Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Benefits

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Benefits Indian agriculture has a rich historical past. Hymns in Rigveda describe plowing, sowing, irrigation, fruit and vegetable cultivation. An ancient Indian Sanskrit text, Bhumivargaha, classified agricultural land into twelve categories: urvara (fertile), ushara (barren), pankikala (muddy), maru (desert), aprahata (fallow), jalaprayah (watery), kachchaha (land contiguous to water), sharkara (full of pebbles and pieces of limestone), shadvala (grassy), nadimatruka (land watered from a river), sharkaravati (sandy), and devamatruka (rainfed). Archaeological evidence suggests that rice was grown along the banks of the Indian river Ganges in the sixth millennium BC. Thousands of years ago, Indian farmers used to domesticate cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs and horses The farmers used traditional methods of cultivation. However, over past fifty years Indian population has tripled. To meet the food requirements of the increasing population and save them from starvation increase in farm production was the need of the hour. Norman Borlaug, titled as the Father of the Green Revolution introduced the concepts of introduction of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, increase of irrigation infrastructure, advancement of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to farmers in developing countries. India too successfully implemented it, which led to rapid growths in farm productivity and enabled us to become self-sufficient by the 1970s. However, this historical revolution created some problems also. For example high yield was associated with land degradation. Also there was increase in number of weeds. There was evidence of chemicals in water and crops making them unsafe. Today, India is among the top three global producers of many crops, includ ing wheat, rice, cotton, pulses, peanuts, fruits and vegetables. Worldwide, India has the largest herds of buffalo and cattle. It is also the largest producer of milk. Also India has one of the largest and fastest growing poultry industries. India’s basic strength lies in its farms. With this huge farm productivity it becomes imperative that the safety and quality of farm produce is ensured at all stages of production. We need to balance the requirements of food security and safety both. The solution to this complex problem is by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). To increasing the quantity and quality of food in response to growing demand it is required to increase the agricultural productivity. Good agricultural practices, often in combination with effective input use, are one of the best ways to increase productivity and improve quality. GAPs enhance the production safe and good quality food. These practices are ususally environmentally safe and ensure that the final product is appropriate handled, stored and transported. When GAPs are put in practice in true spirit it can be assured that the food will meet quality and safety standards at the time of harvest. GAPs protect food at the primary stage of production from contamination by the following :- Physical hazards like rocks, dirt ,sand filth, putrid and decomposed materials Toxic chemical hazards and contaminants from the environment like heavy metals, environmental pollutants and industrial chemicals) Excessive or unsafe levels of agricultural chemical residues as pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs and other chemicals Contamination or damage by pests, vermin and other insects Biological contamination by mould, pathogenic bacteria or viruses which can cause spoilage, crop damage and food borne illness or chronic health hazards in humans According to Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations Good Agricultural Practices are practices that address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm processes, and result in safe and quality food and non-food agricultural products (figure 1). Figure 1: Four main pillars of GAP. The international market is becoming competitive. The developed countries have become more demanding, critical and stringent when it comes to accepting export of food from developing countries. To have a good standing of our farm produce in the international market Indian Good Agricultural Practices (INDGAP) have been formulated. Adopting theses practices will ensure a safe and sustainable farm produce. INDGAP defines certain minimum standards with a well defined system of accreditation mechanism and implementation of GAP. These standards are voluntary and non discriminatory to the growers. INDGAP has different modules for all farm, crops, fruits and vegetables, combinable crops, green tea and coffee. Broad outline of various aspects which need to be managed are :- Site history and management Soil management Soil mapping Plant nutrition management an fertilizers Irrigation and fertigation Integrated pest management Plant protection products Traceability Complaints management Visitors safety Record keeping Health welfare and safety of workers Environmental conservation Waste and pollution management The potential benefits of GAP are significant improvement in quality and safety of food and other agricultural products. There is a marked reduction in risk of non-compliance with national and international regulations regarding permitted pesticides, maximum levels of contaminants (including pesticides, veterinary drugs, radionuclide and mycotoxins) in food and non-food agricultural products, as well as other chemical, microbiological and physical contamination hazards. Adoption of GAP helps to promote sustainable agriculture and contributes to meeting national and international environment and social development objectives. However there are various challenges related to GAP. The most prominent is a definite increase in cost of production. There is lack of harmonization between existing GAP-related schemes and availability of affordable certification systems which often leads to increased confusion and certification costs for farmers and exporters. There is a high risk that small-scale farmers will not be able to seize export market opportunities unless they are adequately informed, technically prepared and organised to meet this new challenge. It is required that governments and public agencies play a facilitating role in this aspect. However, at times it has been experienced that compliance with GAP standards does not promote all the environmental and social benefits which are claimed. Some key points for adopting GAP are:- Selecting the right type of land to be cultivated for food crop production; Planting the best-quality seeds and of the most appropriate varieties; Use of authorized and acceptable chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) as per approved directions (e.g. concentration, frequency, timing of use); Controlling the quality of irrigation water (in case of use); Use of appropriate harvesting and on-farm storing and handling techniques; Use of suitable methods for shipping of produceto markets or food processors.

History of Childcare Essay

History of Childcare Institutions and Qualifications During this essay I will be outlining the history of childcare institutions and qualifications and how they have developed in relation to the needs of the country, family needs and society. I will be looking at the following occupations wet nurses, governesses, nannies and nursery nurses and how qualifications have developed within these roles. I shall them to the qualifications of the present day and how gender and social class have impacted on these professions. Also I shall consider how the curriculum content has changed to meet the demands of the ever changing role of the childcare worker and how it relates to my teaching practice currently and in the future. When focusing on childcare a fundamental starting point is considering the role of the wet nurse and why she was popular and in demand. Wet nursing can date back as far as Moses. When the princess found baby Moses floating down the Nile she asked Miriam to find a wet nurse. In Ancient Egypt poor women used to supplement their income by becoming wet nurses for the upper class citizens or mothers who could not produce enough milk. Contracts were drawn up between them to â€Å"ensure the wet nurse provided good milk; preventing the wet nurse from nursing other children, having sex, or becoming pregnant† (history-wet-nursing, 2011). In many cultures wet nurses were an ancient tradition, for example within the Chinese culture, before the Second World War, wet nursing was common practice. The Communists tried to outlaw the practice but in the 21st century it has become a status symbol and due to the melamine milk scandal this ancient profession has seen a revival. Wet nurses in China today – must leave their own children, maintain a special diet, and undergo training in certain cases. Furthermore, if the babies that they nurse do not grow 20 grams each day, the wet nurses are fined by their employers. † (history-wet-nursing, 2011) During the Victorian era it was common place for the upper classes to employ a wet nurse as once more this was seen as a status symbol. Other reasons were that women of this era were usually married to authoritarian husbands who believed that breast feeding interfered with sex and the women themselves assumed that it would disfigure their breasts. Furthermore, during this time infant mortality was high and upper class families were encouraged to have large families to ensure the survival of an heir. Breast feeding provided a form of contraception and prevented ovulation thus, spacing out pregnancies. It wasn’t uncommon for babies to be sent to a wet nurse’s home for 18 to 24 months in order for the mother to become pregnant again. Often a wet nurse could be feeding many children including their own (sometimes to their detriment) and was either paid as well as a labourer or received nothing at all. Morisot, The Wet Nurse (1880) According to Valerie Fildes there were three types of wet nurses â€Å"the parish nurse who took in parish infants and was usually receiving poor relief herself; the nurses of the London Foundling Hospital who worked under the supervision of inspectors; the privately employed nurse, for whom wet-nursing was a significant and continuing occupation for which she received a good wage both in money and in kind: often she was cared for by her nurse-children in later life and received the occasional bequest from them. † (Fildes, 1988, p. 43) The qualities required for a wet nurse by the Victorians were worked out in enormous detail. She should have an attractive face, clear eyes, well made nose, red mouth, white teeth and a deep chest. The shape of her breasts was very important and their size shape and colour were all taken into account. She should also have a good personality, speak well, not be pregnant or desire the company of her husband. The reasons for these specific qualities were that it was thought that they would be transferred through the breast milk to the child (Fildes, 1988). By the middle of the 19th century wet nurses had virtually disappeared although isolated examples still existed (Churchill had a wet nurse). Surprisingly, wet nursing is making a reappearance in society today, there are wet nursing agencies where mothers can employ a wet nurse. Within society today, a woman may choose this option due to health reasons for example extreme illness or disease such as AIDS, an inability to produce breast milk or multiple births. What is more, this privilege is still confined to the upper and middle classes of society who have the means to pay. However, during the Victorian era this may have been seen as common practice but during this century it is quite often seen as a taboo subject,as pregnant mothers are given information about the benefits of breastfeeding from health professionals who actively encourage new mothers to conform with this practice. Alongside this there is the pressure from government initiative and more detailed research, that are changing the ideology of society thinking dismissing the Victorian idea of wet nursing as a status symbol. When comparing the person specification of the wet nurse in the 19th century to today’s wet nurses, it appears that there are some similarities such as being in good health, not smoking or consuming alcohol. Today, they are also vetted and tested for transferable diseases due to the fact more is understood about these by society and health professionals. Furthermore, wet nurses need to have a baby of a similar age in order for the milk to be of the right constitution and they would usually live or work in the employer’s home whereas previously they would have been taken to the wet nurses home. Following on from the wet nurse there is the emergence of nannies. The history of nannies can be traced back as far as the seventeenth century. The English nanny was an institution and was most popular during the 18th century. She is often portrayed in books and films as a kind, gentle woman who children adored; in fiction such as Jayne Eyre, Mary Poppins and more recently Nanny McFee. Before training developed nannies were often what were known as â€Å"gentlewomen† who had fallen on hard time and had to support themselves. They saw being a nanny as a solution to their predicament. Not all nannies were kind, some were extremely cruel. The nanny usually had a great deal of power and responsibility within the home; she had her own quarters to look after the children usually at the top of the house. The upper classes, employed nannies in order for them to continue their leisurely life style. Children at the time were also viewed as they should be â€Å"seen and not heard† and parents left it to the nanny to have total care and responsibility for their upbringing. Parents only spent a short time in the day with them accompanied by the nanny. The nanny would usually have a nursery maid to assist her who would do the menial tasks such as preparing meals and laundry. On the whole, nannies learned from other nannies and progression was usually nursery – maid, nursemaid or under nurse, sometimes a period of working as a second nanny, and then finally a nanny in her own right. In 1892 the first training college was set up by Emily Ward. She ran a school for young children in Norland Place and recognised the need for training. She was one of the earliest advocates of the Froebel system of teaching which was based on the approach â€Å"that all children are born good, and that to help them develop, adults need to provide the right environment and activities. These protect the child from learning bad habits of â€Å"evil tendencies†(Tassoni, 2006, p19). Emily Ward found that many of the students who went to her for training were not academic and found the Froebel examination too difficult despite her students being very practical and having a great love of children. Emily Ward recognised that if the students could be trained, not only would it benefit the children but would provide a new profession for girls of the educated classes. Students were charged a fee of thirty six pounds which covered six months training. The students were also expected to wear a uniform which Emily Ward thought would identify them as professionals and not have them mistaken for housemaids. This leads me to believe that originally the role the nanny was seen for women to earn a respectable living when they found themselves to be in a financial predicament rather than needing a formal qualification. However, during the latter stage of the 19th century the introduction of a formal qualification and fee for training transformed nanning into a profession, but still only allowed educated middle class, girls the opportunity. The students training was broken down into the following:- â€Å"Three fortnights for cooking, laundry, and domestic work, and six weeks spent in the Norland Place School, looking on at lessons, and giving help to the teachers. † (Gibbs, 1960, pg 178) Lectures given in the morning and the afternoons were spent exercising (walks in the fresh air), the evenings were for learning needlework. The second three months were spent in hospital training and the students were then given one month’s holiday before taking a post in a private family as a children’s nurse. If the employer was happy with the student she would continue for another three months and only then would the Norland Certificate be awarded. By today’s standards training was centred around domestic science rather than understanding the child and how they develop, which would confer with the ideology of woman’s role within society at that time as the traditional housewife. However, at a glance nanny’s of today are still required to fulfil domestic duties such as cooking and laundry but this is not curricular based but, has more emphasis on the development of the child. By 1904 the training changed slightly as it was realized that students needed to gain practical experience to do their job and a small nursery was set up overseen by experienced children’s nurses with the students acting as under-nurses. This practice was highly regarded by employers when the students obtained posts, and is seen favourably and useful by employers today. By 1924 fees had risen to eighty pounds and the college expanded. During the Second World War the college and nursery evacuated to Devon, but many of the students gave up their training and joined the women’s services. After the war the college relocated to Chislehurst and students began training again. The course itself was extended from six months to twenty one months and included â€Å"domestic science, educations training, residential nursery training and a hospital nurse course. Students were also taught story-telling and games for the under-fives. (Gibbs, 1960, pg 180) Great emphasis was placed within the training on the needs of the small child, students gained experience of this from working in the nursery attached to the college and nursery schools and infant welfare centres outside of the college. An examination was also introduced at the end of the twenty one month’s – the National Nursery Examination Board qualification or NNEB. However, the Norland Certificate was only awarded to students who had completed one year’s satisfactory work in post which had been agreed by the Principal. Only two years were allowed from the end of training to obtain the full certificate. The college also encouraged students to stay in touch with them for at least three years after completing their certificate. They did this to ensure they could follow the career of each student and ensure that the standard of the college could be maintained. Norland nannies were well respected and there was a constant demand in private posts, nurseries and for posts as school matrons. Norland College was the first training college to open in 1892 and later other colleges began to appear. The Princess Christian Training College for Nursery Nurses opened in Manchester in 1901 under the direct patronage of the Princess Christian (third daughter of Queen Victoria). She suggested that instead of hospital training, a course of home nursing should be introduced. She also felt very strongly that a nurse should be forbidden to punish children herself. The need for training colleges was recognised by the Gentlewomen’s Employment Association (1891), Princess Christian was one of its patrons. Like the Norland College it provided employment for gentlewomen who needed to earn a living at a time when it was not generally acceptable. The Princess Christian College’s training duration was nine months unlike Norland’s six months and was hard and rigorous. Students had to be on duty at six and complete washing and cleaning before breakfast at seven. They had evening lectures and sewing after supper, no holidays and half a day off each week. The college also had testimonial books which recorded each nurse’s career, including a principal’s report and at the end of her training and a reference from her last employer. There is a stark contrast to the training that was provided in 1904 to the qualification we see today. Although there is still a strong emphasis on work based training the standard of the qualification is not as robust as in the 19th and early 20th century and this could be because students are being accepted onto courses with a required level of education and the demands of the role have changed. During the First World War The Princess Christian College ran into financial difficulties and in May 1918 closed. The college reopened again in 1919 in new premises but closed again at outbreak of the Second World War in order for children to be evacuated. After the war the college reopened and reorganised its syllabus and training to cover the changes in social conditions. Training was extended to eighteen months and covered the NNEB requirements (Gibbs, 1960). At the time Mary Ann Gibbs wrote her book â€Å"The Years of the Nannies† (1960) the fees for the eighteen month course at Princess Christian College was ? 270 for a resident student and ? 140 for a non-resident student. Bursaries and local authority grants were available for less well off students. The syllabus in 1960 included:- daily nursery work with babies and small children, instruction in the planning and preparation of infant diets, training in the milk kitchen, general cookery and nutrition, laundry and housewifery, needlework with design and care of children’s clothes, hygiene and physiology and the model nursery. † (Gibbs, 1960, Pg 190) The college awarded three certificates to students the first being a Probationers Certificate on completion of satisfactory training and a Nurse’s Certificate for two years satisfactory work, dating from the ranting of the Probationers Certificate. Finally, the student would be awarded The Special Certificate with Badge for three year’s satisfactory work, dating from the granting of the Nurse’s Certificate. After a student had completed her training she had quite a wide range of employment opportunities such as working as a nanny, working in day and residential nurseries, working with disabled children, school matron, nursery nurses on maternity wards and in passenger liner nurseries. A Night Nurse at The Princess Christian Training College Students who completed their training at the training colleges usually found employment through the college or through advertisements in women’s journals, or professional journals. One of those journals was â€Å"Nursery World† which was first launched in 1925 and is still used by our students today. The other was â€Å"The Lady† first published in 1885 which advertised many employment opportunities for nannies. Nannies are still very much in demand today, their role has changed in that they work closely with parents respecting their views and wishes and are more usually employed by working parents. They are required to be trained to Level 3 and most will have had experience with babies. In contrast, nannies back in the eighteenth century would always live with the family, whereas nannies now can live out. They also have the opportunity to work for families abroad and can command high salaries and additional benefits such as holidays and use of a car. [pic] Advertisements’ from Careers and Vocational Training 10th Edition The role of the nanny was important but you cannot overlook the role of the governess in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. She is portrayed in fiction as a lonely, somewhat stern figure yet many women entered this profession. She would have been a well educated middle-class woman who like the nanny had to provide a living for herself. In Victorian times women were seen as the responsibility of men – her husband, father or brother. When they were unable to provide financially for her, working as a governess was seen as socially acceptable. There was a high demand for governesses in he Victorian era (despite the expansion of public school education for boys and public school for the masses) especially if they were competent in teaching math’s and science. â€Å"The census of 1851 showed that there were 24,770 governesses in England and Wales. † (Hudson, 1970, p45) The greatest qualification of the governess was having a good background fitting in with the correct social class. She was required to write a letter of application in order for the family to consider her suitability. Many fa milies listed subjects they required their governess to teach. â€Å"Wanted, a Governess, on Handsome Terms. Governess – a comfortable home, but without salary, is offered to any lady wishing for a situation as governess in a gentleman’s family, residing in the country, to instruct two little girls in music, drawing, and English; a thorough knowledge of the French language is required. †( Advertisement, The Times. (London: 27 June, 1845). The upper class families still continued to educate their children at home and it was down to the family to decide when their children would enter the school room. In order to ensure their employability they sought to improve their education and this lead them gaining a footing in higher education. During the nineteenth century, professional books and journals were printed for governesses to use. These were read among other teachers and concerned parents to share educational practices and lessons, and keep The Governess them informed of the changing educational reform in the Victorian era. In 1843 The Governesses’ Benevolent Institution was formed and it helped educate governesses and provided aid for retired or out of work governesses in and around London. It also provided a registry for governesses and families seeking a governess to place their information. This was similar to an employment agency today. Along with this and pressure from the governesses the institute expanded and included a college for governesses to study and improve their education. A donation from the Prince and Princess of Wales enabled funding for free night classes. The Queens College was founded in 1848 and its goal was to provide qualifications for governesses, it provided â€Å"Lectures for Ladies† from which at the end of study they received a Diploma. Almost all the lectures were given by men from Kings College, and older women known as â€Å"Lady Visitors† attended to act as chaperones to the female students. It is clear that despite considerable changes from the era of the wet nurse there is still a vast divide between what is considered beyond the realms of the woman as it is the man that is considered able to lecture in the core subjects whilst the woman is only expected to understand and deliver to her charges. The Queens college was seen as an institution offering higher education for women. In the last decade of the nineteenth century the Queens College and The House of Education developed a curriculum specifically for the training of governesses and this saw a drastic change in the profession of the governess. Families now wanted to employ governesses with certificates and training in education rather than, be qualified solely by their family background. We must take into account that at this time education for girls was seen as less important and it was not until the 1900 that attitudes changed when girls started to enter public high school and boarding schools and this resulted in the decline of the governess. Governesses are still employed today but their role has changed. Today they need to hold a degree and at least two years experience as an educator. They may live with the family or live out. They usually have sole charge of the children’s education although in some cases they may just supplement the child’s education. This could be coaching a child to obtain their eleven plus, or providing additional help for specific subjects, or in all subjects, with the goal of preparing students to apply to and be accepted into good colleges. They may also be employed if a family moves to another country so that children can learn the language or maintain the education that correlates to their native country. The profession is still largely female orientated despite the pay and conditions being good. This could be due to several factors such as living in the employer’s home and societies view of a male in a governess role. The Second World War saw an increase in day nurseries as men went away and women were called upon to take over the work left to do at home. The Ministry of Health organised and supervised this provision. In view of this more nursery nurses needed to be trained and in January 1944 The National Nursery Examination Board was formed and they established an examination for all nursery nurses. The first examination was taken in 1946. The syllabus and training has changed considerably over the years, notably in 1965, the age range was extended to seven years of age, before this students trained to work with children up to five years. This decision was prompted by the increase use of classroom assistance in primary schools and the Plowden Report’s (1967) recommendation that nursery nurses should be used for this position. â€Å"In 1975 the Bullock Report, A Language for Life made the same recommendation that nursery nurses should be used as trained assistants and work alongside teachers in helping language development in young children. (Herrman, 1979, p. 21). After the Second World War provision that was put in place for childcare was not expanded further. This was partly due to men needing jobs that women had done in the war, and society’s view that women should be in the home looking after their children. The 1950’s saw the beginning of Playgroups, these were parent co-operatives formed in private homes or community halls. They started in order to fill the gap in nursery provision for three and four year olds. â€Å"In 1961 Belle Tutaev wrote to the Guardian offering help to anybody who wanted to start up a playgroup. She received letters from all over the country and playgroups burgeoned and grew. † (Dean, 2005, Pg 13) The Pre-School Playgroup Association (PPA) was set up in 1962, â€Å"the aims of the organisation at first were two-fold: mutual support for those running groups and also the lobbying of government to emphasise the importance of pre-school provision and to seek the withdrawal of Circular 8/60 which prevented state nursery expansion. † (PLA Factsheet) Playgroups relied heavily on voluntary staff and on mothers to provide play activities for the children. Many of these volunteers were untrained due to lack of funding. This restricted their work opportunities and workers were given little recognition. An additional reason for unqualified staff was that until the Children’s Act 1989 playgroups had little statutory guidance or regulation. Those playgroups that were affiliated with the PPA did have access to training (short courses in play work) if they were able to fund it. The PPA in 1991 established themselves as training providers under the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. Other childcare provision between 1946 and 1990 such as private nurseries and local authority nurseries continued to employ NNEB qualified staff or equivalent. In 1990 there were various childcare qualifications that students were able to study. The main qualifications for nursery nursing were the NNEB, BTEC National Diploma and the Certificate in Post-Qualifying Studies (CPQS). The NNEB being the longest established and well known was still a requirement for some posts but it did not give a valid entry into higher education. However, the BTEC National Diploma was thought to be more academic and allowed students to progress onto more advanced education and training being the equivalent of â€Å"A† Levels. When you look back at the history of the NNEB it was not set out to be a qualification that would allow progress to higher education although comparing it to today’s CACHE Level 3 Diploma it was a lot more rigorous. The selections of qualifications were many and in 1991 a system of National Accreditation was introduced to link qualifications. NVQ’s were introduced in 1991 in attempt to give experienced staff without a qualification a chance to achieve a Level 2 and 3. The NVQ syllabus involved students showing competence in the workplace through assessment whilst building a portfolio of knowledge evidence. This qualification in theory did fill a training gap but funding still remained an issue along with adults having to study around family commitments and also if they had the academic confidence to study. Due to the Start Right Report of 1991 by Bell in which he identified numerous routes into teaching, this was an attempt to provide a standardized route into comprehensive training and also of helping workers to progress through the qualification system. Up until 1999 qualifications remained unchanged in what were available and it left employers and students confused as to what qualification was at what level. In 1999 a new training framework was introduced (QCF) and this mapped out the levels of each qualification. This gave clear guidance for students, employers and training establishments to assess their current qualifications. In 2002 the new NVQ Level 4 was introduced *they were to provide a route for those working in senior management level or advanced practitioners† (Pugh,2001, P. 190) they were academically and practically demanding qualifications and carried 120 CATs points. This was a way of gaining entry to the Early Years Foundation Degree. In 1994 CACHE was established and merged with The National Nursery Education Board and The Council for Early Years Awards. In 2001 the National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare (NAMCW) merged with CACHE, and Her Majesty the Queen became the patron. CACHE at this point became the awarding body and offered various Childcare qualifications from Entry Level to NVQ 4. Since joining Canterbury College in February 2006 the qualifications have changed twice, with a third change is about to take place. The delivery of the courses has not changed in that students still attend placements and have to show competence. The only difference to the NNEB is that the students don’t work with children attached to the college. We have placement visitors that visit the student in their placement who assess their competence and report back to their course tutor. Level 3 students up until 2007 still had to sit an end of course exam in order to qualify as well as passing unit assignments. The qualification carried UCAS points to allow entry to university depending on the overall grade achieved. It was quite clear at the time that the grades students achieved were quite low and very few went onto university. I believe this to be for the following reasons (a) students were not properly assessed at interview and were on the wrong level of course, (b) there was a high level of turnover of staff which affected the teaching of the students and causing disaffection. There was also a big drop out rate. I remember well, my first day in the classroom, being bombarded with complaints. In 2007 CACHE reviewed the content of the syllabus as the previous syllabus was quite dated and childcare practice had changed considerably. The new syllabus carries the same format of placement and academic work and still continued to carry UCAS points. The grading of the assignments changed into a point system instead of the previous system of pass or refer. The students also have to complete a research task and a short seen scenario exam. This I feel has led to students achieving higher grades and more have gone onto university. The department has been running this Level 3 Diploma for the past three years but last year we were advised that the qualification would hange along with NVQ’s being discontinue. This has had a big impact on the department as a whole. The introduction of the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce will be the only qualification available for students to study to become childcare workers. The delivery of the course is very much based on the NVQ delivery of observed assessment and a knowledge portfolio. We have started to run a pilot group for this new qualification an d it has involved various changes in the department and in the teaching. Students now have to be allocated an assessor who has an A1 qualification and students only attend three days a week every other week. Already, this has posed problems in that the course is designed to be taught holistically and not unit led as the previous qualifications. It is designed so that the assessor and tutor work closely together. This does not work in our department as assessors are constantly out observing students leaving little time for feedback to the tutor. This makes it very difficult to support students and ensure that they are progressing. However, we have recently been informed that due to the qualification not meeting the needs of the employers and students the previous qualification will continue running for at least another year while they review the course. In conclusion, childcare and qualification has developed in line with the needs of the family and society starting with the wet nurse through to nannies and governess. It has also developed in line with government policy and the social and economic needs of the country along with current thinking of child development at the time. Childcare roles have not disappeared but still exist in a modernised way as can be seen in the reappearance of the wet nurse. The status of childcare however still remains low and this is reflected in pay and conditions. Many nurseries still don’t pay above minimum wage or provide sick pay, and often only the minimum holiday requirement. Until this is addressed the status and moral of childcare workers will not rise. There is still a culture of thinking that â€Å"anyone can look after children† and it is still a predominantly female role despite campaigns to attract male candidates. The calibre of students that is seen during interviews are on the whole, students from lower class backgrounds which could have contributed to the introduction of EMA. The fact that students don’t have to pay fees for childcare courses and its workplace element, adds to the perception that they are easy courses. The college funding system makes it very difficult to decline students who we feel not appropriate to the course, and the system makes it difficult to withdraw students who prove to be unsuitable. This does not lead to providing the best possible care for young children. Significantly and in contrast to this is that to train as a Norland Nanny today requires a student to pay full fees and this only attracts the more affluent students who want to train in the profession. Also, to employ a Norland Nanny, is seen as a status symbol by families, thus highlighting social status despite it’s qualification being the same as achieved at college. The only difference being that the Norland Certificate is achieved at the end of the course on top of the qualification and seen as a â€Å"stamp of excellence† The old range of qualifications enabled students to access the qualification that best suited their learning and training needs such as on the job training or a full time college course. The new qualification does not take these needs into account. The new qualification does not fit with young students who have no experience. This is one of the issues that has been highlighted along with the course only being a year in duration. It is quite worrying that a sixteen year old could become a fully qualified level 3 in a supervisory position with only one year of training. There are also wider issues in that the government has reduced funding, (currently there is no funding for over nineteen’s) along with the demise of EMA, making access to college less accessible for less well off students which causes a social divide. The next year will provide interesting times in childcare qualifications and a review in our own department in the teaching and delivery will provide its own challenges in that e-learning is being introduced along with apprentiships. This will mean training in the use to technology as well as new assessment methods. Staff will have to adapt their delivery of lessons as well as developing a closer working partnership with assessors, which at the current time is fragmented. There will need to be changes in the current systems in place and this will no doubt cause frustration to some staff who find adapting to change difficult. On a more positive note the updating of skills for staff will only improve the range of teaching techniques available to them, hopefully providing better outcomes for students.

Moral Dilemma Essay

A moral dilemma is to be placed in a situation which involves conflicts between moral requirements. These situations have a very apparent conflict between moral imperatives such that obeying one will result in transgressing the other. This paper will demonstrate choices, tragedy, respect, individuality, and values in the following stories: The Moose and The Sparrow by Hugh Garner, The Yellow Sweater by Hugh Garner, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross, and David by Earle Birney A choice is something one must make frequently throughout each and every day of ones lifetime. Some choices may be easier to make than others. One must choose to get out of bed each morning, what someone wants to eat or drink, whom one should converse with. Other choices may not quite be as simple to make, or the choices I make throughout my life may be easy choices to me, but to someone else those choices would be very hard to make. For instance, young Cecil had to make many choices in the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†. Cecil chose to stay at the camp even though he was being bullied constantly by Moose Mason. He said he’d made up his mind to stick it out until his time was up† (page 4, lines 23-24) As much as Moose was physically harming Cecil, Cecil did stick to his commitment to the lumber camp and continued to earn his money for university. He was a tough young man inside of his sparrow-like shell to put up with all of Moose’s bullying, and Cecil made a justifiable choice to stop Moose by killing him. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater† Marie chose to leave her aunt Bernice’s house as Bernice’s husband was obviously abusing Marie. Marie Chose to pack up her things to move to the city, but she didn’t hitchhike like other people leaving the small town she was living in. Marie simply chose to walk, but when Tom pulled over on the side of the road, Marie chose to get into the car not knowing what kind of person she would be traveling with or if she would arrive safely to her destination. â€Å"She opened the right rear door, saying at the same time, â€Å"Thank you sir,† in a frightened little voice. † (page 3,lines 7-9) Tom made some choices too. He chose to pick up this young girl plodding along the side of the highway, when he would never pick up a hitchhiker before. Tom chose to pick Marie up because â€Å"it might be fun to pick her up, to cross-examine her while she was trapped in the seat beside him. † ( page 2, lines 76- 78) Tom also chose to keep his real identity hidden from Marie, hoping that he could use her for sex, so he gave her a fictitious name, â€Å"When he drew out his wallet to pay the checks he was careful to cover the initials G. G. M. with the palm of his hand. (page 4 lines 54 – 56) In the story â€Å"The Necklace† Monsieur Loisel chose to give up the 400 francs he was saving for a new rifle to buy her a beautiful dress to wear on their evening out â€Å"He grew a little pale, for he was reserving just that sum to buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting, the next summer, on the plain of Nanterre, with some friends who used to shoot larks there on Sundays. But he said:- ‘All right, I will give you four hundred francs. But take care to have a pretty dress. ’ † (page 2 lines 27-29) Mathilde chose not to tell Mme. Forester that the necklace she lent to her was lost. Instead, M. Loisel told his wife to write her a letter. â€Å" You must write to your friend,† he said, â€Å"that you have broken the clasp of her necklace and that you are having it repaired. That will give us time to turn around. † She wrote as he dictated. † (page 4 lines 84-86) Instead of coming clean and telling Mme. Forester what really happened to her necklace, M. and Mme. Loisel chose to just go into debt and work hard to pay for a new necklace to replace the lost one. Finally one Sunday came and Mme. Loisel saw Mme Forester and decided to speak to her. â€Å" Mme. Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid up, she would tell her all. Why not? † (page 6 lines 108-110) Finally, the tragic choice of waiting too long led to a life of hardships for the Loisel family. If Mathilde Loisel chose to tell Mme. Forester that she lost the necklace in the first place, Mme. and M. Loisel wouldn’t have faced as many hardships to replace the necklace. This reflects back to honesty being the best policy. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door† John chose to leave Ann at home with a snow storm on its way so that he could walk five miles to his fathers house to make sure he would be warm and to help with the chores. John knew that Ann would be lonely, so he also chose to walk an extra two miles to Steven’s home to ask if he could keep Ann company until John returned home. Ann chose to commit adultery. She loved John, she is dedicated to him, but she felt neglected by him and was in desperate need for love and comfort. She chose to let Steven to ease her emotions by taking advantage of her situation. Ann decided not to stay faithful to John, but to give into her desires and sleep with Steven. â€Å"She who now felt his air of appraisal as nothing more than an understanding of the unfulfilled woman that until this moment had lain within her brooding and unedited, reproved out of consciousness by the insistence of an outgrown, routine fidelity. † (page6 lines 14-17) John chose to venture back home in the storm, and when he got home it was the middle of the night. He saw Steven and Ann lying together, sleeping side by side in bed and from there, John chose to go back out into the storm. John chose his fate as he died in the storm. In the story â€Å"David† one of the choices made was to kill the robin to put it out of its misery â€Å" That day returning we found a robin gyrating in grass, wing-broken. I caught it to tame but David took and killed it, and said, ‘could you teach it to fly? ’† The biggest choice in this story was a choice that Bobbie had to make. When David was saving Bobbie from falling, he in turn fell. David was still alive, but injured very badly. David did not want Bobbie to go get help, just to give him a push off the side of the mountain. Like the robin, David didn’t see any point in living if he wasn’t going to be useful, so he just wanted to end it right then and there. Bobbie chose to honor his friend’s wishes. He chose to push David to his death. The tragedies of these stories can be compared and contrasted, but the range of tragedy differs from story to story. Like the people we have in our lives, we all face tragedies, but we don’t necessarily share the same tragedies. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, it was tragic that poor Cecil had to endure so much physical pain and torment from Moose. â€Å" ‘Moose burned the kid’s hand,’ he told me. He heated the end of a saw blade in the tea fire, and then called the kid to take it to the squint eye to be sharpened. He handed the hot end to Cecil, and it burned his hand pretty bad. ’ † ( page 5 lines 3-5) It was also a tragedy that in the end, Cecil had put up with so much torment from Moose, that Cecil in turn took matters into his own hands and killed Moose. It was tragedy at its worst when a good man was forced to commit the unspeakable. In the story â€Å" The Yellow Sweater†, it was tragic to read that somehow Maries Aunt Bernice’s husband had been abusing Marie for her to be running away from their home. ‘I was living with my Aunt Bernice and her husband. ’ He noticed that she did not call the man her uncle. ‘You sound as though you don’t like the man your aunt is married to? ’ ‘I hate him! ’ she whispered vehemently. † (page 3 lines 62-68) I found it tragic that Marie started to sort of trust Tom, but came to realize that Tom was just a perverted pig. The way that Tom would belittle Marie was a tragedy â€Å" There was a note of relief in her voice as she said, ‘Oh! I didn’t mean for us- for you to find a stream. ’ ‘You don’t seem to know what you mean, do you? She became silent then and seemed to shrink farther into the corner. † ( page 6 lines 18-24) It was also a tragedy to read that Marie was an orphan. â€Å" She was an orphan, eighteen years old, who for the past three years had been living on her aunt’s farm. † ( page 4 lines 28-30) Having poor values such as those of Tom is also a tragedy. You see a somewhat â€Å"supposed-to-be† sophisticated and well mannered working-class gentleman and instead of seeing a young woman (like his daughter Shirley, â€Å"Something about her reminded him of his eldest daughter, but he shrugged off the comparison. (page 3 lines 36-41) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, losing the necklace was a tragedy. She mustered up enough courage to go visit Mme. Forester to ask if she had some jewelry she could borrow for an evening of extravagance with the Minister of Education. It was a big deal because she was really asking a lot by borrowing such a beautiful necklace, and then she lost it. Mathilde was sick and distraught. When she lost that necklace, she sort of lost herself. Even though she had unrealistic dreams about what she wanted in her life, she got knocked down a few rungs to pay off for the replacement. Monsieur Loisel also faced tragedy in the lost necklace, as he had to use his inheritance money and accumulated a lot of debt to buy a new necklace â€Å" Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs which his father had left him. He had to borrow the remainder. † (page 5 line 93) â€Å"He compromised the end of his life, risked his signature without even knowing whether it could be honored; and frightened by all the anguish of the future† (page 5 line 94) It was also a tragic moment when Mme. Loisel told Mme. Forester the truth about the necklace, and Mme Forester told Mathilde that the missing necklace was a fake. ‘Oh, my poor Mathilde. But mine were false. At most they were worth five hundred francs! ’ † (page 6 line 128) In the story â€Å" The Painted Door†, it was tragic that John could not see that Ann loved him, her husband. She was so lonely because he thought that showing her that he loved her meant that he had to slave himself working all the time When in fact she just wanted him to spend a little time with her. It was tragic that she still wanted to do fun things, but they have different interests and Ann never tried to talk to him about these issues. When she felt communication was lost, she tragically made the wrong choices. It was something of life she wanted, not just a house and furniture; something of John, not pretty clothes when she would be too old to wear them but John, of course, couldn’t understand. To him it seemed only right that she should have the clothes – only right that he, fit for nothing else, should slave away fifteen hours a day to give them to her. There was in his devotion a baffling, insurmountable humility that made him feel the need of sacrifice. And when his muscles ached, when his feet dragged stolidly with weariness, then it seemed that in some measure at least he was making amends for his big hulking body and simple mind. (page 2 lines 53-61) It was tragic that Ann was comparing John and Steven, and was putting down her husbands demeanor and looks and flirting with even the thoughts of Steven. â€Å"Steven’s smile, and therefore difficult to reprove. It lit up his lean, still-boyish face with a peculiar kind of arrogance: features and smile that were different from John’s, from other men’s- willful and derisive, yet naively so- as if it were less the difference itself he was conscious of, than the long-accustomed privilege that thereby fell his due. He was erect, tall, square-shouldered. His hair was dark and trip, his lips curved soft and full. While John, she made the comparison swiftly, was thickset, heavy-jowled, and stooped. He always stood before her helpless, a kind of humility and wonderment in his attitude. † (page 4 lines 78-88) â€Å"she felt eager, challenged. Something was at hand that hitherto had always eluded her, even in the early days with John, something vital, beckoning, meaningful. She didn’t understand, but she knew. The texture of the moment was satisfyingly dreamlike: an incredibility perceived as such, yet acquiesced in. She was John’s wife- she knew but also she knew that Steven standing here was different from John. (page 4 lines 85-90) Another tragedy in this story was Ann finding out the next morning that John was dead. After she slept with Steven, she realized just how much she loved John, and that he was the one, it was too late. He died. â€Å"She knew now-John was the man† (page 7 line 39) â€Å"They found him the next day, less than a mile from home. Drifting wit h the storm he had run against his own pasture fence and overcome had frozen there, erect still, both hands clasping fast the wire. † (page 7 lines 55-57) Such powerful sorrow when someone dies by such a tragic means. If only Ann and John could have talked things over, communicated their wants and needs they may have lived a long and happy life together after all. In the story â€Å"David†, the tragedy was David falling off the cliff saving Bobbie, and becoming paralyzed. David didn’t want to suffer, or feel useless in a wheelchair, so he asked Bobbie to push him over the side so that he would die. In turn, Bobbie blamed himself. This was a big tragedy to me because you never know, David could have survived and recovered well so that he could have full use of his body again, but he never got a chance to find out. Without a gasp he was gone† (page 5 lines 96-97) â€Å" ‘No, Bobbie! Don’t ever blame yourself. I didn’t test my foothold. ’ He shut the lids of his eyes to the stare of the sky† (page7 lines 116-118) â€Å"David still as a broken doll I hunched on my knees to leave, but he called and his voice now was sharpened with fear. ‘For Christ’s sake push me over! If I could move†¦or die†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the sweat ran from his forehead but only his head moved. † (page 7 lines 140-143) Many people have been brought up understanding the Golden Rule do unto others as you would have done to you. Unfortunately not everyone follows that rule. If everyone showed respect, everyone would get it. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil was respectful, however Moose was not. The way Moose acted toward Cecil was pathetic. He had a target aimed straight at Cecil from the beginning and even after everyone else in the camp got along with Cecil, Moose still didn’t let up. When everyone on the gang found out Cecil was a university student, Moose went to great lengths to bully Cecil. â€Å"Men on the gang had to prevent Moose from beating the boy up, and old Bobbins even went so far as to ask Mr. Semple, the walking boss, to transfer the youngster to another gang. Since learning that Cecil was a college boy, Moose gave him no peace at all, making him do jobs that would have taxed the strength of any man in the camp, and cursing him out when he was unable to do them, or do them fast enough. † (page 2 lines 19-22) If only Moose could have respected the fact that Cecil was there to do a job, to earn his way to university, then one life wouldn’t have been corrupted, and the other wouldn’t have been lost. In the story â€Å"The yellow Sweater† Marie was respectful. She was quiet and kept to herself. She was reserved. Tom on the other hand, was disrespectful. He has no respect for his wife and children, or anyone really. I think the only thing he has any amount of respect for is his car. His thoughts on the hitchhikers is uncalled for. Thinking they are all bums or bad people. â€Å"It was easy to see that the warm weather was approaching, he thought. The roads were becoming cluttered up once more with hitchhikers. Why the government didn’t clamp down on them was more than he could understand. Why should people pay taxes so that other lazy bums could fritter away their time roaming the country, getting free rides, going God knows where? They were dangerous too. † (page 2 lines 27-36) â€Å"He felt a slight tingling along his spine. It was the same feeling he had experienced once when sitting in the darkened interior of a movie house beside a strange yet, somehow intimate young woman. The feeling that if he wished he had only to let his hand fall along her leg. † (page 3 lines 72-78) Tom also has no respect for Maria either. The only reason he picked her up on the side of the highway was because he wanted to â€Å"cross examine her†. â€Å" It might be fun to pick her up, to cross-examine her while she was trapped in the seat beside him. (page 2 lines 77-79) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, Mathilde didn’t really respect her husband. She was too wrapped up in not having a more material lifestyle, and she took her lack of high society out on him. Monsieur Loisel on the other hand loved his wife, and tried to make her happy. M. Loisel even let her be the spotlight of the party. â€Å"All the men were looking at her, inquiring her name, asking to be introduced. All the attaches of the Cabinet wanted to dance with her. The Minister took notice of her. † (page 3 line 53) â€Å"She went away about four in the morning. Since midnight-her husband has been dozing in a little anteroom with three other men whose wives were having a good time. † (page 3 line 55) Mathilde also didn’t really respect Mme. Forester because if she did, Mathilde would have told her immediately that the necklace was missing, but it will be replaces as soon as possible. It you truly respect someone, you are not going to lie to them, or avoid them. â€Å" ‘You must write to your friend,’ he said, ‘that you have broken the clasp of her necklace and that you are having it repaired. That will give us time to turn around. She wrote as he dictated. † (page 4 lines 84,85) Mme. Forester also had no respect for Mathilde for if she did, she would have at least appreciated all of the hard work that Mathilde did in order to replace the necklace. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door†, Ann did not have respect for John. He was a hard working man whose goal in life was to please his wife. Everything he did was for Ann. Ann on the other hand, was thinking of only herself when John left her alone in the house while he went to help his father, and also when she and Steven were seducing one another. If Ann respected John, she wouldn’t have been pursuing a sexual relationship with another man. Especially not the spouses friend. â€Å"There was something strange, almost frightening, about this Steven and his quiet, unrelenting smile; but strangest of all was the familiarity: the Steven she had never seen or encountered, and yet had always known, always expected, always waited for. It was less Steven himself that she felt than his inevitability. † (page 5 lines 27-32) Steven had no respect for John or Ann. He seems to be a live- in -the -moment kind of guy also if he sees an opportunity, he’s going to ounce on it. In the case of this story, throughout John and Ann’s marriage Steven has been in their life and he waited for the perfect opportunity to get Ann alone and have his way with her. â€Å"The light kept dimming, gathering the shadows round them, hushed, conspiratorial. He was smiling still. Her hands again were clenched up white and hard. ‘But he always came,’ she persisted. † (page 6 lines26-29) â€Å" ‘Never a storm like this one. ’ There was a quietness in his smile now, a kind of simplicity almost, as if to reassure her† (page 6 lines31,32) In the story â€Å"David†, Bobbie and David respected each other. They built up a friendship that had an almost brotherly type quality to it. They were both very comfortable with each other. They did share similarities like their joy for the beauty that surrounded them, the adventure and exhilaration of beating the challenges laid out before them. It took a lot for Bobbie to be able to do what David asked him to, but he did it because he respected David’s wishes. â€Å"I looked at the blood on the ledge, and the far valley. I looked at last in his eyes. He breathed, ‘I’d do it for you, Bob. † (page 7 lines 150-152) â€Å"Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals. † Oscar Wilde Everyone is born with personality, a unique signature. In all of the above stories, we can point out individuality. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil really showed his individuality from the rest of the loggers. â€Å"Cecil was the least likely lumberjack I’ve seen in over twenty-five years in lumber camps. † (page 1 lines 5,6) He looked and acted differently from all of them. He was like the black sheep of the camp. He was â€Å"hardly taller than an axe handle, and almost as thin. † While all the other men from the camp were playing poker, Cecil would â€Å"sit on his bunk and fashion belt buckles, rings and tie clips from a spool of fine copper wire†. However, it is unfortunate that some people have to single someone out because they are different. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater†, Marie caught Tom’s eye because she was walking down the road without thumbing a ride. I wouldn’t really say that Marie was showing her individuality, but her actions or the lack of actions made Tom notice her. Tom on the other hand, showed no signs of individuality. He was more into justifying his thoughts by the actions of some of his associates and men of his age. â€Å"Many men his age had formed liaisons with young women. In fact it was the accepted thing among some of the other salesmen he knew. † (page 5 lines 18-21) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, Mathilde had a reality check and after she discovered what she had to do, she empowered herself in a way. She was always so busy dreaming of what she desired, that she never really got to find out who she was. By the end of the story, Mathilde gained a sense of individuality. â€Å"She learned the horrible life of the needy. She made the best of it, moreover, frankly, heroically. † (page 5 line 98) â€Å"How singular life is, how changeable! What a little thing it takes to save you or to lose you. † (page 6 line 106) I believe that if it wasn’t for the tragedy in this story, Mathilde probably would have died a very unhappy woman, because she never would have realized just who she was. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door† Ann is showing herself as an individual. Although she is a farmer’s lonely wife, she thought and acted as her own person. She lets her mind wander to Steven. She has broken down a wall when she broke a vow she made to her husband. A marriage is when two become one, and sure she still has the right to do things for herself, but she broke the unity with John and became one with herself. In the story â€Å"David† both David and Bobbie are shown as individuals. David is carefree and seems fearless. He has a very playful fun side to him where Bobbie is much more serious, more fearful, conscious and cautious of his surroundings. Bobbie is the more optimistic one, while David is prouder and headstrong and believes life isn’t worth living if you cant live it the way you would best like, or want to. David is a natural born teacher sharing his experiences and knowledge with Bobbie, who is perfectly content in the follower role, as the student gladly absorbing in all the knowledge laid out before him. I will conclude with values. Values are the social principles, goals, or standards held or accepted by an individual, a class, or a society. The opposite of moral values is to deceive by omitting the truth. It is of disregard for the rights and beliefs of others. It is intimidation, harassment, assaults’ against persons, reputations, and property. It is about violence and murder. Values play a primary role in the stories. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil had good moral values. He was working to go to university, he was respectful, he had positive goals that he was reaching. He wasn’t a bad man, although he did break the law, but in the opinion of Mr. Anderson, it was justifiable. Moose on the other hand holds no social principles, goals or standards. He was a bad man who disregarded others’ feelings, he was intimidating; he constantly harassed, and he was a violent coward. â€Å"There are some men, like Moose Maddon, who are so twisted inside that they want to take it out on the world. They feel that most other men have had better breaks than they’ve had, and it rankles inside them. They try to get of this feeling by working it out on somebody who’s even weaker than they are. Once they pick on you there’s no way of stopping them short of getting out of their way or beating it out of their hide. (page 4 lines 1-5) In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater†, Marie was emotionally lost, but she was trying to move on and set some goals. She wasn’t deceitful, she didn’t lie, nor was she violent or intimidating. Tom, however, did not have good values. He had poor principles. He omitted the truth and was deceitful by being â€Å"careful to cover the initials G. G. M. with the palm of his hand. † (page 4 lines 56,57) He was intimidating, and he verbally harassed Marie. In the story â€Å"The Necklace† Mme Loisel had poor values in the beginning. She set her standards way too high for herself with her desires, and distorted the truth, but after working hard for 10 years to help her husband pay off all of the debt required to replace the necklace, she was a new woman. During that time, she had set good standards and goals for herself. â€Å"Dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher, a basket on her arm, bargaining, insulted, fighting for her wretched money, sou by sou. † (page 5 line 99) In the story â€Å"The Painted Door†, John had good values. He was a husband that loved to provide for his wife. He was a hard worker and dedicated his life to maintaining their farm, plus helping his elderly father with his farm. Sadly Ann was too busy resenting John for their lack of quality time. She felt lonely, so she became deceitful, and she disregarded her marriage to John so she could have some attention. She felt guilty after her time of infidelity, and sort of realigned her principles once again by realizing that â€Å"John was the man† (page 7 line 39) Steven had no values. He had no regard for John or for Ann. He had no goals or principles. In the story â€Å"David†, both David and Bobbie had good values. They had good standards, and they were both passionate about their work, and the adventures of the great outdoors. The only thing negative I can say about these two is somewhat of a disregard for the rights or beliefs of each other, simply because of the situation they were both faced with, one was wanting it to just end, the other not willing to do the deed. It was definitely a very morally controversial choice and move, but along with that disregard for the rights or beliefs of each other, they both respected each other. â€Å"I looked at last in his eyes. He breathed, ‘I’d do it for you, Bob’ †. page 7 line 152) Bob did what he felt was the right thing to do, he knew that what he did would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he did it for David. â€Å"That day, the last of my youth, on the last of our mountains. † (page 8 line 184) David and Bobbie valued each other. David did not blame Bobbie for the accident, but realized his own mistake. Bobbie understood how much David loved the mountains and adventure and that was why Bobbie pushed David over. David felt that if he couldnt be adventurous there was no point to his existance. Bobbie honored the values of David, and then he said goodbye.

Coral Bleaching Essay - 1019 Words

Coral Bleaching Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. There are more than 25,000 known species of organisms and countless others that have yet to be identified (Helvarg, 2000). Reefs thrive on the shallow edge of tropical seas, most often on the eastern edge of continents along warm water currents that brush the coasts. Reefs cannot live in cold waters and are limited by ocean depth and available sunlight. Coral is the foundation of the reef community, providing a three-dimensional structure where thousands of species of vertebrates and invertebrates live and feed. Some species of coral are hard, while others soft. Some are branched, yet others are compact and rounded. Coral is made up of large†¦show more content†¦Coral bleaching is normally characterized by the expulsion of the zooxanthellae algae, loss of algal pigmentation, or both. Coral bleaching events have had serious effects on corals and reefs worldwide. What is crucial to the understanding of zooxa nthellae expulsion and bleaching is how the density of zooxanthellae within the coral is changing, if at all, under the prevailing range of environmental conditions (Gates and Edmunds, 1999). Over the last twenty years, there has been a dramatic increase in both the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching events. Sixty major bleaching events have been reported between 1960 and 1979, whereas only nine were reported prior to 1979 (Huppert and Stone, 1998). Given the dependence of the coral on this symbiotic algae, it is important to determine the cause of these bleaching events. According to Helvarg (2000, p.12): Coral reefs†¦ are fragile structures living within a narrow range of temperature, clarity, salinity and chemistry. Even a slight increase in ocean temperature, or increased CO2†¦ can cause stresses such as bleaching†¦ These stresses slow the rate of growth of the corrals†¦ With some 60 percent of the world’s coral reefs now losing productivi ty, it’s becoming a global crisis and a scientific mystery. Scientists have been trying to solve this scientific mystery by evaluating each environmental conditionShow MoreRelated Coral Bleaching793 Words   |  4 PagesCoral Bleaching Abstract Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the ocean and are one of the most diverse and important ecosystems on the planet. This paper will explore how global warming has effected these fragile ecosystems. It will focus on the impact of increasing ocean temperatures on coral reefs. Coral Reefs Coral reefs exist globally from 30N to 30S latitude and have existed in some form on Earth for over 200 million years. Over 2500 species of coral have been identifiedRead MoreThe Effects Of Bleaching On Coral Reefs1612 Words   |  7 Pagesmarvelous selection of coral reefs all of which house copious species of coral. Many of these coral are the key element in a marine ecosystem by providing food, shelter and protection for the underwater community. However, this ecosystem is threatened due to the events of coral bleaching, as this event kills the coral and the creatures dependent on them. Without coral, these creatures will become more vulnerable and may be at risk of endangerment or extinction. Bleaching doesn’t just affect theRead More Coral Reefs And Bleaching Phenomenon Essay1452 Words   |  6 Pageswe will find an equally dynamic environment in the depths of our world’s coral reefs. As a Zoology major, I quickly decided to explore this biological component of the ocean environment. In the following paper, I will provide a general overview of coral reefs and examine the alarming depletion of coral and their ecological symbionts in a process known as coral bleaching. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As mentioned earlier, coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive of all communities on EarthRead MoreCoral Bleaching And Its Impact On Coral Reef Ecosystems1698 Words   |  7 Pagescurrently know about coral bleaching and its impact on coral reef ecosystems. It analyses the scientific evidence linking coral bleaching to climate change and other anthropogenic activities. It also focuses on the importance of ecosystem services provided by coral reefs, and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of coral bleaching. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations and mitigation strategies to slow down the rate of coral bleaching, thus allowing coral reefs to adapt and developRead More Bleaching Away the Beauty of Coral Reefs Essay2308 Words   |  10 Pagesstart surveying the coral reefs around you, something catches your eye. The coral has turned white, and no longer moves with life. This whiteness seems to have spread over a large area of t he reef. You no longer see the colorful branches swaying in the current, or the schools of tropical fish swimming through the leaves. This death-ridden reef will never have the same life it once had. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This phenomenon is known as coral reef bleaching. This makes corals unattractive andRead MoreCoral Reef Bleaching : A Serious Problem That Should Be Addressed Immediately844 Words   |  4 PagesArgumentative Paper Coral reef bleaching is a serious problem that should be addressed immediately. Coral reef bleaching is an issue because of the damage done to the coral, and the damage done to the ecosystem associated with coral reefs. Some proposed solutions are that more areas of coral reefs should be protected, and sunscreens should be banned in and near the reefs. Coral reefs are living structures comprised of the exoskeletons of a marine organism known as polyps. Polyps are animals thatRead MoreThe Bleaching Of Coral And Its Effects On Human Activities976 Words   |  4 PagesCorals are greatly complex organisms that help buffer the ocean and provided an ecosystem for many other marine organisms but the coral and therefore these ecosystems are in immense threat. The decrease of coral cover is increasing with a 50% decrease seen from the years 1985-2012 (1). This is not just due to the natural threats of predators like COTS and large scale weather events like cyclones but also due to human activities such as overfishing, pollution, disturbance in the reef and global warmingRead MoreEssay about Bleaching of Coral is Harming the Environment2094 Words   |  9 PagesMETHODS Bleaching occurrences have happened before the 1980s; however detailed information could not be gathered due to lack of reporting (Berkelmans, De’ath and Kininmonth). In 1911, the first bleaching event was reported at Bird Key Reef in the Florida Keys, in which unfamiliar warm weathers caused â€Å"injury† upon the corals and the death of many fishes (Berkelmans, De’ath and Kininmonth). In 1998, the worst bleaching event was recorded. In some parts of the world, live corals were completely harmedRead MoreBleaching Away the Beauty of Coral Reefs2340 Words   |  10 PagesBleaching Away the Beauty of Coral Reefs Pretend you are about to go scuba diving in the ocean. You jump in the water and begin to sink down. As you start surveying the coral reefs around you, something catches your eye. The coral has turned white, and no longer moves with life. This whiteness seems to have spread over a large area of the reef. You no longer see the colorful branches swaying in the current, or the schools of tropical fish swimming through the leaves. This death-ridden reefRead More The Effects of Global Warming On Coral Reefs Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effects of Global Warming On Coral Reefs Graphs Missing Introduction: The effects of global warming touch every human, animal, plant, ocean, landmass, and atmosphere level on this planet. The numerous effects of global warming are mixes of good and bad results, depending on how your definition of good results and bad results are. A good effect, a person could say, would be for regions with normally cold temperatures to receive warmer temperatures for their normal. Yet, there are