student interaction and the extent to which this interaction should be brought. As opposed to typical pedagogical pattern that involves didactic authoritarian approach to classroom management, the teacher in this case is rather open, friendly and communicative with his students. If we look at the recent studies in educational psychology, we will find that such approach is broadly welcomed by current scholars. They argue that authoritarian approach to teaching the curriculum brings no benefits to students, who become capable of nothing else than performing rote and repetition from teachers, while their critical thinking abilities are not being practiced (Krause, 2003). However, it is important to define the extent of this interaction, because no extreme is beneficial. In the presented case we see that teacher engages in dialogue with his students about the amount of homework they should perform. He then accepts their terms rather than setting a compromise or leaving his terms unchanged. This can grow to a bad habit for students, since once they realize their power to persuade the teacher to agree to their terms, it will get harder for the teacher to defend his position and put forward his curriculum requirements in the future. Besides, the true benefits of education are achievable only by means of independent studying, especially when it comes to math that requires a lot of exercising and practice, and therefore if the teacher doesn’t make it hard for students to learn a certain curriculum, they will never get to the point of acquiring necessary skills in order to proceed in their studying (Eggen, 1995).

Another important issue brought by the above mentioned case is the extent of students’ motivation, which should always be a solid teacher’s responsibility to implement. While the subject of motivation is being thoroughly studied and examined, when it comes to practical achievements, the majority of teachers cannot boast with any significant results (Eggen, 1995). One of the reasons is because they refuse to practice classroom motivation, assuming in old-fashioned manner that education is a must for everyone and no further explanations required. Others attempt to implement this practice, but lack professional experience or theoretical grounding for this matter. As a result, students are told that education will bring them long-term benefits, such as high-paid job and social security, but this doesn’t appear to be much convincing in a short-term run, when students are less worried about their future and much worried about their present (Shulman, 1998).

The presented case demonstrates low motivation of students and even fear of being called up to the board to demonstrate their knowledge. As it is mentioned in the beginning of scenario, the subject of decimals is none’s favorite subject and therefore none feels motivation to learn it except for the need to pass the exam. This simultaneously brings two issues for discussion. First, the teacher makes a mistake by expressing his own lack of excitement for studying the decimals and his behavior shows that it’s a must-do for him as well. While this may be true for him as a person, he should not forget his responsibilities as a role model and authority for his students, and therefore he should be careful with expressing his personal views, because they are automatically accepted as the ultimate truth and followed by the rest of his audience. The second issue brought to the point of discussion is that although this teacher works hard on giving interesting and practical examples of using the decimals calculation in real life, no other motivation is given to students to learn the calculation techniques. The educational process would bring more benefits for students if it is both fun and exciting. The best way to achieve it is to create the competition environment, which not only implies to grades, but also to social activities created to enhance learning of decimals or any other subject in math.

Although my suggestions may sound as a return to teacher-centered classroom, they aren’t. Instead of going to extremes, the education should not only focus on highly-dynamic interaction and student’s satisfaction, but also on the quality of knowledge they perceive. If the educational process is only concerned with poring the greatest amount of knowledge to the greatest number of students, providing the general overview and abstracts, especially when the precise sciences are concerned, than at a certain point students will experience the gap that will not allow them to proceed with studying, since in order to lean one subject they are required to have a background in another (Slavin, 2002). The issue may raise not only in a high school or college, but also during the process of acquiring new knowledge in the professional sphere, e.g. for raising the level of one’s skills, etc. Of course, the approach with constant repetition, practice, frequent recall, recitation and tests will not lead to the expected results, and therefore it is crucial for current scholars to reconsider their findings and find optimal solutions for quality long-lasting educational benefits.

While new theories of educational psychology may be on their way, today it is crucial that teachers are encouraged to establish high-achieving learning environment that will benefit all students. In order to support learning, the instruction techniques should therefore be combined with the most advanced curriculum, provided that such learning environment will encourage students to solve complex problems, to explore new ideas, to consider important issues, and to involve students in cultural activities and professional experiences.

References:

  1. Eggen, P.; Kauchak, D. (1995). The teaching of educational psychology: A research agenda. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
  2. Krause, K., Bochner, S. & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational psychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, VIC: Thomson Learning.
  3. Shulman, L. S. (1998) Theory, practice, and the education of professionals. Elementary School Journal, Vol. 98(5), pp. 511-526.
  4. Slavin, Robert E. (2002) Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. Pearson Allyn & Bacon

2. Krause, K., Bochner, S. & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational psychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, VIC: Thomson Learning.

3. Shulman, L. S. (1998) Theory, practice, and the education of professionals. Elementary School Journal, Vol. 98(5), pp. 511-526.

4. Slavin, Robert E. (2002) Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition. Pearson Allyn & Bacon

Tagged with:  
W

How to Write a Bullying Essay

On February 15, 2012, in How To Write an Essay, by go2essay.com

Writing a good bullying essay is not an easy task. This article was created by a professional essay writing service to help your efforts.

Bullying is a sensitive topic to write about, but one must write about it to help educate people about it. When you are asked to write a bullying essay, you have to be careful about many things.

For one thing, bullying has grown into such a large concept that it has become a challenge to pin down its exact definition and writers have to be careful about referring to a single type of bullying in their essays. And for another thing, most cases of bullying, at least those which are reported, involve children and teenagers who have personal issues that also have to be addressed on their own. One must be careful about assigning the responsibility for bullying that takes place, especially in situations where minors are involved.

Defining Bullying

A good bullying essay starts with a clear definition of the subject. While some national governments have no precise definitions of bullying, several states in the United States have openly expressed condemnation for the act and have even classified it as a crime. Most would agree that bullying is a form of aggressive behavior engaged by someone to maintain some form of power over someone else who is perceived as weaker than him.

It also helps to include in your bullying essay that bullying takes place in different forms. In most American schools, bullying takes place through social and physical behavior.

  1. Physical Aggression

Boys tend to be more physically aggressive than girls, expressing their bullying through punching, kicking, shoving, beating, choking, throwing things, scraping, stabbing, scratching, slapping, and the like. However, it may be worthy to note in your bullying essay that the number of cases of girls involved in physical bullying has significantly risen over the years.

  1. Social Aggression

Harmful social behavior is a more subtle and indirect manner of bullying because it is harder to pin down than a physical behavior that can be clearly observed. Social bullying also comes in different ways. It can involve written or verbal abuse such as name-calling, taunting, mocking, spreading rumors, and gossiping. Other forms of social treatment that tend to isolate the victim or cause social isolation that can lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem include dishing out the silent treatment, laughing at the victim, giggling, staring, and manipulating.

Issues to Be Addressed

It is not enough to write a bullying essay that is based on the definitions of bullying. A more in-depth treatment would involve looking into the sensitive issues that arise out of the problem, including the following:

  • Causes of Bullying. More often than not bullies are those who have psychological troubles of their own and have no way of expressing them so they resort to projecting their own problems in other people. Parents play an important role in the shaping of a bully’s psychological makeup and should be educated about the proper way of rearing up a child and helping him deal with his personal problems.
  • Reasons for Bullying a Certain Person. There are usually no valid reasons for picking on someone as a victim. You may include in your bullying essay that bullies usually choose their target based solely on race, gender, sexuality, or physical disabilities.
  • Coping with Bullies. Another problem to address is that on the side of the victim. Many cases of bullycide, or suicide resulting from bullying, have been reported in the U.S. and schools and concerned citizens are taking up their resources to educate young people about the best ways to deal with bullying.

 

P.S. We’re going to speak about writing an excellent diversity essay in one of our next “how to” articles. Make sure you read it!

Don’t know how to write a Biography? Check out this essay below – it was produced by online custom essay writing service Go2Essay.com.

Reina de la Salsa Celia Cruz is one of the legendary artists in the history of Latin music that will always be remembered as the “Queen of Salsa”. Year after year, Celia renews her collection of recorded albums, performs internationally and receives numerous awards that she adds to her huge collection of accolades. With this said, Cruz is truly the most influential female in the history of Afro-Cuban music.

Celia Cruz’s family and neighbors found out Celia’s talent to singing from listening to her croon lullabies, which she was singing to her younger relatives. When she grew up, Celia was persuading a degree of literature teacher. At this time her older cousin entered her in a competition on the talent show La Hora Del T‚ on Radio Garcia Serra, where she won her first prize. After that Celia began to work on the radio. Eventually, she switched to singing full-time when a trusted teacher advised her that she would be foolish to do otherwise. 1

Celia received her first talent award in 1947. Soon her music was in demand from the worlds of television, radio and movies. Cruz’s first appearance was in Santero, an album of Afro-Cuban cult music on the Panart label. Besides radio, Cruz worked with the group Gloria Matancera and in small theatres and cabaret. During the club’s winter seasons Celia worked as a singer at the famous Tropicana nightclub in Havana, where she befriended choreographer Roderico “Rodney” Neyra, who helped her to get the job. Together with his dance troupe they toured Mexico and Venezuela. Later Neyra introduced Cruz to Rogelio Martinez, the director of the popular band Sonora Matancera. In 1950 Cruz became lead vocalist of Sonora Matancera on their weekly show on Radio Progreso, replacing Myrta Silva, who had returned to her native Puerto Rico.2

Cruz’s first recording debut with Sonora Matancera was released in 1951 and entitled “Cao Cao Mani Picao”, with the flip-side “Mata Siguaraya”. In her 15-year tenure with the band Celia had made a long list of records. During the 50s the band appeared on television, and later toured South and Central America, the Caribbean and the U.S.A.3

Celia’s first appearance in New York happened in 1957 at the old St. Nicholas Arena. In July 1960 Cruz and the band left post-revolutionary Cuba permanently. As she told in one of her biographies, “We gave them the impression we were just going on another temporary tour abroad. That’s how we got out”.4 After departure from Cuba the band worked in Mexico for one-and-a-half years.5

After some attempts to return to her native country she never was granted the permission, even when her mother was sick and when she wanted to attend her father’s funeral. “Castro never forgave me”, she said in a 1987 interview.6 A lengthy commitment at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, in 1961 enabled Celia and Sonora Matancera to apply for U.S. residency. Later she married the band’s first trumpeter, Pedro Knight, who became her on-stage musical director and manager.7

After Celia had recorded and released several albums with maestro Tito Puente, the Anglo and European audiences got excited with salsa and it became very popular. This phenomenon was called “the Salsa of the 70’s”. Her collaborations with other maestros, such as Willy Colon, Johnny Pacheco, and la Fania All Stars were also very successful.8

The 90’s have marked a very special period in her career. In this decade, the Smithsonian Institution gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Republic of Colombia awarded her the Presidential Medal in Arts, she received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Hispanic Heritage Awards, and the City of San Francisco declared October 25th, 1997 as “Celia Cruz’s Day”, to name a few.9

But undoubtedly, one of the most memorable moments in her life was in 1994, when in the White House she received from the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, the highest honor this country bestows an artist: the National Endowment for the Arts. Thus, this legendary person has not only inspired many generations by her music and performance, but also by the great talent and courage to reach for the stars and accomplish her dreams.10

References:
1-10. Eduardo Marceles. (2004) Azucar! the Celia Cruz Biography. Reed Press.
Celia Cruz. Online Biography. Retrieved at: http://celia.lamusica.com/biography.shtml

P.S. Tomorrow we’ll start our “how to” series and discuss how to write a bullying essay.

Technological innovations have greatly enhanced many aspects of our life. The way we communicate is one of them. However, any change brings not only positive outcomes, but it may also result is some negative effects. Such is the invention of the Internet. On one hand it is a perfect tool for communication with its revolutionary speed and wide accessibility. On other hand, the information publicly available on the Internet is not restricted based on its content, although several attempts have been made, and therefore different age groups are exposed to sometimes violent or harmful information. Hate propaganda is one of the most dangerous types of information publicly accessible on the Internet. Hate groups have been dramatically rising in the United States lately. Since distribution of hate propaganda is inexpensive and far-reaching via Internet, this problem may pose a real danger for our society.

This problem has been addressed in the article by Young Kim called “Hate Propaganda in Cyberspace: Censorship, Freedom of Speech, and Critical Surfing”. The article has provided an outline of the problem as well as introduced a solution presented by further actions the Kim suggests taking in order to lessen the hurt made by hate propaganda in the Internet.1 Kim explains that the hate propaganda owns its popularity to the two major factors: freedom of speech and wide accessibility of the Internet.2 Further the article describes why hate groups are being so much influenced by the proliferation of hate in the Internet.

Censorship is another issue raised in Kim’s article. Freedom of speech is an essential part of democratic government, because the only way truth can emerge is when there is an open competition of ideas. However, there is a strong support of censorship when people start mentioning extremely offensive opinions. Kim suggests that Internet made censorship far too unrealistic and therefore the responsibility of the hate propaganda should now be heavily placed on parents and educators. 3

In her article “Hate Propaganda in Cyberspace” Kim points out that hate propaganda is targeting new groups, among which are children and young people.4 This fact is supported by statistics from other sources, although it has been noted that the influence of hate propaganda on young people in the Internet is still relatively small. Besides, there are many restrictive programs already available to prevent students from visiting hate web sites.

Censorship is an important action to prevent the spread of hate propaganda. Unfortunately, as Kim notes, of all media sources Internet is the most free and uncontrolled.5 Kim explains that it is really hard to regulate or monitor Internet due to its decentralized and worldwide nature.6 It is easy to avoid censorship, if one is imposed, by simply changing a geographical location of venue of the web site. For example, if one country restricts certain information to be displayed online, another may allow its legal publicity under certain laws, such as the 1st Amendment in the United States. Thus, once the information is published in the U.S., it is exposed to worldwide access. Kim makes a very good point on this explaining that there are no boundaries of freedom for people who know Internet well. 7

The article “Hate Propaganda in Cyberspace: Censorship, Freedom of Speech, and Critical Surfing” by Young Kim is written from a conflict theoretical perspective showing that while Internet is considered to be a public good, it serves certain groups not in the most beneficial way for the rest, and in cases like hate propaganda it can be damaging for the majority of people in society.

Kim’s view is certainly biased, since she shows only one side of an issue: how hate propaganda and lack of censorship are damaging for the society as a whole. However, it is arguable that freedom of speech should be questioned at all. If we want to enjoy the freedom fully, the full protection should be given to the freedom of speech; there should be no compromises about it. The freedom of speech documented in the First Amendment is not only a constitutional protection, but also an inevitable part of democratic government and independence, which are essential values in our society. That is why the American citizen’s right to free speech is should be held as the highest virtue and any censorship of freedom of speech should not be allowed, but only respected. Nevertheless, Kim’s article is valuable in essence that instead of offering a simple solution, it emphasizes the role of parents and educators in helping kids to distinguish between right and wrong.

References:

  1. Kim, Young M. “Hate Propaganda in Cyberspace: Censorship, Freedom of Speech, and Critical Surfing”, Computers in the Social Studies Journal, Vol.10 , n 4, October/December 2002, Online at: http://www.cssjournal.com/y_m_kim.html
  2. Kim.
  3. Kim.
  4. Kim.
  5. Kim.
  6. Kim.
  7. Kim.
 
W

Karim Nice. How Hybrid Cars Work

On July 19, 2011, in Article Reviews, by go2essay.com

Technology plays a significant role in our modern life. Every aspect of our life has been greatly affected by technological innovations: from the way we work to the way we socialize. Driving vehicles is not an exception. From the symbol of prestige cars have shifted to the mere means of moving from one place to another. However, today it’s not only design or speed that matter. Environmental issues have been raised recently making a great impact on the way the cars are being constructed and exploited. Both the production process and the operation of automobiles are associated with serious environmental risk and environmental damage. Road traffic is one of the biggest sources of atmospheric pollution and has a particularly strong impact on air quality in towns and cities.

This problem has contributed to the introduction of the new type of vehicles – hybrid cars. Although the majority of information about hybrid cars is relatively limited, I’ve managed to find the article written by Karim Nice, which provides a very detailed description of the way hybrid cars operate and what alternative they represent in general. Numerous diagrams and pictures make this article truly reader-friendly and objective, since the author seems to use numerous sources that deal with hybrid cars.

The major claim made by Karim Nice in this article is that society greatly benefits from different technological innovations.1 The author provides different facts, such as information about pollution or fuel efficiency, which support the argument that hybrid cars are not only cost effective, but also much more environment-friendly. Thus, the author shows how our lifestyle can be improved with the widespread use of hybrid cars. For this matter traditional cars are compared with the hybrid ones and statistics given in this article support the latest as a great public benefit. Although the article is available online and appears as a content split into many pages that cover different section, which makes it harder to read, the reader is nevertheless given an option of skipping certain parts by clicking on headers.

The article How Hybrid Cars Work is also well done in the essence that it an irrefragable information about the basics of hybrid cars construction. It reveals all the aspects related to their functionality and goes in depth of describing their components and how they operate together in order to make these multi-engine cars work.

The article seems to be written from a conflict theoretical perspective, since one type of cars is opposed to another and the beneficiary in the face of society made obvious. This may not fit perfectly in definition of conflict theoretical perspective, since this approach rather reveals how social institutions are used in the interest of the powerful, not the other way around. However, we may look at the situation from a different perspective: hybrid cars manufacturers may benefit from the introduction of the hybrid cars to the masses as well as the masses themselves. Such is an unprecedented situation, though, where public interests match the business interests.

The content of the article appears to be unbiased, because author presents the materials with solely informative purposes. No group that would benefit from promoting hybrid cars is mentioned. Moreover, it consists of both facts and opinions, but doesn’t seem to pursue the author’s self-interest. Thus, the article is written from an objective point of view. Additionally, this article is valuable, because it provides up to date information for such rapidly changing industry as automobiles. The author also educates the readers about benefits for a personal lifestyle, not just public.

References:

Nice, Karim. How Hybrid Cars Work. How Stuff Works.com Retrieved at: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm

 
W

Brian Dive. When is an Organization Too Flat?

On July 15, 2011, in Article Reviews, by go2essay.com

We all are aware of the fact that progressive technologies, informational systems and total quality are obligatory conditions that define “the playing ground” for organizations in the global economics. The only important concurrent advantage for any organization, however, is its human resources. Most organizations today tend to cut off the unprofitable jobs, while retaining the best personnel, especially on the top-level management. However, some recent evidence suggests that the definition of “unprofitable” or valueless positions in the company can be quite subjective resulting in erroneous decisions that negatively affect overall organizational performance.

The article “When Is an Organization Too Flat?” written by Brian Dive reveals the problem of insufficient effectiveness of “flattering” the organizations. The author explains that the main reason for elimination of certain management levels within an organization is reduction of costs. For example, from six levels of management between the CEO and the line workers the company reduces that to four. According to Brian Dive, who has spent “3,000 hours…interviewing managers around the world” 1, such decision can lead to unexpectedly negative outcome if prior consideration is not given to the value of every level of management. To achieve this Brian Dive suggests focusing on accountability: “when one is answerable to a higher authority for work, resources, results, or services” 2.

According to Brian Dive, the best solution would be to compare the levels of management and the levels of accountability and see if they match. According to the author, the perfect number of management levels is “the total of accountability levels minus one” 3. The author warns that elimination of essential levels of management can lead to loss of control in the company. 4

Brian Dive views the situation from a conflict perspective. The inevitable part of conflict approach is a change, and that is what the author proposes in order to resolve the problem. Change is a basic feature in society, which results from tension, competition, hostility and disagreements over values and goals. However, change is not a bad phenomenon. Although it does occur because of inequality or battle over valuable resources, it nevertheless constitutes an essential part of progress. Conflict in organizations seems to result in beneficial outcomes for top management, although it does negatively affect the middle management and the lowest level workers. This is where “two classes” are against each other in pursuit of their own interests: for top management it is reducing costs while increasing efficiency; for other workers – retaining their positions within organization. The desirable change for organization is only possible through the conflict, and it’s not a matter of “what”, but rather a matter of “who benefits”.

The elimination of certain levels of management takes place one way or another. It’s no longer a question that companies are turning to quality instead of a quantity of human resources. However, lack of practical experience has resulted in urgent need for such studies. Brian Dive, the author of the above mentioned article “When Is an Organization Too Flat?” drives his conclusions about best way to eliminate valueless management levels based on his practical experience and empirical studies of real cases that took place in resulted in certain outcomes.

The fact that the author doesn’t solely rely on his theoretical assumptions, but provides the examples of real case studies that took place not a long time ago, makes the article truly effective and applicable to the current business environment. However, the author’s perspective is biased to benefit top management rather than regular employees. Therefore, it is presented solely from the interest of an organization, while it leaves the interests of people working in it not important.

References:

  1. Dive, Brian. When is an Organization Too Flat? Across the Board 40(4), pp. 20-24, July/August 2003.
  2. Dive.
  3. Dive.
  4. Dive.
 
W

Stephen Ambrose. Flawed Founders

On July 13, 2011, in Article Reviews, by go2essay.com

Today most people take freedom for granted. They were born in freedom, they were raised in freedom and they enjoy its fruits not knowing any other way of life. Perhaps, that is why we became so ignorant of the heritage of our Founding Fathers. I was astonished reading the article by Stephen Ambrose “Flawed Founders” and looking at the history of freedom and democracy from this fresh perspective. The author is being simply realistic about what he writes. He is not praising founders of our independent state with an inflated style as I often used to see in History books at High School. He admits the contradictions surrounding our first presidents, but nevertheless pays a deserved tribute to their contribution to the kind of democratic state we live in today.

The essence of this article is best explained in the following quotation: “The Washington Monument and the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials remind us that greatness comes in different forms and at a price. Jefferson, by his words, gave us aspirations. Washington, through his actions, showed us what was possible. Lincoln’s courage turned both into reality.” 5 Perhaps, it was not meant to have a single person create the kind of country we live in, which by all definitions is the most humanistic, democratic and free. Perhaps, no human being could handle such challenge. Moreover, human beings are not perfect and that is why it is unrealistic to expect the presidents, who are human beings too, to hold all those virtues, which an ideal person is expected to have.

Either way, the author wanted to show us that the evaluation of our country’s heroes should be objective. There is no need to pretend that our founding fathers were ideal people who always lived by their convictions and were superheroes in every aspect of their life. However, it’s also wrong to be deluded by modern wave of “rediscovering founding fathers”6 and ignoring their contribution and role in the history of our country, as if that turning point when Declaration of Independence was proclaimed should be left blank. We should never forget whom we own our freedom and independence.

In this article the author takes an interactionist’s approach pointing through the example of Thomas Jefferson that presidents are only humans with their weaknesses and contradictions. Presidency in this article is not viewed as an executive branch or another institution. It is given rather personal touch, uncovering the truth not about what kind of president Thomas Jefferson was, but rather what kind of person.

A particularly interesting feature about this article is that instead of focusing on interaction between individuals, which is one of the branches within interactionist perspective, the author is rather concerned with “shared meanings” provided that these “shared meanings” are imposed on the society as people within it interact. What I mean by this is that Stephen Ambrose shows that Thomas Jefferson seemed to be an aggressive opponent of slavery promoting in his Declaration of Independence that “all people are created equal”. Meanwhile, he was a hypocrite, because he owned slaves himself and was not brave enough to break this tradition.

The article by Stephen Ambrose is not biased, because the author shows the same problem from different perspectives. On one hand he reveals the truth about American president showing that Thomas Jefferson was not that kind of hero as we wished we could think of him, since he is the author of one of the most fundamental documents in the history of our country. On other hand, though, the author emphasizes that failure to recognize the contribution of Thomas Jefferson is a failure to accept freedom and democracy so much praised in our country, which we own to Thomas Jefferson in part one way or another. Thus, the author doesn’t appear to be biased towards one camp that praises Thomas Jefferson, or the other that condemns it. He simply shows that we must accept the reality as it is, not as we want it to be.

 

References:

 

  1. Ambrose, Stephen. “Flawed Founders.” Smithsonian 33(8), pp. 126-33, November 2002.