Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Earnings Misstatements Research Paper

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Earnings Misstatements - Research Paper Example The Fraud This section describes the business activities of Fannie and Freddie before the fraud occurred. Since the 1990s, lenders have been increasingly using automated underwriting systems (AUSs), a technology that changed the mortgage industry (DiVenti, 2009, p.236). These systems executed underwriting criteria and statistical algorithms to foresee the default likelihood of loan applications (DiVenti, 2009, p.236). GSEs became industry leaders in the growth and adoption of these systems, which they used to appraise their loan purchases. Fannie Mae’s system, Desktop Underwriter, and Freddie Mac’s system, Loan Prospector, significantly decreased the expenses and time linked with loan approvals (DiVenti, 2009, p.236). In 2000, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac broadened their procurements to comprise â€Å"Alt-A,† A-minus, and subprime mortgages, aside from private-label mortgage securities (Blackburn & Vermilyea, 2010, p.5). In order to expand their mortgage purchases, Fannie Mae used the Expanded Approval system and Freddie Mac enlarged its Loan Prospector system to contain risk-based pricing (DiVenti, 2009, p.236). ... ly, Fannie and Freddie bought, packaged, securitized, and re-traded residential mortgages into mortgage-backed securities, with an assurance that the principal and interest payments would be paid to investors, thus, making a profit from the disparity between the sales price of the mortgage-backed securities and their first cost of funding (Bonander, 2013, p.843). Since 2004, Fannie and Freddie abandoned their stern underwriting standards and started to purchase and guarantee subprime mortgages, while also investing in subprime-mortgage-backed securities (Bonander, 2013, p.844). They bought more than $434 billion of subprime mortgages from 2004 to 2006 (Bonander, 2013, p.844). Their greatest purchase occurred from 2004 to 2005, when altogether they bought â€Å"$175 billion (44% of the market) and $169 billion (33% of the market) of subprime-mortgage-backed securities, respectively† (Bonander, 2013, p.844). In 2006, lax standards and actions affected Fannie and Freddie, when th e housing bubble burst, thereby pushing them to insolvency (Bonander, 2013, p.844). The problems of Fannie and Freddie are not over yet though. In 2003, Freddie revealed that it used unacceptable accounting practices to inflate its earnings. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise (OFHEO), its regulator during this time, discovered that the company had â€Å"misstated earnings by $5 billion between 2000 and 2003† (DiVenti, 2009, p.237). Freddie underreported its earnings, however, which is the â€Å"interesting† part of the fraud (DiVenti, 2009, p.237). The OFHEO investigated Fannie Mae too, where it learned in 2004 that Fannie overstated earnings â€Å"between 2000 and 2003 by $6.3 billion† (DiVenti, 2009, p.237). OFHEO discovered significant accounting, disclosure, and management concerns that

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Personal Statement Example My excellent interpersonal skills help me to communicate business information to my target audience by preparing crisp and well thought out presentations. I consider myself a social person for I like spending time with my families and friends. Being the part of the local community, I also like providing my assistance at local events and for other social causes. I am currently studying at Mt San Antonio College and this is my third year of school. Most of my subjects in the school are business related and therefore my interest in this particular field of study has grown with time. Within all this while I have learnt that my courses are much more than business management. They are providing an experience to the customer that is not less than exceptional; while motivating the employees to deliver their best by fulfilling their responsibilities. The basic responsibilities of the employees should be the maintenance of loyal customer base, providing exceptional customer service, guiding the customers on the product information and applications, handling new merchandise and working as a team to achieve mutual organizational objectives. All these factors contribute towards the success of an organization and therefore I have tried my level best to learn these skills through practical and theoretical knowledge. My father is an entrepreneur and is running his own business for almost 15 years. As a child I accompanied my father to various business meeting and negotiations. I heard my father and his employees discussing about the current economic conditions of the country and status of the stock market. Although as a kid I did not have much knowledge about all this but as I grew up, I started finding this subject interesting. I eagerly started waiting for my father to ask me to accompany me at the business meetings or negotiations. It was in the first year of my high school that I started watching businesses news for studying the position of several

Ulcerative colitis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Ulcerative colitis - Essay Example 2006). This paper will be divided into two main categories, whereby the first category will outline the characteristics and nature of Ulcerative Colitis. There will be a thorough discussion of what the disease is and what it is not in terms of its similarities and differences to Crohn's disease, as well as according to its prognosis. The second category will highlight the skills of a nurse necessary in managing patients affected by this disorder. In such, there will be a clear definition of the management and care that is justified with rationale and scientific explanation. The second category will also address the case study present. It is the intent of this paper to establish a complete understanding of the disease as well as the medical management aspect that is vital to the kind of care provided to patients. More than 500,000 Americans suffer each year from ulcerative colitis, Like Crohn's disease; it can be painful and debilitating and sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. This is according to the Mayo Clinic. Thus the case at hand presents Claire O'Brien, a 32 years old female admitted for possible bowel obstruction and passing of watery stools with bright red blood every 2 to hours. Initial diagnosis purports ulcerative colitis thus prompting the patient for immediate surgery, undergoing colon resection and formation of the colostomy. She is wheeled in to the ward under my care with an Intravenous Line, and has been ordered for a nasogastric tube insertion. Thus a question is raised at this point, what then is Ulcerative Colitis, and how does this disorder affect a person The answer lies in the discussion of the pathophysiology of this disease with emphasis to its etymology, symptoms and prognosis. Ulcerative Colitis is a non-specific inflammatory condition of the colon, a disease that begins often between the ages 20 and 25 years of age but may affect both young and old alike (Cotran, ET al.p776.1999). This tends to have flare-ups that later settles down again for variable amounts of time, yet it is possible to have a single attack. This disease usually begins in the rectum and spreads proximally, affecting primarily the mucosal layer, although it can extend into the lower submucosal layer. The length of proximal extension varies and may involve the rectum alone, thus called ulcerative proctitis, the rectum and sigmoid colon thus called proctosigmoiditis, or the entire colon otherwise known as pancolitis. The inflammatory process tends to be confluent and continuous instead of skipping areas, as it does in Crohn's disease. But unlike Crohn's disease that affects various sites in the gastrointestinal tract, Ulcerative Colitis is confined to the rectum and the colon. Both illnes ses though do have one strong feature in common. They are marked with an abnormal response by the body's immune system. The immune system is composed of various cells and proteins that protect the body from infection. With inflammatory bowel disease the immune system react inappropriately mistaking food, bacteria and other materials in the intestine for a foreign invading substance and thus

Organizational Behavior Apple vs Scania Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Apple vs Scania Essay Organizational Behavior is a field of Study which investigates the impact that individuals groups and structure have on organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving organization effectiveness. (Huczynsky, 2010) The way people behave individually or collectively in order to reach a common goal. Organizational behavior includes in it such issues as organizational design, culture, Group decision making, teamwork and leadership. (Dictionary of Business and Management, 2009) In this report two companies Apple and Scania are compared to each other in terms of their organizational behavior such as: design, culture, structure leadership and etc. The report is written based on the two key studies provided in the assessment and via additional sources and researches. The report starts with brief information about the background of the companies. Further the companies are compared by applying theories such as: Continuum leadership theory of Tannenbaum and Schmidt, Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs, Managerial grid Leadership theory of Blake and Mouton, and etc. The team-work approaches in both of the companies are highly focused, discussed and followed by recommendations. Companies’ background. ‘A truly magical and revolutionary product. What this device does is extraordinary. It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had†¦ It is unbelievably great†¦ A way better than laptop, way better than a Smartphone.’ Steve Jobs 2010 We could not even imagine how our phones and computers would look like today. The bulky and considered luxury machines are now innovated and updated devices owned by every single person and even few by each. One of the major roles in evolution of IT technology during all these years has the multinational American company called Apple. Established in 1976, the company was initially named Apple computer, Inc, but later on in 2007 it was renamed into just Apple. The company’s products are known as iPad, iPod, iPhone and Macintosh Computers or simply Mac Books. Apple has a very strong global market position as it has penetrated world’s biggest markets. According to the data provided in 2011, Apple has 46,600 full time employees around the world and 2,800 temporary full time employees and company’s sales are getting higher seasonally. Meanwhile Apple is considered to be a very successful company with a very high performance quality of its employees. (M. A. Lusted, 2012) Another Successful company taken its origin in Sweden and founded in 1891 is Scania. Scania is one of the largest and best Swedish heavy truck and bus Manufacture Company with globally recognized reputation. Scania’s products are created just the way their customers wish including in it Maximum use and minimum harm to the environment. Scania’s products are designed to consume less energy, less raw materials and chemicals in order to have as lower impact on environment as possible. Along with its reputation Scania makes high profits operating in more than 100 countries worldwide and employing 35,000 people worldwide. (Scania web, 2012) Analysis based on theories. According to the case study provided by Robins S and Jude T.A, the hierarchy did not work in most of the companies, but it is effective in case of Apple. Was that because Steve Jobs was a unique leader who could manage the whole company by his consistent innovative ideas? At the very beginning, Apple had a relatively flat and informal structure, but later on when Jobs was back into company in 1997, it was totally changed. If before the employees and managers gathered on Friday for a beer to discuss some issues and express their ideas and even complain, after the market became more saturated with competitors, Apple was focused on changing its structure to be able to compete, keep brand and control costs. Since than company improved and became a major part of the digital world. As a result of all these, the company’s plans and strategy was no longer discussed through the entire company and Jobs was the only generator of ideas proving the complete hierarchy. (Debra L. Nelson, James Campbell Quick, PH.D, 2011) Unlike Apple, Scania tens to rely less on hierarchy having a more flat company structure based on independent groups performances with the high concern on human factors and environmental issues. For example, Scania successfully uses the Sociothechnical systems theory where manager controls the environmental factors that influence the company’s internal operations and coordinates the social and technical subsystems. (Ricky W. Griffin, Gregory Moorhead, 2010) According to the Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s continuum theory of leadership behavior (1958, 1973) leaders should evaluate the situation before the implementation of a particular leadership styles. The continuum leadership behavior’s model theory is based on earlier studies focusing on the distinction of task versus employee or human orientations and demonstrates two types of leadership styles across the continuum: boss-centered (task) and subordinate-centered (relationship).( Borkowski, 2011). In the Apple’s situation, the decision maker or the decision ‘seller’ was Steve Jobs. During the all time when Jobs was the CEO of Apple, he was often called ‘dictator’ or ‘despot’. Jobs never asked anyone for feedback. However he could always instruct and simplify the capabilities of the complicated devices understandable only by its creators, he thought going around and asking his employees about the confusing functions of his product is useless. Instead, jobs played the device by, took notes of his reactions and considered it as the only necessary feedback required. (Leander Kahney, 2009) Whereas in Scania the entire company relies on customer feedback and development of stuff ideas so, if Apple has the structure where every single employee is responsible only for his part of job and has no chance to play any important role in making decisions, Scania has the structure there employees split into the groups brainstorm together on a certain idea or problem and together pick the optimal solutions. (Scania web, 2012) Based on all this we can assume that Apple is Boss-centered structured company and Scania is a more Subordinate-centered structured company. Figure 1.1 below demonstrates the locations of both Apple and Scania on a sample Continuum leadership behavior’s graph. According to the graph, where Apple is closely fitted in the total boss-centered area and Scania is fitted closer to the subordinate-centered area, the two companies are totally different in their structure and leadership, but at the same time both companies are successful and globally recognized and are in their maturity state today. In another words, Apple has an Autocratic leader, where he dictates and forces his employees or even threatens them to get the result his way, unlike Scania that has democratic leader who encourages participation in decision making and considers other’s feelings and seeks to satisfy most of parties.(Hungeryager and Heekman, 1967) Here comes the question: Despite the hierarchy and autocratic leadership in Apple and flat structured and democratic system in Scania, how come they both being so different be able to achieve goals having high employee performance? The best answer for this question would probably be the motivation which is present in both companies but caused by different factors. Humanity would not reach any level of development without the motivation. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) introduced a theory focused on psychological need of employees divided into 5 levels forming a pyramid, and he believed that person needs all 5 to feel satisfied with his job. (Essentials of Management, 2009). Hierarchy: ‘Common, pyramid-like organization where one person is in charge of a functional area with one or more subordinates handling the sub-functions. In an hierarchical organization (whether business, military, political, or religious) higher levels imply greater superiority and domination than the lower ones, and the chain of command extends straight from the top to the bottom’. (Business Dictionary web, 2012) (Image extracted from googleimage.com) While applying the following theory on Apple, it is obvious that the employees in the company are approximately on the 4th level depending on their job position. But in general, with the reputation that Apple has worldwide everyone would be proud to be employed by such a company and motivated by the financial aspect. In fact, the way the pyramid narrows towards up, the same way, the number of people with those facilities narrows down. Even in case of Scania, though the employees might be satisfied with their job and status, they might be also distracted by family or any other personal issues which could make them feel de-motivated. Adam’s Equity theory states that, employees attempt to achieve some equity between input and output, and if there is a difference between input and output, such as output less than input, the employees performance quality tends to be lower due to his/her job dissatisfaction. In another words, all contributions should be fairly rewarded. Going back t o Apple can assume that there is a perfect balance between output and input. Having high salary makes the employees feel right about not taking any part in making decisions; in fact they might feel more relaxed for not having big responsibilities. But in Scania, while taking part in discussions and decision making, employees feel more important, motivated but on the other hand they feel more responsibility pressure because in negative outcomes they all will have to share the loses. Looking at it more general, the only fact that might motivate the employees in both companies is the money. Due to the economic downturn which caused high rate of unemployment, the fact that one has a job, already makes him/her feel satisfied, but not for long. Once people get used to their job and salary they start getting bored and de-motivated. According to Guardian 2012, ‘many of those who worked for Apple, feels cut off from the real world, suspended in a cultural vacuum inside the walls of the company’. The lack of communication with cooperatives, socializing and team-working leads to employees’ dissatisfaction. To avoid such errors, Scania depending on foreign labor, in order to keep high productivity level, created a humanization program which was to apply a new group assembly approach. The program was all about team-work and group decisions called Saab-Scania. The groups consisted of 5-12 people and were given the power to make decisions within the given limits. Along with production groups Scania formed development groups each composed of foreman, industrial engineers and representatives. Such groups were responsible for innovating and developing the new working methods favorable for the employees. As a result, such team-working approach saved productivity time, increased products’ quality and raised job satisfaction of the employees, so since this experiment Scania finds its success in team-working structure. (A.. Rashid, 1982) Coming back to apple, one could only add, that high productivity and quality with the lack of team-working, is being reached only by having continues innovations and strong brand position, simply strong marketing. Further analyzing the case of apple we can add that, a huge multinational company where everyone is responsible only for his bit of work, simply being a tiny replaceable detail of a mechanism, and where the main responsibility is on CEO, team-working is not that important as long as the company’s goals are being reached. The Managerial Grid or the grid theory now called as Leadership theory of Blake and Mouton states that there are two types of managers: concern for production and concern for people , and the perfect manager would be the who could exhibits both people and production concern. The leadership grid is graded from 1 to 9 from both axes identifying 5 main types of leaders: country club management, team management, middle-of-the-road management, impoverished management and authority management. (Miller, 2012) The grid looks as follow: Relying on the leadership grid, we can assume that Apple with the autocratic approach and higher concern on production and lower on people, is classified as a company with the Authority-Compliance Management leadership and Scania, deserving to be placed on the other side of the grid is a company with Team-management leadership, having high concern on people rather than on production. The modern team system of Scania is highly relied on cluster managers. The cluster manager is the manager who has overall responsibility for the team consisting of 20-25 employees. Each cluster consists of people with different experience and skills and trained before becoming fully operative. Often there are also small temporary teams. Thought the cluster has a manager, the employees have the sense of belonging to a team and having major role in it. A centered team-working structure helps the company to keep strong Company-oriented company culture. ‘No one must be able to say that is not my concern, I am not responsible for that’ said the senior manager of the company. Although Apple cannot boast with its tem-work management Leadership as Scania, it motivates the employees providing the opportunity to get promoted from an intern into a manager. The trainings provided free by Apple itself makes the process much easier for the employees. In addition, small competitions such as answering the most difficult question of the customers are followed by rewards. Another important fact is that, Apple provides large job opportunity to young students employing them, full-time, part-time or making them student representatives at their schools. (Apple Inc.’s Ethical Success and Challenges web, 2011) Conclusion While summing it all but, it is right to mention that, while comparing the companies and analyzing their organizational behaviors the total difference of the companies has been identified. Apple is a multinational autocratic company having high concern on production and lower concern on people, despite this it is able to motivate the employees by rewards, bonuses and promotion opportunities demonstrating itself as a creative company challenging for innovations with the strong belief in its successful bright future and seeking for the genus employees from young generation, to take part in those innovations. The case of Apple has proved that, the employees are not pressurized by dictator, as it is expected in an Authority-Manager company, but inspired to work with such unique leaders. Scania, along with its rich Swedish culture totally relays on the team-working manager Leadership with the ability to balance both concern for people and production and giving the employees the chance to feel themselves part of a whole mechanism. The management in Scania believes that, every employee in the company despite the job position should feel the responsibility and share it with the collogues and feel that he/she does not work for someone, but works together with everyone. Fortunately, for Scania being further from hierarchy unlike Apple, adds advantages in terms of organizational behavior, proving the democratic structure of the company, whereas Apple proves to be really a unique company for being able to success with deep hierarchy in it. Recommendations Thought Apple is satisfied with its production and the company in whole, it should also pay attention to its employees by providing them some other activities to make them feel as a team. For example, Apple could create groups or teams responsible not for the main operations of the organization, but side operations or project such as charity, where the employees could take part in decision making process without the involvement of CEO. Another option for Apple could be organizing research teams with team leaders, as employees feel more motivated when they are committed in the changes. Because the managers in Scania are very multinational, the company should pay attention to cultural difference of the employees. It would be very relevant to educate the cluster managers in terms of culture of the other members of the team and than sent them to the Angers plant. Obviously the expansion of company by creating more teams in Scania is advantageous on one hand, but on the other hand it makes the company’s structure too sophisticated and too massive and moreover, adding a new cluster may reduce the space of other clusters. That is why Clusters should be added within the limitations, or smaller groups should be created as smaller groups make better performance and make faster decisions. References Buchanon D. Huczynsky A. (2010) Organizational behavior, 7th ed. Harlow: Pearson/FT Prentice Hall Oxford, 2009, Dictionary of Business and Management, Oxford University Press, 5th ed. New York Leander Kahney (2009). Inside Steves Brain. US: penguin Group Debra L. Nelson, James Campbell Quick (2011). Organizational Behavior: Science, the Real World, and You. PhD Ricky W. Griffin, Gregory Moorhead (2010). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. 10th ed. US: South-western Nancy Borkowski (2011). Organizational Behavior in Health Care. 2nd ed. LLC: Jones and Barlett Publishers Andrew Durbin (2009). Essentials of Management. US: South-western. Anwar Rashid (1982). organizational Behavior. 2nd ed. Canada: Methuen. 76-78 Katherine Miller (2012). Organizational Communication and Approaches and Processes. 6th ed. US: Wadsworth. M. A. Lusted (2012). Apple: The Company and its Visionary Founder, Steve Jobs. USA: ABDO. 9-22 A. Preston (2012). The Apple Revolution: Steve Jobs, the Counter Culture, and How the Crazy Ones Took Over the World by Luke Dormehl – review. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/apple-revolution-luke-dormehl-review. Last accessed 18th Dec 2012. Scania official web site. (2012). H istory. Available: http://www.scania.co.uk/about-scania/history/. Last accessed 22nd Dec 2012

Causes and Effects of Child Poverty in Britain

Causes and Effects of Child Poverty in Britain TAQ 1: TOPIC: CHILD POVERTY IN BRITAIN: THE CAUSES AND THE EFFECTS. TAQ 2: TOPIC: CHILD POVERTY IN BRITAIN: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES AND THE EFFECTS. The aim of this essay is to discuss and analyse the causes and effects of child poverty in Britain. It will start by giving a definition of child poverty, explaining and analysing the causes and effects of child poverty distinguishing between fact and opinion, looking into the severity of the effects of child poverty and lastly, suggesting ways with which this menace can be dealt with. According to According to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF 2006) children living in poverty are those who experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society. The Christian Children Fund (CCF) definition is based on Deprivation (lack of essential conditions and services needed for the development of a child’s full potential), exclusion (denial of rights, dignity and voice as a result of prejudiced processes) and vulnerability (incapability of society to handle deal with threats to children in their environment). Children living in poverty are as a result of being born to poor parent(s) who are poor as a result of various reasons such as unemployment or low paid jobs, lack of education, government policies, disabilities and discrimination. When a parent lacks the required resources such as a regular disposable income to bring up a child, that child’s well-being is restricted. Other causes of child poverty includes teen pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, increase in number of single parents (a child raised by a single parent is more likely to live in poverty than that raised by a couple) and insufficient benefits (CPAG 2015). In United Kingdom, the benefits system is in place to act as a safety barrier for people who are out of work or earn insufficient amount of money. The reality is that these benefits are hardly ever enough to cater for the needs of these people thereby affecting their families, leaving them to live below the poverty line (CPAG 2015). The effects of child poverty are not far fetching. This menace damages a child in all aspects- physically, socially, emotionally. A child living in poverty is prone to ill-health, low attainment in life, low morale and a feeling of rejection. These can give rise to anti-social behaviours which will in turn affect the society. According to Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG 2015), it was reported that child poverty costs the United Kingdom at least  £29 billion pounds each year,  £20. 5 billion of which is a direct cost to the government due to the additional demands for services and benefits. To effectively curb this issue, there has to be a collective effort from both the government and her people. The government has to provide profitable jobs with excellent incentives to motivate people to work; better benefits structure, where benefits received is not too much to discourage work and at the same time not too low in which case they are found living below the poverty line. REFERENCES AND BIBLOGRAPHY Child Poverty Action Group. 2015. Child poverty facts and figures. [Online] Child Poverty Action Group. Available at: < http://www.cpag.org.uk/child-poverty-facts-and-figures> [Assessed 16 February 2015]. Enrique, et al. 2006. Children living in poverty: Overview of definitions, measurements and policy. [Pdf] New York: United Nations Children’s Fund. Available at: < http://www.unicef.org/Children_Living_In_Poverty.pdf> [Assessed 16 February 2015]. TAQ 3: CHILD POVERTY IN BRITAIN: WHY YOU SHOULD ACT. Child poverty in Britain is a phenomenon that should be addressed by everyone whether an individual is being classed as middle class citizen or not as it affects the whole society in the long run. Having read through a few articles on child poverty, interesting facts and figures has made me both curious and emotional. According to the Child Poverty Action Group’s write up (CPAG 2015) which I read online, there are currently 3.5 million children living in poverty in the United Kingdom, that’s a ratio of more than one in four. These kids live in deplorable conditions, often left cold and hungry, unable to play and have fun with friends or even go on school trips. All these situations affect them in the long term. The CPAG blog also reported that by the age of sixteen, children receiving free meals at school achieve 1.7 grades lower at GCSE than their wealthier peers; they leave school with lower qualifications which in turn lead to lower earnings over the course of a work ing life time and it has also been projected that 4.7 million children will be living in poverty by 2020. I personally find these figures appalling and saddening and I believe that while the government has a responsibility to her people, companies and individual members of the society all have a role to play if we are to tackle this issue effectively. Increases in the number of single mothers or parent, unplanned pregnancies, teenage pregnancies are some of the underlying causes of child poverty. Teenagers (kids who think they are adults and matured enough to make major decisions, feel it is their God- given right to be rebellious and can hardly take care of themselves) should not be having children. These teenagers need to be sexually educated, encouraged to get involved in profitable activities that will open their minds and expand their horizons so they can tap into their full potential. This is not to say that sometimes these kids would not derail from the right path. This is where having a strong family unit comes into play. If and when they do, they need to be supported emotionally, physically, financially especially by family. Companies (minor, major, multi- national) should also be involved. These companies should have a social responsibility to the community in which they are operating. Having support groups, organising campaigns, making regular donations in cash and in kind and creating awareness will suffice. The government should not be less concerned. She has a duty to provide basic amenities, profitable jobs and benefits structure that will motivate and inspire her people. Children are gifts that should be cherished. They should not be born to suffer and live in poverty. They need to be nurtured in love because they are after all- OUR future.

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Learning School Essays

Teaching Philosophy Teaching is learning twice over. I believe that learning can be done in many different capacities; however, it takes a strong blend of certain personal characteristics and instructional techniques to become an effective teacher. In a perfect world, I could stand in front of a gathering of physical education students and teach them successfully how to dribble a basketball or throw a baseball, but it is much more difficult than that. Students are as different as snowflakes, each with many characteristics different than the next. To use the analogy of a key and lock, the key being the presentation of the material and the lock being the students, I feel that many teachers try to use the same key on 25 different locks. It is up to the teacher do away with the â€Å"here is the material†¦learn it† method of teaching and start considering the differences between one student’s ability to learn to the next. I believe in having a strong relationship with my students. I want them to be in a classroom where they know someone cares about them and that the teacher is not just earning a paycheck. By demonstrating a certain level of compassion for your students, they feel more comfortable with you as a teacher. By nurturing their open minds, a teacher can be successful. It is important to let the students ask questions and let them think for themselves. At a young age, children are full of imagination and ideas, and too often teachers take their intuitive instinct away from them by not letting them share their ideas or punishing them when they make a mistake out of the exploration of their imagination. I believe that setting goals has got me where I am today and that the concept of goal setting should be instructed and reinforced. Without goals students are apt to stray from little educational endeavors that end up being the little holes that sunk the big ship. In high school, I was a student who was at the top of the class in subjects that I enjoyed and mediocre in subjects that I did not find appealing.

Huck Finn: Appearance Versus Reality

Many people in this world will believe in the first impression they get. The appearance people see will usually satisfy them without further investigating into the reality of a situation. The difference between appearance and reality can be quite different. This also applies to literature. There are many instances where an author will describes a character as kind, but is actually deceptive and mean. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are characters and situations that show how appearances can differ from reality.The three main instances are the Grangerford and Shepherdson feud, through the Duke and the Dauphin, and Miss Watson. The difference between appearance and reality is easily seen through the Grangerford and Shepherdson feud. They are two families who appear to be very classy. Huck believes them to be noble families. Huck shows that he believes this when he says, â€Å"There was another clan of aristocracy around there – five or six families â€⠀œ mostly by the name of Shepherdson. They was as high-toned and well born and rich and grand as the tribe of Grangerfords† (142).The two families show that this is not how they really are when they shoot at each other and try to kill one another. Col. Grangerford is also a man who is not who he appears to be. He is the head of the Grangerford family and in Huck’s eyes, is the perfect man. Huck says, â€Å"COL. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family† (140). Huck sees a man who is kind and perfect. The reality is that Col. Grangerford allows for the continuing slaughter of two families over a feud they don’t even remember how it started. Col. Grangerford is actually the exact opposite of the person he appears to be.The Grangerford faTmily is overall not who they seem to be. They appear to be kind and thoughtful, yet they partake in the owning of slaves. Huck finds out that the Grangerford family owns many fa rms with over a hundred slaves. The Grangerford’s could not possibly be good people and treat hundreds of people with disdain. The Grangerford and Shepherdson families are perfect examples of people are not who are not who they appear to be. The Duke and the Dauphin are two men who fake their appearance for a living. As con-men, they rely on people to believe in their appearance.The episode of the Royal Nonesuch illustrates how the Duke and the Dauphin swindle people. They put up posters around the town stating that there would be a performance of the Royal Nonesuch for three nights. The tricksters’ plan was to charge the villagers to get in to the performance, and then the Dauphin would cut the performance extremely short. They achieved this and made a large sum of money. They also use their ability to fake their appearance to gain special treatment from people. This was seen when the Duke said, â€Å"I will reveal it to you, for I feel I may have confidence in you. By rights I am a duke† (163)!The Dauphin quickly followed the Duke’s lead and said, â€Å"You ain’t the only person that’s ben snaked down wrongfully out’n a high place/ Bilgewater (the duke), I am the late Dauphin† (164/165)! By claiming that they are people of high stature Huck and Jim believe that they should be treated like royalty. However, Huck was smart enough to be able to identify the men as fakes and see past their appearance. That prevented Huck from completely following the men as a servant. The Duke and the Dauphin also show that if we just accept people for whom they appear to be, we could get hurt. The episode with the inheritance claim is an example of this.The family believed the Duke and Dauphin to be the uncles of the Wilks nieces and therefore claim the six thousand dollars. People such as the Duke and the Dauphin use people’s compellation to believe in appearances to survive. Not everyone takes advantage of peopleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s awareness toward others; some, like Miss Watson, are actually better people than their appearance dictates. In the beginning of the book Huck talks about Miss Watson in a quick description. Huck said, â€Å"The Widow’s sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book.She worked me middling hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up† (3). Miss Watson appears tough and severe to Huck, employing harsher methods than necessary at times. From Huck’s point of view she does appear like a mean old women, but she most likely had her reasons for using the methods she did. Huck was most likely not the best student and his behavior skills were sub-par. It is easy to see how Miss Watson became frustrated with Huck’s struggle to be civilized. The underlying concept behind her strictness is that she cares for Huck.There has to be a reason for her to us e up so much energy to try and teach a boy without any previous knowledge. Huck does not realize that Miss Watson actually cared for him until his conscience starts bothering him about Jim. His conscience was theoretically incorrect because he was upset that he had taken Jim from Miss Watson, but he understood why Miss Watson acted the way she did in the beginning of the novel. Huck realized this when he said, â€Å"Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how.That’s what she done† (118). Miss Watson is an example of someone who is better in reality than who she appeared to be. The appearance of something whether it is an object or a person, is not always what is true. The true reality behind something or someone may be completely different than what seemed. Some people take advantage of people who commit to a first impression. Others are actually better people than what their appearanc e dictates. Looking into this topic, I realized that applying the concept used in understanding literature can also be used in life.The skill of being able to understand who a character is and why they do the things they do instead of just accepting how they appear can translate into real situations. We can do this by looking at situations through another’s point of view; or commonly said, putting yourself into another’s shoes. Gaining a deeper understanding of someone’s actions and beliefs can help us rise above the level of just tolerance. When we gain this understanding, we reach a level of acceptance. You can always have facts bolstered by imagination, but you can never imagine facts.