Write About What You Know

Write About What You Know Write About What You Know Write About What You Know By Michael For thirty years, the mid-term exam for Dr. McAnellys Biblical Literature class was always the same essay question: Describe the wandering journeys of the Apostle Paul. So a college football fullback and his roommate decided they wouldnt study anything else, thereby leaving them more time for other attractive pursuits. Imagine their surprise when the question instead was, Critique the major themes of Jesus Sermon on the Mount. Now, imagine the fullbacks surprise when his roommate nevertheless began to write furiously for the next hour. The fullback stared at his blank test paper for a long time before giving up and leaving the room, but his curiosity was so strong that he peeked at his roommates essay as he walked past. The first sentence read, Who am I to critique the words of the Lord Jesus? Let me rather describe the wandering journeys of the Apostle Paul. Seasoned authors advise, Write about what you know. In fact, you have to write about what you know. Try to write about what you dont know, about which you havent got a clue, and youll be staring at a blank piece of paper for a long time. Its one of the surest ways to contract writers block. If you succeed in actually getting words onto the page, your readers will be staring at it for a long time, trying to figure out what you just said, if not why you wrote it in the first place. Why would anybody write about what they dont know? Why would people do something like that? Because someone important told them to. Essay tests in school are a good example. Your instructor asks you to write about one of the (several) chapters in the textbook that you never got around to studying. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to employ your literary skills to make your instructor believe that you read and understood the chapter. Changing the question rarely works. Because what they dont know seems more interesting than what they do know. Young writers frequently make that mistake. When you move into the cloud of unknowing to write your piece, youre increasing your competition. In the mid-60s, without having any personal experience with them, lots of American teenagers were probably writing about monsters and spaceships, though these markets were already fully stocked with experienced grown-up writers. None of them wrote about being a real American teenager except S.E. Hinton. So her book The Outsiders got published and their books didnt. Because they value style over communication. Poets sometimes make this mistake. They write about the universal life force, instead of about a tree. Down-to-earth, brass-tacks writing doesnt seem stylish enough. But uninformed writing is less interesting than informed writing. The details which make writing vivid and readable are missing, like a price tag in a store, or somehow off, like a carton of old milk. Writing about what you know is a cure for writers block. Thats one reason why journaling or blogging is so popular among writers. Something must have happened to you today, unless you were dead. Write about it. It didnt happen to anyone else, unless youre a clone. Nobody has the same brain or biography as you, so nobody has the same perspective as you. If they do, I suggest you get your own perspective. You need your own. Dont try to share with your neighbor. Thats cheating. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant NamesComma Before ButAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela - Former President of South Africa

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela - Former President of South Africa Date of birth: 18 July 1918, Mvezo, Transkei.Date of death: 5 December 2013, Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the small village of Mvezo, on the Mbashe River, district of Umtata in Transkei, South Africa. His Father named him Rolihlahla, which means pulling the branch of the tree, or more colloquially troublemaker. The name Nelson was not given until his first day at school. Nelson Mandelas father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was the chief by blood and custom of Mvezo, a position confirmed by the paramount chief of the Thembu, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Although the family is descended from Thembu royalty (one of Mandelas ancestors was paramount chief in the 18th century) the line had passed down to Mandela through lesser Houses, rather than through a line of potential succession. The clan name of Madiba, which is often used as a form of address for Mandela, comes from the ancestral chief. Until the advent of European domination in the region, chieftaincy of the Thembu (and other tribes of the Xhosa nation) was by patrimonial decent, with the first son of the major wife (known as the Great House) becoming automatic heir, and the first son of the second wife (the highest of the lessor wives, also known as the Right Hand House) being relegated to creating a minor chiefdom. The sons of the third wife (known as the Left Hand House) were destined to become advisors to the chief. Nelson Mandela was the son of the third wife, Noqaphi Nosekeni, and could have otherwise expected to become a royal advisor. He was one of thirteen children, and had three elder brothers all of whom were of higher rank. Mandelas mother was a Methodist, and Nelson followed in her footsteps, attending a Methodist missionary school. When Nelson Mandelas father died in 1930, the paramount chief, Jongintaba Dalindyebo, became his guardian. In 1934, a year during which he attended three month initiation school (during which he was circumcised), Mandela matriculated from Clarkebury Missionary school. Four years later he graduated from Healdtown, a strict Methodist college, and left to pursue higher education at the University of Fort Hare (South Africas first university college for Black Africans). It was here he first met his lifelong friend and associate Oliver Tambo. Both Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo were expelled from Fort Hare in 1940 for political activism. Briefly returning to Transkei, Mandela discovered that his guardian had arranged a marriage for him. He fled towards Johannesburg, where he obtained work as a night-watchman on a gold mine. Nelson Mandela moved into a house in Alexandra, a Black suburb of Johannesburg, with his mother. Here he met Walter Sisulu and Walters fiancà ©e Albertina. Mandela started working as a clerk in a law firm, studying in the evening through a correspondence course with the University of South Africa (now UNISA) to complete his first degree. He was awarded his Bachelors degree in 1941, and in 1942 he was articled to another firm of attorneys and started upon a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Here he worked with a study partner, Seretse Khama, who would later become the first president of an independent Botswana. In 1944 Nelson Mandela married Evelyn Mase, a cousin of Walter Sisulu. He also began his political career in earnest, joining the African National Congress, ANC. Finding the existing leadership of the ANC to be a dying order of pseudo-liberalism and conservatism, of appeasement and compromise., Mandela, along with Tambo, Sisulu, and a few others formed the African National Congress Youth League, ANCYL. In 1947 Mandela was elected as secretary of the ANCYL, and became a member of the Transvaal ANC executive. By 1948 Nelson Mandela had failed to pass the exams required for his LLB law degree, and he decided instead to settle for the qualifying exam which would allow him to practice as an attorney. When DF Malans Herenigde Nationale Party (HNP, Re-united National Party) won the 1948 election, Mandela, Tambo, and Sisulu acted. The existing ANC president was pushed out of office and someone more amenable to the ideals of the ANCYL was brought in as a replacement. Walter Sisulu proposed a programme of action, which was subsequently adopted by the ANC. Mandela was made president of the Youth League in 1951. Nelson Mandela opened his law office in 1952, and a few months later teamed up with Tambo to create the first Black legal practice in South Africa. It was difficult for both Mandela and Tambo to find time for both their legal practice and their political aspirations. That year Mandela became president of the Transvaal ANC, but was banned under the Suppression of Communism Act – he was prohibited from holding office within the ANC, banned from attending ANY meetings, and restricted to the district around Johannesburg. Fearing for the future of the ANC, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo initiated the M-plan (M for Mandela). The ANC would be broken down into cells so that it could continue to operate, if necessary, underground. Under the banning order, Mandela was restricted from attending meeting, but he drove down to Kliptown in June 1955 to be part of the Congress of the People; and by keeping to the shadows and the periphery of the crowd, Mandela watched as the Freedom Charter was adopted by all the groups involved. His increasing involvement in the anti-Apartheid struggle, however, caused problems for his marriage and in December that year Evelyn left him, citing irreconcilable differences. On 5 December 1956, in response to the adoption of the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People, the Apartheid government in South Africa arrested a total 156 people, including Chief Albert Luthuli (president of the ANC) and Nelson Mandela. This was almost the entire executive of the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of Democrats, South African Indian Congress, Coloured Peoples Congress, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions (collectively known as the Congress Alliance). They were charged with high treason and a countrywide conspiracy to use violence to overthrow the present government and replace it with a communist state. The punishment for high treason was death. The Treason Trial dragged on, until Mandela and his 29 remaining co-accused were finally acquitted in March 1961. During the Treason Trial Nelson Mandela met and married his second wife, Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela. The 1955 Congress of the People and its moderate stance against the policies of the Apartheid government eventually led to the younger, more radical members of the ANC to break away: the Pan Africanist Congress, PAC, was formed in 1959 under the leadership of Robert Sobukwe. The ANC and PAC became instant rivals, especially in the townships. This rivalry came to a head when the PAC rushed ahead of ANC plans to hold mass protests against the pass laws. On 21 March 1960 at least 180 black Africans were injured and 69 killed when the South African police opened fire on approximately demonstrators at Sharpeville. Both the ANC and PAC responded in 1961 by setting up military wings. Nelson Mandela, in what was a radical departure from ANC policy, was instrumental in creating the ANC group: Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation, MK), and Mandela became the MKs first commander. Both the ANC and PAC were banned by the South African government under the Unlawful Organisations Act in 1961. The MK, and the PACs Poqo, responded by commencing with campaigns of sabotage. In 1962 Nelson Mandela was smuggled out of South Africa. He first attended and addressed the conference of African nationalist leaders, the Pan-African Freedom Movement, in Addis Ababa. From there he went to Algeria to undergo guerrilla training, and then flew to London to catch up with Oliver Tambo (and also to meet members of the British parliamentary opposition). On his return to South Africa, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to five years for incitement and illegally leaving the country. On 11 July 1963 a raid was undertaken on Lilieslief farm in Rivonia, near Johannesburg, which was being used by the MK as headquarters. The remaining leadership of the MK was arrested. Nelson Mandela was included at trial with those arrested at Lilieslief and charged with over 200 counts of sabotage, preparing for guerrilla warfare in SA, and for preparing an armed invasion of SA. Mandela was one of five (out of the ten defendants) at the Rivonia Trail to be given life sentences and sent to Robben Island. Two more were released, and the remaining three escaped custody and were smuggled out of the country. At the end of his four hour statement to the court Nelson Mandela stated: During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. These words are said to sum up the guiding principles by which he worked for liberation of South Africa. In 1976 Nelson Mandela was approached with an offer by Jimmy Kruger, the Minister for Police serving under President BJ Vorster, to renounce the struggle and settle in the Transkei. Mandela refused. By 1982 international pressure against the South African government to release Nelson Mandela and his compatriots was growing. The then South African president, PW Botha, arranged for Mandela and Sisulu to be transferred back to the mainland to Pollsmoor Prison, near Cape Town. In August 1985, approximately a month after the South African government declares a state of emergency, Mandela was taken to hospital for an enlarged prostate gland. On his return to Pollsmoor he was placed in solitary confinement (having a whole section of the jail to himself). In 1986 Nelson Mandela was taken to see the Minister of Justice, Kobie Coetzee, who requested once again that he renounce violence in order to win his freedom. Despite refusing, restrictions on Mandela were somewhat lifted: he was allowed visits from his family, and was even driven around Cape Town by the prison warder. In May 1988 Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis and moved to Tygerberg hospital for treatment. On release from hospital he was moved to secure quarters at Victor Verster Prison near Paarl. By 1989 things were looking bleak for the Apartheid regime: PW Botha had a stroke, and shortly after entertaining Mandela at the Tuynhuys, the presidential residence in Cape Town, he resigned. FW de Klerk was appointed as his successor. Mandela met with De Klerk in December 1989, and the following year at the opening of parliament (2 February) De Klerk announced the unbanning of all political parties and the release of political prisoners (except those guilty of violent crimes). On 11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela was finally released. By 1991 the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, CODESA, was set up to negotiate constitutional change in South Africa. Both Mandela and De Klerk were key figures in the negotiations, and their efforts were jointly awarded in December 1993 with the Nobel Peace Prize. When South Africas first multi-racial elections were held in April 1994, the ANC won a 62% majority. (Mandela revealed later that he was worried that it would achieve the 67% majority that would allow it to re-write the constitution.) A Government of National Unity, GNU, was formed – based on an idea proffered by Joe Slovo, the GNU could last for up to five years as a new constitution was drawn up. It was hoped that this would allay the fears of South Africas whites population suddenly faced with majority Black rule. On 10 May 1994 Nelson Mandela made his inaugural presidential speech from the Union Building, Pretoria: We have at last, achieved our political emancipation. we pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination. Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another... Let freedom reign. God Bless Africa! Shortly after he published his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. In 1997 Nelson Mandela stepped down as leader of the ANC in favour of Thabo Mbeki, and in 1999 he relinquished the post of president. Despite claims to have retired, Mandela continues to have a busy life. He was divorced from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 1996, the same year that the press realised he was having a relationship with Graà §a Machel, the widow of Mozambiques former president. After heavy prompting by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Graà §a Machel were married on his eightieth birthday, 18 July 1998. This article first went live on 15 August 2004.

Implementation of triage protocol for nurses Dissertation

Implementation of triage protocol for nurses - Dissertation Example Assigning degree of urgency to patients based on the health conditions and nature of the disease increases the effectiveness of the treatment, and reduces the time lag between the patient’s visit and treatment. Triage protocols useful in this regard are highly specialized and needs thorough training to the professionals especially, the nurses. For example, pediatric triage protocols include pediatric cough, pediatric vomiting and several other types. Triage services need to be reliable and cost effective for their application in hospitals or private nursing homes. The process starts from the visits of the patients or the calls received from the patients (telephone triage). Correct protocol needs to be identified based on the symptoms as explained by the patients. The patients are asked the relevant questions based on the check-list for confirmation to make the preliminary diagnostic procedure effective to provide the appropriate health care required. This will make the process simpler down the line for treatment and nursing. Nursing triage protocol system in an organization enhances the efficiency level and improves patient health care. The implementation of Triage Protocol in an organization involves establishment of infrastructure required for triage practice including the support services and training to the triage nurses in the triage policies of the organization and the triage procedures to be adopted on day-to-day work in triage practice. Initiating treatment in triage room calls for broader understanding and knowledge about the triage practices for efficiency in performance. Search strategy There are several permutations and combinations involved in deciding the appropriate course of treatment based on the analysis of symptoms. Triage protocols makes it easier since the diagnostic procedures are seamlessly integrated into the treatments required and the timeline. Inclusion and exclusion criteria in diagnostic process with reference to a particular treatment proposed are standardized. Search strategy mainly depends upon the Key Words. The search is conducted on the components for its causal link with the formal problem. This is followed by clinical trials. The validation of the proposed solution, the evidence of its usefulness, criteria for inclusion and exclusion are the important aspects of the search strategy development. For example, Stacey et al (2012) have found in a study â€Å"Acceptability and usability testing of the symptom populated template with 12 practicing oncology nurses revealed: high readability (n=12), just the right amount of information (n=10), appropriate terms (n=10), fit with clinical work flow (n=8), and self-evident for how to complete (n=5).† The important principles governing the template features in respect of clinical nursing protocol are given in Annexure - I. Review of the evidence based literature on triage protocol This paper seeks to provide evidence based literature review on triage protocol covering various aspects related to it. The guidelines issued by the international bodies, articles published in the medical journals and books have been used for the purpose the study. In the Literature Review Grid given under Appendix –III, the study/research type, method used or information available and the results and comments related to the source materials are given for highlighting the reliability of the materials used and its relevance to the study. There are various types of triage scales used in different countries. â€Å"Of note is the Manchester Triage System (MTS) used in the United Kingdom, the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) used in America and the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).† (Monash Institute of Health Services Research, 2001) Triage decisions in respect of nursing are related to emergency care and normal patient care. In a study to assess the workability of triage system in community palliative care, it was found â€Å"

Dissertation Topic Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dissertation Topic Proposal - Essay Example Behavior and characteristics of ethnic entrepreneurs has caused much debate, many academics have stamped their authority on the subject by declaring five, six or even more than ten key characteristics of an entrepreneur, in many cases this research contradicts one another and these characteristics differ across national boundaries. Different countries adopt entrepreneurship in different ways. This paper will help to identify key characteristics of an ethnic entrepreneur and to build a coherent argument in order to see the extent in which the ethnic entrepreneurs are motivated to start-up their own business. The fundamental reason for choosing this topic is that having searched literature I found that very few works have been conducted concerning the impact of practices of ethnic entrepreneurs on their businesses. Since most of the studies have been focusing on the differences of performance levels of native and non-native entrepreneurs. Some of them have focused on the effects of the contributing factors in the difference of performance levels. ... Reasons for Choosing this topic The fundamental reason for choosing this topic is that having searched literature I found that very few works have been conducted concerning the impact of practices of ethnic entrepreneurs on their businesses. Since most of the studies have been focusing on the differences of performance levels of native and non-native entrepreneurs. Some of them have focused on the effects of the contributing factors in the difference of performance levels. This fact has encouraged me to do this piece of work in order to contribute to the existing knowledge about the subject by adding a new point of view to find out the effects of ethnic entrepreneurs' practices on their businesses. Another reason is that most of the researchers give least importance to entrepreneur's norms while undertaking the evaluation, of different businesses. The dissertation will also highlight the problems faced by the ethnic entrepreneurs while undertaking business in US. research design Philosophy Research is a fact finding activity (Dominowski, 1980). The aim of primary research is to make known something previously unknown to human beings and to advance human knowledge by making it more certain or better fitting; the aim is discovery (Elias, 1986). Kerlinger (1970) uses more technical language to define it as the systematic, controlled, empirical and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about presumed relations among natural phenomena. The research philosophy depends on the way we think about the development of knowledge and this thinking affects the way we do search (Saunders 2000). Whilst undertaking the research, a clear understanding of research philosophy is essential. Easterby-Smith et al (1997)

Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction Essay Example for Free

Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction Essay Treatment of drug and alcohol addiction is seldom as simple as merely addressing the particular chemicals addict is taking into his body. More often than not, addicts suffer from other disorders in conjunction with their chemical dependency. The clinical reference to such a condition is called co-occurring disorders (Doweiko, 2012). According to Arias and Kranzler (2008) an estimated 1. 1 percent of the U. S. population has an alcohol use disorder with a co-occurring use disorder (DUD). This type of co-morbidity is sometimes referred to as homotypic co ­morbidity or dual dependence. According to Doweiko (2012), dual diagnosis clients refer to patients that suffer from a concurrent form of mental illness and an SUD. Co-occurring substance disorders include but are not limited to anorexia, bulimia, gambling, abuse (spousal), compulsive shopping, AIDS, and compulsive sexual behaviors (Doweiko, 2012). People who are active substance abusers or withdrawal from many drugs of abuse can magnify or simulate symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Addiction is common in people with mental health problems. Although substance abuse and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety are closely linked, one does not directly cause the other (Doweiko, 2012). In a dual diagnosis, both the mental health issue and the drug or alcohol addiction have their own unique symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others (Stinson, et al. , 2005). To make the situation more complicated, the co-occurring disorders also affect each other and interact. According to Stinson et al (2005) when a mental health problem goes untreated, the substance abuse problem usually worsens and when alcohol or drug abuse increases, mental health problems will likely increase as well. An essential step to gaining freedom from addiction involves understanding the dynamics of addiction. The addiction cycle describes the reoccurring process that takes place as person struggles with their addiction(s). Co-occurring disorders and addiction relation to the addiction cycle is that addictive behaviors offer a fake sense of escape, pleasure, and involve psychological or physiological dependence. According to Scalise (2012) the increased symptoms and challenging treatment process add to difficulties of breaking the addiction cycle. The addiction cycle begins with pain which leads individuals to reach their absolute lowest, which many calle â€Å"hitting bottom† and then seek relief (i. . treatment). The addiction cycle continues with the addictive behaviors leading the individual to feel good just before crashing and experiencing pain again, thus restarting the cycle (Scalise, 2012). Understanding co-occurring disorders is vital to the proper treatment of chemical dependency clients. If all co-occurring disorders are effectively dealt with, there’s no reason why the addict should not regain their life as a drug-free member of society.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: Living the American Dream Essay -- American Dream

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of America’s most famous authors whose works were greatly influenced by his life and his economic crises. Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was named after his second cousin three times removed on his fathers side: Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote the â€Å"Star- Spangled Banner†. (Bio.com) Mary â€Å"Mollie† McQuillan, Fitzgerald’s mother, was an Irish immigrant with a large inheritance. Then, his father was Edward Fitzgerald, who was a failed wicker, but later was a salesman for Procter and Gamble. (Shmoop Editorial Team) Due to his father’s failure they moved back and forth, for the first decade of his life, between Buffalo and Syracuse in upstate N.Y. His dad lost his job as a salesman when F. Scott Fitzgerald was 12 and they moved back to St. Paul living on the mothers inheritance. When F. Scott Fitzgerald was 13 when he published his first piece of writing for his school’s newspaper in 1909.(Bio.com) After Fitzgerald’s formal education he went on to Princeton University, where he wrote for Princeton Tiger and the Triangle Club.(Shmoop Editorial Team) But, he was put on academic probation for his bad grades, so he dropped out and joined the army.(Bio.com) And even in the army Fitzgerald wrote, he began a novel titled The Romantic Egoist in 1917. Unfortunately, when he sent it to his editor/publisher, Scribners, it was rejected, but Scribners encouraged him to revise it. Then, in 1918 he meets his future wife, Zelda Sayre, in Alabama while he was commissioned there.(Shmoop Editorial Team) This new beauty Fitzgerald found in Alabama is an artist, dancer, and also a writer. Although Zelda liked Fitzgerald she broke off their engagement, a year after they me... ...24 Feb. 2014. . "F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. . "F. Scott Fitzgerald." PBS. PBS, Mar. 2007. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "F. Scott Fitzgerald Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. . "The Great Gatsby: Reviews and Ratings." IMDb. IMDb.com, 10 May 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. . Shmoop Editorial Team. "F. Scott Fitzgerald Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .

Classroom Management and Diversity

Samantha Formato Classroom management and diversity are two very important concepts to consider because classroom management in diverse environments can be a lot different than in less diverse environments. There is so much diversity going on now that everyone should be aware of the importance of classroom management inside the diverse environments. When I talk about diversity in this paper I am referring to ethnic and cultural diversity. There are many different strategies that can help students in more diverse classrooms feel more comfortable and be in a better learning environment.In my paper, I will be touching on five major strategies that help classroom management in more diverse classrooms. These strategies are building trust, engaging personal culture, confronting social dominance and social justice, transforming instructional practices, and engaging the entire school community. I will be talking about all of the advantages to these strategies. Another thing I will be touchin g on is the importance of classroom management in these diverse classrooms.I will also look at the differences between classroom management in less diverse environments and classroom management in more diverse environments. I will talk about my experiences observing classrooms and the differences between the classroom management strategies each teacher uses. Classroom management is a very critical part of teaching and having good classroom management in a more diverse classroom is a challenging task, but also a very important one. In more diverse environments especially, it is sometimes harder for teachers to have good classroom management.Mainly because the students in more diverse settings tend to act out more or disobey the rules. If students feel like they are in an open and trusting community at school they are more likely to succeed and listen to the teacher’s directions. Building trust, engaging personal culture, confronting social dominance and social justice, transfo rming instructional practices, and engaging the entire school community is five very important strategies that make classroom management easier. Building trust is one of the most important strategies that help classroom management in more diverse environments.Building trust entails being honest with students and having discussions about race and ethnicity with the entire class. Talking about students different cultures instead of just simply acting like they are not there. One teacher from the Apple Valley School District says, â€Å"I need to move beyond being color-blind. † The main idea of this strategy is to establish positive leaning communities in each classroom. If the students feel like their cultures and ethnicity are accepted they will feel more comfortable. Trust is such an important thing to have in a classroom in order to be able to have good classroom management.If the students feel like they can trust the teacher they will be more open and the teacher will have better control over his or her management (Howard, 2007). The second strategy is engaging in personal culture. This strategy is very important because it can be the difference between high school students dropping out of school or continuing on. The main reasoning of engaging in personal culture is to form authentic and effective relationships across differences. These relationships are very important to students who are going through school.If students feel that their teachers do not care about them they are more likely to drop out of school. Forming relationships with your students is important in order to maintain good classroom management. If the students feel like you enjoy getting to know them and that you respect them then they are more likely to listen and follow directions. If students feel like you do not respect them and could care less about them they are more likely to disobey and possibly even drop out of school all together (Howard, 2007). Confronting social dominanc e and social justice is the third strategy to better classroom management.This strategy is about making teachers aware of their surroundings and the issues that surround race and class. It forces teachers to think about race and class in a different way and causes them to better understand their students and what their students are going through. During this strategy teachers will come together and have discussions about race, class, gender, immigration, and other forms of diversity. They will open up and get a better consciousness about social dominance and diversity. This will help teachers teach their students better and make them more aware of what is going on around them (Howard, 2007). The fourth strategy is ransforming instructional practices. This strategy is crucial to having good classroom management. The main focus of this strategy is for teachers to shift their teachings to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Also, to use curriculum that honors each student†™s culture. For example, if a teacher was working in a school district that was mainly a Spanish speaking area if the teacher had to send something home to the parents they could send one paper home in English and on the back have the same paper written in Spanish. This would make it a lot easier on parents and students of mainly Spanish speaking families.This would also help classroom management because it is very important that your student’s parents understand you (Howard, 2007). The fifth and last strategy is engaging the entire school community. This strategy talks about how if you want to have good classroom management in diverse environments you not only have to involve the students, but also their parents. If the students are not getting any support from their parents it is hard for them to succeed. Teachers can help parents get more involved by sending home news letters and letting them know about any activates going on around the school.Even though this might not always get the students parents involved it still good to try. It is a lot easier to have classroom management when the students feel supported by not only the teacher, but also by their parents (Howard 21). Also students in schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated (Schaps, 2003). I recently observed two different classrooms, one in a diverse environment and one in a less diverse environment. The classroom I observed that was diverse is in the Northeast school district in Reading and the less diverse classroom is in the Pleasant Valley school district in Brodheadsville.The way the teachers in each of these schools manage their classrooms is completely different because of the diversity differences. The biggest difference I came across while observing these two classrooms was how serious each of the teachers has to be. From observing I realized how much harder it is to have good classroom management in more diverse classrooms. For example, in the more diverse classroom the teacher had to be very serious and the teacher in the less diverse classroom joked around a lot.The teacher in the more diverse classroom had to be serious because the students were constantly acting up. The teacher did not have time to joke around because at every moment she had to keep her students on track of what they were supposed to be doing. They constantly needed guidance. When I was observing the less diverse classroom I saw that the teacher joked around a lot. He made funny references and was all around less serious and strict. This was because his students were better behaved. They did act up at certain times, but they were always quick to get back on topic.Another thing that I realized was that the teacher in the diverse environment used all of the strategies that help classroom management and the teacher in the less diverse environment only used two of the strategies. There were a few kids in the less diverse environment that were dive rse but the teacher did not recognize them. He did not confront social dominance and justice, transform practices, or engage school community. He just acted as if everyone was the same ethnicity and ignored all differences. Which, is not always the best way to act. When a teacher acts this way even though they are teaching all of the students the same.Sometimes the students that are ethnically different can fall behind or feel as if they are not cared about. Where as the teacher in the diverse environment took advantage of her student’s differences and did all of the strategies, which helped her classroom management become better. By enforcing the strategies the classroom management becomes better because the students respect the teachers more and also usually listen better. The students and teacher benefit from using the five strategies. Keeping control of diverse classrooms is much more challenging than keeping control of less diverse classrooms.There is a big difference be tween diverse and less diverse classrooms, that is why classroom management is so important. If the teacher in the diverse environment did not use the five strategies I think it would have been very hard for her to have good classroom management in her classroom. The teacher in the less diverse environment however was able to get away with not using the five strategies because his classroom was less diverse so the students were not as hard to handle. Achieving classroom management in diverse classrooms is a very important and challenging task.Classroom management continues to be a serious concern for teachers and especially in urban and diverse learning environments (Milner 2010). Classroom management is so important in order to have a successful running class. It is easier to obtain classroom management in less diverse classrooms but there are five major strategies that help teachers achieve classroom management in diverse classrooms. I mentioned these strategies earlier, they are again building trust, engaging in personal culture, confronting social dominance and social justice, transforming instructional practices, and engaging the entire school community.Without these five strategies it would be almost impossible to gain good classroom management in diverse environments. If a teacher did not use the five strategies it is possible that his or her classroom would not have very good classroom management, depending upon if the classroom was in a diverse environment or not. Like I mentioned earlier in my paper, classrooms in less diverse environments can often get away with not using the five strategies. This is because the students are easier to manage.It is crucial however, for the teachers in the diverse environments to use the strategies. If in the future teachers decided not to use the strategies and instead decided to just ignore the differences between diverse and non-diverse environments it would cause major problems with classroom management. If a clas sroom had bad classroom management the students would suffer terribly. Some students would not care about their work, some would not listen, and some would just simply drop out.If teachers did not have control over their classrooms the students would not have anyone to listen to or pay attention to. That is why classroom management is so important. There is a way however, to help classrooms in diverse environments have good classroom management and it is to use the five strategies. If teachers in diverse settings continue to use the strategies it will help not only the teachers, by making good classroom management easier to achieve, but it will also help the students because they will learn more if they are listening and paying attention to the teacher.H. Richard Milner IV, B. T. (2010). Classroom management in diverse classrooms. Retrieved from http://uex. sagepub. com. ezaccess. libraries. psu. edu/content/45/5/560. full. pdf html Herbert Elizabeth, A. (1998). Design matters: How school environment affects children. Realizing a Positive School Climate, 56(1), 69-70. Howard Gary, R. (2007). As diversity grows, so must we. Responding to Changing Demographics, 64(6), 16-22. Schaps Eric. (2003). Creating a school community. Creating Caring Schools, 60(6), 31-33.