Peter Skrynecki Belonging Paper Essay Example for Free

Peter Skrynecki Belonging Paper Essay For Peter Skrznecki it is like being part of two cultures but at the same time not able to belong and connect to either one. In Migrant Hostel Peter reflects the unpleasant memories, he remembers at 4 years old, when he and his parents emigrated to Australia from Poland. He uses language techniques such as similes to create a sense of uncertainty and not belonging, because similes are not as certain as metaphors. He uses motifs of birds and pigeons, which is seen in my visual representation. For example, Nationalities sought each other out instinctively like homing pigeons this emphasises the instinctive need to find someone or something familiar in a foreign place, to feel a sense of comfort and belonging. At times he felt unity with his family but this is juxtaposed with the sense of wondering of which culture he belongs to, Poland or Australia? This is represented visually in my collage, with images showing not belonging to groups and being an outcast, there is only one image in the corner representing unity and belonging. This is contrasted by all the other images portraying not belonging and alienation. Which relates to how Peter feels about being a man of two different cultures. In the poem Feliks Skrynecki, Peter describes his father with emotive language on how he tries and fit in to a new culture My gentle father, kept paces only with the Joneses (idiom is used.) But his father still has a strong connection to his culture through his garden, which Peter describes as he loved his garden, like an only child the garden is symbolic and represents his home land and culture. This relates to the film Kite runner, when Amirs father takes soil from Afghanistan and puts it in a case before he crosses the border, the soil becomes symbolic for the fathers culture and treasures it till his death bed. In both texts land is used as a symbol of connection that both fathers show to their culture and homeland. Which relates to my visual representation with an image of a man holding soil from the land. Choices are a large part of belonging to a culture. Peter chooses to be disconnected and he doesnt try and learn about his own culture, which makes him not belong culturally. For example in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki Peter says I forgot my first Polish word but his father repeated it so he would never forget it but Peter choose not to remember it. He also doesnt try to fit in with a new culture, he chooses to be the black sheep which creates a barrier to belong. In kite runner an important quote was this is the real Afghanistan you have always been a tourist in your own country. This shows when Amir lived in Afghanistan as a child his father always protected him and made all of his decisions, which caused him not to know who he really was and never experience the real Afghanistan. But when Amir went to America he starting making his own choices and found out who he was and felt like he belonged there. Both Amir and Peter shows how significant decisions and choices are, because it is your own personal choice to belong to a culture.

Benefits Of Working In Partnership Children And Young People Essay

Benefits Of Working In Partnership Children And Young People Essay 7.1 Summarise the benefits of working in partnership with parents and others. The importance of building relationships and making links with parents is crucial. The old fashion attitude towards parents by early years workers was definitely wrong i.e. we know what is best for your child. This was an unhelpful attitude and created an atmosphere where parents did not feel at ease. Talking to practitioners parents felt that their views were not important. Parents did not feel comfortable coming into early years setting (nursery, school) unless they had been invited or had an appointment to attend. This approach and situation has nowadays generally changed and early years workers recognise that working with parents is very beneficial to childrens learning and development. As children come into settings with different experiences and many different needs, the main source of information about children is very often from their parents or main carers. Parents should be treated as partners as they are the childrens first and most influential educators. Working together the long term benefits of a constructive partnership between parents and practitioners will have a positive impact on a childs development and learning experiences. Parents may also feel more encouraged and supportive towards the school. There are many ways in which children benefit when parents and practitioners work together: Children will definitely settle more easily and feel more secure if they know that their parents and practitioners (childminder, nursery or school teacher) get on really well. Children will gain from having a similar routine or approach for example, parents are able to tell practitioners what time a child normally needs a rest, eats or feels tired, dealing with difficult tantrums and what to expect, or the use of a EpiPen if a allergic reaction is trigged and any difficult toilet issues. Practitioners and parents can work together to help a child who has a particular developmental need for example, a child with a language delay may need extra help in nursery or school with speech and some sign language enforcement i.e. Makaton which is a language program designed to help communication between individuals who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking or a child with poor pencil grip may learn the proper way of holding a pencil at school and will also help them at home when writing or drawing. Parents/ main carers are usually the first to notice that something is bothering a child, they can pass their concerns to practitioners who can recognise and help to resolve. Small unsolved problems or situations may become big ones if not treated promptly. Diabetes and insulin dependency is another very important area that needs to be discussed and completely covered so everyones aware of a childs needs. Early years personnel should have an understanding of diabetes and must be trained in its management and in the treatment of diabetic emergencies. There are many ways in which staff in settings can try to build up a good relationship between a childs home and the setting: In order to work effectively with parents most settings introduce an open door policy. The idea is to assure parents that they are able to talk to staff or teachers whenever they have any concerns. This means that instead of having to make an appointment or waiting until for example parents evening, any particular concern or worry can be raised straight away. The open door policy builds trust as parents know they are always welcome to pop in and have an informal chat or view their childrens work whenever they wish. Children also benefit from this very casual approach as they can sense that parents and practitioners are work closely together. Children can show their parents what they have been doing in their nursery or school. It is extremely important as children are excited to show off their work and achievements and they want their parents to be proud of them too. Getting to know the parents is essential in early years setting. Workers need to be welcoming and understand the importance of parents so that avenues of communication are established. Once the relationship is build it is easier for both parents and practitioners to bring up concerns that may arise for example, child has been diagnosed as asthmatic and a pump needs to be used, parents have separated from their partner and the child is aware, a family pet has just died. These are very personal and sensitive issues so the relationship needs to be close and comfortable for both parties. All the children are different and have different needs the same relates to parents. For example parents may be slightly anxious as they leave their children in school for the first time from parents who are experienced and comfortable with leaving their child. We have to remember that relating to parents well is just as much a skill as working with children. Some parents will be uncomfortable talking to members of staff while others will be friendly and feel relaxed. Early years workers will learn how to listen and talk to parents as their experience and confidence grows. There may be times when parents will need to be contacted quickly for example, child is not feeling well, had an accident etc. Exchanging emergency information its extremely important. It is vital that early years workers have the correct and update information to hand i.e. emergency numbers and addresses are usually exchanged during the admission procedure. We should encourage parental involvement as parents often have a lot to offer settings in terms of their knowledge, interests, experience, and in volunteering for activities. Working together can also help bring the community closer together; especially in areas where there are different cultural groupings. Many setting find that parents who come to help are able to bring in many skills and different areas of expertise. Some parents offer to help permanently i.e. reading mums in school one a week for an hour; others may help occasionally i.e. school production. Some parents find that working as helpers boost their confidence and give them the chance to meet other parents. We have to remember that nowadays for a parent to be able to work/help in a setting he/she needs to have a current CRB check by the police. A good working partnership between parents and settings should mean that parents enjoy coming in while the setting appreciates their time and help and the children are able to benefit from having extra adult attention. We have to realise that being friendly with parents is not the same as being friends as this may cause unnecessary problems i.e. parents asking for confidential information, or asking to let unwell child to stay in setting. Professional boundaries must be maintained at all times to avoid misunderstandings. It can be beneficial for early years setting to establish liaisons with other agencies. As a part of the process of helping children to settle in it can be helpful to exchange or gain information from other agencies for example, a previous nursery that the child has attended or from a childminder. Other professionals might be able to give us advice as how to meet that childs needs or might suggest strategies they used which were helpful. They may have also some information or observations or even notes about a particular child, which will be appropriate for us to see and know. Whatever information we receive from agencies should be referenced with parental consent. (The only exception case of suspected abuse). Working with Healthcare professionals. If a child has a disability or emotional issues it is likely they will meet with a variety of healthcare professionals, from Doctors, Physiotherapist, Social workers, Occupational therapist, Dieticians, Orthotics, Speech or language therapist. Parents must inform and communicate to practitioners if their child is seeing a healthcare professional, as for everyone to better understand the childs behaviour. For example if a child is being treated for anxiety or depression and the school is unaware of their condition, the child might be looked upon as being shy or a bad mixer when asked to participate with others, wrong diagnosis can be more harmful as the child is being left out or ignored. These experiences can cause a lasting impression on a childs life, as can a good experience with a caring early years worker or teacher. Working closely with parents, teachers and healthcare professionals can only improve a childs overall achievement and wellbeing to optimise their development and growth. The most important relationship you can develop will be with your general practitioner (GP). Doctors train for at least five years after medical school to become GPs and have an extensive knowledge base with regards to many health conditions .Getting your child used to seeing your GP from an early age will have major benefits as they grow older. Being in known surroundings and seeing a familiar face will help any anxiety they might have about visiting the doctor. Your doctor can provide a wide range of services and give advice on health issues. GPs will also refer you to hospital for treatment or to other specialist healthcare professionals. The relationship with other healthcare professionals is equally important as we need to build trust and confidence with each one. When dealing with patients, health professionals should be truthful and respect the privacy and dignity of any patient young or old. We have the right to information about the condition of our health and any diagnosis or illness. We also have a right to be involved in any decisions with regards to any treatment or care we may receive and warned about serious side effects. Our consent must be sought after and medical records should always remain confidential. Physiotherapists Physiotherapists are experts in the physical treatment and the improvement of certain conditions. Physiotherapists help to restore lost movement and function to someone affected by illness, injury or other disabilities. Social workers Social workers are professionally qualified health professionals who assess peoples needs for care or social services. They will support and find solution, to issues people find themselves in. They have good knowledge of the law, and the social welfare system. Occupational therapists Occupational therapists work with patients who have a physical disability, mental health issues, learning disability or medical conditions. Patients with difficulties doing everyday tasks, such as preparing a meal, going up stairs, taking a bath, or getting into bed. Dieticians Dieticians are health professionals who explain and treat diet, they assess and diagnose any nutritional problems a patient may have. Prosthetist and orthotist Prosthetist and orthotist provide care for anyone requiring an artificial limb, splints, braces or special footwear to assist in movement, they work with other healthcare professionals to provide treatment. Speech and language therapist The role of a speech and language therapist is in treating someone who has problems communicating with speech or language, by helping people of all ages, to communicate better. A patients beliefs or views should be respected during their healthcare, and they should receive treatment regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. It is very important our healthcare professionals work as a team as they are from a variety of disciplines and have to work together to deliver a professional service for all patients. Good communication is essential for effective relationship development. Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia www.daycaretrust.org.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk www.alt.org.uk www.hertschs.nhs.uk www.nhscareers.nhs.uk

Defining Self :: Personal Narrative Essays

Defining Self I am from blonde ponytails and twirling party dresses, From leather seats and from the scent of public transportation. From all religions From all races I am from the fruit stand on the corner, from the flies brushed away by an Asian man I am from East 30 th Ave, between 1 st and 2 nd . I am from the laces of pointed shoes and the burning stage lights, from the hum of a cheering crowd, from the perfect kicks of a chorus line. I am from stacks of proposals and rows of numbers, from multi-colored paperclips, from a rubber band ball that really bounces if you throw it, from a view of Hudson Bay, from Lady Liberty. I am from an address my parents did not share. I am from a white sailor hat, the sand, and salty sea. From Tollbooth and hurdles. From a companion just my height, from never being right. I am from trying hard, from being scared, from always being right behind, from loving every minute. I am from a tall, cold, moving truck, from the sting of cardboard box paper cuts, from hoping nothing material was left behind. I am from a nose pressed against a steamy window of the gray Honda. I am from good-bye. I am from the sidewalk where riding a bike alone is allowed, from skinned knees, and Band-Aid brand to cover up the scrapes. I am from two new additions that fight and hit, from the number changing to five. I am from new spiffy shoes, from warm sweater-worn arms pushing me through the door. I am from lumpy paste and construction paper. I am from the founding sisters, from playground gravel, and from snacks of juice and crackers, from Dixie cups with colored dots, from holding small thin hands, from Kleenex boxes, and from strawberry jam. I am from long sleepovers, from covers pulled over frightened faces, from a baby doll hidden in the closet. I am from blushing cheeks and secrets revealed, from long telephone conversations, from nosy questions. I am from an old Coke bottle spinning on the floor, from shaking hands and nervous laughs, from thudding hearts, from trying to act cool about it all. I am from raging fights, from words not meant, from scratched out yearbook pictures, from a long letter, and from one I never wrote. I am from the confusion of a double family, from cheeks hot with frustration, from a soft pillow.

Censorship :: essays research papers

What Happened To Our Rights? Censorship in America today has gotten way out of hand. There always seems to be some holier than thou group speaking out as if they were representing the majority of Americans. These groups want to censor just about anything and everything we do. When it comes to watching television, reading a book or magazine, listening to music, or buying products, people should be able to make these decisions for themselves. Where do we draw the line with censorship? After all we are Americans and we do have rights. Although censorship is needed with issues concerning children, majority of censorship is an infringement of our rights because what one person may find offensive and obscene does not necessarily represent all people and adults should have the right to make their own choices. The word censorship probably would not exist today if all people agreed upon all things. This however is not possible for we are all unique individuals and have our own likes and dislikes. For instance, a person who enjoys pornographic material has the right to read or view this material if he or she enjoys this type of material. On the other hand people who feel pornographic material is obscene or offensive and do not care to partake in it do not have to view or read this type of material. This material is not being forced upon anyone. Why take away something a person enjoys if it is not hurting anyone else? What people do in the privacy of their own home is their own business. Who’s to say what a person likes or enjoys is wrong because another person does not agree. Playboy and Penthouse magazines are read and enjoyed by many Americans today; however, many people find these magazines offensive and obscene and others find these magazines to be an excellent source of reading f or sexual entertainment. Years ago people tried to ban this type of magazine, now these magazines are in great demand and are available on shelves all around the world. The big question is who is right and who is wrong? Neither, because people have their own opinions, likes, and dislikes. After all this is America and we the people have rights as stated in the first amendment of the constitution. Adults should have the freedom to make their own choices in their everyday life. Whether the person’s choices are good or bad is irrelevant.

Elizabeth Fernea’s Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Vill

"You arrive at a village, and in this calm environment, one starts to hear echo." -- Yannick Noah The writings of various ethnographers and anthropologists are intended to inform and educate the reader by imparting awareness and understanding of unexplored cultures. The value of such a work is directly related to the author’s familiarity with the culture. For instance, an individual intimately acquainted with a situation have different insights, but also different biases than an outsider. Elizabeth Fernea’s work "Guests of the Sheik" is a combination of the two perspectives. It documents her immersion into the society and culture of El Nahra, a village in Iraq, during the first two years of her marriage to Bob, an anthropologist. Her honest and frank narrative provides a fascinating glimpse at the lives of the men and women living in the village and the relationship Elizabeth, affectionately referred to by the people of the village as Beeja, has with them. Elizabeth begins her journey apprehensively, but not without excitement. She takes many of her western ideas with her to El Nahra, but quickly discovers that in order to be accepted she must embrace the local customs. The practice of purdah, or the seclusion of women, is one with which she struggles immediately and often. Her preconceived notions regarding the veiling and seclusion of women seem to show that she regarded the practice as removing women from society. Upon her arrival, she realizes that, as the only woman without an abayah, she is a curiosity, and reluctantly changes her position on the garment, thinking â€Å"Well, it seemed I’d capitulated; I was going to wear that servile garment after all. I discovered that my principles were not as str... ...e women form a crucial part of this society, and are integral to its maintenance. In spite of her early hesitance and her preconceived notions of the status of women within this society, Elizabeth learns that every member has a place within the social hierarchy. While Elizabeth, or Beeja did not manage to change the society of El Nahra as she thought she might, she was given a place within it and granted respect from both the women and men of the society. Works Cited Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Joseph, Suad, â€Å"Gender and Relationality among Arab Families in Lebanon,† Feminist Studies 19:3 (1993): 465-486. Pierce, Leslie. The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. London: Oxford University Press, 1993. The Holy Qur’an, Al-Ahzab 33:53.

Explain the theory of Virtue Ethics Essay

Aristotle originally introduced virtue Ethics to society in ancient Greek times. Virtue Ethics tells us that we should look at the character of the person instead of the actions or duties a person performs. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how you can be a better person. Aristotle claims that leading a virtuous life is easy, and those who do, do so to be happy. Happiness is the ultimate goal for everyone in life. To become a better person, you must practice virtuous acts regularly. After a while, these acts will become routine and so the virtuous acts will be nothing more than everyday life and the person a virtuous person. Aristotle said that although virtues should become a habit we must never forget that we behave in such a way because it is right. For example, if a singer practices singing everyday, they will become better at it and used to doing it. This is the same as people who practice their virtues and soon automatically act in the right way, by practicing our skills we improve them, becoming happier. Virtues should not be an effort, but simply a part of everyone’s personality. Aristotle says that virtue is something that we acquire and are not just born with, people are not inherently good or bad, but become good or bad according to the habits they develop. Aristotle said that a virtue was a ‘Golden Mean’ in between to vices. These ‘Vices’ are two extremes of a scale at opposite ends, one of excess and one of deficiency. For example the vices would be shamelessness and shyness, and the virtue modesty. Another example of this would be rudeness and a sense of humour as the two vices and the virtue as wittiness. Such virtues must be cultivated, we must learn when to use certain virtues and to what extent, for example we must not ever use humour in excess to act like a fool, but at the same time we must also not pass into rudeness. Two philosophers, Anscombe and MacIntyre say that there has been a mistake in how virtues have been portrayed. The majority of people look at the actions a person does to judge whether they are virtuous or not. The way in which we behave provides an opportunity for others to judge our virtues and vices. This however is not right. People should look at the character within and look at what the person believes is right and how they think they should help people instead of what they do to help. A famous example of a virtuous person is Mother Theresa. She helped millions of suffering people across the world and for this became well known as a virtuous person. There are hundreds of other virtuous people who would have liked to have helped but were unable to do so in such a huge way who are not considered as virtuous, but these people are just as virtuous but not recognised for it. Aristotle tells us that we are most likely to learn virtuous behaviour from watching others. If we experience others being kind to us and see the happiness it creates we are more likely to practice it then if we were just told to do it. For example, if we were told to be courageous we may occasionally stand up for small things that we disagree with, but if we see someone telling others off for not doing the right thing then we are more likely to not allow bad behaviour towards ourselves. Aristotle said that the best way of becoming virtuous was to follow in the footsteps of a virtuous person, e.g. Mother Theresa and do what they do. Virtue Ethics is relative; Aristotle recognised that virtues in one country may not be the same as virtues in another. He believed that there was no absolute platonic good beyond our world. As virtues have evolved through habits of society it is probable that different societies would deem different actions good or bad. However there is no difference between the virtues of a community and individuals within that community, the supreme happiness that Aristotle talks about is one for the community, and not just and individual. MacIntyre suggests that philosophy is too far removed from ordinary life and said that it is not good enough that philosophers spend their time debating the nature of ethical language or forming reasoned theories of morality in a way that is far removed from real people and real life. All actions are done in order to reach an aim. A successive series of actions are also for an aim, for example getting up in to morning to go to work, is to make money, is to feed our families is to go on nice holidays is to but them nice things etc. all ultimate aims is to make people happy, everything is subordinate to the supreme good, which is happiness. Everyone has different ideas of what happiness is and different things all make different people happy, and Aristotle called this feeling of all round well being eudemonia. Therefore, Virtue Ethics concentrates on what a person is then what a person does. Its aim is to achieve something, which people genuinely want rather then being based on arguably incoherent ideas about the after-life. It is a system, which can be easily applied and understood by all. It fits into a variety of philosophies, and religions, which both do and don’t include God. However, there are a few problems with Virtue Ethics. Ones of these which has been pointed out by MacIntyre is that although a virtue is the ‘golden mean’ between two vices it cannot be applied to all virtues. Virtues such as promise keeping, loyalty, and compassion do not fall between any two vices and so Aristotle’s theory of this does not really work. Another problem with this theory is that it is of little help to people faced with a moral dilemma. It does not help them make a decision like other theories such a natural law or utilitarianism.

Organizational Culture Essay

This essay/assignment is a solution paper on Organizational Culture. It reviews the Hofstede Model and Schein Model as well as tries to understand the the dynamics which influences the occupational cultures. This is a sample paper. The definition of culture remains quite ambiguous with researchers assessing it utilising different methodologies. The common understanding of culture is a way of doing things, or the norm by which a society organizes its tasks. However, the terminology tends to be classified more distinctly when looked upon in the aspect of organizations and their systems of performing actions. Two of the most prominent researchers on this aspect of organizational behaviour are Geert Hofstede and Edgar Schein. Each has presented the concept of organizational culture using a paradigm based on the values and thinking exhibited by the workers of an organization, but has assessed different levels of adaptation and integration that bind this aspect of culture. According to Hofstede, ‘culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one group from another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values’. On the other hand, Schein has taken a slightly different approach and states ‘culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization that operate unconsciously and define in a basic â€Å"taken for granted† fashion an organization’s view of its self and its environment’. The common notion among researchers is that every organization exhibits certain values and norms in the business environment and a company will likely end up portraying two things; organizational culture and corporate culture. The former is based on what the company ‘is’, while the latter principle is an embodiment of the vision and character of the company, making up what a company ‘has’. Both Schein and Hofstede showed similarities in their presentation of the concept of organizational culture by applying a focus on the mental assumptions that shape the ideology of culture and give rise to the norms and values that end up being regarded as the primary character of an organization. However, the anthropological approach adopted by them towards organizational culture varied greatly. Hofstede favoured the ‘etic’ or dimensional approach, where the description of behaviour is very neutral and can be applied to various cultures. A key reasoning for this is the linkage he presented between the national culture  prevalent in the business environment that an organization operates in, and its resulting effects on the shaping of the norms that are applied by the organization itself. On the other hand, Schein looked upon organizational behaviour with an ‘emic’ approach, describing the dimensions that affected companies by viewing it from the aspect of a person within the culture. Hofstede undertook an extensive research process within IBM, to understand the behaviour it and its employees exhibited across the many offices it had in the world. His ideology was that organizational behaviour was greatly influenced by national and regional cultural groupings. The conclusion from the research conducted allowed Hofstede to present five characteristics of culture that he believed were exhibited by organizations in one way or form across the world. These included power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs. femininity, long vs. short term orientation, and individualism vs. collectivism. Schein’s organizational model looked at culture from the standpoint of an observer and presented three levels to describe the complex workings involved in a company. At the first level were the observable artefacts, pointing to those attributes which could be seen, heard or felt by the observer. The second level was the exposed values, which referred to the professed culture of the organization by its members. At the third level lie tacit assumptions, which are made up of the unseen elements of culture of an organization that become the unspoken rules of the company. While Hofstede’s model of organization culture relies on the tried and tested ideology of cultural theorists by underlying the determination of culture in an organization from core values and assumptions of a given national culture, Schein’s model brings about more functionality to the subject area by delving into a deeper understanding of the factors that influenced the exhibited culture in the organization. Hofstede’s IBM study developed linkages between personality and culture, by relating to individuals as components of societies, and organizations a resultant of both. Schein presented the notion of learning as a part of the organizational culture, and one of the building blocks that courted different operators in its assimilation and establishment. In both models, the common factor remains the individuals who form the organization, and in many ways are responsible for providing the behavioural traits to the company in order to portray a sense of belonging. The divergence in its  initiation relates to the variance held by Hofstede and Schein, with the former attributing the national culture being the driving force, while the latter focuses on the various actors who play a role in the creation of the organizational entity as the contributors to the culture of that establishment. While personality will play a part in the integration between the original and acquired culture, the need for understanding the dynamics which influence the occupational cultures is important in order to become aware of the human factor and its role in the process. References Hofstede, G. & McCrae, R. (2004) ‘Personality and Culture Revisited: Linking Traits and Dimensions of Culture’, Cross-Cultural Research, Volume 38, No. 1, pp. 52 – 88 Schein, E. (1996) ‘Culture: The Missing Concept in Organization Studies’, Administrative Science Quarterly, Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 229 – 240