To Sir With Love Book Review Education Essay

To Sir With Love Book Review Education Essay Edward Ricardo Braithwaite, one of the first black teachers in the British school system, recounts his first year as a teacher in the autobiographical novel, To Sir with Love. Unable to secure a job as a physicist in London, despite his many educational degrees, Braithwaite feels the sting of racial discrimination. He is persuaded to take a job as a schoolteacher at a unique school in Londons East End, a notoriously impoverished and tough part of 1940s Post War London. His students, mostly White European immigrants, are typically from unemployed families, have very little money, and are habitually filthy and malnourished. Students are sent to Greenslade Secondary School due to disciplinary problems. Despite their low socioeconomic status, and lack of basic academic skills, Braithwaite, a black man from British Guyana, sees his students as privileged simply because they are white. For their â€Å"underserved† privilege, and ignorance, Braithwaite resents and pities his students . Through the often tempestuous relationship between Braithwaite and his students, issues of racism and class discrimination are exposed. The struggle between teacher and student is a tutorial in critical pedagogy, and take the reader on a journey of internal examination, and individual accountability. In many ways, Braithwaites novel is a positive example of educational methodology, and the human connection needed between teacher and student. The overt message of To Sir with Love is the equal exchange between teacher and student. At Greenslade Secondary School, Braithwaite observes that students are encouraged to speak their minds, and are given regular opportunities to discuss what they are being taught. Teachers collaborate with fellow teachers, as well as with students, to decide the format in which lessons are delivered. Lessons are student-centered, and take into consideration the human-world relationship. Through his first person account, Braithwaite allows readers to follow his evolution from perceiving students as crude, belligerent, and unkempt, to viewing students as unique individuals deserving respect and compassion, resulting in a true paradigm shift. When given the opportunity to demonstrate their humanity, Braithwaite watches his students rise to the occasion in their own time, and in unexpected ways, a message all educators must recognize. From his experience working with students from disadvantaged and un derprivileged backgrounds, Braithwaite learns that all students have the potential to be successful when provided a teacher who believes in their ability. Throughout the novel, Braithwaite stresses the importance of teachers as team players. The commerce of ideas and advice from fellow teachers offers Braithwaite the support he needs to be successful in his classroom. Braithwaite focuses on the integral role faculty play, not only to Greenslades education program, but to student success as well. The enthusiasm for teaching and admiration for one another creates a supportive, successful, and positive school community. Alex Florian, head master of Greenslade Secondary School, seeks to create a school environment in which students feel safe and comfortable enough to learn and express themselves. Florian encourages teachers to discuss student progress with students in Weekly Reports, and encourages students to participate in school-wide Student Council reports, both of which are opportunities for students to have a voice. The educational methods implemented at Greenslade are valuable insights into alternatives to traditions modes of educat ion. To Sir with Love, proclaims to be a non-fictional account of Ricardo Braithwaites first year as a public schoolteacher during a notoriously racially divided period in British history. However, the miraculous and inspiring journey may leave some to consider the extent to which the author, Braithwaite himself, fictionalizes the novel version of himself. Braithwaite claims not to have been aware of racial prejudice until landing in London and searching for employment. The reader may find this notion hard to believe due to Braithwaites admitted service in the Royal Air Force. It is difficult for the reader to discern where autobiography ends, and fiction begins. Despite the apparent weakness in nonfiction voice, the strength of To Sir with Love lies in its message of forgiveness, understanding, and acceptance in the face of hate and prejudice. Braithwaite becomes a successful teacher only when he is able to see students as individuals. He is able to overcome his prejudice and â€Å"hate ful thoughts† ( p. 204) because he learns to love his students despite their shortcomings. Braithwaite learns the most important role he can play in the lives of his underprivileged students, is to provide them with â€Å"affection, confidence, and guidance, more or less in that order, because experience has shown that those are their most immediate needs† (p. 217). Braithwaites novel illustrates the importance of an equal partnership between teacher and student combined with the shared goal of learning.

Fight Club :: essays research papers

The movie Fight Club made a great achievement in the film industry, and significantly depicted the social system of the late 20th century. According to most of the reviewers, the success of the film lies behind the fact that almost every American man over 25-years of age is going to inevitably see some of himself in the movie: the frustration, the confusion, the anger at living in a culture where the old rules have broken down and one makes his way with so many fewer cultural cues and guideposts. At heart Fight Club is really a dark parody about consumerist discontent. First of all Fight Club was one of the most direct depictions of modern society. We can visualize the clear criticisms of the movie from the words of Jamey Hughton, â€Å" ‘Fight Club’ is the kind of breathless experience that chews you up, spits you out, and leaves your senses jaded and disorientated with exhilaration.† Secondly, Fight Club was a real evolution of the modern ideals, the emergence of modern atomized individuals and consequently urban alienation. Finally, the movie points out male-female roles and the place of violence in the male identity. Critic, Gary Crowdus, says it best by writing, â€Å"Fight Club members have become so physically impassive, so emotionally anesthetized, and so spiritually numb, that it takes a broken nose, a split lip, or a few cracked ribs to reawaken their deadened nervous systems and to provide them with a meaningful sense of male identity† (4 6). The biggest aspect of the movie was on modern society, which has recently turned out to be consumerism. During the movie this new trend is symbolized by the replica of Tyler Durden, â€Å"You are not your job.† This dialogue was completely dedicated to the shaping power of the consumer culture. The movie is about what happens when a world defines you by nothing but one’s job, when advertising turns you into a slave bowing at a mountain of things that make you uneasy about your lack of physical perfection determined by consumerism, as displayed in the scene where Tyler asks, after seeing a Calvin Kline advertisement, â€Å"is this what a man is supposed to look like?† with simultaneous irony and sincerity, of the self-perceived emasculation of working-class white men, and how much money you do not have and how famous you aren't. It is about what happens when we are hit by the fact that our lives lack uniqueness; a uniqueness that we are constantly told we gained t hrough the enculturation process.

Discipline & Grievance Essay

Disciplinary procedures are an aid to the effective management of people, and should not be viewed primarily as a means of imposing sanctions or as leading to dismissal. Where dismissal does occur, employees may make a complaint to an employment tribunal if they believe they have been unfairly dismissed, although ordinarily the employee must have one year’s service1. It is for the employer to show the reason for the dismissal and that it was a fair reason. The tribunal will determine whether the dismissal was fair or unfair and will take into account the size and administrative resources of the employer in deciding whether they acted reasonably or unreasonably. The tribunal will take account of Code of Practice the guidance given in the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and grievance procedures [327kb] (see Annexes A and C of the Code) and consider how far the statutory three-step procedures have been followed. What does it mean? Check the glossary for more explanation of the terms used in this handbook. The Code of Practice provides guidance on good practice in disciplinary and grievance matters in employment, and includes information on the right to be accompanied at a disciplinary or grievance hearing. Acas handbook Although this handbook is purely advisory it complements the Code of Practice by giving additional practical advice. Discipline Section 1 on discipline at work starts by explaining why organisations need rules and disciplinary procedures and gives an overview of how to handle discipline. It then looks in depth at. The rest of the part on discipline gives advice on handling absence, unsatisfactory performance and particular cases – such as those involving trade union representatives, criminal charges or employees in remote locations. Grievances Part 2 – Grievance procedures considers why organisations need procedures and gives advice on how to handle a grievance hearing. Guidance is also given on special cases – such as those to do with bullying or harassment, discrimination and whistleblowing. In these sensitive areas some organisations may wish to develop separate procedures. The statutory minimum grievance procedures are also summarised in Part 2 Grievance procedures. The right to be accompanied Part 3- The right to be accompanied. Checklist for the right of accompaniment has information on the right to be accompanied at disciplinary and grievance meetings. Prevention is better than cure Although it is important to deal with discipline and grievance issues fairly and effectively it is more important to prevent problems arising in the first place. The first step is to understand the relationship between discipline and grievance issues and wider issues like communication, induction and training. For example, if managers and staff are in the habit of talking to each other openly about what’s happening at work then specific problems – like lack of training or poor motivation – can be resolved before any disciplinary action becomes necessary. Equally, if staff are given contracts of employment when they start work – including rules for absence, timekeeping and discipline, as well as details of pay, holidays etc – then there will be less opportunity for ambiguity if problems arise in the future. The use of the formal disciplinary and grievance procedures should be considered a ‘last resort’ rather than the first option. Many problems can be sorted out through informal dialogue between managers and staff –a ‘quiet word’ is often all that’s needed.

What Are the Odds of Getting a Royal Flush in Poker

If you watch any movie that involves poker, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before a royal flush makes an appearance. This is a poker hand that has a very specific composition:  the ten, jack, queen, king and ace, all of the same suit. Typically the hero of the movie is dealt this hand and it is revealed in a dramatic fashion. A royal flush is the highest ranked hand in the card game of poker. Due to the specifications for this hand, it is very difficult to be dealt a royal flush.   Basic Assumptions and Probability There is a multitude of different ways that poker can be played. For our purposes, we will assume that a player is dealt five cards from a standard 52 card deck. No cards are wild, and the player keeps all of the cards that are dealt to him or her. To calculate the probability of being dealt a royal flush, we need to know two numbers: The total number of possible poker handsThe total number of ways that a royal flush can be dealt. Once we know these two numbers, the probability of being dealt a royal flush is a simple calculation. All that we have to do is to divide the second number by the first number. Number of Poker Hands Some of the techniques of combinatorics, or the study of counting, can be applied to calculate the total number of poker hands. It is important to note that the order in which the cards are dealt to us does not matter. Since the order does not matter, this means that each hand is a combination of five cards from a total of 52. We use the formula for combinations and see that there are a total number of C( 52, 5 ) 2,598,960 possible distinct hands. Royal Flush A royal flush is a flush. This means that all of the cards must be of the same suit. There are a number of different kinds of flushes.  Unlike most flushes, in a royal flush, the value of all five cards are completely specified.  The cards in ones hand must be a ten, jack, queen, king and ace all of the same suit. For any given suit there is only one combination of cards with these cards.  Since there are four suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, there are only four possible royal flushes that can be dealt. The Probability of a Royal Flush We can already tell from the numbers above that a royal flush is unlikely to be dealt.  Of the nearly 2.6 million poker hands, only four of them are royal flushes.  These nearly 2.6 hands are uniformly distributed.  Due to the shuffling of the cards, every one of these hands is equally likely to be dealt to a player. The probability of being dealt a royal flush is the number of royal flushes divided by the total number of poker hands.  We now carry out the division and see that a royal flush is rare indeed. There is only a probability of 4/2,598,960 1/649,740 0.00015% of being dealt this hand. Much like very large numbers, a probability that is this small is hard to wrap your head around.  One way to put this number in perspective is to ask how long it would take to go through 649,740 poker hands.  If you were dealt 20 hands of poker every night of the year, then this would only amount to 7300 hands per year.  in 89 years you should only expect to see one royal flush. So this hand is not as common as what the movies might make us believe.