Without Seeing The Dawn Essay Example for Free

Without Seeing The Dawn Essay Babies are born with an inherent drive to learn. Your challenge as the parent of a child with learning or attention problems is to help him build what Drs. Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein (Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child) call islands of competence, to offset the frustrations and low self-esteem that can result from his learning struggles. The goal is to find subjects or activities where he is self-motivated to learn, enjoys the process of learning, and sees the value of what he learns. Deborah Stipek, Ph.D, Dean of the Stanford University School of Education, is an expert in the subject of motivation in young children. Shes also a mother, so her latest book, Motivated Minds/Raising Children to Love Learning, is full of practical advice. Dr. Stipek says kids will be self-motivated to learn when they: Feel competent about something Have some choice and control over their learning Believe that intelligence isnt fixed at birth Feel loved and respected by their parents Help Your Child Discover His Passions Help Your Child Discover His Passions One way to build a sense of competence in your child is to encourage his passions. Theres an academic payoff to building competence this way. Dr. Stipek says, The good news may seem paradoxical: research has shown that the indirect strategy of helping your child enjoy learning and see its value is the best way to improve your childs grades and raise his test scores. If your child has a particular strength in school, such as being a math whiz, find ways outside of school to expose him to math in the real world computers, hands-on science museums, and math camps. If he struggles with most school subjects, look elsewhere for his passions. Pay attention to whatever makes your child perk up. Is it animals? Plants? Music? Art? Dinosaurs? Video games? Skateboards? To play on these passions, help your child deepen his knowledge. For example, if your Internet provider allows you space for a family website, let the child help build one on his favorite subject. He could research and write abou t the foremost skateboard athletes in the world. Post his drawings of himself skateboarding the galaxy. List  unanswered questions about skateboards. Let family and friends interact with the website, too what else would they like to know from your in-house skateboard expert? Give Your Child Some Choices All of us thrive when we feel were acting of our own volition. Children with learning and attention difficulties are no different. For example, when we offer them a choice between two acceptable alternatives, such as doing either their math or social studies homework first, they feel a sense of control over their own world. This leads to greater pride and self-motivation. Dr. Mel Levine, author of the set of tapes called Developing Minds, says, Help children develop a sense of control by presenting things they do not want to do as choices. For example, let a child decide whether to do homework before or after dinner. At school, consider letting a child who dislikes chorus participate in the spring performance by selling tickets. Help Your Child Develop Persistence Dr. Stipek reports on experiments that reveal a childs beliefs about intelligence affect his motivation to succeed. If he believes intelligence is fixed at birth and he missed out, he is liable to quit without trying. If, on the other hand, you help him to understand that persistence is more important than the luck of the draw, you promote a child who can learn to succeed on his own terms. This is the struggling child who changes from saying, Whats the use? to Ive learned how to slow down and double-check my work. Dr. Stipek says, Emphasize notions of flexible intelligence. Tell your child, in every way you can, that brainpower is something you acquire. Make the following sayings (or their age-appropriate equivalents) your family mantras: Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Geniuses are made, not born. Let Your Child Know You Love and Respect Him Every child needs to feel that his parents are on his side. You can demonstrate your love and respect for your child with learning problems by accepting, connecting, and supporting, no matter what. You still love him, even when he forgets his assignment. Youre interested in the details of each day. And when hes upset, you help him to give words to feelings.  Respect your child by helping him understand not only his specific learning difficulties, but strategies for coping in school. For example, if your child cannot hold multiplication facts in long-term memory, he may not do well on a standardized math test. He needs both a strategy to practice his math skills and a strategy to take the test. He may need different ways to drill multiplication, such as tactile manipulation of objects, drawing pictures, or saying the tables out loud. He may also need more time on the test. Help Your Child Identify Steps to Success Our culture reveres inborn talent and luck. Unfortunately, that can leave out the child who struggles in school. He begins to believe that no matter how hard he works, school success is outside of his control. If you help him identify small, concrete steps to reach his learning goals, you can recognize each accomplishment along the way, nor matter how big or small. Then the effort of learning is valued as much as the outcome in school. Help your child learn to set attainable learning goals, such as studying a math concept from a variety of angles until he understands it. This might mean that you must be content with something like a C grade in Math but an A+ in Effort. It will be important to communicate regularly with your childs teacher so all of you (parents, teacher, and child) can work as a united team. With the teachers help and ideas, your childs learning goals will be supported both at school and at home. You also want your child to learn that making mistakes is a natural pa rt of the process of learning. Thomas Edison, said to have tried 10,000 times to perfect the light bulb, said, I didnt fail. I just discovered another way not to invent the electric light bulb. Foster Long-term Motivation Research tells us that parents who encourage a childs self-sufficiency often have children who are motivated from the inside, out. This means holding back a little before you jump in to help your struggling child. Children with learning disabilities are especially vulnerable to developing perceptions of themselves as academically incompetent and to develop low expectations for success, Dr. Stipek says In an effort to ensure success we sometimes provide more help than children with learning problems or AD/HD actually need. This takes away from their own pride in accomplishment and  the enthusiasm that a sense of achievement and competence can produce. Children with learning difficulties often have a marvelous ability to see the world in new ways. When you guide your child to pursue his interests, operate from his strengths, and not shy away from challenges, you help him build a positive cycle of accomplishment and self-motivation. Celebrate each hard-won stumbling step your child ta kes on the way to learning and developing strengths, so that in the long run, he can sustain his motivation and passion for learning.

The Culture and Music of Puerto Rico Essay -- culture Cultural History

The Culture and Music of Puerto Rico In the first decade of American rule, Puerto Rican culture was influenced drastically by its status as a US possession. Although the political and economic aspects of American influence were very significant, American rule also had a great impact on Puerto Rican culture. This is expressed through the development of Puerto Rican music both on the island and in the United States. Puerto Rican music not only became an important cultural icon, but also helped to determine the new identity of the Puerto Rican both on the island and the mainland. Under Spanish rule, Puerto Rican music had been shaped by the prejudices of their oppressors and the divisions between the peasant class and the upper class elites. Many people argued over what was true Puerto Rican music and culture, and the more powerful members of Puerto Rican society controlled the music that represented the island. For this reason, under Spanish colonization, the occupying country recognized the most refined and European-sounding music, the danza. However, the music of the lower classes also served as a means to declare an identity separate from the Spaniards. In this way, Puerto Rican music at this time had the influence of both Europe and its own native culture. According to Glasser, "it is likely that in this way the vals, the mazurka, and other European dances penetrated much of the Puerto Rican countryside and were absorbed, with some modifications, into the jibaro repertoire. (Glasser 26)" In other words, the refined European style that was forced onto the m by Spain and other types of music became part of Puerto Rican music, and part of their culture. Puerto Rican music and culture further developed when the United States ... ...uence. In addition to this, Puerto Rican music demonstrates that although there was outside influence, the Puerto Rican identity still grew strong. This is demonstrated by the various protest songs, and the strong ties between musicians on the island and on the mainland. In the face of early US colonization, Puerto Rican culture came under the same conflicts as it did under Spanish rule, and reacted much in the same way. While US intervention may have masked the appearance of "true" Puerto Rican music and culture, the lives and the works of the Puerto Ricans themselves showed that it is possible both to accept new cultural themes and to struggle to preserve one’s native culture at the same time. Works Cited Glasser, Ruth. My Music is my Flag: Puerto Rican Musicians and Their New York Communities 1917-1940. University of California Press, Los Angeles, 1995.

Kant’s Critique of Utilitarianism Essay

Kant’s critique of Utilitarianism is that it treats people as a means not as an ends in themselves. Since he is a deontologist he presumes that there is a universal moral imperative, certain ways in which we must act, no matter what our individual desires or needs or utility might be. The Categorical Imperative is an idea of reason. This knowledge is not derived from experience but rather, it is a priori. It also binds us and we all act in a certain way because of it. It is unconditional. It is the first principle of the moral law and it applies to rational and reasonable beings. Since we are sensuous creatures, we experience the moral law as a constraint. We have a tendency to do otherwise because we may come across moral dilemmas. Sometimes we know we should do something but we might reason against it. Kant believed that by putting something through the CI procedure we would be able to see if it was moral or immoral. There are four steps in this procedure. First you formulate you subjective maxim. Let us use the example that: I will cheat on my philosophy test because I didn’t have enough time to study. The next step is to generalize this maxim, so for every time I don’t have enough time to study I will cheat on my philosophy test. Then you universalize this maxim as if it were an instinct: everyone will cheat on their philosophy test every time they don’t have enough time to study. You then take this new law and join it with the old law and compare its affects. Now that I have put it through these four steps it is a given that people will study on their philosophy test every time they don’t have enough time to study. This will take away the value of a good grade that a person that studies may receive. You then ask yourself two questions: Can I coherently conceive of such a world? And if so, Can I sincerely will such a world? If at the end of all this, the maxim drops out and passes all these tests then it is okay to act on it because it is morally permissible. As seen in my example, it is not moral to cheat on a test because if everyone did it then it would devalue the good grades that people got that put work and effort into studying for the test. Kant claims that acting from the categorical Imperative â€Å"reveals to us our freedom and dignity†, by this he means that Dignity brings about your morality which is what makes you part of the Kingdom of ends. It frees us from our senses by making us realize our own nature. The Categorical  Imperative reveals what is moral and immoral and therefore we are able distinguish the two and this allows us to be autonomous and if you are autonomous then you are free.

How To Make Homemade Drain Cleaner

Why pay for expensive drain cleaners when you can apply chemistry to make the products yourself? Here is how to make homemade drain cleaner to unclog your drain cheaply and effectively. Homemade Drain Cleaner Method #1: Baking Soda and Vinegar The same chemical reaction that makes bubbles for the classic science fair chemical volcano can be used to loosen gunk from a slow drain. When baking soda and vinegar are mixed, carbon dioxide is produced. This agitates material in the clog, making it easier to flush away. Remove as much excess water as possible.Pour a liberal amount of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) into the drain. You can use half a box, if you like.Pour vinegar (weak acetic acid) into the drain. The reaction between the chemicals will produce bubbles.If you have a plunger, try to loosen the clog.Rinse with hot water.Repeat if desired. Mixing baking soda and vinegar is safe and non-toxic. The products are also easy to find and inexpensive, so if your drain is just slow rather than seriously clogged, its a good option to try. If no water is draining at all, you may need to break out the big guns. Drain Cleaner Method #2: Sodium Hydroxide The active ingredient in serious drain cleaner is sodium hydroxide or lye. If youre a true do-it-yourself type, you can actually make sodium hydroxide from the electrolysis of sodium chloride (table salt) in water. Another way to make lye is from ashes. You can purchase sodium hydroxide (also called caustic soda) at any hardware supply store.  Some commercial products also contain small metal flakes, which react with sodium hydroxide to produce hydrogen gas and a lot of heat. The heat helps melt greasy clogs. Fill a plastic bucket most of the way full with cold water. Sodium hydroxide can react with metal, so a glass bowl is fine too, but  dont use a metal pot.Add 3 cups sodium hydroxide. You can stir it with a plastic or wooden spoon. The mixture will fizz and heat up.Pour this solution into the drain. Let it work its magic for 30 minutes,Rinse with boiling water. Safety Information The sodium hydroxide dissolves organic material, like hair and grease. This is a highly effective chemical, but as with commercial drain cleaner, you need to follow safety instructions. Sodium hydroxide can burn your skin and evolve caustic vapors. So, wear gloves and avoid handling sodium hydroxide or putting unprotected hands in the water after adding this product. Make sure air circulation in the room is good and avoid using more product than you need.  While you could simply pour sodium hydroxide in your drain, its much safer for you and your plumbing to mix it with water first to dilute it. Not that you would, but dont drink it or leave it where children or pets might get into it. Avoid inhaling the fumes. Basically, follow the safety precautions listed on the container. Additional Tips A common problem with bathroom sinks, showers, and bathtubs is hair caught in the drain. Remove the drain and pull away any hair or other matter that has become trapped. If you havent tried it already, clear the U-shaped trap below the drain, Put a bucket under the drain and use a wrench to unscrew the trap from the plumbing. Shake it out or use an old toothbrush to push debris through the joint. Rinse it with water before screwing it back into place.