House-Sitting Puts Ink in the Travel Writers Pen

House-Sitting Puts Ink in the Travel Writers Pen Staying for extended stretches in exotic and culturally rich places for free? Then being paid for pieces you’ve written about your stay? Sounds unreal, but the reality is anything but: over the past several years I’ve spent one- to two-month periods in Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas and St. Vincent and the Grenadines with my sweetheart Alice, without paying a cent for lodging. With some careful prep, and an open eye and mind for stories when you get there, you can set yourself up for exciting travel- and even some green from writing about that excitement. Finding the Opportunities For the past few years,  mindmyhouse.com  has been our house-sitting site of choice. The site provides descriptions and photos of the properties, dates and length of stays, and what the homeowner wants you to do in exchange for staying at their home. MindMyHouse emails listings almost daily, and they are truly from all over the world. Some owners want you to do things like manage multiple Airbnbs or groom their herd of buffalo, but most of them want someone to take care of pets, water plants and keep the house secure. The Net, Cast Wide To be doable, you have to have work that allows you to leave your house for relatively long stretches of time. The Internet has opened the floodgates for such â€Å"solopreneurs.† Both Alice and I have been freelancing out of our home for years. Of course, house-sitting means someone probably has to take care of your home as well. We have a cat who needs attention, as well as a garden, and we’ve found house-sitters on MindMyHouse who have done fine jobs. We wrote a small manual of the idiosyncrasies of our house so that there aren’t any surprises and have made sure the bills are set up to be paid in advance. One sour surprise is when the Internet is spotty in the house-sit home, or worse, out for days at a time. That’s happened to us in the Bahamas, and that didn’t help with some deadlines. However, that does allow for time to engage in travel writing. Look for Angles, Before, During and After Look for story angles in advance to see if there’s any editor interest. I pitched stories about biking to the lava flow on the Big Island and on things to do in Hilo before we spent time there, and later had the pieces published in the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. At the same time, it’s smart- and fun- to be open to story ideas that crop up. When we stayed in the Grenadine Islands, we found out that there’s a rum distillery on St. Vincent and took a private tour there. Haven’t placed that story yet, but I did place a fun one on looking for whiskey on an island of rum. Always have your camera at the ready when you’re out and about, as you’re likely to find sights for your lenses that most short-visit tourists wouldn’t. And I never travel without a notepad, making sure to type up my scrawled notes about people, places and things within a day or two of scrawling them, when my memory is fresh. Your Office Is the World Even if you have to take care of ill or psychologically-damaged pets (a couple of times for us), or a psychologically-damaged owner (once, and that was enough), the opportunities for travel writing as a house-sitter are deep. House-sitting puts you in a great position to see splendid sights- and then set them on the paying page.

Go Ahead, Put that Preposition at the End!

Go Ahead, Put that Preposition at the End! Go Ahead, Put that Preposition at the End! Go Ahead, Put that Preposition at the End! By Maeve Maddox Commenting on one of my posts about prepositions, Annette writes: When did the rule about ending the sentence with a preposition change? Its always been one of my pet peeves (in written word more than spoken) because we learned it was wrong in high school grammar. but now Im reading that its acceptable? Could all our English teachers have been wrong? No grammarian can be more cantankerous than H.W. Fowler (A Dictionary of Modern English Usage), but here is what he says about prepositions at the end of a sentence: It is a cherished superstition that prepositions must, in spite of the incurable English instinct for putting them latebe kept true to their name and placed before the word they govern. He says Dryden, Gibbon, and Ruskin spread the notion that English sentences must never end with a preposition. Dryden was so steeped in a classical education that he sometimes translated his sentences into Latin before writing them down in English. Gibbon was so determined not to end a sentence with a preposition that he avoided ending them with adverbs that looked like prepositions. For example, words like on, over, off, and under may be either prepositions or adverbs, depending on their function in the sentence, He ran after the wagon and jumped on. on is an adverb telling where He left on the horse he rode in on. on is possibly a preposition, but would the sentence be improved by writing He left on the horse on which he rode in? We still have a word that looks like a preposition ending the sentence. Would it really improve an idiomatic sentence like What did you do that for? to rewrite it as For what did you do that? Weve all heard how Churchill rebuked the secretary who revised the great mans sentences to avoid ending them with prepositions: This is the kind of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put. The sentence is funny and succeeds in poking fun at the over-venerated rule, but the expression put up with is a phrasal verb that means endure or suffer. Idiomatic English makes use of many such verb phrases: ask out George wants to ask Mary out. add up These figures just dont add up. As writers we need to be aware of the rules of our medium and strive not to write anything barbaric, i.e., unidiomatic. We need to be alert to differences between formal and informal expression, but whether we are writing a scientific treatise or an irreverent novel, we need to stay true to our instinctive grasp of our native language. Ill give Fowler the last word: Those who lay down the universal principle that final prepositions are inelegant are unconsciously trying to deprive the English language of a valuable idiomatic resource, which has been used freely by all our greatest writers except those whose instinct for English idiom has been overpowered by notions of correctness derived from Latin standards. The legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English must be uncompromisingly maintained; in respect of elegance or inelegance, every example must be judged not by any arbitrary rule, but on its own merits, according to the impression it makes on the feeling of educated English readers. For a useful list of phrasal verbs, visit Daves ESL Cafe. See Churchill on Prepositions for a discussion of the Churchill anecdote. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?Difference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"Narrative, Plot, and Story

Week 3-Individual small Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 3-Individual small - Assignment Example She decided that since she could not afford to pay 12000 dollars to health care for her first year in self-employment, she would seek more affordable coverage. She found out that she was only eligible for a cheaper insurance at this time of the year based on â€Å"special enrollment." This â€Å"special enrollment† includes elements like unexpected divorce, birth of a baby, and job loss among other circumstances that would make paying the needed money for health cover hard. Though this is a national case of changes in health care, the impact is far felt within the country. The reason for such ignorance is that sources of education for most people on health care changes and the requirement are not reliable and do not give finer details of options that are present. In this article, the author does not directly make a claim to solve the problem but anyone reading her article knows her suggestion. The lesson is that people need to be reeducated on the possibilities and circumstances that surround changes in healthcare insurance coverage as a means to adapt to healthcare reforms (Jean Card, 2014). Jean Card. (2014, July 17). How Obamacare Screwed Up My Small Business Health Insurance - US News. US News & World Report. Retrieved August 28, 2014, from

A report based on an international HRM case study Essay - 1

A report based on an international HRM case study - Essay Example Therefore, the senior management team has asked the human resource manager to undertake a thorough assessment of the prevailing scenario in the US as well as in the Scandinavian nations in terms of cultural values, recruitment and training along with payment and reward. Thus, the paper intends to make the required analysis along with providing the senior management a recommendation regarding the most appropriate location for establishing the manufacturing unit among the US or a Scandinavian nation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Managing human resource efficiently has become a key element in the modern day business context. Organisations nowadays are providing significant consideration towards recognising the prevailing context of a foreign nation before commencing their business operations. In this context, understanding cultural aspects of a foreign country is imperative to ascertain that diversity management aspect can be maintained by the company efficiently in future. Wit h due consideration to this notion, an electronics manufacturing company has endeavoured to establish its manufacturing unit in either the United States of America or in a Scandinavian nation. ... 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Cultural Values 5 Recruitment and Training 8 Payment and Reward 11 Recommendations and Conclusion 14 References 16 Introduction An electronics company that produces electronic goods for the mobile phone industry intends to set up a manufacturing unit either in the United States of America or in any of the Scandinavian countries. Scandinavia comprises five nations namely, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland. The purpose of this report is to analyse the human resource policies and practices of these countries in order to make the due changes in the intended manufacturing unit. Recruitment and managing of local employees are among the key responsibilities bestowed upon the human resource manager of the organisation. Thus, a thorough assessment of the existing scenarios in these two societies is a pertinent initiative to proceed appropriately. The various aspects to be considered while making such analysis are the cultural values, the recruit ment and training practices of the countries, the payment and rewards system followed by the countries. Values concerning the societies and its importance among the citizens are to be evaluated critically in order to align the work culture of the planned manufacturing unit. The recruitment and training being one of the most important human resource aspects to be followed by a company, the practices pertaining to them are to be adopted by the manufacturing unit in order to run successfully and in compliance with the surrounding. The recruitment and training practices or trends followed by the business units in a country are also of great importance in order to

Business Models and Systems Essay Example for Free

Business Models and Systems Essay The business that I am choosing to write about is a small convenience store located across the street from my children’s school. It is owned and operated by a very pleasant Indian couple. It is located in a remote area where there are very few businesses in close proximity. This store offers a variety of products and prepared foods. The three main components of the business system that comprises this particular business are as follows: Business as Commerce – They give money in exchange for the products they need to fill their store. In this case, the owners will look for sales at other stores, and then purchase them to sell in their store. They are making a profit from their trade because it is increasing their utility. Business as an Occupation – In order for them to increase their profit they would need to specialize in food service and preparation, customer service, and modern technologies. In other words, they had to learn how to make and present the foods that they offer, they had to learn how to communicate appropriately with their customers, and learn how to gain access to and operate new machines to make a greater profit. Business as an Organization – For the time being, this particular business is owned and operated by just two people. If sometime in the future they would decide to combine their talents and resources with other people, they will be able to pursue new opportunities and reduce transaction costs and increase their profitability.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein as a Critique of Masculinity Essay

Introduction The idea for the novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein came to her one night when she was staying in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary Shelley’s whole life seems to have been heavily influenced by men. She idolised her father, William Godwyn, and appears to have spent a good part of her life trying very hard to impress both him and her husband. There seems to have been a distinct lack of female influence, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, having died weeks after her birth, being replaced by a neglectful step-mother. These aspects of her life are perhaps evident in her novel. The characters and plot of Frankenstein were perhaps influenced by Shelley’s conflicting feelings about the predominately masculine circle which surrounded her, and perhaps the many masculine traits that we see in novel were based upon those of the male figures in Shelley’s own life. In th is essay I will attempt to show some of these traits. Argument Perhaps the most obvious way we can read the novel as a critique of masculinity is the very obvious way in which Shelley develops the male characters more than she does the female. She portrays the male characters as the stronger sex with the female characters seemingly completely dependant on the male, and their whole lives seem to be taken up by the males every move. The female characters in the novel ar every much idealised figures of perfection and passiveness. She portrays women as weak, beautiful, subservient beings who live only for the men in their lives. This is evident from the opening sentence of the narrator of the novel, Walton, who is writing to his sister in England while he is on an expedit... ...e life that he is creating is undeniably male, as this is the sex he views as the stronger of the two, there is never a question for a moment that he may create a female. Conclusion The theme of masculinity is strong throughout the novel, and I will finish with what may be the strongest example of masculinity of all, although it is not a favourable one. Perhaps the character of the monster represents the flaw in masculinity in the society of that day, created without the use of a woman, and is an example of the dangers of a society without woman. And I feel that Shelley was perhaps manipulating the masculine identities in the novel to show the flaws that such attitudes towards women can create, and persuade her audience that a society without women would be disastrous. Bibliography Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, (Berkshire: Penguin Popular Classics, 1994)

Alcohol Laws

Three days ago, i attended the burial ceremony of my best friend. Not only do we do everything together, we have become family.Our parents were mates in college so the legacy continued with the children. We went to the same preschool, high school and as we planned it, we went to the same university. Jack did not die of any sickness neither was he murdered – he, like many Americans, lost his life in a highway accident as a result of drunk driving.In this essay, I will be making an exposition into alcohol abuse and the problems that come with it. I will also explain the extent to which this vice has eaten up into our lives as a nation.Furthermore, I will examine the major alcohol laws in America and probing into if these laws have actually helped in curbing the problems associated with alcohol use. I will also be making a comparison of the DUI laws in each state and how this directly or indirectly tells on the extent in which people abuse alcohol in these states. Finally, I will be using Las Vegas as a point of reference for alcohol abuse – the DUI laws that exist in the state, the people’s disposition towards alcohol use and the effect that this lifestyle has on the people of the state.For the purpose of clarity of this essay, it will suffice to make a conceptual definition of the major terms that will be used in this essay. Alcohol abuse can be defined as the act that involves the use of alcohol in an immoderate manner turning into an unhealthy habit. Alcohol abuse is not the intake of alcohol but the intake of alcohol everyday or excessively at a time.Many people confuse alcohol abuse to alcoholism. Alcohol abuse as an act is less severe to alcoholism. Although both of them are alcohol disorders, alcoholism is an extreme form of alcohol intake that leads a person to alcohol dependence – a state where an individual develops unusual cravings for alcohol, uncontrollable consumption of alcohol, physical dependence on alcohol to feel alr ight and tolerance.Alcohol abuse as an act is typified when an individual who is under the influence of alcohol is involved in some life threatening activities like driving and other activities that pose a threat on the life of the individual and people around him/her.The term DUI simply put is an acronym for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. In States in America, DUI is an alcohol laws that is set as a way of reducing casualties of highway accidents.This is determined by a test done on the blood of the person accused of the DUI offence. Although every state has a form of DUI laws that seek to keep alcohol consumers in check, the intensity of this law differ from one state to another. While some states have stricter and almost non-tolerant DUI laws, the DUI laws in other states are less strict and tolerant.â€Å"The 2001 survey shows 25 million (one in ten) Americans surveyed reported driving under the influence of alcohol. This report is nearly three million more than the pr evious year. Among young adults age 18 to 25 years, almost 23% drove under the influence of alcohol† (Drugs-rehabs.org, 2002).Alcohol abuse in America is not an individual problem but a national one. In America, alcohol remains the number 1 drug problem we face. According to statistics gotten from a study made in 2000, an average American consumes over 25 gallons of beer, 2 gallons of wine and 1.5 gallons of distilled spirits every year (Drugs-rehabs.org, 2002).Apart from this, it was discovered that The American government spends over $100 million in healthcare on alcohol and alcohol related problems. Perhaps the most appalling of these statistics is the fact that over 15 million people are dependent on alcohol and of these number, 500 000 fall between the ages of 9 and 12.Alcohol has made a nuisance of many families in America. As statistics have it that three out of four of cases of spouse violent victim incidents happened as a result of alcohol use/abuse by the offender. à ‚  Apart from this, it is reported that four in ten criminal offenders blame alcohol as reason for their violent behaviour. The younger generation are not excluded from this madness. In the same report, it is alleged that students in America spend over $5.5 billion on alcohol.This accounts for double of what they spend on beverages books and milk combined.   In addition to this, it was reported in a survey done in 200 that about 7 million persons between the ages of 12 to 20 was an excessive drinker (drug-rehab.org, 2002). With the death toll statistics by alcohol abuse rising each year, we are faced with a problem that we ourselves caused with our very own hands. We have become a prisoner of our own decisions and every day, someone somewhere in America has to pay the price.Alcohol has been woven into the fibres of our lives. Everyday, someone somewhere is being lured into the population of alcohol consumers. â€Å"Each year, a typical young person in the United States is inundat ed with more than 1,000 commercials for beer and wine coolers and several thousand fictional drinking incidents on television† (drug-rehab.org, 2002).  With the society being infused with this unhealthy habit, the family is the first contact of a victim to alcohol usage. According to drug-rehab.org, about 43% of Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in their families while growing up so they grow up consuming alcohol.

Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government Essay

Using the documents and your knowledge of the period, evaluate this statement. From 1781 up until 1789 the United States government was based off of the principles of the Articles of Confederation which were created after the Revolutionary War. The articles of confederation created a republic which limited its leaders from much of the powers needed in order to successfully govern the country. This lead to many state disputes, and political struggles. On the contrary, the Articles set up a framework for the U.S. Constitution that lead to a strong centralized government and the prosperity of the United States. The limits put forth by the Articles of Confederation led to state and political disputes, and foreign affairs, but it also had strong and effective characteristics to support a government. The Articles of Confederation’s strong views of a republic and steps set up to avoid autocracy lead to many disputes in the states. Fresh off of the war for independence with Britain, the founding fathers wrote the Articles of Confederation to ensure that their new independent country would not resemble the Autocracy that they had just liberated themselves from, so the created a republic. Their first attempt, the Articles of Confederation, caused many problems throughout the country. A major problem causer was the clause that majority vote had to be achieved in order to pass a law. This was a major problem between states for instance a letter from Rhode Island to congress stated, † I enclose their unanimous resolution [to reject] the recommendation of congress, respecting their impost on imported goods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (document a) . Rejections of laws were a major problem between states at the time because some laws would benefit states in the south but not the north making it very difficult to pass a majority vote. One states interests could effect another’s simply by rejecting to vote. Another major  problem with the government the articles set up was their inability to make any revenue. Since the national government did not have the power to tax states they had very little. The quote by a former soldier of the revolution, â€Å"Every class of public creditors must know the inability of congress to pay their demands, unless furnished by the means of several states†¦ (doc C)† shows Congress’ lack of money and their inability to supply the people with what they need. In order to successfully run a government money is needed and the articles of confederation made it very difficult for congress to make any. In John Jays letter to George Washington, his fear of the government collapsing due to lack of money and power make known the problems the Articles of Confederation have brought upon the nation. † †¦We are going and doing wrong, and therefore I look forward to evils and calamities, but without being able to guess at the instrument, na ture or measure of them†¦(doc G)† Jay predicts that if the country stays on the path it is heading, the rich and powerful will obtain more power then the government leading to the complete failure of the articles of confederation. While many changes were made by the Articles of Confederation in order separate their habits from that of Great Britain, it caused many disputes between the states and federal government. After the Revolution and the Creation of the Articles of Confederation, foreign affairs began occurring quite frequently. After the war with Britain, exports between the United States and Britain decreased from around 6 million dollars to around 4 million and stayed their consistently from 1784 to 1792 (Doc B) . The decrease of trade was a major problem for a new country in the beginning stages of development, and also the population was rising each year which lead to a greater demand of trade goods and foods. Another foreign affair that arose was loyalists who had left the country for safety wanted payment of debts owed to them before the war. Under the articles of confederation they were not required to receive former debts and Britain was required to cede all territories in their limits to the U.S. (doc D) The demands ensuing to the war lead Britain, France, and Spain to restrict U.S. trade with their territories. Foreign affairs also arose with Spain for they had control of much of the land west of the Mississippi River. Another speech by John Jay, this time to Spain’s minister Diego de  Gardoqui, tells of Americans ambitious of expanding westward and that the jump to use the Mississippi and its territories are imminent. Minister Gardoqui disagrees and feels the people are 15-20 years away from wanting to move west.(doc F) Since their is no restriction in the Articles of Confederation to move west, like their was by Britain in the Proclamation of 1763, this causes a problem between Spain and the U.S. The Articles of Confederation lead to many foreign affairs following its establishment in 1781. Though many problems arose stemming from the Articles of Confederation it also had its positive affects towards the united states government. The main goal of congress when writing the document was to limit the power of the federal government and leave the power in the hands of the people. It may have limited the power of congress to much too large of an extent but it succeeded in limiting the government. Also the fundamental rights of the people, policy on foreign affairs, and establishment of a democratic republic created a sturdy framework for the U.S. Constitution which is still prominent today. The belief that the Articles of Confederation made a solid structure for the Constitution was shown by Rawlin Lowndes in his speech to the South Carolina State of Representatives. The quote by Lowndes, † I solemnly called on the house to consider whether it would not be better to add strength to the old confederation, instead of hastily adapting another; asking whether a man could be looked on as wise, who, possessing a magnificent building, upon discovering a flaw, instead of repairing the injury, should pull it down†¦(doc H)†. Lowndes describes the Articles of Confederation as a â€Å"magnificent building† that has minor flaws that easily could be repaired into a strong basis of government. The Articles of Confederation have the right concepts, they just need some improvements to overcome the many problems associated with them. Between 1781 and 1789 the Articles of Confederation set up an effective means of government that worked well for the short time it was in use, but it also developed problems between states, politics, and foreign affairs. In the documents, problems were brought up describing the limited power congress had, and the troubles between the U.S, Britain, and Spain. These  problems lead to the reformation of the Confederation after 1789 in which the U.S constitution was born.

The 5 Most Searched for Jobs in 2015

The 5 Most Searched for Jobs in 2015 Just as one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so is one man’s undesirable job a keeper for another. But some jobs have more to offer than others. Google recently announced its list of most frequently searched for jobs in 2015. Let’s take a closer look at what contemporary job hunters are looking for and why. 5. NCAAThis one may seem like a bit of a surprise, but it makes sense when you break it down. After all, people love their sports. The NCAA - short for National Collegiate Athletic Association - is dedicated to supporting hundreds of thousands of student-athletes and safeguarding not only their well-being on the playing fields, but also throughout their lives.A quick glance at the NCAA website reveals a diversity of job openings - from accounting to scouting - both at the national office in Indiana and with college athletics programs all over the country.Despite the diversity in type of job, however, openings are few and far between, so intere sted qualified applicants should move quickly when appropriate jobs become available.4. DisneyIt may be a â€Å"small world, after all,† but The Walt Disney Company’s legacy is massive, its brand and products are unbeatable, and the company’s commitment to innovation, great location, and terrific benefits add up to an appealing corporate culture for many job seekers. In fact, some employees report that working for Disney is not so much a job as it is being part of a family. For this reason, the competition for jobs at Disney is stiff - both externally and internally.  Getting a Disney job is not impossible, though. After all, the company employs approximately 166,000 people in more than 40 countries working in a variety of positions ranging from arts to engineers.3. EngineeringThere are many reasons people seek engineering jobs, ranging from financial security to the challenging nature of the work. Engineering is a broad field with a massive spectrum of caree r opportunities, all of which offer the opportunity to help change and improve the world. Engineers also value the ability to work in a constantly changing field, and to be part of that momentum.And then there’s the matter of compensation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage for an engineer is a whopping $96,350.2. WarehouseWith the rise of companies like Amazon and Costco, warehouse jobs are more plentiful than ever. While the work can be physical, many employees appreciate the sense of camaraderie and the busy nature of the job, as well as corporate efforts to promote safety, such as group stretches before the day’s laboring begins. Warehouse jobs are largely diverse, and include everything from industrial truck and tractor operators to store clerks and order fillers.Because entry level warehouse jobs don’t typically require a college degree, the door is open to more job seekers. Additionally, most employees report that there is p lenty of room for job advancement.1. GovernmentJob openings with the federal government are available within all 50 states as well as overseas. But why are these positions so coveted? Stability is one of the premier advantages of jobs in the government sector; in fact, government positions are largely considered to be among the country’s most secure jobs. Government jobs also come with many perks, holidays, and a low-stress environment which might not be found in the private sector.While government pay is tightly regulated, it reported to be comparable with what you might find in the business world. In other words, while a government job may not make you rich, it may well make you very comfortable.  And there’s good news for all of your government job hunters: according to the Office of Personnel Management, of the country’s 2.3 million federal civilian employees, a full quarter are eligible for retirement. Who will fill these spaces, given the lack of interna l candidates? External applicants just like you.One last thing to keep in mind. While more job hunters are looking for jobs in these areas, there’s no correlations between demand and openings. In fact, the three industries predicted to see the most growth in the coming years - retail, business services, and healthcare - didn’t make the cut among Google job searchers. So how do you gain an inside edge on the competition? Develop your skill set, understand what today’s employers are looking for, and be proactive in your job search.

How to Approach a Teacher With a Concern

How to Approach a Teacher With a Concern Even the best teachers make an occasional mistake. We are not perfect, and most of us will admit our failures. Great teachers will proactively inform  parents immediately when they realize they have made a mistake. Most parents will appreciate the candor in this approach. When a teacher realizes they have made a mistake and decides not to inform the parent, it seems dishonest and will have a negative effect on the parent-teacher relationship. When Your Child Reports an Issue What should you do if your child comes home and tells you they had an issue with a teacher? First of all, do not jump to conclusions. While you want to back your child at all times, it is necessary to realize that there are always two sides to a story. Children will occasionally stretch the truth because they are afraid they will be in trouble. There are also times that they did not accurately interpret the actions of the teacher. In any case, there is a right way and wrong way to address any concerns brought about by what your child had told you. How you confront or approach the issue may be the most crucial aspect of handling a concern with a teacher. If you take a â€Å"guns blazing† approach, the teacher and the administration are likely going to label you a â€Å"difficult parent†. This will lead to increased frustration. School officials will automatically go into defense mode and will be less likely to cooperate. It is imperative that you come in calm and level-headed.   Addressing the Issue With the Teacher How should you address a concern with a teacher? In most cases, you can start with the teacher themselves. However, it is crucial to note that if it involves the breaking of a law inform the principal and file a police report. Set up an appointment to meet with the teacher at a time that is convenient for them. This will typically be before school, after school, or during their planning period. Let them know immediately that you have some concerns and want to hear their side of the story. Provide them with the details that you have been given. Give them an opportunity to explain their side of the situation. There are times where a teacher genuinely does not realize they have made a mistake. Hopefully, this will provide the answers you are seeking. If the teacher is rude, uncooperative, or speaks in vague double talk, it may be time to advance to the next step in the process. In any case, be sure to document the details of your discussion. This will be helpful should the issue remain unresolved. Most issues can be resolved without having to take it to the principal. However, there are certainly times when this is warranted. Most principals will be willing to listen so long as you are civil. They field parent concerns quite often so they are usually adept at handling them.  Be prepared to provide them with as much information as possible. What to Expect Next Understand that they are going to investigate the complaint thoroughly and that it may take them several days before they get back with you. They should provide you with a follow-up call/meeting to discuss the situation further. It is essential to note that they will not be able to discuss the specifics if teacher discipline was warranted. However, there is an excellent chance that the teacher was placed on a plan of improvement.  They should provide details of a resolution as it pertains directly to your child. Again, it is beneficial to document the details of the initial meeting and any follow-up calls/meetings. The good news is that 99% of perceived teacher problems are handled before getting to this point. If you are not satisfied with the way the principal handled the situation, the next step would be to go through a similar process with the superintendent. Only take this step if the teacher and the principal absolutely refuse to cooperate with you in handling the problem. Give them all the details of your situation including the results of your meetings with the teacher and principal. Allow them plenty of time to resolve the issue. If you still believe the situation is unresolved, you may take the complaint to the local board of education. Be sure to follow the district policies and procedures for being placed on the board agenda. You will not be allowed to address the board if you have not. The board expects administrators and teachers to do their jobs. When you do bring a complaint before the board, it can force the superintendent and principal to take the matter more seriously than they had previously. Going before the board is the last opportunity to have your problem resolved. If you still are unsatisfied, you can decide to seek a change of placement. You can look to have your child placed in another classroom, apply for a transfer to another district, or homeschool your child.

Religion and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and technology - Essay Example Therefore, the relationship between technology, specifically as a function of science, and religion is characterized by ‘mutually exclusive’ tendencies on both sides that restrict their ability to work together. Religion and theology refuse to acknowledge and often dismiss the technological claims that do not resonate with the role of God in the Universe or that spelled out by the scripture. For example, advancements in technology are meant to increase efficiency in production and make life easier. On the other hand, religion is concerned with the interactions between man and man, man and the environment and man and God. Ethics are a function of religion because, in most cultures, ethics define right and wrong. The values of right and wrong are defined by the religious values of a community. Currently, there are many problems in the use of technology. For example, environmental degradation is a function of technological advancement. In addition, violation of important ethical considerations in the society has increasingly resulted in poverty in poor societies because of a technological handicap compared to the developed countries. On the other hand, the role of religion has been decreasing over the last few centuries. More people are abandoning their religious beliefs because they often feel that the beliefs are outdated or impractical. In addition, the proposition of other theories of the origin of man and sources of answers previously only provided by religion has lessened the role of religion to the people.