High School Curriculum :: Education Argumentative Persuasive Papers

High School Curriculum When reviewing the literature regarding the past, present and future of educational curriculum, several main points seem apparent, namely that curriculum is cyclical, that a dilemma or paradox exists, and that curriculum must be looked at with a sensitive view. According to Lashway (1999) educators once saw educational reform as cyclical. Every ten years or so one could expect a public outburst followed by frantic efforts to mend a broken system. However, in the last twenty years there seems to have been a perpetual reform. Looking to the past it seems that curriculum became diluted. Schools offered many electives; schools even watered down the curriculum hoping to â€Å"keep† students (which was later found to only compound the problem) (Mclaughlin 1990). Curriculum resembled a lawn sprinkler covering a lot of area yet having very little force. In the 1980’s a report called â€Å"A Nation At Risk† stated that American children had fallen behind in such subjects as math and science. Thus came the advent of education’s increased focus on literacy and numeracy, accountability and academic standards. These high standards, according to Dumas (2000), are the most significant trend in schools today. These new standards seem to be focusing more on both accountability and back to basics. As a math teacher I can be delighted by this focus. However, as a potential administrator, I realize this is too myopic a view. Indeed these standards have created a dilemma -- a conundrum -- a paradox. Back to basics? BUT these basics must be taught differently, by stressing higher level thinking and life/work appreciation. Additionally, all children must be taught, be they rich, poor, learning disabled, foreign speakers etc. Cut frills but be creative Do not forget educating the â€Å"whole† child. Do well on standardized test while remembering and accounting for fewer standardized kids. Be literate and professional but as pointed out in numerous articles, care, and be a good moral person. Additionally include character education for students. This has led some educators to express reservations about these current trends, mostly because of fears that reform will be driven by conformity to policy mandates rather than the educational needs of children. John Goodlad (1999) observes, â€Å"The language of school reform virtually eschews reference to the measuring of self, civility, civic-mindedness, democratic character and participation in the whole of the human conservation.

Imagery in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

What Mark Twain is trying to portray in this part of, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is that Boggs is plainly looking for trouble, and Colonel Sherburn is as well. In this part of the book, Boggs comes galloping along on his horse, to town where he wants to kill Sherburn. His motto, â€Å"meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on† (107) is referring to him killing Colonel Sherburn and then eat him up in a sense of having pride that Boggs defeated someone. When I was reading this part of the novel, I pictured Boggs as a mid-aged, really large man. Also, the book said he had a really red face so it made me picture him getting out of breath easy. Losing his breath foreshadowed a bit to me that he was the one that was going to be defeated, being â€Å"weak†. As Boggs was trying to act strong and brave, it turned out that Sherburn was the brave one, I pictured. Sherburn seemed like he just walked out of the store in Arkansas in a brave matter, with no care in the world after he gave that speech. Colonel Sherburn seemed sick of Boggs running his mouth, and so he shot Boggs multiple times. The word â€Å"bang!† kept appearing in this chapter, and it showed me how Sherburn wanted to do what he thought was necessary, though he was frustrated a bit. What really caught my eye was when they were trying to keep Boggs alive, and they put a Bible over his chest and under his head. This made sense that they thought, through their religion, that that could help Boggs out and that the Holy Spirit would bring him back to life, but unfortunately they did not. When first reading this, chills were brought to me with the smell of really fresh air and the sound of huffing and puffing as Boggs kept gasping for that sweet air.

National Peace and Security - 737 Words

Security is everywhere. It is needed for virtually everything that is accessed today. From starting your car, to logging onto Facebook, to clocking in at work, security is always present. One of the most noticeable forms of security is the police and the Army. They are the security for the country, both for internal and external threats. Police are more internal security, dealing with crimes caused by the general population. Army deals with outside threats, by addressing situations that are overseas that can cause harm to those within the States. To protect from these threats, the security appears to look intimidating, due to powerful weapons and armor placed upon the person. However, when this happens, a side effect occurs, where the civilians may become scared of the force, and begin to distrust the security, and also began to fear corruption. To be able to stop this side effect from happening, the security sector reformation must find the corrupt who cause the distrust and fear to occur, and end it. The way to best reform the security sector within societies within transition is by finding and removing the corrupt, and by doing that, you will raise faith in the security sector by the people. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says in an 2011 Human Rights Council â€Å"I call on all those in positions of authority to take steps to prevent the commission of crimes or acts of revenge, and for other concerned parties to strongly refrain from undertaking any actsShow MoreRelatedNational Security Requires a Clear Acknowledgement of the Shifting of Power and Peace1061 Words   |  4 Pagesago. No longer can any state, nation, or people expect to remain an island. Indeed, as we are interconnected, so too are our fates. 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