Thursday, January 30, 2020

Child Safety Essay Example for Free

Child Safety Essay Safety is the condition of being protected against physical, social, emotional, financial or other types or consequences of failure, damage, harm or any other event which could be considered un-desirable. To me safety is the most important aspect of any environment because it affects a person mentally and for anyone to show his/her best performance it is necessary that their safety zone is intact. When we think about safety the first thing that comes to mind is protection, shelter, freedom etc. And, this starts from the moment a child is born till he/she is alive. All human beings want a secure and healthy environment which is utterly devoid of hazards and dangers. And, when we talk about children’s safety; it plays a vital role in their upbringing and development in ensuring they are enthusiastic, creative and confident because when they are provided with an environment that is relatively free from danger, risks and threats of harm then they feel relaxed, happy, free to explore. It is very important to provide safety to the children because sometimes some events, incidents or actions affect children a lot, whereas we adults feel that it will not matter to the child. Talking about myself as a teacher, I would take all the necessary steps to ensure that my learning environment is unhindered. Firstly, I would plan the physical appearance with material and ideas that are age appropriate. This will allow me to attract and inspire my pupils in a positive direction. The class should have a warm environment and the color schemes used should be inviting. Indisputably there will be material and some resources like scissors, glue, sockets, play dough etc. that might be dangerous or harmful to the child, these items though needed in the class should be kept out of reach and when required used under the guidance of the teacher. The furniture and seating arrangement in the class should have smooth edges and preferably be circular in shape. There should be just enough furn iture in accordance with the strength of the class. This will allow safe and free movement for the children in the class space. Physical safety is not only confined to the classroom. When the child is in the school premises every event that takes place is the responsibility of the adult. When the child leaves the classroom, it is important that the adult accompanies him/her to whatever place the child has to go. Be it the play area, the swimming pool, the playground or even the toilet; they should all have proper safety features such as flooring which in case of a toilet should be dry so as to avoid slipping, age appropriate equipment and infrastructure all safely installed with irrelevant material kept out of reach of the children. Another aspect of safety is the social-emotional effect on a child. To foster an emotionally safe classroom it is important for the adult to discuss how each child in the class is as an individual and that everyone is different. The classroom environment can detract from a student’s ability to learn if he/she does not feel safe. A safe environment means that there is respect between the child and the adult and amongst the children themselves. Hence students feel accepted and free to voice their opinions. It is important to teach children class room rules at the beginning of the year and the adult to be consistent in enforcing them. But when talking about rules, they should be realistic and not rigid. If adults overwhelm children with rules for everything, there could then be countless power struggles with children. The adult should speak to the child individually if he/she suspects any problem because when children are corrected in front of their peers they may get demotivated and feel a sense of insecurity. This insecurity can also take place when a child is faced with an obstacle such as bullies. In this case the children have no way of defending themselves. It is very important that the adult makes sure all pupils are comfortable in their learning environment. Discussing with the children about peer press ure and bullying and how it has a negative effect in the classroom by revising child friendly moral stories is a reasonable way out. To develop the children to be socially interactive the adult needs to build bonds by providing opportunities of group play, interaction and discussions. The adult can also train the children to look after each other and the environment of their classroom. This can be in the form of a daily clean-up routine in regards to toys, blocks, art work etc. The classroom can be messy due to different activities of the children which could present a safety hazard to all the children depending on the cleanup. For example: â€Å"If the children have just finished their free play activity, it can be possible that while the children were exploring the different items in front of them some of the toys could have broken or cracked. In this event the children can hurt themselves or hurt each other.† Now, the introduction to a clean-up routine after every activity allows the children under the guidance of the adult to dispose of broken toys or equipment that may cause injury or choking, immediately. This will secure the classroom and prevent any unforeseen event concerning the activity. The child will feel a sense of ownership and accomplishment; it will also develop the ability to work with others in different situations and bring about the pride of teamwork to create a friendlier environment. I feel that, creating a safe learning environment for children is a daunting prospect because children not only need physical safety but also need to feel emotionally and intellectually protected. It is important that the adult should pay attention and be vigilant of the children’s activities. When adults plan lessons and activities for children they should not only keep the academics in mind but also the safety needs that pertain to the lesson. The teacher should explain the children the rules by her actions because children respond faster to what they see rather than what they are simply told. In the end it all comes down to child protection and hence it is important to take care of them to allow for the development of their ideas and enthusiasm to explore their imagination allowing them to grow.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Cat and his Master Essay examples -- Puss in Boots Folk Tales Essa

The Cat and his Master Puss in Boots is a strange little folk tale in which a talking cat performs deeds of heroism in order to further his master's lot in life. It is saddled with a moral which implies that through hard work and ingenuity one can rise above his station. This hardly seems to be the case, however, when we look at the contributions made by the miller's youngest son and master of the puss himself. Furthermore, the symbolism peppered throughout the tale would seem to indicate that there is more going on. The tale begins with the death of a miller, who leaves his sole possessions to his three sons. The youngest of the sons winds up with nothing but what he believes to be a lowly cat, which he is convinced will be good only for a meal and a muff. The young man begins the story in a passive hopelessness, bemoaning the fact that he received the least of his father's goods in his inheritance, and he retains this passivity throughout. He never makes any contribution to his own well-being, beyond his initial decision not to eat the cat, and to let the cat demonstrate his cunning and deceitful skills. He lets the cat do all of the thinking and all of the work. He even becomes the "Marquis of Carabas" at the whim of the puss, and follows all of the cat's instructions, including swimming nude when the cat directs him. He doesn't even ask for an explanation. The moral states that "hard work and ingenuity will take a young man further than his father's money," but the young man certainly shows n o signs of hard work nor ingenuity. In fact, he seems to be an icon for naivety and blind faith. This does not, however, mean that the moral is wrong. There are several aspects of this story which take folk tale conventions and turn ... ...ter. He traps animals and delivers them to a person of power, displaying his ability to negotiate. He puts a plan into action that will place his master in a position of power and manipulates the peasants to back up that plan. He craftily dupes the ogre into using his incredible powers against himself. In all of these instances we see evidence of the underdog using his wits and cunning to overcome the odds and be in control of the world around him, an idea that must have had appeal to people with little or no control of the events in their lives. Indeed, it is an idea that still has appeal today. Works Cited Darnton, Robert The Great Cat Massacre http://www.geocities.com/pashathecat/History/Cat_Massacre.html Perrault, Charles. "Puss in Boots." Folk & Fairy Tales Comp. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 2nd ed. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview, 1996. 94-97.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Fast Food and Economy Essay

Present essay addresses the negative issues of fast food in modern society through the prism of the comprehensive analysis of its affects on health, culture, ethics and economy. There is no denying the importance of the fact that the issue of the fast food became relevant as a result of the modern globalization processes, which influenced the spread of the ‘American’ style of nutrition through the mechanism of its commercialization.   The evolution of fast food, as Jakle suggests, dates back to the post-industrial era of Western society including rapid development of automobile roots and road restaurants (Jakle, 21-26). Such components of fast food as hot dogs, hamburgers etc. were traditionally the elements of national patterns of nutrition, however, due to economic and cultural globalization, mentioned products reached new markets and peoples and proclaimed themselves as generally accepted patterns of food consumption. Such transnational corporations as McDonalds represent the paramount of the latter processes, because they control not only national markets, but international markets of food consumption in general. Negative effects of fast food were widely addressed in journalist and scholarly research, however, comprehensive framework of its analysis as cultural and economic phenomena is not still created. Based on these reservations, present essay defends the following thesis: Fast food is characterized by the negative effects on several spheres of human life. First of all, consuming fast food results in poor health consequences and including stomach deceases, diabetes etc. Secondly, fast food results in the degradation of national cuisines and cultural patterns of consumption, based on the perception of consumption as a spiritual ritual, characterized by emotional and aesthetic satisfaction. Finally, the third sub-thesis of the present essay refers to negative economic consequences of fast food, because it results in the low priorities of national food industries due to monopolization of this market by such American giants as McDonalds. Health Implications Negative health implications of fast food are the most obvious and are generally the object of the harsh critique. Fast food contains large quantity of calories and fats, which results in the deterioration of biological metabolism and concentration of sugar in the human blood and consequently abnormal functioning of various organs.   As Adams suggests, fast food consumption is one the main causes of the obesity epidemics in many countries, including the most widespread implication for the abdominal fat (Adams, 155). The research on fast food implication on health also revealed that it develops signs of the insulin resistance, which may be described as the early indicator of such decease as diabetes (Obesity in America, 2008). As Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation suggest in this respect, ‘it seems wherever America’s fast food chains go, waistlines inevitably start expanding’ (Schlosser, 242). The problem of obesity as result of fast food consumption is evident in many Western and nowadays non-Western countries, where the fast food industry is the most developed. The problem is amplified by the fact that obesity is not officially acknowledged as the health problem or epidemics. Only health consequences of obesity on heart, lungs and other crucial organs are addressed, however the main problem is not resolved, because such approach deals with the secondary issues, but not the causes. The diet and healthy food consumption, however, becomes very difficult for the majority of ordinary people fast food market offers cheaper products. To sum it up, health implications of fast food are widely acknowledged which certifies to the relevance of the first sub-thesis. Cultural and Ethical Implications of Fast Food Negative cultural and ethical implications of fast food are connected with the mode of its production and consumption. Fast food represents an industrial pattern of production, which focuses on profit and quantity, rather than quality. It is standardized and utilizes products, which are not always biologically healthy. Such approach results in degradation of national cuisines, which traditionally focused on home-made products, which are to be properly served and properly eaten. This tradition is still present in restaurants; however the majority of people still are forced to consume fast food due to intense advertising and relative cheapness. Culture of fast food is something that is characterized by haste, rationalization, lack of spirituality and aesthetic beauty. Unlike prepared meals, fast food has nothing to do with creativity and professionalism and hence it lacks cultural meaning. Negative ethical implications of fast food production may be observed in mass slaughterhouses, where meat and other products are prepared. Schlosser describes the atmosphere, which reigns there in such a way, â€Å"burning hair and blood, that greasy smell, and the odor of rotten eggs.† (Schlosser, 68). Fast Food and Economy Fast food is inextricably connected with poverty, because it parasitizes on the majority of people, who have no financial possibility to consume healthy food. The latter is closely linked with the absence of adequate health education. The globalization of fast food market also results in the monopolization of the food market in the developing countries. McDonald’s hamburgers are currently the most famous type of food and are considered by many as tasty and trendy. National cuisines are still popular; however, the trend spreads in the direction of their defeat by fast food market. The latter negatively affects the economies of developing countries, which lose external markets. McDonalds-style monopolization aggravates poverty, existing in developing countries by means of degrading its health potential and consequently its labor market. Opposing Perspective on Fast Food Those, who support fast food usually point to its cheapness, fast preparation and availability. The first argument was criticized in this paper based on poor quality of fast food and its parasitizing on poverty; the second point proceeds from the false assumption that fast preparation is something valuable. In contrast, present paper showed that it results in poor consequences for health and culture. Conclusion Present essay defended the stated thesis that fast food negatively affects human health, culture, ethics and economy. Health implications are evident in the wide number of studies, as well apparent syndrome of obesity in Western countries. Cultural and ethical implications relate to the degradation of the patterns of spiritual and cultural food consumption, based on family   and national traditions. Finally, economic consequences refer to the trend of standardization of fast food production, its link with poverty and social inequality. References Adams, Catherine. (2007) â€Å"Reframing the Obesity Debate: McDonald’s Role May Surprise You.† Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics Vol. 35: 154-157. Jakle, John (1999). Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. Johns Hopkins University Press. Obesity In America. (2008). The Endocrine Society; The Hormone Foundation. Accessed on 25 May, 2009 at . Schlosser, Eric. (2002). Fast Food Nation. Penguin Books.