A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence Free Essays

Teenagers will be teenagers.   Perhaps this is the best way to understand the lives of eight teenagers in Hersch’s (1999) book, A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence.   Although Hersch only writes about American teenagers, adolescents around the world may be able to relate to the eight kids interviewed by the author. We will write a custom essay sample on A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence or any similar topic only for you Order Now They are naughty, to say the least, and their parents seem to have little or no interest in how they are leading or in fact ruining their lives.   The teenagers use illegal drugs, enjoy premarital sex, steal, get into trouble, and essentially do everything that they are most likely to do in the absence of adults from their lives. Adults have abused them through neglect or other means.   Hence, the young people do not have real models to follow.   Instead, they experiment with life so as to learn their own lessons before adulthood strikes.   Many of the lessons that such teenagers may learn will undoubtedly be painful if not plain sad. It is clear to the reader of A Tribe Apart that these teenagers could have been saved from the difficulties they may inevitably face by following models of propriety. All the same, it is impossible to find such models when their parents are missing from home and out at work.   Teachers may not be able to fill in the gap seeing as it is the parents’ responsibility to teach morality to their kids for the latter to consider it believable.   After all, children are meant to spend more time with their parents than with their teachers. The teenagers of A Tribe Apart do not belong to poor families.   Researchers have often described adolescents from poor families who are neglected or abused by other means before they turn into drug addicts or thieves. Teenagers belonging to poor families are therefore believed by the masses to be morally degraded.   The unique fact about Hersch’s book is that all of the teenagers she has interviewed for her research belong to the healthy middle class.   Perhaps this makes it easier for adolescents around the globe to relate to the eight teenagers in her book. Most if not all teenagers may be considered ‘a tribe apart’ as the reader contemplates the fact that both the haves and the have-nots behave in similar ways through adolescence.   Indeed, teenagers belonging to poor families appear to be destroying their lives just like the adolescents interviewed by Hersch for her study. The good news is, however, that Hersch’s book could serve as a warning signal for parents who have neglected or abused their growing kids in other ways.   If parents do not take heed, their growing kids may very well shape themselves as adults that behave like their own parents.   Wealth does not matter in this case.   Rather, teenagers would remain as stereotypical teenagers – experimenting with adulthood in their youth.   They know no boundaries. They are always crossing their limits.   Most importantly, there is nobody to guide them out of their troubled existence.   Drugs and sex become the sole source of joy for them.   Thus, Hersch’s book is a wake up call that all parents must give serious thought to.   The fact that eight teenagers confided in Hersch must also be taken seriously.   It is possible for parents to honestly understand their kids.   Hersch has proved this with her research. How to cite A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence, Papers

A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence Free Essays

Teenagers will be teenagers.   Perhaps this is the best way to understand the lives of eight teenagers in Hersch’s (1999) book, A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence.   Although Hersch only writes about American teenagers, adolescents around the world may be able to relate to the eight kids interviewed by the author. We will write a custom essay sample on A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence or any similar topic only for you Order Now They are naughty, to say the least, and their parents seem to have little or no interest in how they are leading or in fact ruining their lives.   The teenagers use illegal drugs, enjoy premarital sex, steal, get into trouble, and essentially do everything that they are most likely to do in the absence of adults from their lives. Adults have abused them through neglect or other means.   Hence, the young people do not have real models to follow.   Instead, they experiment with life so as to learn their own lessons before adulthood strikes.   Many of the lessons that such teenagers may learn will undoubtedly be painful if not plain sad. It is clear to the reader of A Tribe Apart that these teenagers could have been saved from the difficulties they may inevitably face by following models of propriety. All the same, it is impossible to find such models when their parents are missing from home and out at work.   Teachers may not be able to fill in the gap seeing as it is the parents’ responsibility to teach morality to their kids for the latter to consider it believable.   After all, children are meant to spend more time with their parents than with their teachers. The teenagers of A Tribe Apart do not belong to poor families.   Researchers have often described adolescents from poor families who are neglected or abused by other means before they turn into drug addicts or thieves. Teenagers belonging to poor families are therefore believed by the masses to be morally degraded.   The unique fact about Hersch’s book is that all of the teenagers she has interviewed for her research belong to the healthy middle class.   Perhaps this makes it easier for adolescents around the globe to relate to the eight teenagers in her book. Most if not all teenagers may be considered ‘a tribe apart’ as the reader contemplates the fact that both the haves and the have-nots behave in similar ways through adolescence.   Indeed, teenagers belonging to poor families appear to be destroying their lives just like the adolescents interviewed by Hersch for her study. The good news is, however, that Hersch’s book could serve as a warning signal for parents who have neglected or abused their growing kids in other ways.   If parents do not take heed, their growing kids may very well shape themselves as adults that behave like their own parents.   Wealth does not matter in this case.   Rather, teenagers would remain as stereotypical teenagers – experimenting with adulthood in their youth.   They know no boundaries. They are always crossing their limits.   Most importantly, there is nobody to guide them out of their troubled existence.   Drugs and sex become the sole source of joy for them.   Thus, Hersch’s book is a wake up call that all parents must give serious thought to.   The fact that eight teenagers confided in Hersch must also be taken seriously.   It is possible for parents to honestly understand their kids.   Hersch has proved this with her research. How to cite A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence, Papers

It Was The Year 3000. The World Was Just Coming Out Of Another Major W

It was the year 3000. The world was just coming out of another major war, World War Four. It has been a little over a year since the war ended. Things are recovering nicely. My older brother T.S. was recruited, he survived. We were happy to see him come home. School has just started back again, things have changed, the teachers seem to be very timid and quiet, they have hardly given us any homework. A lot of people I know have lost their families, I'm lucky to still have my family. None of my close friends were effected either, my friends and I are all well off, we could afford not to get hurt. This was are last year in school. We were to graduate in four months; then we would never have school again. The month before school ended, some talk about the Hitler of World War Four was afoot. See, what this man tried to do was take over the world with an army of ?zombies.? Actually they weren't really zombies, they were normal people, but with chips in their head. But, this man, Alexander, couldn't just get a lot of people to volunteer to be zombies, so he tried to take over a small country. The country was Kerblakistan. He actually did take quite a few prisoners, and he also had quite a few allies, they were Japan, Germany, and China, they were all promised the world. But, the rest of the world was against him, us being the most powerful. We completely destroyed Japan and Germany. This was no large war, the smallest of all the world wars. So, rumor has it that Alexander, who disappeared after the war, was back at the same old stuff again. He is said to have taken the soldiers from the war, to turn into his zombies. The government was not ready to deal with, or look into this, after this war. But, there has been speculation on what could happen. So, here we are at home, my friend Jay, and my brother T.S. and I. We had just heard on the news that Alexander has assembled an army and has just invaded the northwest coast. He has not killed many people, but only taken them prisoner. The army has had unsuccessful attempts to stop him, being worn from the war. Alexander's army was growing larger and larger, the zombies were not unstoppable but close to it. So, we all get in my car and head down to the army surplus store. Being an ex-soldier, my brother was entitled to buy any weapons he wanted, on top of the ones he already had. He bought us two guns apiece, and since Jay's parents were in space, he would be sticking with us. We bought some food rations and headed home, there was so much commotion, I'm glad we had an early start. We got to my brother's apartment, and turned on the news. We packed duffel bags with our weapons, food, clothing, and gas masks. We were preparing for something the world has never seen before. Then, we hopped in bed for a restless sleep. We awoke in the early morning to commotion outside. We saw no one, except for people walking aimlessly in the streets and police cars. It looks like the worst was happening, we locked the doors, ran downstairs, we notice there were no radio, or television communications. We boarded the windows and bolted the doors as best we could. Jay kept watch while we ate?and planned?for what would take place. After we had all eaten, we took a sheet of titanium from the attic, we all went down to the basement, with everything we needed and shut ourselves in with the titanium. We were down there for days, we just about went insane. The power was turning off and on for long periods of time. That was the worst. We were hearing things outside, horrible things, gunshots, screams all of it. We gathered our bravery, and began to cut a whole in the titanium. We got into the upper house, only to find it broken into. But, nothing was gone. So we felt endangered and decided to venture out.

Finding Text Complexity in a Three-Word Poem

Finding Text Complexity in a Three-Word Poem The length of a poem does not define its text complexity. Take, for example, the world’s shortest poem: FleasAdamhadem Thats it. Three words, actually two if you consider the contraction hadem as one word. The poem’s attribution is generally given to Ogden Nash (1902-1971) although there are some who credit Shel Silverstein (1931-1999). An article by Eric Shackle, however, found the originator of the poem was Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954). The article notes: At last, after searching dozens of websites, we discovered the identity of the mystery poet. It was revealed on a US National Park Service website describing Mount Rainier National Park. The Mt Rainier Nature News Notes of July 1, 1927, contained this brief item:THE SHORTEST POEM: We like poetry but we cannot stand it in too large doses. The following, which according to its author, Strickland Gillilan, is the shortest poem existing, deals with the antiquity of bugs.It runs thus: Adam had em! This short poem would meet the three standards for measuring text complexity according to the Common Core: 1. Qualitative Evaluation of the Text: This measure refers to the levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands. Teachers can review three poetic terms in this three word poem by pointing out that despite its brevity, the structure is a rhyming couplet of iambic meter. There is even an internal rhyme with the â€Å"am† and â€Å"em† sounds. There are even more figurative devices in the poem beginning with the name Adam in the first line. This is a literary allusion from the Bible as Adam is the proper name given to the first man created by God in Genesis. His companion Eve, the first woman, is not mentioned, it’s not â€Å"Adam and Eve/ had’em.† That could place the setting of the poem earlier in the Bible than her appearance in Genesis 2:20. Despite the allusion to a religious text, the tone of the poem is casual because of the contraction, â€Å"had’em.†   The title â€Å"Fleas† associated with the character Adam is comical since it implies a certain level of uncleanliness. There is even a bit of ownership since Adam had fleas, the fleas dont â€Å"have Adam,† and the use of the past tense â€Å"had† infers that he might now be cleaner. 2. Quantitative Evaluation of the Text: This measure refers to readability measures and other scores of text complexity. Using an online readability calculator, the three word poem’s average grade level is a 0.1.    3. Matching Reader to Text and Task: This measure refers to reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed) In reading this three word poem, students would have to activate their background knowledge about fleas, and some of them might know that that scientists   recently concluded that fleas probably fed on dinosaurs as they need to feed on warm vertebrates blood. Many students will know the role of fleas in history as the transmitters of plagues and diseases. A few students may know that they are wingless insects that jump as high and as wide as an 8.5† X 11†. Explained in the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section of The Common Core State Standards is the description that they were built to â€Å"create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more and more complex texts.† The three word poem â€Å"Fleas† may be a little step on the text complexity staircase, but it can provide a workout of critical thinking even for the upper grade students.

How to Explain Employment Gaps

How to Explain Employment Gaps School happens, children happens, illnesses happen. But at the end of these trials and triumphs, the workplace is there waiting for us, ready to judge.  Of course it should forgive the dreaded work gap, especially given your very excellent reasons for taking some time off the job, but don’t rely entirely on the one-in-a-million boss that understands the idea of work life balance. Take the following three steps to ensure your application doesn’t suffer because of employment gaps.Explain It on  Your ResumeYou can’t ignore the gap. But you don’t want to get too defensive about it either. Instead, add a brief â€Å"Career Summary† section at the top, a simple and concise paragraph that explains your gap professionally. If your time off was for personal reasons, briefly touch on that. If it was for an additional degree or qualification, this should be emphasized as a strength, rather than a weakness to be explained. Sell it, baby!Go into Detail Your Cover LetterThe whole point of a cover letter is to make a personal connection, and provide valuable context for your application. It’s the best possible way to convince them- on paper, anyway- that you’re right for the job, with or without the work gap.Find a way to make lemonade; even if you were just exhausted, you can always sell that time as time spent recommitting yourself to your career purpose. Be honest, professional, and show the hiring manager all your silver linings.Prepare to Discuss It in Your  InterviewDon’t just plan to skate through the interview and hope the topic doesn’t come up. You must be prepared to discuss your work gap. Have a few answers prepared- and practiced. And then just focus on being yourself: warm, professional, likeable, and competent.Make sure you find some way to use the work gap to your advantage. It can make the interviewer see you as a stronger, more insightful person. Or a sharper and more driven future employee. The bottom line here is to make the absolute best you can out of this gap in your employment history. In most cases, you can turn this liability into an asset with a bit of perseverance, thought, and charm.

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc - Essay Example The two companies have set some pension plans that have had many effects on the companies’ level of investment and risk while also, it affects their levels of sale and production of products. These plans are aimed at benefiting their retired employees while each company uses a quite different approach from the other. The two companies have developed strong public relations across many nations that assist them in linking customers to their company. The International Financial Report Standard (IFRS) has been a significant unit within the management of funds on the pension plan. It helps the companies realize whether the scheme of pension plan brings a loss or a profit for the company. The companies can therefore classify the pension plans as either assets or liabilities according to the IFRS report. It also enables the companies determine whether they have overfunded or underfunded the pension plan. In 2009, the coca-cola company held a third position among the companies that ha ve adopted a cash balance report meant to cater for the pension plan schemes (Diebold, 2010).   The coca-cola executive managers rejected the use of a constitutional approach in funding pension plans. As a result, there were minimized risks to the coca-cola company. Additionally, the company secured more benefits to the employees in comparison to year 2008. Following this actions, the company reported $31.9 billion in revenue operation, which was a higher value compared to $28.9 billion in the preceding year. On the other hand, because of the plan, mobility of the workforce went up while the career benefits accumulated from the plan increased compared to the preceding approach that dealt with pension plan. During the same year, 2009, Pepsi Co Company, through the assistance of the International Financial Report Standard (IFRS), developed a method of offering a final salary pension to the new employees. These were meant to benefit its workers and their family members upon their ret irement. This plan included medical fees among other benefits for the retired employee and is differently calculated. This method required a high quality pension scheme capable of securing the retirement of both the present and the newly employed workers. Up to date, the method is still applied in the company (Warfield et al. 2012). However, the method posed a higher risk to the Pepsi Company and brought in a decline of the total sales of Pepsi as compared to the year 2008. At Pepsi Company, Pension plans cover full time employees while their benefits are determined on the bases of either years of service for the worker, or a combination of service or the years of service. Retirees are eligible for life and medical insurance benefits upon meeting a specific age and service requirements. Their share of the pension costs is capped at certain dollar amounts on bases of years of service. The expected return on the pension plan assets is based on the company’s investment strategy on the pension plan as well as on their expectations for their long-term rates of return. In calculating their funding levels and capital gains in the pension plans, a market-related valuation method that realizes investment loses or gains for the securities included in their equity allocations. With complete reliance to the Financial Report Standard (IFRS), the company ensures that the amount of funds allocated for the pension plan does not exceed the expected gains. This is

Human Resource Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management - Case Study Example Part One, an overview of Tesco, provides a rationale for selecting the organisation, identifies specific features of the context within which it operates and key features of its business strategy, shows how it responds to the wider business environment, and explains the implications of the business strategy adopted for the management of people. Part Three diagnoses and critically evaluates the key elements of Tesco's HR strategy and the nature and scope of HR practice, with particular attention to the degree by which HR practice supports the organisation's business strategy and the extent to which different aspects of HR strategy are horizontally integrated. As a company that depends for its success on the quality of direct employee contact with customers through a unique and special shopping experience, Tesco like other similar companies claim that its people are its most important asset. Guided by a key core value of looking after its people so they can look after their customers, Tesco provides market-leading working conditions for its staff. However, it doesn't stop there. It also encourages suppliers to do the same: offer attractive benefits and wages, flexible work hours and leave, profit-sharing, subsidised meals, childcare vouchers, and an award-winning pension scheme, amongst other benchmarks. Achieving its business objectives would have been difficult without trust and dependence on the skills and commitment of employees who are encouraged at all levels to make their fullest possible contribution to business success. Guided by the slogan "Every little helps", Tesco delivers a unique shopping experience for customers, an objective that demands ongoing training to ensure that employees understand the right customer service objectives and strive to achieve them. Tesco was chosen for this paper because the quality of its people is recognised as a key factor for its profitability and stellar business performance, despite the bad press it gets from time to time due to the fact that despite their best efforts, it could never satisfy every