Sexual Harassment Essays (544 words) - Behavior, Human Behavior

Sexual Harassment "First of all, let me say that being sexually harassed since 5th grade has gone beyond the damage of affecting the way I feel.... Now...I have no pride, no self- confidence, and still no way out of the [misery] I am put through in my school."1 Sexual harassment of students is a real and serious problem in education at all levels, including elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities. It can affect any student, regardless of sex, race, or age. Sexual harassment can threaten a student's physical or emotional well-being, influence how well a student does in school, and make it difficult for a student to achieve his or her career goals. Moreover, sexual harassment is illegal--Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment. Preventing and remedying sexual harassment in schools is essential to ensure nondiscriminatory, safe environments in which students can learn. A...student should feel safe and comfortable walking down the halls of his or her school. School is a place for learning and growing. Sexual harassment stops that process.2 This pamphlet provides school administrators, teachers, students, and parents with fundamental information to assist them in recognizing and dealing with sexual harassment under Title IX. It outlines basic principles in question-and-answer format. Some more information about a school's responsibilities has been omitted, and school officials should read "Sexual Harassment Guidance: Harassment of Students by School Employees, Other Students, or Third Parties" to ensure a full understanding of the law. Parents and students can also consult this Guidance, for more information about student rights. The Guidance was published by the Office for Civil Rights in the Federal Register on March of 1997 and may be obtained from any of the OCR Enforcement Offices or by calling 1-800-421-3481. It is also posted on OCR s web page at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/ocrpubs.html. Sexual harassment can occur at any school activity and can take place in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, dormitories and other areas. Too often, the behavior is allowed to continue simply because students and employees are not informed about what sexual harassment is or how to stop it. Students, parents and school staff must be able to recognize sexual harassment, and understand what they can do to prevent it from occurring and how to stop it if it does occur. Harassing behavior, if ignored or not reported, is likely to continue and become worse, rather than go away. The impact of sexual harassment on a student's educational progress and attainment of future goals can be significant and should not be underestimated. As a result of sexual harassment, a student may, for example, have trouble learning, drop a class or drop out of school altogether, lose trust in school officials, become isolated, fear for personal safety, or lose self-esteem. For these reasons, a school should not accept, tolerate or overlook sexual harassment. A school should not excuse the harassment with an attitude of "that's just emerging adolescent sexuality" or "boys will be boys," or ignore it for fear of damaging a professor's reputation. This does nothing to stop the sexual harassment and can even send a message that such conduct is accepted or tolerated by the school. When a school makes it clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated, trains its staff, and appropriately responds when harassment occurs, students will see the school as a safe place where everyone can learn.

Overcoming Anxiety Attack Essays

Overcoming Anxiety Attack Essays Overcoming Anxiety Attack Essay Overcoming Anxiety Attack Essay Overcoming Anxiety Attacks Everyone on this planet feels anxiety at one point or another, and many look into overcoming anxiety attacks. It is a normal part of being a human being. It is your bodys way of telling you that there is a threat, or that it feels that something is wrong. It is extremely common to have anxiety and without anxiety, we as humans would put ourselves in all kinds of crazy danger. There would be no fear in the world. I have suffered from anxiety for almost nine years. It was complete torture and it nearly ruined my life. I couldnt date or approach women, I couldnt speak up in class, and I was extremely fearful of doing any sort of presentation in school. My social life was essentially destroyed because of anxiety. Even raising my hand or being called upon by a teacher was scary to me. I suffered several embarrassing experiences in high school and college due to my anxiety and my fears. Some anxiety can be healthy for you, however when it gets to the point where it is preventing you from living your life, this is when action needs to be taken. When I was struggling with my anxiety, I would have random panic attacks at school, at home, and even on the bus. The walls would start to close in on me, and I began to struggle to breathe. This is when I decided I need to take action. I decided that no longer would I let anxiety control my life. I researched online and discovered that there are several natural techniques that can be used as treatment for overcoming anxiety attacks. After implementing these natural techniques I was able to relieve myself from all the stress in my life. Now, I am finally able to tackle all my big procrastinations, such as air travel, driving, and even job interviews. I have changed my life for the better and become a new man. Getting rid of my anxiety was the best thing that ever happened to me. If it wasnt for these natural treatments that I discovered, I would still be suffering from anxiety and living a life that I dont want to live. If you or someone you know suffers from anxiety attacks, you need to realize that you can be helped. There are natural ways to treat anxiety and for it to be overcome. For more information for  Overcoming Anxiety Attacks  please visit  http://overcoming-anxiety-attacks. com/

The Social Studies Curriculum in Alberta, Canada Research Paper

The Social Studies Curriculum in Alberta, Canada - Research Paper Example Dramatic Change In The Social Studies Curriculum Of Alberta With respect to Canadian – Alberta framework of citizenship a social studies program or curriculum should explore, quantify and strengthen Canadian identity of students. Within Alberta citizenship framework a social study program should reflect translate Aboriginal and Francophone perspective as well which is close to ground realities. In a nutshell the program or curriculum should promote multicultural, multiethnic, democratic and truly Canadian social and cultural values. Vision of Alberta social studies program should be based on appreciating pluralistic Canadian society and associated diverse realities. Since year 2005 onwards the curriculum has been revised as well as the methods of teaching. The major change brought about is start of program basing on concrete philosophy which stresses to develop skills with a purpose of transforming students into responsible and productive citizens in a democratic country. The program envisions needs of twenty first century while focusing Canadian identity and citizenship. The program includes many facets like including realities of Aboriginal, Francophone, multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic society. The program endeavors to connect students, with what is being taught, which is the most promising aspect. Canadian society is diverse and pluralistic in nature due to huge population of immigrants. Multiple factors shape the Canadian Society like people come from different religions, societies, social and cultural values, countries and languages. In this perspective the curriculum needed transformation according to prevailing environment which has been accomplished. The curriculum has been changed in such a way that students should value diversity rather than opposing it and see human kind on a broader perspective. Values of freedom and social justice have been added in such a way that students respect the traditions, cultures and religions of all ci tizens in the perspective of Canadian national identity. The methods of teaching have been evolved in a way that teachers encourage students to value and share responsibility, and fully participate in creation of true Canadian society. The syllabus has been designed after taking input from public figures that students should be able to understand history, society and culture of Alberta, Canada and the world. Now the curriculum aims at understanding dynamics of a pluralistic society and conflict resolution in such a unique society. The program encourages the students in thinking about issues related to society in Alberta and problem solving. Students are guided to translate complex social issues, draw meanings and arrive at genuine conclusions. The program lays stress on cognitive skills and effective learning while connecting them to real issues, own history and land of Canada. The relationship between citizenship and Canadian identity is the basic ingredient of program. The social studies program in Alberta stresses a lot on citizenship, respect for rights and identity of all citizens. A citizen

Syncretizing Views in Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Syncretizing Views in Religion - Essay Example Thus, according to the Chinese community, syncretism is a mixture of more than one religion. There are several definitions that have been brought out in relation to syncretism to fit the Chinese religious community. According to Judith Berling, syncretism is the affirmation, borrowing and integrating the various concepts, practices, and symbols in one religion to another through reconciliation and selection. To incorporate the Chinese religion and syncretism, the natural dissonance that exist in religious ideas and gestures may disappear. In the article, syncretism is not meant to permit the monopoly of mixing of religious ideologies in a multi –religious community. Furthermore, to fully understand syncretism, one has to consider three aspects in religious interaction. These are what are not applicable. For instance, one has to understand that syncretism does not apply with ecumenicism. According to the article, ecumenicism applies in understanding the universal truth. This as pect asserts that different religious views are sustained separately by tradition in the external elements and not truth perceptions. This may include modes of discourse and other ritual practices. Therefore, there is one truth which is common in this kind of truth. Secondly, syncretism is not considered inclusivism.... Therefore, this is a perfect syncretic combination among dominant religions. Furthermore, compartmentalism is not an aspect of syncretism. This is because it recognizes that various teachings deal with varied of reality and are concerned with different truth aspects. Thus, each religious tradition functionally is specialized in one way or the other and can easily complement the other without reducing the other. Furthermore, each addresses several issues without overlapping one another. More so, each religion has a specific realm of thoughts. This concept accepts the issues in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism as practiced in China. For one to really analyze a text as syncretic, he or she has to understand that syncretism is not related to eclectism. This is the ability of one religion to adopt the other despite the differing religious doctrines. In this article the concept of three teachings is basically a concept of syncretism. In the three teachings, there is one origin and similar teachings. As depicted in the article, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are not an innovation by Yuan. The Tang dynasty is the core unifier of the three concepts. Thus, the efforts to keep the three distinct and not unified were achieved as they developed organizations, ritual practices and intellectual thoughts. The three are believed to have had a common set of teachings. Despite the different philosophical teachings among the three concepts, there were efforts to merge the three into one religious doctrine. They thus devised a poem which illustrated the emperor as a syncretic. Furthermore, the development of the song in the dynasty to develop the neo-colonialism ushered a relationship in the three teachings to merge as one phase. What is believed to have

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - Essay Example She struggled with her assailant, but was badly beaten and bloodied. Sebold's rapist was caught, convicted, and given a maximum prison sentence, but the ordeal was far from over. Somewhat surprisingly, Sebold returned to school in Syracuse, and after graduating headed to the University of Houston for a brief attempt at graduate school. She eventually settled in New York City, where she planned to become a writer. For years, she lived in the East Village--during its rattiest period, before it was an acceptable post-college, bar-and-restaurant-filled enclave--while working as a research analyst and teaching English as an adjunct instructor at Hunter College on the side. It took her several years to emerge from her post-assault experience, she admitted, and recalled her 20s as a period in which she dated the wrong men, drank too much, snorted heroin for three years, and took part in daring stunts like climbing to the top of the Manhattan Bridge. Finally, Sebold wrote a New York Times article about her rape, which led to an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A sentence from her article was quoted a few years later in a book called Trauma and Recovery, about post-traumatic stress disorder. As she explained in an interview with the Guardian's Katharine Viner, reading that book was a turning point in her life. "I was failing miserably in New York, I'd written two novels that weren't published," she recalled. Sebold applied to graduate school in California, but was determined to relocate no matter what. "If I didn't get in I was going to buy a dozen nude-colored panty hose and get an office job in Temecula, California," she said in the interview with Valby. (Huntley p1510) Accepted into the master of fine arts writing program at the University of California's Irvine campus, she took out a student loan, and met her future husband on the first day of school. The work earned good reviews, with Publishers Weekly describing it as a "fiercely observed memoir about how an incident of such profound violence can change the course of one's life," but failed to catch on with readers. (Conway p127) Finally, she finished The Lovely Bones manuscript, and it netted her a two-book deal with Little, Brown. As advance copies began circulating in the months prior to its June of 2002 publication date, a publishing-industry and bookseller buzz began to attach to it. The Lovely Bones, told from the viewpoint of a 14-year-old rape and murder victim looking down from heaven, struck a nerve with a society reeling from accounts of 12-year-old Ashley Pond and 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis, Danielle van Dam, 7, Samantha Runnion, 5, and 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, all snatched and silenced since January. Summary Drawing on folkloric and religious motifs and ideas, Alice Sebold presents a remarkable, complex, and comforting vision of heaven as the platform from which Susie Salmon, raped and murdered by a neighbor at the age of fourteen, tells her story. It is a heaven that indeed has many "mansions," one of which is the "wide wide Heaven," which can provide one's every desire. The word Susie's grandfather has for the dominant quality of this heaven is "comfort," and oddly comforting, indeed, is Alice Sebold's novel because it postulates a vision of heaven that begins with an "intake" level of simplicity that matches

Harm Reduction and Abstinence Based Treatments

Harm Reduction and Abstinence Based Treatments This essay will be constructed into four parts, harm reduction, abstinence based reatments, substance misuse and recovery. There will be a discussion on the history of harm reduction and what harm reduction is in the substance misuse field, for example problematic or harmful behaviour that is caused to the individual or others either socially, psychologically, physically or legally brought on by substance misuse. Secondly an explanation on abstinence based treatments, what they are and what the relationship is between them and harm reduction. Thirdly referring to recovery and what it means in the substance misuse field and what the implications are for the service users. Last but not means least a discussion about the two different approaches and how it impacts on the service user. To conclude a summary of the main points will be made. (136 Harm reduction pilot schemes started back in the 1980s and were a response to reduce the risk associated with harm caused by alcohol problems and injecting drug use, in response to the HIV and AIDS prevention strategy. Harm reduction is a process and not a treatment and should be integrated with other forms of intervention, it reduces the negative consequences of drug use. It is about educating the individuals, carers, partners and family members about the risks involved with their drug use and helping them take responsibility and learn to accept it rather than to ignore it. Most harm reduction interventions are aimed at preventing diseases due to blood- borne viruses (BBV) as well as overdose and other drug related deaths (Tatarsky Marlatt 2010). Harm reduction services include needle exchange services methadone and buprenorphine programmes. Needle exchange provides services where the users have the opportunity to dispose of their old needles, syringes and spoons for example. Moreo ver they will also receive advice and support on safer injecting, reducing injecting and prevention of overdose, they will receive a pack which contains clean injecting equipment to take away, reducing the risk of them sharing equipment with others (NTA 2006). Substitute prescribing such as methadone and buprenorphine programmes, buprenorphine and methadone are licensed for use in opioid dependence where methadone is dispensed in liquid form and buprenorphine is administered by tablet form sublingually (Connock, Juarez-Garcia Jowett, et al 2007). (236) Abstinence based treatment Abstinence means refraining from an activity which is known to be harmful and addictive or reducing this activity with the ultimate goal of being abstinent (McKeganey et al 2006). Doing this involves not taking a particular substance, avoiding areas where this is likely to be on offer or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Abstaining can be difficult to do especially when the substance has been part of their life for so long, this is where the individual has to look at healthier ways to deal with their substance use. This can include a range of abstinence based treatments to help the individuals with alcohol or drug such as Non-drug interventions the twelve step programme (self help) and Psychosocial interventions such as motivational interviewing or CBT. The twelve step programme is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioural problems, it was originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recover y from alcoholism. Motivational Interviewing is usually offered to achieve and maintain abstinence, it was originally used with problem drinkers but has also been applied to the treatment of illicit drug misuse (Raistrick et al 2006). There are several Pharmacological interventions available to treat alcohol dependence which are disulfiram, acamprosate and naltrexone. These all work in different ways Disulfiram is used for individuals who wish to abstain altogether, if taken with alcohol it can cause some very unpleasant effects; vomiting, headache, palpitations and breathlessness. Acamprosate and naltrexone are an anti-craving drugs used in the maintenance of abstinence (SIGN 2003). However there is an increased risk of overdose or death due to a relapse after a period of abstinence as tolerance levels will have changed to that particular substance (REF). (288) Substance misuse Substance misuse is defined as the use of a substance for a purpose not consistent with legal or medical guidelines (WHO, 2006). It is a misuse of all psycho-active substances including illicit drugs, non-prescribed pharmaceutical preparations and alcohol misuse. People use substances because it makes them feel good, feel different and makes them more sociable. Using substances only becomes misuse when a problem arises such as it having a negative impact on health or functioning and may take the form of drug dependence causing problematic or harmful behaviour to the individual or others either socially, psychologically, physically or legally. (99) Recovery The Recovery Model as it applies to mental health is an approach to mental disorder or substance dependence that emphasises and supports each individuals potential for recovery. Recovery is seen within the model as a personal journey, that may involve developing hope, a secure base and sense of self, supportive relationships, empowerment, social inclusion, coping skills, and meaning. For someone who misuses substances recovery may not be about being totally abstinent it may simply mean still using drugs but in a safe way, for instance having clean works for injecting or substitute prescribing for opioid misuse. Recovery principles bring about the change in the way a service user thinks and aims to produce a change in behaviour, however before these changes can only happen if the person is ready to change, ambivalence may be experienced by the service user and this can affect motivation on a daily basis. Motivational interviewing techniques go hand in hand with the harm reduction mode l as one of the key factors with motivational interviewing is dealing with ambivalence. Prochaska and DiClemente 1983 provide a framework to understand the change process it was originally created to help understand what individuals go through in changing their behavior. it uses 5 principles, precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance (Hansen et al 2008). Service users with little or no motivation and who are not engaging in any attempts to change are seen as being in the pre-contemplation stage as they do not see their behaviour as a problem and there is no need to change it, this could be due to an attempt to change in the past without success and may feel demoralised so may become resistant to change. It is important to engage service users at this stage and build a trusting rapport so that in the future they will be able to turn to the practitioner for help. The contemplation stage is when a person acknowledges that they may have a problem and work towa rds developing motivation to change but could become ambivalent, engaging with the service user in discussion about their ambivalence is the goal at this stage getting them to think about what their problem is and how it is affecting them. Individuals in the preparation stage may want to change and have a plan but need help to do so, the reason individuals may seek treatment could be that their problem is having negative effects on life for example, criminality or job loss. The action stage comes next this is where the service user is actively setting goals to change and will be developing skills to do so, supporting the service user in making these goals achievable are key here, goals need to be small and achievable to the service user. In the maintenance stage the service user sustains changes in behaviour and works towards preventing relapse by identifying the supports around them, at this stage the service user may decide to make long term goals and problem solve how to best acc omplish them. Prochaska and DiClemente 1983 describe a sixth stage and it is the relapse stage the service user reverts to the behaviour they were trying to change, the practitioner should provide support for the individual in a non-judgemental way as they may be feeling ashamed and guilty for relapsing, re-evaluate the stage of change the individual is at explore the relapse episode trying to discover if the relapse was shorter or longer than previous relapses and were they able to reduce their use, this may be an opportunity for the service user and practitioner to work on other relapse prevention techniques. (Prochaska Diclemente 1983). However service users may move back and forth between the stages. This does not represent failure, but rather the nonlinear nature of the model. Recovery is about making the best out of their life and having quality of life and as nurses we should provide support and advice to achieve their goals (Network 26 2009). (660) Both the abstinence model and the harm reduction model have similar goals. The goal in this case is to create a better quality of life for the person receiving the service. Harm reduction approaches are often perceived to be the opposite of abstinence based approaches to drug use and sometimes even as condoning drug use. This is not the case, harm reduction complements abstinence based drug treatment approaches by providing Injecting drug users with the knowledge and tools to stay healthy and alive until they are able or willing to achieve abstinence. Abstinence remains the most effective way of reducing the negative consequences of drug use. For injecting drug users who are unable to remain abstinent, harm reduction measures such as methadone maintenance treatment and needle and syringe programs are ways to reduce negative consequences. For example the abstinence approach to caring for an individual who uses heroin and has HIV service users would find that they would be encouraged t o stop using heroin completely and to abstain from sex. While with the harm reduction programme the individual may be taught how to use heroin more safely i.e. clean needles and spoons and other paraphernalia or to substitute methadone for heroin and to practice safer sex. It can be argued that because abstinence based services were not providing HIV education and preventive tools such as condoms and syringes, individuals using these services would remain unaware of the risks of HIV and how to protect themselves from it. (247) Conclusion In conclusion, the integration of harm reduction and abstinence based treatment is more powerful than either model separately. The abstinence goal provides more room for the more abstract harm reduction work to occur. The accepting atmosphere of harm reduction with the addition of the clarity of the goal of abstinence promote patient retention better than either separately. The implications of this integration is that harm reduction can be more accepted and powerful in the public sector. It is important to look at the wider context of why people use drugs. Taking away a coping mechanism from a drug user may do more harm than good unless the core issues that led to drug use are dealt with in the first, hence the reason the motivational interviewing approach is more empowering for the service user (134

Promotion and Retention of Women in Mathematics :: Mathematical Careers Education Essays

Promotion and Retention of Women in Mathematics How do we interest and retain more women in the field of mathematics? "Women now make up nearly half the undergraduate math majors in the U.S. (1993 Annual Survey of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical association of America); yet in graduate math programs, only about one-quarter of the American students are women" (Adhikari & Nolan, 1997, p. 17). For women who choose SME (Science, Mathematics, Engineering) majors, persistence rates in the major are significantly lower than that of male peers. (Seymour, 1995, p. 438) I am interested in the topic because I am a female who experienced pursuing undergraduate and graduate mathematics degrees. I want to know what I can do to help motivate other women in mathematics. While reading the literature, I became aware of subtle personal experiences that paralleled common experiences of women pursuing mathematics majors. Whereas I had informally considered my attempts at fair, consistent treatment for all students to be po sitively related to motivating women (and other minorities) in mathematics, upon reading the literature a strong case is made for additional support to different groups. Although I will focus the majority of the paper on college experiences that influence women in SME majors, literature also points to the influence of pre-college coursework. â€Å"Maple and Stage (1991) found that students who took more science and math courses in high school were significantly more likely to choose science and math majors in college† (Trusty, 2002). Farmer, Wardrop, Anderson, and Risinger (1995) found taking elective science courses in high school had a moderate direct effect on persistence for women in science-related careers, but taking elective math courses did not. (p. 163) Although in this research taking elective math courses was not found to effect persistence of women in science-related careers, I contend that math courses are still critical as they are prerequisites for science electives of chemistry and physics. The National Science Foundation has reported, â€Å"young women have lower interest in math courses and take fewer advanced math courses† (Farmer, Wardrop, Anderson and Risinger, 1995, p. 157). In addition, Seymour and Hewitt (1997) found the effects of inadequate high school preparation to be the most common contributor to early decisions to switch from SME (science, mathematics, engineering) majors to non-SME majors (p. 79). Seymour (1995) also points out that studies have noted â€Å"the subtle deterrents to active participation in mathematics and science which bear upon precollege girls† (p.