William James Essays - Mental Processes, Philosophy Of Mind

William James An admitted ?Moral Psychologist?, James's philosophies coincide with today's fields of Humanistic Psychology, Behavioral Psychology, and Transpersonal Psychology. He, like Jung, dared to look outside the ?normal? experiences of the mind and expand the concepts of consciousness. More particularly, William James attempted to describe the processes of the conscious rather than the definition of the conscious. He was the first to introduce our nation to psychology as a standard educational course and the founder of pragmatism which emphasizes the elimination of unnecessary thinking and finding truth only if it is practically applicable. Practicality, James defines, as those ideas that can be verified, collaborated, validated, and assimilated. He believed consciousness to be exclusive, personal, and selective, a constant ?decision maker? subject to a sea of information and perceptions specific to each individual. Every decision or choice is unique in that James believes that the process of thinking is linear. Each thought, according to James, proceeds and influences the next which he called the stream of consciousness. Because of the infinite number of ?streams? it is inevitable that each choice is totally original in it's creation. Within the process of selection lies the influences of the fringe, or the context that gives meaning to the content (it is vague), and the nucleus (it is definite). Additionally, James explains that without attention to a matter a decision can not be made, and that habits are seemingly automatic responses to our experiences that often dictate our decisions. Both must incorporate will which is described by James as the process that holds one choice among the alternatives long enough to allow that choice to occur. The rationale of choice involves two levels of knowing - knowledge of acquaintance (an intuitive, sensory knowing) and knowledge about (intellectual, evaluative and factual knowing). James was particularly interested in the habits of learning. He believed strongly that successful education was dependent upon the establishment of healthy habits. Stages involved in establishing good personal habits include: 1) a need or desire 2) information 3) repetition. Of course will is essential in establishing good habits (or breaking bad habits) so the training and strengthening of will were of major concern for James. He proposed that individuals accomplish this by practicing a useless task daily in order to train and proof themselves capable of willing themselves into any activity. Desired habits can be established with repetition. He does however recognize the occasional need to surrender the will and allow events to occur naturally. This, he believes, may induce a state of complete unification, or total oneness of self, and may require or lead to a transcendent state of mind. ?Self? is defined by James as the place from which all our mental processes originate and through which all our experiences are perceived. The layers of self include the Material Self (the part of us that defines and identifies ourselves via material goods and relationships), the Social Self (similar to Jung's persona, is the self we play in social encounters) and the Spiritual Self (the feeling, sensing, and subjective layer). His theory of emotions is fascinating and has lead to further research. Emotions in James's mind are dependent upon feedback from ones body and are a result of physical manifestations (rather than the common believe the emotions cause physical manifestations). This is the basis for his belief in nonattachment to emotional feelings and the open release of emotions as they are irrelevant in that they are only indicators of your physical state. He believed that unexpressed emotions may lead to physical and mental illness. He also advocated that one should maintain healthy-mindedness by choosing to act positive and believe in a sense of wellness. Supporting his believe in the physical effects of our emotions and his conclusions of conscious processes are studies in: Biofeedback (a means of monitoring a biological feedback used to train the participant to control their own ?automatic? nervous system through thought), Psychedelic Research (used to decipher the personal perception of self in an altered state), Meditation (which is proving physiologically effective), Hypnosis (being used as a tool to measure altered states and ultimately consciousness), and Multiple Personality Disorders (how the ?mind? splits creating entirely different personalities). William James, lost among many prominent psychologists, has unfortunately remained an often unappreciated theorist. However, those that are introduced to James can not deny his significant educational and psychological contributions. Much of modern psychology owes gratitude and respect to William James. Psychology Essays

APA Term Paper

APA Term Paper APA is short for American Psychological Association; an organization, which has elaborated a set of referencing rules for different fields of study, e.g. education, business, various social studies and, naturally, psychology. Hence an APA term paper means that this particular piece of writing is to be formatted and referenced in full accordance to the specifications, set by American Psychological Association. What Is an APA Term Paper? APA is short for American Psychological Association; an organization, which has elaborated a set of referencing rules for different fields of study, e.g. education, business, various social studies and, naturally, psychology. Hence an APA term paper means that this particular piece of writing is to be formatted and referenced in full accordance with the specifications, set by American Psychological Association. The entire set of rules as to writing APA Term Paper as well as other research papers (see research paper) can be found in the 6th edition of the APA manual, covering all steps in the process of writing, including such issues as general formatting, in-text referencing, footnotes and/or endnotes, bibliography page etc. APA Format APA language and formatting standard requires certain assignment types to be written in accordance with the APA rules. These assignments are related to social and behavioral sciences and include the following assignment types: term papers and research papers, empirical studies and literature reviews, case studies, theoretical and methodological articles. APA Structure Consequently, we can see that if we are to write a term paper, it has to be written according to the APA standards. APA research paper doesn’t only need to be formatted according to APA rules; it has to be written according to the structure that APA prescribes. TERM PAPER FORMAT As shown in the diagram above, the structural components of an APA term paper are:  title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references, and appendices. Basically, each section of the APA term paper should pursue its own logic, for example: Title page is meant to present some basic information about the paper, including title, author, and institution; The abstract section provides an extremely short synopsis of your paper; it only describes the core of your APA term paper. Usually, it takes from one to two paragraphs in length (no more than two); The introduction is meant to provide a gist of the paper to your reader, he or she should be able to understand the essence of your research without actually having to go into it and read it from cover to cover. The introduction must be longer is size than that abstract part; Methods tell your reader what methods of research and data analysis are going to be used in your paper. The research you have conducted has to be completely replicable, and other scholars should be able to verify your results by utilizing the same research methods as you used. Results section presents your reader with the results of your research. Often students get so carried away enumerating their results, that they don’t pay enough attention to the important bits of their research. The discussion is supposed to relate your findings to the methodology section and explain how your results correlate with your methodology. You discussion part can either include the conclusion or have it as another part of the discussion section. References section should reflect all sources of information you have used to complete your research paper. They are organized alphabetically according to APA specifications. Requirements for an APA Term Paper Generally speaking, a term paper written in accordance to APA specifications meets the following requirements: 1. Typed on a standard sheet of paper (8.5† by 11†) 2. Double spaced, Serif font face (typically Times New Roman, 12 pt) 3. Has 1† margins on each side 4. Contain page numbers (upper right-hand corner of each page) 5. Have a running head (must include a 1-2 word version of the term paper title). The page number and the running head are to be separated by a 5-spaced interval 6. Abstract (a 75-100 word description of your essay, summing up its main points and clearly stating the main idea of the essay. The abstract section should immediately follow the title page, the very word Abstract should be centered, and paragraph should follow) 7. Headings (they are not absolutely necessary, but preferable. When putting together a heading dont forget to capitalize every letter of it, with the exception of articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions) 8. Visuals (visuals should be as simple as possible, having a clear label, followed by an Arabic numeral; and include the title of the visual. The label and its title should be positioned on separate lines above the table. Below the table the source is required) HOW TO WRITE A TERM PAPER In case you a looking for a quality APA term paper, our professional writers are always ready to render you academic assistance. APA term paper writing is one of the key services our service provide. We have completed thousands of term papers and know what it takes to write them effectively. Our team of writers is capable of carrying out top-notch research according to the recommendations of the APA organization. Feel free to contact our support staff, who are available 24/7, ready to help you with any kind of writing assignment or place an order and get your professionally written term paper on time. General pricing plan for term paper writing is as follows (prices are in US dollars, cost per page): #get_view(blocks/prices2.php)

Agamemnon, the Greek King of the Trojan War

Agamemnon, the Greek King of the Trojan War Agamemnon (pronounced a-ga-mem-non), was the leading king of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. He became king of Mycenae by driving out his uncle, Thyestes, with the help of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Agamemnon was a son of Atreus, the husband of Clytemnestra (a daughter of Tyndareus), and the brother of Menelaus, who was the husband of Helen of Troy (Clytemnestras sister). Agamemnon and the Greek Expedition When Helen was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris, Agamemnon led the Greek expedition to Troy to take back his brothers wife. In order for the Greek fleet to set sail from Aulis, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis. Clytemnestra Seeks Revenge When Agamemnon returned from Troy, he wasnt alone. He brought with him another woman as a concubine, the prophetess Cassandra, who was famous for not having her prophecies believed. This was at least a third strike for Agamemnon as far as Clytemnestra was concerned. His first strike had been killing Clytemnestras first husband, the grandson of Tantalus, in order to marry her. His second strike was killing their daughter Iphigenia, and his third strike was flagrant disregard shown for Clytemnestra by parading another woman in her home. No matter that Clytemnestra had another man. Clytemnestra and her lover (Agamemnons cousin), killed Agamemnon. Agamemnons son Orestes took revenge by killing Clytemnestra, his mother. The Furies (or Erinyes) took vengeance on Orestes, but in the end, Orestes was vindicated because Athena judged that killing his mother was less heinous that killing his father.

Differing perceptions of new venture failure Essay

Differing perceptions of new venture failure - Essay Example note that the introduction of the venture capitalist brings in new dimensions in the survival of new ventures since within the first 7 years of establishment; only 18 percent of the new ventures fail as compared to 75 percent of non VC funded new ventures. The authors note that research on the factors that cause failures of new ventures is limited due to factors such as difficulty in conducting financial analysis on failed ventures and the reluctance of entrepreneurs to discuss their venture failures. The authors also discuss the factors leading to new venture failures in the perspective of the venture capitalists and the entrepreneurs. Venture capitalists cite factors such as poor management and unfavourable market conditions while the entrepreneurs cite factors such as product factors, financial limitations and managerial problems. All these are discussed in relation to the attribution theory. The argument that the ventures examined represented all the new ventures and that the factors leading to failure as ranked in order of importance by the authors is misleading due to the fact that new ventures and entrepreneurs from other locations may be faced with other factors of failure. It is therefore important to note that applying the results of the study should be done with that fact in mind. The factors may depend on the location and may also be time determined as well as depend on the individual characteristics. An alternative conclusion could therefore be that the success of the new venture will depend on the internal characteristics of the venture. Zacharkis, Andrew Meyer, Dale G. and DeCastro, J. â€Å"Differing perceptions of new venture failure: A matched exploratory study of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.† Journal of Small Business Management 7.1 (1999):

The Dirty Harry Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dirty Harry Problem - Essay Example Rodney King was filmed being beaten, but how many more suffered from these corrupt cops when the camera was not on? Police corruption is a misuse of power. Police become corrupt for different reasons. Pollock (2004) states, â€Å"Explanations of corruption can be describes as individual, institutional (or organizational), and systematic (or societal).† Some people are good and other bad. The same can be said about law enforcement officers. Just like a bully can influence other children, corrupt police officers can influence good officers. Pollock also believes that another reason for corruption is the lack of proper recruiting methods. Law enforcement that murder, deal in drugs, and other illegal activities are corrupt. These types of police officers are the individuals that make the news reports. Like was suggested above, law enforcement that participate in these type of behaviors were already inclined to commit crime or feel peer pressure. Either way, police recruiting techniques need to be refined to catch these recruits before they become police officer, not after. Not every instance of police corruption is severe. Pollock (2004) reports, â€Å"Corruption, theft, graft (exploitation of one’s role, such as accepting bribes or protection money), and accepting other gratuities (such as free coffee and free or half-priced meals),† can be considered as corruption or delinquency. Some police officers feel it is only fair they get free coffee, donuts, or other perks, since they put their lives on the line everyday. However, if one follows that line of reasoning then soldiers should get free perks as well. With the high number of law enforcement officers and soldiers if everyone got perks, then our society would soon become bankrupt. The Blue Wall is another issue that law enforcement and the community must deal with. â€Å"One of the most difficult ethical dilemmas that officers confront is

The Concept of the Eco-city

The Concept of the Eco-city The next new wave in city planning is Eco-City in response to global climate changes crisis. It is a relatively new concept, combining together ideas from several disciplines such as urban design, urban planning, transportation, health, housing, energy, economic development, natural habitats, public participation, and social justice (Register 1994). In simple word, Eco-city is settlement where it allows the citizen to live and work using minimum resources. As cities continue to grow and population increase rapidly, the needs for sustainable form of development become increasing urgent. The search for appropriate solution and to create more sustainable cities has become the main concerns of designer, policy makers and environmental groups. The locations, types of buildings and infrastructure have direct impacts on its environment, economy and society. As city continue to grow and alters over a periods of time, it is difficult to change after inhabitation and construction. So, designers are trying to avoid that problems and prefer a new, master planned eco-cities. They argue that new eco-cities can fully integrate sustainable concepts of urban planning principle to create sustainable living environment as we go along with retrofitting existing cities. The master plan eco-city will be built using all the latest green technologies. But there people who oppose eco-city concept and called it a utopian city. But is eco-city really feasible or is it utopian concept? To fully understand, origin of eco-city concept will be analysed. Eco-city originated in 1975 when Richard register and few friends founded Urban Ecology in Berkeley, California, as Non-profit organisation to make built our cities in balance with nature. According to Register (1994), the purpose of urban ecology was to build in Berkeley a slow street which is to have many trees along road, solar green houses, energy ordinance, establish good and efficient public transport, promoting pedestrainization as alternative to automobile, holding regular conference meeting with different stake holder. But it was until the publications of Registers visionary new book called Eco-city Berkeley in 1987, that the urban ecology gained momentum (Roseland, 2001). And the organisations new journal called The Urban Ecologist. The organisation held First International Eco-City Conference, in Berkeley in 1990 and ever since it held conference every year inviting people from around the world to discuss urban problems and to submit proposal for designing our cities based on ecological principles. In 1992, David Engwicht, an Australian community activist, published Towards an Eco-City, in which he talks about how city planners and engineers have virtually eliminated effective human interaction by buildings more roads, shopping malls, gutting communities and increasing dense traffic. For Engwicht, a city is a place for inventions of maximizing exchanging and having minimized travel distance. The book was later reissued in North America as Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns (1993). Engwicht talks about how city planners and engineers have eliminated effective human exchange by building more roads, taking commerce out of the cities into strip malls, gutting communities, and increasing traffic fatalities. A city is an invention for maximizing exchange and minimizing travel (Engwicht, 1993). He advocates eco-city where there is transaction of all sorts of goods, money, ideas, emotions, genetic material, etc and where people move freely via foot, bicycles, and mass transit and interact freely without fear of traffic and pollutions. But it was until the 1960s, the use of fossil fuels, chemically controlled agriculture, deforestation and depletion of marine resources was thought to be not in dangers. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), released a summary report called our Common Future which cause widespread concerns on world deepening environmental degradation(WCED 1987). And this pushed sustainable development on the forefront. Various industries and sector are also going for sustainable development. The issue of sustainable planning is also a concern for planner, urban designer, construction industries, development authority and the population at large. Register, Engwicht and Urban Ecology certainly deserve credit for popularizing the term eco-city in the last decade, but the eco-city concept is strongly influenced by other movements as well(Roseland, 2001). The mission of Urban Ecology is to create ecological cities based on the following 10 principles (Urban Ecology 1996): Revise land-use priorities to create compact, diverse, green, safe, pleasant, and vital mixed-use communities near transit nodes and other transportation facilities. Revise transportation priorities to favour foot, bicycle, cart, and transit over autos, and to emphasize access by proximity. Restore damaged urban environments, especially creeks, shore lines, ridgelines, and wetlands. Create decent, affordable, safe, convenient, and racially and economically mixed housing. Nurture social justice and create improved opportunities for women, people of color, and the disabled. Support local agriculture, urban greening projects, and community gardening. Promote recycling, innovative appropriate technology, and resource conservation while reducing pollution and hazardous wastes. Work with businesses to support ecologically sound economic activity while discouraging pollution, waste, and the use and production of hazardous materials. Promote voluntary simplicity and discourage excessive consumption of material goods. Increase awareness of the local environment and bioregion through activist and educational projects that increase public awareness of ecological sustainability issues. The practical application of these principles has not been really encouraging for many years until literature that promotes the ideas began to appear. It appears in different terminology as per the orientations of the authors. The Authors include Designers, Practitioners, Visionaries and Activists, and the terminology includes everything from neotraditional town planning, pedestrian pockets, reurbanization, post-industrial suburbs, sustainable cities, green cities and eco-communities. Although, the authors orientation has discernible differences in analysis, emphasis, and strategy between the variations as shown in table-1, the eco-city theme can encompass any and all of them. The term eco-city can be applied to existing eco-city or master plan eco-city as affirm by Registers when he explains that there are two ways to go about building eco-cities: changing existing towns or building new ones (Register 1987 ). Citizen organizations and municipal officials in cities and towns around the world have recently started experimenting on this eco-city concept to meet the social and environmental challenges (Roseland 1997, 1998). There is a urgent realization that Urban planning is a significant management tool for dealing with the sustainable urbanization challenges facing 21st century cities. Many cities has applied eco-city planning concept although most of them in small scale. Chattanooga and the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S., Ottawa, Hamilton-Wentworth, and Greater Toronto in Canada, and Curitiba in Brazil are some of the earliest cities where this concept has been successfully applied. Curitiba, a small Brazilian city, is one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It has received international recognition for its integrated transportation and land-use planning, and for its waste management programs. The citys success is due to strong leadership-city officials who focused on simple, flexible, and affordable solutions. Throughout the project, the government conducted regular meeting with citizen so that citizen are involved in the process (Rabinovitch 1996). Emboldened by the success of the above projects, Designer and local government are planning for massive overhaul of traditional way of city planning. They are looking at a way to plan new cities incorporating the entire above concept. China, one of the world most populous countries in the world, faced massive environmental problem. It has emerged as major industrial power but at a great cost. The environment degradation is so severe that it is a cause for concern in china and could have international repercussions. Since pollution know no boundaries. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produce by Chinas coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo. Suspended particulate over Los Angeles city originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research (Kahn and Yardley 2007). The Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) hired Arup in 2005, to design a city which would exclusively use sustainable energy (solar panels, wind turbines and bio-fuels), self-sufficient and reduce energy consumption by 66% in comparision to Shanghai. The eco-city of Dongtan, which is be located on the island of Chongming, not far from Shanghai will be one of the world largest eco-city to provide housing for 500,000 people from rural areas. The Dongtan city will cover about 8,800 hectares which is roughly equal to the size of Manhattan Island. Dongtan will have ecological footprint of 2.2 ha per person by means of a combination of behaviour change and energy efficiency which is very close to limit of sustainability of 1.9 ha set forth by World Wide Fund for Nature. China is also partnering with Singapore to build eco-city in Tianjin based on three harmonies principles which are people-people, people-environment and people-economy(Quek 2008) . The 30-square-kilometer site is a wasted land and water scarcity area which will be built over a period of 15 years at a cost of around 50 billion yuan (S$10 billion). The criteria for selection of site are that it should be wasted land and water scarce area. First, restoring the jiyun river will be top priority for propose new city of 350,000. Renewable energy like solar and wind power, rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water are some of the proposal. United Arab Emirates has planned to build the worlds most sustainable city, called Masdar City, initiatives of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. It is an ambitious project which will cost $22 billion to build a new, zero-emissions city for 50,000 residents in Abu Dhabi. The project is launched in 2007 and is designed by British firm Foster + Partners. The propose new city will have new university, the Headquarters for Abu Dhabis Future Energy Company, special economic zones and an Innovation Center. According to the designer, Masdar eco-city is to be constructed in an energy efficient way that depends on large photovoltaic power plant to meet energy needs, which shall be for 2nd phase of the city expansion. The city is a car free, with a maximum walking distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and amenities. The streets are compact to encourage walking and are complemented by a personalised rapid transport system. Due to it compactness, the walkway and streets are shaded creatin g a pedestrian-friendly environment. The city will have wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so that it is entirely self-sustaining. Masdar City will be built in seven phases, the first of which is the Masdar Institute, which is set to be completed in 2010. The citys phases will be progressively built over the next decade with the first phase reaching completion in 2013(Foster and Partner). The idea of a city without any waste, landfill, car, self contained or without any carbon emission seem very desirable for a city but for some sceptic it a utopian dream which will never materialise. Sceptics are questioning whether totally designing a new city is possible incorporating all the eco-city concepts due to time and cost involved. The main weakness for master plan eco-city is the large inputs of energy required to construct an entire, functional city as a long continuous project. They are concern that it might just be a strategy used to shield from environmental criticism while countries like China and UAE continue to grow along the same unsustainable path. However, countries like China and UAE are in a position to fund such kind of projects and if it is successful it will create a precedent for other parts of the world as well. Unfortunately, Dongtan eco-city never materialise. Although, the highest echelon in Chinese official expresses has shown keen interest in the project, the first phase of construction which is to be ready for Shanghai expo 2010 has not even started. The Dongtan eco-city in spite of being a government endeavour has failed to materialise. The Mayor of Shanghai has been sentence to 18 years jail term on corruption charges and abuse of power in 2008(Larson 2009). Sceptics of eco-city are saying that policy makers in China misuse the term of eco-city, to reduce criticism of chinas poor environment records without having any real commitment to the idea. As for Masdar eco-city, work has already started for phase 1. However, sceptics are concern that it might be just an isolated green in the desert where the rest of UAE proceed in the same line of big ecological footprint which is even bigger than United State. They are also apprehensive about the embodied energy used in buildings and infrastructure which are very high. The heavy dependent on technology for personal rapid transport and infrastructure is another issue. Since the technology for personal rapid transport is not fully developed and co-ordinating infrastructure with different agencies is difficult. The concept of building a city from a scratch or retrofitting existing building or redeveloping existing city are some of the burning issues. Designing a new city from scratch permits a greater comprehensive, whole systems approach, and more degrees of freedom than adaptation of an existing city( Fox 2008). On the other hand, the resources and energy needed for new construction of a city will be far greater than redeveloping an existing city. However, the beliefs and movement toward eco-cities has spread worldwide and has taken strong hold among planner. In spite of setback for some project, eco-city has will be main driving force for today cities and tomorrow cities. Eco-cities can be built on existing eco-cities or new master plan eco-city. Most propose master plan eco-city is to be developed in several stages in the next fifteen to forty years. Some of the relevant issue for Eco-city planning concept for developing new city or adapting for existing cities are as follow: Eco-city is based on holistic approach. This integrated approach is hindered by fragmented administrative structures, political rivalries and a disregard for citizen expertise. As in Dongtan case, the surrounding inhabitants are not even consulted and not aware of the projects. Eco-city concept is not really encouraged by policy makers and planner as there are suspicious of the intention as it involve alternative ways of decision-making (e.g. community involvement), the implementation of new technologies (e.g. like Personal rapid transit for Masdar or energy generation ) and new organisational solutions (e.g. multiple use). The additional costs involved and loss of influence are some of their main concerns. Eco-city concept may fail due to lack of political will and commitments on the part of everyone involved. The Initial investments are very high compared to traditional approach to planning which can scarce potential investor. Nevertheless, for successful implementation of eco-city, commitment from individual or Party involved is paramount. Vision, ambition and thinking big in long term are some of the necessary requirement. Besides, there has to be free flow of information and trust between the policy maker and non-policy maker. There has to be creation of win-win situation for everyone to make it successful. There has to be compromise in difference of opinion and unity of alliance. A series of challenges exist for developing cities in many part of the world, particularly in developing countries where rapid economic development will put pressure on cities to accommodate rising population and more infrastructures. It is the place where next megacities are coming up. The designer, public policy maker are committed to developing eco-cities and other types of sustainable communities in the face of climate change, environmental pollution, water shortage, and energy demand. Today utopias vision can become tomorrow reality. Many of the sustainable city emphasize on compact land use, clean transport, waste management, renewable energy( wind turbines and solar energy). Most of eco-city plans are huge and need long term investments. But should we turn away from utopian visions they provoke? Planning completely new cities is expensive, and it is not possible to build all new cities. However, we can strive to improve existing cities when there is an abundance of already established cities and urban areas. In my opinion, I think we should embrace them and work towards searching for improving them. Perhaps, the scales of new master eco-city project need to be smaller so as to have short construction time and less costly. Someday the impressive catchphrases, such as carbon-neutral, zero-waste, and car-free for a city might be reality. References Daly,H. 1973. Toward a Steady-State Economy, Freeman, San Francisco (1973). McDonnell,M.J., Hahs, A.K., Breuste, J.H. 2009, Ecology of a cities and towns: A comparative approach. Cambridge University Press 2009. Rabinovitch, J. 1996. Integrated transportation and land use planning channel Curitibas growth. In World Resources Institute, United Nations Environment Program, United Nations Development Program, The World Bank, World Resources 1996-97: The Urban Environment. New York: Oxford University Press. Roseland, M., 2001, The eco-city approach to sustainable development in urban areas. In: Devuyst D, Hens L, De Lannoy W (eds). How green is the city? Sustainability assessment and the management of urban environments. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 85-104. Register, R. 1987. Eco-City Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Register, R. 1994. Eco-cities: Rebuilding civilization, restoring nature. In D. Aberley, ed., Futures By Design: The Practice of Ecological Planning. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers. Roseland, M. 1995. Sustainable communities: An examination of the literature. In Sustainable Communities Resource Package. Toronto: Ontario Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Roseland, M. 1997. Dimensions of the eco-city. CITIES: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning 14,4: 197-202. Roseland, M., ed. 1997. Eco-City Dimensions: Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. Roseland, M. 1998. Toward Sustainable Communities, Resources Roseland, M., Sustainable Community Development: Integrating Environmental, Economic, and Social Objectives, Progress in Planning, Volume 54 (2), October 2000, pp. 73-132. Roseland,M., Dimension of the eco-city, Cities, Volume 14, Issue 4, August 1997, Pages 197-202 Resilience Alliance (2007) A research prospectus for urban resilience. A resilience alliance initiative for transitioning urban systems towards sustainable futures. Available at http://www. resalliance.org/files/1172764197_urbanresilienceresearchprospe ctusv7feb07.pdf accessed on 29 March 2010 Kenworthy, J.R., The eco-city: ten key transport and planning dimensions for sustainable city development, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 18, No. 1, 67-85 (2006) World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future. , Oxford University Press, New York (1987). Dongtan, An Eco-City, edited by Zhao Yan, Herbert Girardet, et was published by Arup and SIIC in February 2006. UN HABITAT, Planning Sustainable Cities: Policy directions. Global Report on Human Settlements 2009. Abridged edition. Gutenberg Press, Malta. Available from http://www.unhabitat.org/grhs/2009. Accessed on 2 march 2010 Kahn, J and Yardley, J. As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes. The New York Times. August 26, 2007. Available on http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html Accessed on 27 march 2010 Dongtan: The worlds first large-scale eco-city? Available on http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/dongtan-the-world-s-first-large-scale-eco-city Quek, Tracy, Spore, China break ground , straits times, China Correspondent. Sep 29, 2008. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_283867.html. Accessed on 27 march 2010 Larson, Christina. Chinas Grand Plans for Eco-Cities Now Lie Abandoned. Yale e360. 06 Apr 2009. Available on http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2138. Accessed on 28 march 2010 Fox, Jesse. Ecocities of Tomorrow: Can Foster + Partners Masdar City in the U.A.E. be Truly sustainable?. Treehugger. March 4, 2008. Available on http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/masdar-roundtable.php. Accessed on 29 march 2010 Richard Register Author, theorist, philosopher and 35 year veteran of the ecocity movement. Founder of Ecocity Builders and Urban Ecology, and author of Ecocities: Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature.

Elementary Teachers Essay

Did you know that teachers take on the role of mothers, fathers, friend, adviser, psychologist, and nurse? Teachers are the keys to every door of success. Elementary teachers, however, builds the foundation for the home of your dreams. Most people believe and view elementary teachers as â€Å"babysitters† and â€Å"caregivers,† but truth be told, they are truly God sent heroes dressed in suits that walks around with an extra arm and leg making the world a better place. They are not people that you send your children to just so you can have a break at home. It is a disgrace that parents’ have that mentality and modern parents’ continues to think so. Many do not understand the sacrifices and hard work it takes to mentally raise not one, not two, not three, but hundreds of children. Three very important things you need to know about elementary education are as follows; first and foremost, you must familiarize yourself with the duties and responsibilities of an elementary teacher, secondly, you must know how to become one, and lastly, if you value hard-earned money and the sweat of your hard work, you would want to know how much an elementary teacher earns. I asked a question on the beginning of my introduction to give you a feel and picture of what an elementary teacher goes through everyday. Parents complain and leave all the problems to the teachers to figure out when really, that is not their job. Their job is to make sure that your child receives the best education possible. Not to babysit and try and break their bones teaching them wrong from right. The question on the beginning of the essay creates a conversational tone and will allow readers to search for the answer or read along searching for whether the answer is true or false. U.S Department of Education Secretary, Arne Duncan stated, â€Å"I really believe that teachers are the HEROES of our society. † Being a teacher is not an easy job. Teachers make it look easy but in actuality, teachers are miracle workers. They are able to take care of a classroom full of active curious George’s, and not just anyone can do that. Teachers have many duties and responsibilities. They provide the main source of knowledge for children, ensure that values are being taught well, and create and prepare lesson plans for whatever subject they are teaching whether it be math, English, science, or etc. A teacher knows her students best so they evaluate one’s achievements, abilities, weaknesses, strengths, and challenges them to overcome obstacles that are hindering them. They prepare students for standardized tests and most especially, for future grade levels. Besides in-class teaching, they spend over 20 hours outside of class grading papers, organizing extracurricular activities, and worrying about their students. Remember that being an elementary teacher is not the same as being a regular teacher. Dealing with children is much harder than dealing with teens and young adults because children are not accustomed to the English language and their minds are not as focused as older students. Teachers, other than parents, are people you can turn to when all else fails and the world seems like a dreadful place. Now that you are familiar with the duties and responsibilities of an elementary teacher, you are now wondering how to become one. The steps and procedures needed to achieve this goal. Depending on what school you are applying to and whether it is a private or public school, the process differs. Most if not all schools requires at least a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a state-issued certification or license, and other required trainings and tests. Some private schools do not require a bachelor’s degree or certifications but they do evaluate your experiences. Because you are working with young children, you must know how to adapt your teaching methods to the students’ levels. You are going to come across students who are not as fortunate as others, students that are slower or faster than others, students that are different colored than the others, and just some students that are much more active than the others, but it is your job to adapt and learn how to deal with whatever situation you are in. You must have great communication skills, patience, instructional skills, and creativity. Like I have mentioned earlier, requirements on how to become a teacher depends on what school you are applying for and whether it is a private or public school. It is always best to do some research on the specific school you desire. Lastly, with all the steps and procedures to become an elementary teacher, how much they actually make is the sad part. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, statistics states that The median annual wage of elementary school teachers was $51,660. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,390, and the top 10 percent earned more than $80,140. Public school teachers make an average of $50,000-$70,000 annually. Private school teachers make an average of $50,000-$60,000 annually. Thus implying that public school teachers makes more than private school teachers because private school teachers’ salaries depends on how many students are enrolled and tuition fees whereas, public school teachers’ salaries depends on certifications and degrees. The higher your degree is the higher your pay is raised. Despite how much the average teacher makes, many people, especially teachers, feel they are underpaid. They work more than 50 hours a week, sometimes works on the weekends, and spends most of their time doing unpaid tasks at home. Many teachers quit their jobs in 5 years because of the low paid salaries. In conclusion, despite the low paid salaries and take home work teachers deal with, it takes a true hero to care for someone else is child and guide and teach them the basics of education. They spend most if not all of their time at home grading papers, worrying about their students, and finding different ways and techniques to help a child in need. They are the eyes, the ears, and the brains of students. Without them, education would not be possible. They deal with different types of students that go crazy because someone just stole their pencil, or she broke a nail, or he is going on a vacation with grandma, or her birthday is coming up. They have these special powers that can tell when something bad is happening, or something is wrong, or something just does not feel right. Most teachers do what they do not for how much they make or the credibility but for their students and because they care. I was raised by a teacher and living with her and seeing first hand how hard it takes to be a teacher and how all she wants is to see her students succeed is one of the best rewards anyone can ever receive. I have used the technique â€Å"summarize† for my conclusion to recap and restate the main points of my essay. In doing so, it allows readers to go through what they read but in one whole summary. We do have heroes in the world, after all. Source list: http://www. kimskorner4teachertalk. com/writing/sixtrait/organization/conclusions. html http://www. campusexplorer. com/careers/DE17C02B/elementary-school-teachers/ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, on the Internet at http://www. bls. gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/kindergarten-and-elementary-school-teachers. htm.