The Curriculum for todays fifteen to eighteen year olds Essay Example for Free

The Curriculum for todays fifteen to eighteen year olds Essay The curriculum in todays schools has survived relatively unchanged for many years. It was created in a completely different world, one where computers were not used and jobs for the uneducated were easy to find. The world has changed significantly since then, but should the education system? The job market is a competitive one, and an extra qualification can make all the difference. One qualification that is needed for nearly every position is that of Information and Communication Technology, in other words, computers. Computers are used for many purposes in nearly every company, for example, spreadsheets in finance, databases in stock keeping and desktop publishing in advertising. The skill needed to control the software and hardware is highly desirable, but the current curriculum in high schools does not reflect this. ICT was only introduced into the curriculum several years ago, and has been taught as a minor subject, comparable to the likes of Art and Music. Throughout high school, each school only has to complete one hour of ICT per week, although it can be taken optionally as a GCSE subject, or as a GNVQ. A large number do not opt for the latter options, which leaves them with a qualification equal to half a single GCSE. I do not believe that the curriculums compulsory ICT lessons are sufficient now that more and more jobs are becoming increasingly dependent on computers. I personally think that ICT provision should be increased to three hours a week, making it on level with the main academic subjects of English, Maths and Science. This will enable pupils to study a wider range of software, and complete more theory work, which is an aspect currently neglected. These extra skills will be beneficial in the workplace. I am aware that to cope with the extra number of ICT lessons, more computers would be needed, and spaces to put them, but even with this extra expenditure, the benefits of having a full ICT qualification would be well worth it. There are quite a few things that are needed in later life that are not taught in school. These include money management, communication skills, stress management and form writing. If these skills were taught in schools, it would make later life a little easier to cope with. Many people struggle to look after their money, especially if they stay in education at university. People also struggle to understand the workings of finance, so an education in money management would be beneficial to all pupils. Quite a few pupils in schools lack the confidence to speak to people they do not know, or fail to get their point across clearly during a conversation. A course in communication would help people to speak more confidently, and to express them more clearly. It could also contain advice on how to deal with a job interview effectively. It is often mentioned in the media that our lives have become more stressful, and that we need to learn how to manage it. During exams, further education and our working lives, stress inevitably builds up, and if lessons were taken in high school on how to relieve that stress, people would not suffer from stress-related illness in later life, which can only be a good thing. Another skill that could be taught in schools is how to fill in forms. During adulthood, there are many, many forms that need to be filled in, such as application forms, benefit forms and census forms. Many people find this task daunting and confusing; they can fill the wrong boxes in, or write the incorrect information. Lessons in this skill would be beneficial and helpful to the pupils in the future. GCSEs are compulsory. Each Year 11 pupil has to take them by law, even if they havent got a chance of passing any. In my opinion, those pupils in lower groups could drop their GCSE courses and study for other qualifications. This would not solely be the students decision; parents and teachers would need to be consulted and involve in the decision swell. They would not be able to however, drop the academic subjects completely. English, Maths, Science and ICT would still need to be taken, although not at GCSE level and with no exam or qualification. By dropping many subjects, they would be able to take a vocational l course and get a vocational qualification at the end of it, like an NVQ. This would give then the skills to easily find a job, as they would already be trained for it, whilst if they had stayed on their GCSE course, they would have probably ended up with no qualifications, and would be stuck in a poorly paid job, if they got one at all. The curriculum that young people are taught today is flawed and is inappropriate for many young people. I feel that ICT should be made a subject comparable with the likes of Maths and English, essential skills needed for later life, like stress management and money management should be taught to pupils and the less-able pupils should be allowed to drop out of GCSEs and pursue a vocational qualification. These changes to the current curriculum would bring it up to date and make it more relevant for the youngsters of today.

Compare And Contrast The Kngiht And The Squire Essay -- essays researc

Geoffrey Chaucer portrayed a cross section of medieval society though The Canterbury Tales. "The Prologue" or foreword of this work serves as an introduction to each of the thirty one characters involved in the tales. Two of these characters are the Kght and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These individuals depart on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes. His intent is not as genuinand pure as his father's. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an accurate portrayal of how it actually was.Chivalry, heroism, and modesty delineate the Knight, whose upright standards and principles illustrate a true gentleman; these characteristics are not evident in the Squire. Even though the Knight has won many wars, he is careful not to brag about his ctories. The most recurrent point in the description of the Knight is the abundance and importance of his conquests; however, the Squire's battles are barely mentioned. While the entirety of the Squire's battles are summed up in two lines ("he had se some service with the cavalry / In Flanders and Artois and Picardy"), the list of the Knight's battles dominates his description (Chaucer 120). The Squire's battles are not fought in the interest of his chivalry. On the...

A research paper on cocaine Essay

Grown in the countries of South America, with Columbia being the most productive, the Erythroxylon Coca bush is the natural origin of cocaine, a central nervous stimulant. Its history is as rich and diverse as the people using and dealing the drug. Cocaine use dates as far back as the 16th century when it was used among Inca royalty. In the early 1800’s cocaine was introduced to Europe. Sigmond Freud wrote a song in its honor and famous author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† during a six -day cocaine binge. In the early 1900’s cocaine was available to consumers over the counter. Its medicinal value was a relief for toothaches and congestion. Parke Davis advised their consumers of the effects of cocaine by stating that it â€Å"could make the coward brave, the silent eloquent, and render the sufferer insensitive to pain†. The use of cocaine found its way into other products like wine and the most famous of all, Coca Cola. Early production of Coca Cola contained 60mg of cocaine. Today, the popular soft drink still uses the leaves of the Coco Bush for flavor but the illicit drug has been removed (www.cocaine.org). The resurrection of cocaine use as a recreational drug began in the 1960’s, and was used mostly among the affluent because of its price. Movie stars, sport stars and the like give cocaine its mystique and draw; psychological and physical effects make it addictive. Changes in form and price make cocaine far more accessible and affordable. Today, there is no clear connection between the use of cocaine and education, occupation or socioeconomic status. Cocaine is generally sold as a hydrochloride salt, a fine white powder substance that is commonly referred to as â€Å"snow†, â€Å"coke† or â€Å"blow†. Street dealers of cocaine commonly dilute, or â€Å"cut† the drug with similar looking substances like talcum powder or with active local anesthetics and even sometimes with other stimulants like amphetamines. The purity of street cocaine, powder form, is about 75 percent. When the impurities of this form are removed, it is known as â€Å"freebase† or â€Å"crack† cocaine. â€Å"Crack† cocaine  is easier to find and less expensive to buy. Cocaine in any form can be found in almost every town and city. Research studies done in 1999 showed cocaine is used by over 3.7 million Americans 12 years old and over, with the highest rate among people 18 and 25 years of age. The use among people 35 years and older also continues to rise (www.cocaine.org). The effects of cocaine depend on the route of administration, the amount of consumption, the user’s past experience, and the circumstances under which its taken. The major routes of administration are snorting, injecting, and smoking. Snorting is inhaling the powder form through the nasal cavity. The drug enters the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting cocaine is using a syringe to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking cocaine is inhaling the cocaine vapors or smoke delivering large quantities to the lungs where it then enters the bloodstream as quickly as injecting. Cocaine interferes with the re-absorption process of dopamine that is a chemical messenger of pleasure to the brain. The effects are instant and intense but not long lasting (www.drugs.indiana.edu). The short -term effects usually make the user fell euphoric, energetic, and alert to their senses. It can decrease your anxiety and heighten your sexuality. Crack users have described the rush as a â€Å"whole body orgasm.† Or, a user can feel anxious or panic-stricken. The drug is a parody of heaven and hell. Often times the cocaine user craves other drugs. These symptoms appear quickly and disappear within a few minutes or a few hours. Physically, a person’s blood pressure, body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing accelerate, along with pupil dialation. In larger amounts the side effects intensify. The â€Å"high† might include feelings of paranoia, vertigo, and muscle twitches and physically a user might experience chest pains, nausea, blurred vision. Over time with continued use, the effects of cocaine gradually change. Irritability, restlessness, insomnia and paranoia replace the euphoria. Physically, the long- term user will lose interest in sex and lose weight. Those who snort the drug wear out their nasal septum while those who inject it risk the chance of contracting hepatitis or AIDS. Cocaine related deaths  are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest. Over time, to the user’s tolerance, the drug will build. To achieve the same effects as that of early usage requires larger doses of the drug. The user becomes psychologically dependent. The drug becomes pivotal to their thoughts, feelings and their daily activities. â€Å"Cocaine just made you feel really good. Then after you get done feeling really good then you start to get a Superman ego and that’s the beginning of the end.† (â€Å"Drug Wars†; A Frontline, PBS Production) Often times, cocaine addicts develop an illicit lifestyle to keep up with their drug habit. Cocaine’s influence leads a user to stealing from family, friends and even employers. The lifestyle of addicts becomes as corrupt as the organizations that produce and supply the product. Cocaine’s addiction has two sides: the love of the high and the love of the money. The US Government has estimated that cocaine trafficking takes nearly $80 billion a year out of our economy. In 1990, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) estimated about 20 Colombian organizations controlled most of America’s cocaine supply. Annual revenues of the Colombian drug trade have been estimated to be 5 billion dollars. The drug cartels existing today control every phase of the drug trafficking business. They manufacture, transport, distribute, and finance cocaine. Like many large corporations, the business involves bankers, accountants, and lawyers, wholesalers and retailers. More special to this business the cartel â€Å"payroll† also includes chemists, pilots and enforcers of security (www.drugs.indiana.edu). The cartels are structured in layers, at the center is the cartel manager or â€Å"kingpin†. Information shared among the members of the cartel is highly secularized. Only a choice few are privy to all the workings of the cartel. Those employees holding positions in the outer layers of the organization (the lawyers, accountants, bankers, and enforcers) reap the financial benefits of serving their bosses but are strictly put on a need to know basis. Cartels operating in the United States are referred to as â€Å"cells† which are â€Å"self contained organized units.† The Medillin Cartel was the first known, successful cartel of cocaine  traffickers coming from Colombia. It was established in 1978 and lead by Carlos Lehder. It used violence and intimidation to stay one step ahead of the justice system. The cartel bribed police officers with money or threatened them with death if they did not honor the cartel and look the other way when they did business. The Medellin Cartel was taken down in March of 1984. Carlos Lehder was arrested in 1987, tried in the United States and sentenced to 135 years without the possibility of parole. George Jung’s, the Medillin Cartel’s American contact, testimony against Lehder assured his conviction. In the 1990’s, on the heels of the Medillin, came the Cali Cartel. They are responsible for 70-80 percent of the cocaine coming into the United States and 90 percent of that entering Europe. Instead of violence and intimidation like their counter parts, the Cali operated their business using a subtle approach. Law enforcement has had difficulty in closing the Cali operations for many reasons. Their structure is different from that of the Medillin, as is their methods of smuggling. They are much more conservative. They only sell to people they know. The â€Å"home office,† which is the CEO and vice presidents, coordinate the cells. The cells contact the buyers usually by cellular phone or pager and arrange the time and place to distribute the drugs. Payment is made at the second meeting. When the deal is done, the home office is contacted and accurate records are kept by both (www.awesomestories.com). While the Colombians may monopolize the cocaine market, there are similar organizations in other countries. The Triads and Tongs of China, La Compania of Cuba, and the Yakuza of Japan are some other major drug trafficking organizations. They have successfully invested into legitimate American business. The one thing they all have in common: United States of America as a client base (www.cocainefacts.com). Cocaine touches many people on a variety of levels. It can completely change a person’s personality, for the worse. It spins a web of deceit and destruction. Physically and mentally the drug tricks you from recognizing reality. Euphoria tricks you into believing that the high is good, all the while the time bomb is ticking. Blowing up your mind is just a matter of time. Works Cited Bailey, William J. Factline on Cocaine. 1995: Heller, Matthew. â€Å"Addicted to Love.† Los Angeles Magazine. Sept. 1999. No Author Given. No Author Given.

Censorship Its Restriction On Minds - 2549 Words

Censorship: Its Restriction on Minds as Well as Materials Books are some of the most powerful tools in education. They contain knowledge, thoughts, beliefs, wisdom, and insight. When these valuable instruments of learning are taken away, the results can be detrimental. Censoring is an age-old tactic used to control the thoughts and actions of people. Today, it poses one of the largest threats to learning. The censorship of books in America’s schools must be avoided due to its violation of the First Amendment, its restrictions on student’s critical thinking abilities, and its negative effects on learning. As long as there have been people with power over others, there has been censorship. The act of censoring has been present for†¦show more content†¦The founders of the United States wrote protections into the Constitution and established the government in such a way as to prevent tyrannical leaders from censoring others’ viewpoints. The First Amendment states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law†¦abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press†. This amendment guarantees free speech, and censorship is a direct violation of the First Amendment rights promised in the Constitution. There will inevitably be issues of controversy among people and stances that the majority finds incorrect. However, the purpose of the First Amendment is to give everyone the opportunity to speak his or her ideas and opinions, no matter how controversial. While addressing the legality of censorship, many censors argue that it is the responsibility of the government to protect and preserve the safety of the nation’s youth, and this responsibility trumps students’ First Amendment rights. However, the U.S. Supreme Court formally recognizes that â€Å"students do not ‘shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate’† (Chmara 18). It has been established that the First Amendment not only guarantees the right to free speech, but also the freedom to receive information and the right to read. However, it is true that minors’ rights are not equal to that of adults. Because of this, schools do have restrictions, but the courts have established that book censorship can only occur in two circumstances. According to