Friday, January 24, 2020
Smoking should be banned all over the United States Essays -- Legal Is
Smoking is an activity that has been around for many years for people to use and adapt into their lifestyle. It is a tool that many people use to help reduce the stresses of life and put them in a comfortable position that enables them to cope with the hectic lifestyle they are living. However, smoking has been scientifically proven to cause many types of cancer, the most common being lung cancer resulting in numerous deaths across the United States. According to BBC, "Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease" (BBC, 2). Evidently, the benefits and drawbacks of smoking have been debated for many years, and only recently have some countries have placed a ban in public places such as Britain and the United States. However, to prevent the costs of smoking from rising and causing a larger number of deaths around the U.S, strict measures would need to be taken. I believe that the production of cigarettes should be banned across the U.S to prevent any dise ases from occurring which would save thousands of lives. As mentioned before, numerous diseases have been associated with smoking. Diseases such as 'lung cancer, mouth cancer, and throat cancer'(Buzzle, 13) are just a few that have been mentioned. Other diseases include: Peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, coronary thrombosis (Buzzle, 18) and a variety of other diseases that show how smoking is causing more harm than good. In my view, smoking is causing a lot of harm to our world. The reason why all these diseases are occurring is due to the narrowing of the arteries around the body and the prevention of oxygen and blood from going through. The nicotine content in smoking causes an increase in cholesterol... ...ount of evidence available, it is obvious to most people that smoking needs to be banned. It could save millions of lives in the U.S and prevent the country from facing unnecessary financial trouble, on top of the current one the country is facing. Smoking kills millions of people in the U.S and creates diseases that people can easily avoid, the main disease being cancer. The main message that I am trying to get across is that smoking should be banned in order for the world to be a better and safer place to live in. The abolishment of cigarettes will enable the country to save millions of lives each year and save them billions of dollars to aid other areas of the country that need the most need help. By preventing the production of cigarettes from arising, our environment and atmosphere will be clean for our people to breathe in and carry on with their lives.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Making Sustainable Large-Scale Change Possible: The Ontario Experience Essay
Whoever said that the only constant thing in the world is change is indeed a sage. That person could have acknowledged the statement based on personal experiences. Everything in the world changes from time to time- persons, government and even the climate. Changes are staple events in the world.            Changes often come as surprises. On organizational level, change could come as a way of intervention which may bring forth negative or positive consequences. The world today is filled with movements of people clamouring for change. The daily news in the television flash with headlines on citizens calling on their governments for reform; students protesting on the streets to demand democracy; environmentalists and animal-rights advocates asking for ban on chemicals; and so on. Practically, people yearn for change in their personal lives, work, laws, and in the government.            The education sector in some countries goes for change, too. In Ontario, Canada an overhaul in the public education system took place to address the problems plaguing the system. Levin (2007) summarized the change as a strategy which serves as â€Å"an example of large-scale change in education that is respectful of educators, fair to students and communities and based on the best available knowledge†(p. 323).            The education system in Ontario, Canada suffered from setbacks since early 1990s due to government measures imposed (Levin, 2007). There were reductions in staffing levels and increased in teachers’ workloads. Consequently, these yielded labour strikes, dissatisfaction and low-morale among the teachers. Levin reported that during the late 1990s, a change in the government system took place which adversely affected the education system. Local school districts were reduced to half, school principals were taken out of the teachers’ union and significant amount of funding was cut. Teachers took the brunt of these changes as the government then was deemed as critical of public teachers and schools. Levin cited that the people were unhappy and dissatisfied with the public education system.            Canada’s 2003 election changed the educational atmosphere as it became the rallying cry of the Liberal Party, which won the election. Levin pointed out that the new government crafted new strategies (dubbed as the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and the Student Success Strategy) in late 2003 to solve the problem of public education. These have two main goals: to improve elementary school literacy and numeracy outcomes and increase high school graduation rates.            Now on its almost fifth year of implementation, the strategies proved effective. The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat of the of Ontario’s Ministry of Education reported the following accomplishments through its 2006 Project Report, Making It Happen:  improved overall provincial rate of 64% for reading, writing and mathematics in Grade; about 17,000 schools improved by five or more percent in their Grade 6 reading scores; over 2000 schools got better reading scores among Grade 3 students; while 900 schools did better on both the Grades 3 and 6 reading scores.            Moreover, Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat reported in 2007 that the number of schools with very low performance dropped by three-fourths. Graduation rates rose by fiver percent, from 68% to 73% in school year 2005-2006. Levin wrote that there have been an obvious level of energy and enthusiasm and the number of teachers leaving the profession or opting for early retirement was reduced. Insight from Basic System Approach on the Ontario Case            The Ontario experience is one example of how a system works. From the previous lesson, Owens (2004) explained the interrelatedness of subsystems and the multiple causations. The problems of education in Ontario in the 1990s directly hit the teachers. These problems caused serious effects on the quality of education. In turn, the students were affected as they struggled with difficulties on subject areas such as reading and mathematics. Since Ontario is a highly-diversified province, students who are children of immigrants were also knocked down by the problems within the system. One can see, as Owens emphasized, that the multiple causation of problems and solutions directly affect the whole system. My personal analysis is: as a system, the problem of one minute part ripples through the whole system, contributing to its downfall once left unguarded.            The Ontario problem back then was caused by a change in the political leadership and system. Decisions imposed upon the teachers from the authorities led to successive breakdowns in the public educational system. Ultimately, Levin said that most parents lost their confidence in public education and resorted to private enrolment.            Reading through Levin’s article, I could say that the principles behind the continuing success of the Ontario public education system are consistent with our lessons and previous reading. Ontario is a success story; a model which is worth emulating.            Nevertheless, one may wonder: is the Ontario experience transferable? Can it be duplicated to other provinces within Canada and to other countries as well?            I should say that the Ontario experience is unique; for every situation is different from the rest. Many factors contribute to its situation such as the political, economic, cultural, and social atmospheres.            But, despite of the given unique conditions, the strategies can be also applied to smaller systems on a case-to-case basis. Strategy such as reducing classroom size and student mentoring are very pragmatic. Likewise, the principles of participation, consultation and evaluation are quite universal which for me, makes the Ontario project can be reproduced or duplicated to other schools provided that the socio-political and the cultural aspects are integrated. I believe good practices are worth following and must be contextualized to ensure its effectiveness. It must also be sustained. Lessons Learned from the Ontario Experience            The Ontario example is a case which highlights the necessity of change. It demonstrates the power of change to generate positive results which impact the whole system. There are significant lessons which we can pick from the article. Personally, I gained from reading Levin’s work.            The first lesson that struck me is the complexity of the educational system. Education is really indispensable to a country that it takes a government policy to influence the whole system. A government’s decision or ruling on the educational system either build or ruin a country. Countries count on their education department for productive, patriotic and loving citizens; good citizens are profitable to a country. I also realized that a government initiative is very powerful as it demands implementation and obedience from its constituents as compared with a grass-root level or city-level proposals. Political influence and leadership make the implementation of projects or programs more smoothly.            I also appreciate the consultation aspect of the Ontario project. I learned that consultation has benefits. Consultation is a venue where the voices of the concerned parties are heard. By this, there is representation. The suggestions of the parents and teachers are heard. As I ponder through the case, it came to me that consultation is one factor which makes a school system successful.  After all, parents and students are the clients of a school. Their voices must also be tapped for the proper implementation of school projects. Consulting the parents on their children’s concerns and inquiring them on issues are part of our profession as teachers or educators.            Another particular lesson is the relevance of partnership. Levin discussed that the Ministry of Education forged partnerships with different local school boards for the implementation of the two strategies. The educational system has many stakeholders and they must be acknowledged and won over. Through partnership, relationships are formed, allowing for a better working environment.            The reading taught me also that test and accountability matters. Like what the Ontario example demonstrated, tests are very important to measure the success of educational policy. Tests also work as gauges which measure the success of students. I was impressed by the fact the Ontario’s Ministry of Education directed its provincial and district offices to report on the public the progress indicators of the students.            There is no such thing as a complete or perfect program, as what I have reflected from the article. The Ontario experience is not without flaws. Levin wrote that the teachers feel overwhelmed by the tasks. There are challenges for every change or new programs to be implemented. There are always detractors and encouragers within a system. A program can be accepted or scorned. Either way, it is an inescapable reality.            In relation to change, it does not happen in an instant. It is not an overnight function. A change in the system may mean years of implementation. Time can only aid and sharpen its implementation.            Lastly, to recognize the skills and the capabilities of the teachers is one winning factor in education. The Ontario problem commenced because of the government’s bias against the public school teachers (Levin, 2007). Teachers are major stakeholders in the educational system; thus, there’s a need for acknowledgment and incentives. Teachers are important assets; therefore, they must be treated as invaluable human resource to the system. Conclusion            The strategies adopted by the Ontario Ministry of Education proved to be successful. Sustainable, large-scale projects can be a tough challenge but if all the systems are in agreement to it and proper delegation of work is done, it can become a pleasurable job and a welcomed change. Ontario has set an example; my conviction follows: impossible ideas can be realized if the stakeholders within the system are united. Bibliography Levin, B. (2007). Sustainable large-scale renewal. Journal of Educational Change, 8, 323-336. Owens, R. G. (2004). Organizational behavior in education: Adaptive leadership and School Reform. Boston MA: Allyn & Pearson, p. 19-21. Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. (2007). Making it happen. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/makeithappen.pdf. p. 14
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Essay on Leadership - 1121 Words
There is a lot of debate on the differences between leadership and management. In the sports profession there are both leaders and managers. Which positions historically lead and which positions do more managing? With this thought in mind, add your comments to the questions listed below in the discussion section. Feel free to add to existing comments. Leadership and Management Which positions (jobs) in the sports profession do individuals do more leading than managing? Which individuals do more managing than leading?†Pick at least two positions for each category and then justify your response The leading difference between managers and leaders is the way they influence the people who work or follow them, and this†¦show more content†¦A surprising number of these leaders had some form of handicap in their lives which they had to overcome. Some had traumatic childhoods, some had problems such as dyslexia, others were shorter than average. This perhaps taught them the independence of mind that is needed to go out on a limb and not worry about what others are thinking about you. In summary This table summarizes the above (and more) and gives a sense of the differences between being a leader and being a manager. This is, of course, an illustrative characterization, and there is a whole spectrum between either ends of these scales along which each role can range. And many people lead and manage at the same time, and so may display a combination of behaviors. Subject | Leader | Manager | Essence | Change | Stability | Focus | Leading people | Managing work | Have | Followers | Subordinates | Horizon | Long-term | Short-term | Seeks | Vision | Objectives | Approach | Sets direction | Plans detail | Decision | Facilitates | Makes | Power | Personal charisma | Formal authority | Appeal to | Heart | Head | Energy | Passion | Control | Culture | Shapes | Enacts | Dynamic | Proactive | Reactive | Persuasion | Sell | Tell | Style | Transformational | Transactional | Exchange | Excitement for work | Money for workShow MoreRelatedThe Leadership Of Leadership And Leadership842 Word s  | 4 Pagesideals of leadership, I met with two respected and admired school leaders: the Assistant Principal/Dean of Curriculum, and the Athletic Director. I chose these two school leaders because I wanted to gain an understanding of leadership from two diverse perspectives. 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