Learn to Cherish Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Learn to Cherish - Essay Example Unable to cope with the loss, my father swiftly degenerated into a hopeless drunkard. Friday morning was the last time we would see him in the week. After work on Friday he no longer came home. Instead he went on a drinking spree with his friends, a spree that would last till Monday morning. Then we would come back home very early in the morning to take a shower, change and go to work. Apart from paying the bills and buying food, he simply no longer cared about what was happening at home. From what I heard, he had become irresponsible even at work and was threatened with being fired anytime. For me, and I guess for the whole family, what made the experience even more painful was the knowledge that my mother had eloped with a man who was not just our neighbor, but also the father of my childhood friend and first playmate. I hated her passionately. Given the worsening situation at home, one of our maternal aunties took custody of our last born while one of our elder sisters, already married at the time, took me in. As I left home I could not help but worry about my father. My younger sibling and I had found refuge in my aunt and sister, respectively. As for my father, now left alone at home, no one seemed to care for him; it was though he had been left to drink himself to death. In the few months that followed my leaving home, I learned from my sister that my uncles had tried to intervene in my fathers situation, but given up shortly afterwards after they had concluded that he could not be helped. In the days and months that followed, my sister avoided my fathers story every time I brought up: she was not interested. She was even opposed to me visiting him. For the decade that followed my mother’s elopement, I have since lived with two of my sisters and a host of other relatives. In all my wanderings amongst my siblings and relatives, I will never forget the unceremonious way in which my first sister who took me in

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Research - Essay Example This has resulted in losing focus on the real reason teachers should focus upon diversity issues, i.e., to better understand their students and help them learn in a heterogeneous classroom. Personal Reaction. My personal reaction to this article is agreement. I think that diversity should extend beyond race and language to include other significant differences in the classroom. I agree that teachers should focus on providing the best possible learning environment. Summary. The article by Linda Pickett (2008) asserts that every child is, at its core, an intact human being. As such, they have a hunger for learning, an inborn sense of what is fair, and a desire for validation that, if given, is returned. She notes that in spite of these characteristics, society is war-torn and full of ethnic conflicts that require the cultivation of nurturing children in their innate good qualities. In spite of the increase of social diversity, however, most debates in education focus on maintaining a competitive edge in global competition. Thus, she concludes, educators must find a way to bring families and children together as partners in fostering tolerance. Personal Reaction. I agree that teachers can occupy a unique position to encourage diversity. I am not convinced that the primary focus of current education debate is literacy, math, and science, however. I think that diversity is a concentration point, if not a debate, in the profession. Important Questions (3). How can teachers foster the innate goodness of young children? Is diversity taking second place to global competitiveness? If given the opportunity during early pre-school education, will children demonstrate tolerance as they develop? Summary. In a very interesting article on poverty as a component of classroom diversity, Cuthrell, Ledford, & Stapleton (2007) provide a compelling story of a young