Writting assingment on john wycliffe (argument ) Essay

Writting assingment on john wycliffe (argument ) - Essay Example The childhood life and the environment in which John Wycliffe grew shaped his future life. According to Roberts, the birth date of Wycliffe is estimated to be around 1330 and he grew up in Yorkshire, England (1). During this period, the clergy people had great influence in the community and flourished an expensive life compared to the other citizens. It is these scenarios that influenced Wycliffe to become an anticlerical supporter in the world of religion. Roberts further states that Wycliffe was interested in studying English and was also interested in the matters of spirituality (1). These passions exhibited by Wycliffe at his tender age were reflected in his life at latter years. For instance, Wycliffe was motivated to study theology at Rector of Fillingham College and also contributed to the bible translation into other vernacular languages (Roberts). These kinds of activities require people with passion to learn and exercise their writing skills. It is after his studies and interaction with the clergy people that Wycliffe clearly understood and influenced his civilization concerning the Holy Scriptures and the conduct of the church leaders. Because of his spirituality and involvement in various church activities, Wycliffe was supported by the church for his further studies in Oxford University. Wholesome Words Organization cites that John Wycliffe once served at the parish of Ludgershall (1). This indicates that Wycliffe real life experience of the functioning of church in England. Moreover, Farley explains how Wycliffe was directly involved in the spread of the gospel. However, it is after joining the Oxford University as a scholar that Wycliff started attacking the Catholic clergy for practicing the ‘wrong’ approach in Christianity. It is also at this time that he became closer to the son of King Edward III and therefore received

Fracking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fracking - Essay Example Fracking possess various significant and equally distinctive feature that portrays the mechanism endeavor towards sustainability as discussed below. Stance 1 Sustainability of the environment refers to the ability of human activities to safeguard the existence of other organisms. Additionally, business practices must also foster the longevity of both the business and the practice. The cost implications of fracking portray it as an economical mining process that fosters profitability of companies. Fracking for example uses readily available resources key among which is water and sand to operate. The process mixes sand and water before pumping them at high pressure into the wellbores thereby creating long narrow fractures through which the natural resources such as natural gases and oil flow to the surface, the pressurized solution denser than the crude oil and therefore settles to the bed of the oil wells thus forcing the oil out (Brasch 21). The mining process is preferred in rocky r egions. The pressure mechanism propels the solution at higher capable of either perforating or disintegrating the rocks thereby creating the small paths for the flow of the crude oil from the wells. This makes the processes useful in nearly every well including those that have remained operational for some time. As mining into such well continue, the level of the oil in the wells deplete. In order to confirm the depletion of the reserves, fracking is necessary in breaking the earth crust in an investigative process as the miners seek to test the depth of the wells (Uberoi 54). In most cases, the perforation of the earth’s crust results in the discovery of more oil thereby sustaining the longevity of the business. The mining process has presented other viable gas extraction process that seeks to safeguard the safety and longevity of the naturally existing resources. Unlike the conventional mining process including drilling, multi staged drilling presents the opportunity to ext ract the highly valuable resources from the earth’s surface without causing major disruptions to the earth surface. A type of fracking known as multi stage fracturing facilitate the development of shale gas among other light tight oil production in such great economies as the united states. This way, the process has therefore proven an economic viability. Stance 2 Among the sustainability interfaces include ecological practices. This includes environmental protection and environmental resource management. Sustainability therefore compels the consideration of both social and environmental of an economic activity. Oil prospecting is a labor-intensive activity that has various implications on both the society and the environment (Clayton and Nicholas 31). Fracking as a mining method presents various economic advantages that makes the process preferred by many operators in the industry. The process requires less labor than other conventional mining methods besides its other advan tages that contribute to the efficiency of the method. However, opponents of the method have sighted various negative environmental implications that the mining process has thereby casting doubt on the use of the method in mining. As discussed earlier, a sustainable process must have positive implications on b

Why women should choose to reintegrate into a society

Why women should choose to reintegrate into a society This major question raised in 2006 is perhaps one of the foremost concerns of Pat Carlens feminist support. Strongly opposed to women in prison state of affairs, she is widely regarded as one of the worlds leading experts on crime, gender and punishment.  [i]   Carlen has put through career as a Professor of Sociology at Bath University  [ii]  and before was an Honorary Professor of Criminology of Keele where she was founded and was Head of the Department of Criminology as well as visiting Professor of Criminology at Westminster University, London. In addition to the above she was a member of both the Commissioning Panel and the Steering Committee of the ESRC Crime and Social Order Programme 1992-1997. Moreover, she is a founder member of the campaigning group Women in Prison created in1983. The group consisted of the first step to a long term and unfinished attempt to reduce number and theorize and balance specific needs of female prisons  [iii]  . Pat Carlen is a leading scholar in the area of women and punishment. In 1997 she was awarded the Sellin-Glueck Prize by the American Society of Criminology for outstanding international contributions to the domain  [iv]  . Carlen devoted her life in researching a wide range of criminological issues; however, she compassionately focused on analysing the penal control of women and matters surrounding their imprisonment. She found her inspiration in the unfair and striking features of womens imprisonment determination  [v]  . True to her beliefs she illustrated the path towards the considerations for the abolition of womens imprisonment. In formulating her ideas she discussed some of prisons abolitions traditional and contemporary enemies after researching and interviewing people in the sector  [vi]  . Adrion Howe argues that the work of Pat Carlen have commenced a process which will eventually fundamentally transform critical analyses of punishment regimes. However, processes in this direction have been slow and the work of Carlen on insisting that women prisoners be handled as a subject worth of study and change was exemplary  [vii]  . In 1983 Carlen wrote a book, Womens Imprisonment, about Cornton Vale, Scotlands only prison for women. She did the research and as she said wrote the book as one off without expecting to do any further research on prisons. What really changed her mind was her meeting later in 1983 with an ex-prisoner, Chris Tchaicowsky, who at the time was the founder member of Women in Prison leading campaigns for women still locked up in prisons. She invited Carlen to join after reading her book. The task of the group was to raise public awareness of women in prisons via many ways. Carlen mostly helped in writing books and articles, helping the campaigning group to be born  [viii]  . Classicists like Emile Durkheim approach the issue believing that the function of punishment is the promotion of social harmony with the exclusion of deviant persons from society and the transfer of moral identity to society. Womens Imprisonment is, nowadays, characterised by discontinuities, contradictions, fragmentation and transformation. Modern approaches rooted to crime reduction. Carlen in Analyzing Womens Imprisonment raised the question as to whether crime reduction will be achieved by increased use of imprisonment. Her approach on that issue was that sending a wrongdoer to prison may aggravate rather than ameliorate the psychological, economic and social factors which purpose woman to criminal activity  [ix]  . A radical prison critic is that it was never used for punishment of all serious crimes but also to storehouse the poor, unemployed and mentally ill. In 1981, Carlen leaded a survey and questioned Scottish magistrates and judges about womens imprisonment, receiving replies determining the reasons why a woman would go to prison. The answers consisted of whether she was a good mother, how ordered her life was, if she has a husband, if she has any children, whether she has abandoned her husband or her children are already in Care or if she was battered. Women like that are more likely to be sent to prison. However, these myths along with many other stereotypes about women offenders has had bad effects on prison regimes,  [x]  resulting to prejudice on sentence over women of the above categories  [xi]  . British Justice is supposed to be not only gender-neutral but also colour blind  [xii]  . Yet, this is not true when it comes to women imprisonment. People awarding sentence are more likely to convict women from ethnic minorities or young women. Thus, is racism the key to increase of female prison population? Early reformers such as John Howard and Elizabeth Fry attempted to campaign for the segregation of female from male prisoners  [xiii]  and different prison regimes for women but at the end the results of their efforts were not satisfactory. Pat Carlen continues on the same path in order to ameliorate the conditions that surround womens imprisonment in nowadays. Is it fair to start imprisonment reduction with women? A very small amount of violent crime is committed by women and females commit crime in very different circumstances to men. Carlens investigation showed that women mostly commit crime in relation to drugs, fraud or theft. The majority of British women prisoners have not been goaled because of the seriousness of their crimes but because of their abnormal domestic circumstances or less than conventional life styles. A strong argument over womens imprisonment consist the failure of the non-penal welfare or health institutions to cope with their problems. Prisons are the only places that cannot refuse to take those women for whom neither the health nor the welfare services will take responsibility even if they had committed the most minor crime. As prison officers informed Carlen in her research, prisons are not equipped to cope with the problems from which every other agency is copping out. This leads to the increase of the prison population. Between the years 1993-2001 the population i ncreased by over 145 %  [xiv]  . In the previous ten years the women population in prisons doubled and male increased by approximately 50%. Additionally, women prisoners tend to be isolated from their families imposing significant pain of imprisonment with the loss of their role as mothers. Furthermore, women generally are badly treated by the officers and the prison staff, when it comes to gynecological requirements (handcuffed in labor and during transfer or treatment to hospital, drug virginal inspections). In addition, one of the prisons roles is to help prisoners to cope with the new life they will come across after release, nevertheless only few rehabilitation regimes exist. An ex-prisoner told Carlen that in order to keep them out (criminals) we should give them something outside. Otherwise, a life of surviving in there seems preferable to life out here where there is just nothing  [xv]  . Clive Soley agreed with Carlens findings and added that if society actually wants to improve the situation, must set as its priority the preparation for release  [xvi]  . Pat Carlen admits that womens crime is less serious and not threatening to the public even after their release from prison, as well as the fact that only few prison escapes have occurred involving women and it is not unusual for most of them to voluntarily return to face their punishment  [xvii]  . After making a lot of research and analysing the circumstances under women get to live with in prisons has come to the conclusion that prison is not only damaging during the course of sentence, but once coming out it has other problems as well. Her research and findings made her develop the idea discovering possible alternatives. Pat Carlen, points out that the main cause of the crime is the relationship between the offender and the community and believes that the only cure also lies in the same relationship  [xviii]  . Alternatives to imprisonments should include any program of intervention likely to deter someone from future criminal activity. She continues to strongly analyse th e possible future alternatives as her main contribution. Harris, a commentator, came to add to Carlens thought of alternatives by pointing out that part of the problem is that it is unclear what the better treatment of women actually means  [xix]  . This is true as there are no gender specific sentences. Carlen also considered whether reform or abolition of womens imprisonment would be appropriate. As the main intention of her book Sledgehammer she argues that womens imprisonment in England and Wales at the end of the 20th century is excessively punitive; totally inappropriate to the needs of the women being sent to prison; and is ready for abolition in its present form. However, she came to argue that reform might be impossible to achieve and will always lead to the abandonment of imprisonment as punishment for minor offences. Eventually, is better to do something than nothing. Prison is to punish and within that context all reforms had to be thought  [xx]  . In 1997, Carlen gave some politico-philosophical justifications for imprisonment in order to clear up the primary aims it should have. However, the following no longer apply. She starts stating that the government has an obligation to wipe state clean making wrongdoers pay for their offences in applying the eye for an eye philosophy. Additionally, she expressed that prisons can be used to improve peoples characters and teach them useful and new skills that could be helpful to lead new lives according to the law after their release. Imprisonment also can be said to prevent criminals to recommit a crime in the future on top of deterring others tempted to commit a crime. In this manner crime rates lower and public is protected  [xxi]  . Carlen proposes an idea for a more productive reduction of the female population. In her point of view sentencers should be required to justify to a Sentencing Council all custodial sentences and remand of who appropriate the offence was in relation to the offender in addition to any pre existing criteria for the award after their examination. Other requirements are for sentencers to state what they hope to achieve by the custodial sentence awarded and finally to make the calculations of what the total costs are likely to be. The aim behind her proposition is to make courts to think twice before sending someone into prison as they should publicize what they are doing  [xxii]  . Moreover, there is still the need for gender-tested and ethnicity-tested regimes that will ensure that some groups do not have a greater impact. Other ways that reduction of population can be achieved is if the society took certain measures to battle poverty and inequality as well as diminishing sexism and racism that result in discriminating sentencing  [xxiii]  . After considering the situation of the day the criminologist saw three possible future scenarios governing womens imprisonment in Britain. Firstly, more of the same circumstances, however, getting worse as the female prison population will rise. The second scenario involves less of the same other than with more experimentation with progressive projects resulting to changeable number on womens population. The last scenario that she encounters is the reduction on womens imprisonment. This scenario contains close regulations for the womens law breaking actions leading to the abolishment of the situation as it was known until then  [xxiv]  . She supported the view of abolishing womens imprisonment for an experimental period of 5 years. For that period of time imprisonment should not be considered as one of the normal punishment for women and that a maximum of only 100 custodial places should be retained for female offenders convicted of abnormally serious offences. If accused so, the y should only be imprisoned after their case was referred by a trial judge to a Sentencing Council who would make the final adjudication. Moreover, her proposition involved undertaking of fund and far-reaching examination of all sentencing. Her proposal for abolition was greeted with a certain amount of skepticism. One radio interviewer asked if male burglars should retire knowing that their wives or girlfriends could carry on the business with impunity. This is clearly ironical; however, is it entirely a false approach? As a Senior Official in the Home Office added to Carlens proposition; What we want is smaller open prisons in the community and in an urban context. Over this point, the courts support an anti-feminist approach; if you women wanted equality, youve got to take it  [xxv]  . The criminologists, Deborah Baskin and Ira Sommers, acceptably, point out that Carlen does not explain how womens criminal careers are circumscribed specifically by gender  [xxvi]  . Furthermore, they add that she does not distinguish the gender specific ways in which women are exploited and controlled by familialism and consumerism. Baskin and Sommers also argue that Carlens repetition of the timeworn and functionalist rhetori c that only women experience dual exploitation in the public and private spheres adds little to the analysis. On the other hand, they furthermore continue to disagree that Carlen fails to see that working class men also have to make class gender deals which include being regulated within family. Briefly, Carlens analysis does not address the precise ways in which social reactions are gender specific and thus affect womens lives differently from mens  [xxvii]  . Pat Carlen characterise herself as not a prison abolitionist in the sense that she can easily envisage a time when it will not be considered necessary to have prisons and lock up certain offenders as a matter of public safety  [xxviii]  . Abolition is not a thread to the public. The whole situation leaves the state with the choice to continuingly misuse millions of pounds on prisons or taking daring steps to stop legislators and sentencers seeing prison as being the absolute panacea for all political and social ills and instead consider it as an abnormal and unusual punishement  [xxix]  . Joe Sim added to the abolition argument that abolitionists ideas should not be dismissed as idealistic and utopian but rather should be understood  [xxx]  . In the 1990s Carlen thought of some further developments including educational initiatives, personal officer scheme, introduction of sentence planning, opening up prisons. Nonetheless, many of these already exist only in name on pape r or defunct  [xxxi]  . In 2006 she returned to the argument of abolition and noted that abolitionists have a number of enemies, and populist politicians are the greatest. Women imprisonment should be abolished as an experiment that will later follow in being applied to men as well. It started its test on women as they are considered to have non-threatening criminal profiles  [xxxii]  . Even if researches have taken place, nowadays, womens imprisonment involves as many inhumanities as ever. This occurs as there is a serious lack of attention from research. Carlen emphasized on the differential experiences of criminal justice and criminality encountered by females in comparison to males  [xxxiii]  . She is puzzled to know what more can be done to make changes needed in order for womens imprisonment in 21st century to stop being the disgrace that used to be in the 20th century. During most of the 20th century women in prison tended to be invisible prisoners, the women whom nobody wanted and almost everyone had forgotten. At the beginning of the 21st century the prison is as much a set of all kinds of social production as it has ever been. Although, they still represent a very small proportion of the prison population, there is no rational reason why that proportion should not be even smaller. Instead, it is slowly but surely increasing and this is not a problem be ing limited in England and Wales. The criminologist insisted in her diary that there must be an alternative and that the womens system has no management strategy and no structure to hold on  [xxxiv]  . The best regimes can do is ameliorate the worst effects. Thus, as Worrall also confirmed, crime will be broken by a government honest enough to admit that prison does not work and sufficiently courageous to accept that prison is itself part of crime problem rather than part of the solution  [xxxv]  . All the above ideas can be dragged from the historical idea that prisons make bad people worse  [xxxvi]  . In conclusion, Pat Carlens contribution to criminology was enormous in relation to female offenders and their imprisonment. Her main aim in the sector was to ameliorate the present circumstances affecting womens imprisonment. She devoted her work in researching and interviewing people the area considering prisons in order to find the roots of the problem. This would later make her able to combat the obstacles and reach a more compromising situation. Many found her work inspiring. Nonetheless, others found that it lacks focus on certain areas. Her contribution marked the beginning of slow and steady developments in the field. On the other hand, the study of womens imprisonment has still a long way to go.

Causes of the Great Depression Essay -- United States History Economic

Causes of the Great Depression Throughout the 1920’s, new industries and new methods of production led to prosperity in America. America was able to use its great supply of raw materials to produce steel, chemicals, glass, and machinery that became the foundation of an enormous boom in consumer goods (Samuelson, 2). Many US citizens invested on the stock market, speculating to make a quick profit. This great prosperity ended in October 1929. People began to fear that the boom was going to end, the stock market crashed, the economy collapsed and the United States entered a long depression. The Great Depression of the thirties remains the most important economic event in American history. It caused enormous hardship for tens of millions of people and the failure of a large fraction of the nation’s banks, businesses, and farms. The stock market crash in October 1929 is believed to be the immediate cause of the Great Depression, but there were many other factors and long-term causes that developed in the years prior to the depression. The 1920’s may have been prosperous for some Americans, but the growing prosperity was actually weakening the economy. Many US citizens were never participating in the boom from the start. There were some wealthy individuals, but 60% of people were living below the poverty line. The coal mining industry had expanded greatly, creating many jobs, but with the introduction of oil and gas, the production of coal was decreased along with the amount of jobs. The United Mine Workers Union’s membership fell from 500,000 in 1920 to 75,000 in 1928 (Temin, 33). The cotton industry experienced similar unemployment problems. In the agricultural industry, an increase in production was met with a decrea... ...n increased 50 %, but workers could not buy goods as fast as the industry produced them because their wages were low. Workers reduced their spending to hold down their debts, the amount of money in circulation decreased, and business became even worse. The Stock Market Crash was an immediate cause of the Great Depression, but there were many long-term causes that gradually weakened the economy. Bibliography Matthews, Layth. â€Å"What Caused the Great Depression of the 1930’s?† Internet. http://www.shambhala.org. 2002. Samuelson, Robert. J. â€Å"Great Depression.† The Concise Encyclopedia of economics. Internet. http://www.econlib.org. 2002. Tanner, Neal. â€Å"The Easy Life of the ‘20’s Contributed to Great Depression.† Overview: The Great Depression. Internet. http://www.marist.edu/summerscholars. 2002. Temin, Peter. Lessons from the Great Depression. 1989.

Powerful and moving poem Essay

   The vulnerability of a country that is vast and until this point as pointed out â€Å"in worth and name†. Though time has passed and â€Å"smokes dark bruise/ has paled†, it is a â€Å"wound† that is exposed beneath such bruising. The personification of the smoke highlights the weakness in humans, and then being carried onto the country itself, yet it is â€Å"soothed† by nature, â€Å"dabbed at and eased by rain†. It is as if the environment is attempting to heal the ‘exposed wound’. However the use of yet use of the word â€Å"exposing† highlights the scale of this devastation; it is as though it has been uncovered and peeled back- the country’s vulnerability is exposed and it is manifested in destruction and loss. The fact that the smoke â€Å"has paled† highlights that time has passed in which the wound has become clear to onlookers, and this wound is not only literal but metaphorical- the country is injured and was exposed to threat at that precise moment. The image of the ‘half-excoriated Apple Mac’ is presented as a metaphor for the attack that has affected the big apple. The Apple-Mac is â€Å"half –excoriated†- flayed, stripped of its skin, much like the country itself. The word â€Å"excoriated† is almost onomatopoeic as it mimics the stripped flesh (which is associated with great pain). This would cause great grief across the intended audience, and it will most likely bring back memories across the listeners. It is also significant that the Apple-Mac is described to have been â€Å"half –excoriated†- flayed, stripped of its skin, which is a similarity at this point of time as the country itself; America. The fact that the computer ‘still quotes’ Dow Jones, although it would take one person’s knowledge to know that the stock markets that day had crashed. This will also show how not only did America suffer from the losses, and ruin, but they did financially. The use of â€Å"hindsight† and â€Å"retrospect† in the sixth and seventh stanzas is indicative of the time that has passed to now look back upon the attack, perhaps in disbelief, shock, horror, and in some aspects we find ourselves awing and this suggested by the reference to the â€Å"weird prospect / of a passenger plane beading an office block†. The â€Å"force† is a nameless enemy, it does not have shape or form or identifying features and this reinforces its threat and perhaps its inevitability â€Å"moving headlong forwards, locked on a collision course†. The use of locked creates the impression that such a â€Å"collision course† is indeed inescapable- there is no getting away from that which is locked, it is immoveable and in this case pre-destined. In the Last stanza Armitage recalls the time when television footage showed helpless victims jumping from the flaming towers. The worlds which â€Å"thinned to an instant† make â€Å"furious contact†- this implies a fusion of anger and great energy, the fury spelling out wrath and pain. †. This moment of time is explored by Armitage in the final stanza; â€Å"during which†- highlighting the passage of time in which the media â€Å"framed/ moments of grace†. â€Å"Earth and heaven fused. † Armitage draws together celestial and earthly beings in the collision of earth and sky, life and death, terror and peace to mere â€Å"moments. Here the knowledge of the reader is called upon as one recalls the television footage of helpless victims jumping from the flaming towers. From this we determine that Armitage has made this poem with a hidden yearn to try and move the reader and intended audience with his strong choice of words. Whilst being simplistic, they are ‘given’ power by the genre and situation they are put into. By Arjun Nazran 10H Page of 2 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Other Poets section.

Early learning studies Essay

In the first five years of life, a child has gone through rapid development in physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Around the time these children start kindergarten, their growth has slowed down. However, it is still vital for the kindergarten teacher to know how their students have developed and what they can do to further develop their students as a whole. According to â€Å"Educating Children in Nursery Schools and Kindergartens† by Lillian L. Gore, by the age of 5 children are learning how to relate to others in a positive manner. This skill forms the basis of all human relations (16). In general, kindergarten-aged children are beginning to develop their own self image and their likes and interests through sensory and other experiences (Gore 16). To a kindergarten-aged child, the world is big and mysterious. The combination of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development allow these children to explore and begin imposing basic order and control over their environments (Gore 16). Overall, these experiences allow children to understand and appreciate the world around them. When the teacher looks at the overall development of their kindergarten students, the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional aspects are relatively similar across each child. That is to say that each child experiences relatively the same development in all three areas. Physically, a kindergartener has two distinct developmental characteristics. #1 is the individual characteristics such as rate of growth, body build, and eye color (Gore 17). The teacher should respect each child’s unique characteristics and teach others to respect them as well. #2 is each kindergartener has a wide output of energy (Gore 17). A kindergarten teacher should expect their students to be fully active one day and inactive the next. Similarly, the activities the children participate in receive different levels of energy from day to day (Gore 17). Cognitive development in kindergarten in vital for a child to understand and experience all that school and the world have to offer. In Gore’s book, she notes two important cognitive developments that a kindergarten child experiences. #1 is the development of hand-eye coordination (Gore 17). At this stage, children are developing awareness for everything that needs both hands and eyes in order to function properly. As the teacher, you should be aware of the students and their surroundings. Particularly on the playground, the teacher should know the students inability to judge speeds and distances properly (Gore 17). To aid in the development of proper hand-eye coordination, the teacher should incorporate hand-eye coordination lessons and activities into the daily schedule. The second important cognitive development in kindergarteners is that they want to grow and learn (Gore 19). Kindergarten is a stepping stone into what school will be like for the rest of their lives, and the fact that each student wants to grow and learn makes the teacher’s job easier because the students are intrinsically motivated. To further their enjoyment of learning it is important for the teacher to provide conditions for each student to explore, discover, and feed their sense of wonder at their own pace (Gore 19). Teachers should also allow students to think and solve problems at their own pace as well (Gore 19). By letting each student work at his or her own pace, the student feeds their desire to grow and learn and also learns that they are capable of many things. One of the most important developments that kindergarten children make is social and emotional developments. Both these developments aid children in forming friendships, relationships and emotional maturity as their lives continue. Two social developments are highlighted in Gore’s book. #1 is that children will fluctuate their patterns of social growth and they may regress at times (Gore18). This is a natural process that children go through and navigating it can be tricky. As a teacher, we should encourage children to proceed in and out of groups at will (Gore 18). This will allow children to experience many different people and form many friendships. As teachers we should also encourage students to relate an experience with one group of students to experiences with another group (Gore 18). This will allow each student to mentally process each experience and decide which experiences they prefer to have, which in turn leads to them having friends of similar beliefs and interests. Above all, kindergarten children learn how to cooperate with others when they choose which group of students to associate with. The second social characteristic that kindergarten children develop is their preference of children of the same sex as playmates and friends (Gore 18). As a teacher we should support this development and help each child learn appropriate sex role with their peers. In addition, kindergarten teachers should also encourage children of the opposite sex to interact. When it comes to emotional characteristics of development, the #1 characteristic is that children in kindergarten are learning how to accept and give affection (Gore 18). This developmental characteristic is vitally important because if children do not learn how to give and accept affection, then all their relationships with others will be short-lived. We as teachers can help foster this important characteristic by providing warm relationships for emotional growth in the classroom and individually with your students (Gore 18). In addition to the developmental characteristics, a kindergarten teacher must also be aware of how they arrange their classroom. Utilizing space and organizing the classroom to best suit the needs of the students allows each kindergartener to maximize their use of the classroom. In Doris Fromberg’s book â€Å"The Full-day Kindergarten†, it is important to know both the teacher’s and the student’s views on four elements relating to classroom organization. Those four elements are; â€Å"Choice: what the students will be doing. Space: where the students will be engaged. Pacing: when the students will be participating. Social Activity: how and with whom the students will interact† (Fromberg 62). These elements are also applicable to what the students are doing in a kindergarten classroom and what activities they participate in. By understanding when and where to implement these four elements, the classroom experience will be enhanced for all the kindergarten students. In a kindergarten classroom, the students are capable of making choices that are relevant to the school-day procedure (Fromberg 62). When a kindergarten student, or any other person, chooses what to do, their attention is higher to that activity than if they had not chosen. However, this is not to say that kindergarten students enter into an â€Å"anything goes† classroom (Fromberg 62). The teacher has preselected and screened everything that is already in the classroom to ensure that it is safe and educationally-sound. The teacher also screens the materials that students bring from home on the same criteria (Fromberg 62). By ensuring that all materials in the classroom are on the same level and that the children decide what they want to do, they will establish a routine of making independent choices knowing that what they choose will spark their interests and be educationally appropriate. The space and organization of the classroom is an important concept to consider when in a kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten students enjoy moving around and being independent, but also need a sense of stability and security. How the classroom space is organized reflects four characteristics about the teacher and the classroom in general: 1) How independent the students are expected to be. 2) How responsible the students are expected to be. 3) Relays what activities are valued in the classroom. 4) How students will spend their time in the classroom (Fromberg 64). When organizing the classroom, it is important to keep materials where they will be used and in limited-use sections. By creating a section of the room only for writing, or art, or reading, children will be more focused on that activity or feel part of a small group (Fromberg 64). Limited-use sections also help the students answer the question, â€Å"What will I do next? † (Fromberg 64) For example, a child that is finished at the writing center will know that there is nothing more they can accomplish at this center; they decide that they want to work on their art project and move to the appropriate section. By utilizing limited-use sections, the students are minimizing procrastination and are maximizing their ability to select their own choices. By using these elements, Fromberg describes a properly organized kindergarten classroom. In a kindergarten classroom, all materials are stored where they will be used; books are in the reading areas, writing supplies are in the writing area, and art supplies are in the art area. The students work in the areas where the materials are stored. This not only keeps them focused on their tasks, but also eliminates the possibility of misplacing materials. These active work areas should be located away from student desks or other areas where students are meant to concentrate and reflect (Fromberg 64). In addition, the teacher should always organize their classroom where they and the students are visible to each other at all times. This not only allows the teacher to monitor behavior, but it also allow students to see what model behavior looks like. In addition to the organization of the room, there also needs to be proper time management as well. Proper time management can help reduce the issues that arise in those students who have ADHD or other unpredictable behavior patterns (Fromberg 66). In a full day kindergarten classroom, it is beneficial to have a whole-class planning session in the morning and afternoon, with a small gathering before lunch or around 11:00 AM according to Fromberg (66). Kindergarten instructors have found it helpful to provide at least two long activity blocks of 30 minutes or more each day (Fromberg 66). In this time, the students will be engaging with the different sections of the room; art, writing, reading, etc. at their own choice and pace. From having this time to select which activity to do and how long to do it for, the students are inspired to make long-range plans and increase their sense of control over their environment (Fromberg 66). Within the kindergarten environment, the lessons and activities should emphasize academic content but also personal relationships and social behaviors. While kindergarten does prepare students to â€Å"do school† and everything that comes with it, I believe that lessons and activities that stress proper relationship techniques and social behaviors are just as important. For example, kindergarteners may not realize what they say sometimes and although they find nothing wrong with it, the teacher or others students will. Having several lessons on how to talk to other students in a nice and polite way will not only benefit the students in class, but they can take that knowledge and apply it to other situations as well, such as talking to adults. Lessons that demonstrate proper social behaviors and etiquette will also benefit kindergarteners. For example, how to stay quiet and listen while another person is talking or how to solve conflicts in a respectful manner will again not only benefit the students in the classroom, but also prepare them for the world as they grow older. Finally, classroom management is very important in a kindergarten class. A teacher could have a perfectly organized room and excellent lessons, but if they cannot manage their students they will never get a chance to utilize their room or lessons. Firstly, the kindergarten teacher should make a set of class rules for the school year. In addition to their professional opinion, the teacher should ask the students themselves what rules should be followed during the school year. This serves two purposes: 1. it reinforces the element that children are capable of making relevant choices pertaining to school and 2. It allows the students to feel that they have a say in how the classroom is to be run. By having this sense of control, the students are more likely to follow the rules and provide less argument when disruptions arise. Secondly, student behavior accountability should be established. In her article â€Å"Classroom Management†, Jody Camp describes her accountability system. She has four circles displayed in her room, each a different color and face. All the students have a clothes pin with their name on it. Every morning each student starts on the green smiley face. If a student breaks one classroom rule, they move their clothes pin to the yellow face. The yellow face is a warning for the student to start acting correctly. In addition to that, the student loses 5 minutes of recess. If the student breaks another rule, they move to the red face, which means the student needs to stop and think about what they are doing. The student also misses an entire recess. The last face in Jody Camp’s management system is the blue sad face. This means that the student needs to go to the principal’s office (Classroom Management). By implementing these or similar classroom management techniques, any teacher will be successful and be able to focus the majority of their time on educating the minds of America. As a student moves through elementary school and into middle school many changes occur so fast that they may, to the frustration of teachers and parents, act like kindergarteners once more. However, it is important to realize and understand the developmental characteristics of middle school students so they still have a positive educational experience. Similar to kindergarten students, middle school students have their own unique set of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional characteristics. Physically, middle school students are in transition between their childhood bodies and their adult bodies. This leads to three main physical characteristics. Susan Robinson, Guidance Counselor at Southern Columbia School District in Catawissa, PA, nicely lays out physical characteristics of middle school students (5th-8th grade) on her webpage. The first physical characteristic is large muscle development (5th Grade Characteristics). In boys, this means that their arm and leg muscles are becoming more defined, as well as their abdomens. In girls, muscle development leads to growth spurts and gaining weight. The second physical characteristic is the desire to be outdoors and physically challenged (5th Grade Characteristics). It is at this time that both boys and girls become very interested in sports and physical activity. This characteristic can also lead to a decline in school performance because the students are more interested in playing outside than doing homework. The third physical characteristic is that they become restless and in constant motion (6th Grade Characteristics). The need to move and be active can also lead to declining performance because the students won’t be as focused. This can also lead to more discipline because the students can’t stay in one place for extended periods of time. Cognitively, middle school students are now open to more abstract and logical reasoning than ever before. The first cognitive characteristic is that 5th grade students have is an increased memory and ability to abstract (5th Grade Characteristics). The increase in memory potential allows the students to remember more academic information, but also helps them remember social activities like birthday parties and phone numbers. The second cognitive characteristic is the affinity for logical reasoning and problems solving (5th Grade Characteristics). 5th and 6th grade students are now using more of their brain in every aspect of life which allows them to solve and reason more than ever before. Similar to how kindergarten students like to impose control on their environments, middle school students enjoy the feeling of being able to solve a problem or think logically with classmates and teachers. The third cognitive characteristic of middle school students is their increased concentration in all aspects of school (5th Grade Characteristics). With the increase of concentration students are able to read, focus on homework, and participate in activities for longer periods of time. This cognitive gain can help balance out the need for movement during physical development. Middle school is the time when every student starts to define who they are and who they want to be. Socially and emotionally, each middle school student is becoming more mature as they grow older and it is important to know what developmental characteristics these students face. When a student is in 5th grade they are more socially and emotionally sound than 6th graders. The first developmental characteristic of 5th graders is that they are generally content with themselves and others (5th Grade Characteristics). At this stage they are in a state of equilibrium in terms of social and emotional growth. This is not to say that 5th graders are void of anger. When this age group gets angry, they tend to get angrier faster than usual but they also are faster to forgive (5th Grade Characteristics). The second characteristic of 5th graders is that they work well in groups and enjoy team-oriented activities such as sports and clubs (5th Grade Characteristics). Because they are generally content, it boosts 5th graders abilities to work cooperatively. This age group would benefit greatly from pods in the classroom and team-oriented competition. Lastly, 5th graders are mostly truthful and are developing a larger sense of right and wrong (5th Grade Characteristics). At this age, students want to be taken seriously because they feel that they have valuable opinions. They realize that they can’t lie and be taken seriously so they tell the truth. Also, as they are telling the truth more, they are expanding their sense of right and wrong. It is at this point when crucial right/wrong situations should be explained to the students such as drugs and alcohol. When a child hits 6th grade, they change once again and sometimes not for the better. There are three main characteristics of 6th graders from Susan Robinson’s website. The first is that 6th graders become more moody and sensitive (6th Grade Characteristics). 6th graders are starting to hit puberty and this messes with their normal selves. The hormones set off mood swings and sensitivity towards almost any situation. It is important to know this because it could be the cause of many problems with your students. The second characteristic is that 6th graders are becoming more autonomous and with that comes more opposition to rules and punishments (6th Grade Characteristics). As they get older, the students begin to realize that they are held to higher standards but still try to get around those expectations. This inevitably leads to confrontations between teacher and student(s) and the student(s) will test your patience at this age. The third characteristic is more positive. As the students age and grow during 6th grade, they will start to take on an adult personality (6th Grade Characteristics). They will lessen their oppositional behavior and become more respectful and dutiful in school work and social activities. While their bodies are going through a massive amount of change in a short period of time, it is important to layout the classroom, lessons, and management techniques to keep up with these middle school learners. First off, it is important to keep the students in groups when at their desks. This helps the students remain social with others and it helps the students to keep working in teams. As they are older, each student should be given their own desk. This allows the student to become more independent and it allows for individuality to show through if they are permitted to decorate their desk. Similar to the kindergarten room, there should be sections of the room where students can go to complete different assignments. Especially at this time, the movement will allow these students to relieve some tension from their growing bodies. Overall, the classroom at the middle school level starts to become similar to that of high school and college classrooms, but should still represent a sense of home and security for 5th and 6th graders. The lessons and activities that these students participate in should also be developmentally appropriate. At this stage of life, the students are beginning to think and reason logically. Therefore, lessons in math and science can enhance the individual student’s ability to think and reason logically. In addition to logic and reasoning, social skills are key to a healthy development. In 5th and 6th grade, it is important to teach and model proper social etiquette and behaviors. One way to accomplish this is to have the students sit in pods when at their desks. This serves two purposes: 1) it allows each student to work in close proximity to other students and 2) it allows students to practice proper social behavior on a daily basis. Lastly, students at this age are going through major physical changes and it is important to keep that in mind when designing lessons and activities. When possible, incorporate some form of physical movement into your lesson plans. This will allow the students to move their bodies and retain focus in school. If you simply let the students sit at their seats all day, they will become restless very quickly and will lose focus and interest in what you are trying to teach them. Similar to the kindergarten classroom, without successful classroom management techniques, the teacher will struggle to maintain focus and interest in their lessons. With this age group, routines are essential to having successful classroom management. As noted by many teachers, routines help the students to know what is coming next in the school day and how to proceed from one task to the next. With a regular routine, students won’t need to be told to take out their reading materials or their math books; they will already know what is coming. By establishing successful routines, the teacher can minimize distractions and maximize learning time. Another management technique that I remember from 6th grade was the use of a money management system. My teacher, Diane Dale, set up a management system that revolved around the use of a weekly â€Å"allowance† for each student. Each student started the week with a predetermined amount of â€Å"money†, i. e.$100. Actions in class had either a positive or negative effect on the student’s allowance. For example, if one student got a perfect on their math test, they may get $25 added to their account. If another student starts a fight on the playground, besides the consequences of the principal, they may lose $75. At the end of each week the students with the 3 highest allowances got to pick a prize from the â€Å"Class Treasure Chest†. To my recollection, this system worked well in our class and I plan on modifying this management system to create my own. All in all, as an elementary teacher it is important to know and be able to work with students from all age groups. By understanding the characteristics of the students in your class, you will be able to maximize the effectiveness of your lessons because they are aimed to work with their developmental characteristics, not as a substitute. In addition, to knowing developmental characteristics, a teacher should also institute effective classroom management techniques and proper lesson plans that will maximize the learning experience for each student. Works Cited Gore, Lillian L. , and Rose Koury. Educating Children in Nursery School and Kindergartens. Washington: U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, 1964. Print. Wills, Clarence Dechent, and Lucile Lindburg. Kindergarten for Today’s Children. Chicago: Follett Educational Corporation, 1967. Print. Fromberg, Doris. The Full-Day Kindergarten. 1995. eBook. Camp, Jody. http://www. atozteacherstuff. com/Tips/Classroom_Management/Managing_Behavior/index. shtml Robinson, Susan. http://www. scasd. us/ms/RobinsonPage/grade5. htm White, George. Incoming 6th Graders. http://www. ringwoodschools. org/files/ryerson/parent_orientation_booklet. pdf.