Exposing the Truth in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Essay -- Things

Exposing the Truth in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong   Ã‚   "Dear Mom and Dad: The war that has taken my life, and many thousands of others before me, is immoral, unlawful, and an atrocity," (letter of anonymous soldier qtd. In Fussell 653). Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam war vet, had similar experiences as the soldier above. Even though O'Brien didn't die, the war still took away his life because a part of him will never be the same. Even in 1995, almost thirty years after the war, O'Brien wrote, "Last night suicide was on my mind. Not whether, but how. Tonight it will be on my mind again... I sit in my underwear at this unblinking fool of a computer and try to wrap words around a few horrid truths" (Vietnam 560). 1 think that O'Brien is still suffering from what he experienced in Vietnam and he uses his writing to help him deal with his conflicts. In order to deal with war or other traumatic experiences, you sometimes just have to relive the experiences over and over. This is what O'Brien does with his writing; he expresses his emotional truths even if it means he has to change the facts of the literal truth. The literal truth, or some of the things that happen during war, are so horrible that you don't want to believe that it could've actually have happened. For instance, "[o]ne colonel wanted the hearts cut out of the dead Vietcong to feed to his dog.... Ears were strung together like beads. Parts of Vietnamese bodies were kept as trophies; skulls were a favorite... The Twenty-fifth Infantry Division left a 'visiting card,' a torn off shoulder patch of the division's emblem, stuffed in the mouth of the Vietnamese they killed," (Fussell 655). While we don't want to believe these things because they sound too atrocious, soldi... ...e who sent the soldiers to war are just as responsible as the soldiers for any acts of war they committed. Works Cited Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of   Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6. O'Brien, Tim.   "How to Tell a True War Story." Writing as  Re-Vision. Eds. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully.   Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996. 550-8. _________.   In the Lake of the Woods.   New York: Houghton   Mifflin, 1994. __________.   "The Lives of   the Dead."   The Things They  Carried.   New York: Viking Penguin, 1990. 255-273. __________.   "The Vietnam in Me."   Writing as Re-Vision. 559-571. Schroeder, Eric James.   "Tim O'Brien: Maybe So."   Vietnam,  We've All Been There: Interviews with American Writers.   Ed.   Eric James Schroeder.   Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1992. 125-43.

Aa Meetings Essay 2

Reaction Paper SAB 110-02 I first attended AA meetings as a requirement while I was in outpatient treatment in 2002. So when I learned that I had to go for a class assignment, I thought I would be comfortable attending a meeting. I was going with the intent on just sitting in the back and listening. The meetings that I had gone to in the past were held at the treatment center where I was seeking help. For this assignment, I went to a group meeting at a prominent church in south Charlotte. Once inside I was greeted with lots of hugs and handshakes, this is when my plan changed. I was asked if this was my first time attending a meeting with every other introduction. All of the feelings of being nervous I had years ago from going to my first meeting, started coming back on me. This was a large group of middle age men and women, with little or no diversity within the group. The meeting began with the reading of the 12 steps, the 12 traditions followed by the Serenity Prayer. After the readings, one thing that surprised me was how the large group divided up into three different groups. One group for women, an open group for beginners, and a closed meeting for men, I stayed in the closed meeting. The topic of discussion on this night was on recovery and service. While I was listening to people talk about how long they had been in recovery, and how attending meetings several times a week for many years had kept them sober. Others spoke about how they do service work. One gentleman talked about being in recovery and that he felt they were only able to remain sober because they became active in service and helping others. I got involved in the discussion and stated that this was my first time in a meeting in nine years. I felt like the next few people to speak was a direct response to what I had said, it made me feel uncomfortable. I was active in service and unity during my first few years in recovery, but I personally believe that a person should not have to be in recovery for the rest of their life once they become sober. AA works very well for some people, and a lot of people either find it ineffective, or they turned off by it. I respect the opinions and perceptions of those that do. Recovery is not something that you can force on someone. What works one individual made not do the same for someone else. The next meeting I attended was a NA meeting. This was the first time that I had been to a meeting, but I was not nervous attending a meeting. The meeting was held at a different church, but in the same area of the AA meeting. I was quite surprised when I went inside. There was a wide range of diversity in this meeting, as it relates to age, socioeconomic background, profession, educational level, and gender. One thing that was caught my attention was the number of high school age people who were there. The meeting began much like the AA meeting did with the reading of the steps, traditions and the serenity prayer. This was an open discussion meeting. There were two teenagers who were there together, who talked about using the day before. One of them mentioned that they were jealous of their friends at school. The reason she gave was that how her friends could use drugs and maintain self control, but she was the one to lose it. There were a few things in this NA meeting that I learned. First was, when discussing your drug usage or your drug of choice you don`t mention the name of the drug. It was also stated to keep the conversations about narcotics and not alcohol, which surprised me, being that this was my first NA a meeting, I have talked and listened to addicts and recovering addicts many times before but sitting in on a meeting touched me differently. I felt more comfortable attending the AA meeting, mainly because I had been to some in the past. Also the NA meeting did not seem to be as organized as the AA meeting. People would get up and walk out to smoke while someone was talking. Another distraction that took away from the meeting were people talking about other topics other than addiction. Overall the meeting was informative and the people were very nice and like a close knit family. I choose to attend an Al-non meeting, and I enjoyed this experience the best. I did not know what to expect going in, but was put at ease from the kindness shown by the people. This was an opening meeting and open discussion. This group was made up of mostly middle age upper class females, with one couple. They started the meeting with some group business and announcements, after that I thought I was in a AA meeting, The topic was on the holidays and how to cope. When people talked about being in recovery, they were speaking about themselves. I did join in on the discussion and stayed a few minutes after the meeting to ask some questions about the group. I could see myself going back to Al-non for support if I had issues with or was affected by a friend or family member drinking. I got some very good insight and information from all three meeting, but the Al-non seemed to be the one that was the most sincere. Unlike at other meetings for addicts themselves, the 12 steps in this meeting did not seem to take top priority, but rather the group help seemed most important to Al-non. They closed the meeting with the Lord prayer and invited me to come back.

The Heart of the Matter My Philosophy of Education - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1596 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Education Essay Level High school Tags: Philosophy Of Education Essay Did you like this example? Abstract Let us get to the heart of the matter. I believe wholeheartedly that every child, no matter how diverse, is capable of learning. The key to successful learning is fostering a positive teacher-student relationship, displaying patience and grace, having endless amounts of compassion, and giving appropriate instructional guidance. In doing this, I know that I can uncover a childs distinct way that he or she learns best. When I have given a child all that, I then know that I have set a great learning foundation that they can grow from. We as educators need to realize that as we grow in our careers, our philosophy of education evolves with time. I know mine has changed some, but as I mentioned above, my why or purpose of being an educator is because I believe wholeheartedly that every child, no matter how diverse, is capable of learning. That is one of the main constants that remain the same the belief that every student is capable of learning, as well as wanting what is best for my students and my willingness to give my all to help them obtain it. A teachers heart of the matter is to build their students up so that they can be the best individuals they can be, in the present and in their future. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Heart of the Matter: My Philosophy of Education" essay for you Create order Philosophy of Schools and Learning Education is not an end in itself; it is a means to develop a response to our calling in life (Graham, 2009, p. 49). The why of education, our calling in life, is an intriguing question. There is a wide gamut of views from so many differing theorists and founding fathers in education. To choose just a few is difficult. However, if I had to choose two individuals that had views that aligned with some of my educational beliefs, it would be John Dewey and William Heard Kilpatrick. These men both had an experimentalist educational philosophy. Dewey believed that all humans were educative (Gutek, 1995, p. 484). He also believed that students educational practices should be guided by the teacher and be enriched by using cooperative experiences of working with others to problem-solve (Gutek, 1995, p. 485). Kilpatrick followed in Deweys footsteps and took it further and believed that the educational experiences should arise from the individual learners interests and needs (Gutek, 1995, p. 48 9). As a teacher of almost eleven years, I see the benefits to this style of teaching and learning. Long gone are the lecture-style classes where the student sits there taking notes and being bored. I believe that state-mandated curriculum/standards can be delivered in a way that peaks the interests of the learner and be differentiated so that all learners can be educated at their instructional level. Learning through cooperative experiences can be very beneficial for the high- and low-level learner. Working together can bring so many positive outcomes and create many aha moments. Through my own teaching experiences, problem-solving allows for long-term retention of skills taught and this in turn has a long-range impact on individuals in society. Through these styles of teaching that I practice and believe in, I feel that I am doing Gods intended purpose for my life and that I reflect His character through the process of doing His work with Him (Graham, 2009, p. 49) when I am teach ing my students. Instructional Practice There are many personal beliefs that I hold close, as a teacher, on how to effectively deliver instruction to my students. Teachers have an imperative task to serve wholeheartedly (Ephesians 6:7, New International Version), and we can do that by delivering our best to our students every day. As an educator the key to giving our best is by offering a positive learning environment, having good teacher/student relationships, incorporating constructive classroom management, being well-prepared, offering differing styles of teaching strategies to keep learners engaged, and provide proper guidance in finding a students distinct way that he or she learns best using differentiated instruction. When students are given all these key components to succeed in the classroom, then they are prepared for learning to occur. How do learners come to know truth in their learning? It is difficult to pinpoint an exact answer to this question because it is different for each person. In an article by Elias (2015) he states that there are four areas of truth for students to build their academic and moral values and integrity throughout their educational experience. They are: to seek the truth, speak the truth, stand by the truth, and stay with the truth (bullet point 2). As students progress through their educational career, it is important that they develop their own point of view on many differing topics involving academics and morals. By doing this, over time, they will develop their own truth of how their learning will occur. Navigating students to define their own personal truth of what their points of view are is vital to the development of their individuality. Lastly, as their teacher, I feel that the appropriate foundation to guide my students in discovering their truth is to daily display the Fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, compassion, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version). A great teacher lives out this scripture to help learners come to know truth. An effective teacher that lives out the belief that every individual is capable of learning, allows for his or her students to understand the truth and the importance of learning. When I have given all of this and then some, I know that I have set my learners up for success and a great learning foundation to take with them into their adult lives. Teacher-Learner Relationships The teacher-student relationship is a vital piece for success to occur in the classroom. Once a teachers role is obtained, then the learners role takes shape. To acquire my role as a teacher, I intentionally incorporate my beliefs of what I think instructional practice looks like, as mentioned above, and foster a progressive learning environment that allows for positive and meaningful relationships to be established with my learners. One way I build meaningful relationships is using teachable moments that will benefit my students morally, socially, and emotionally. Throughout an instructional day, many events occur that allow for team-building to happen in my learning environment. This allows me to create classroom practices that support positive socioemotional development and minimize unnecessary social comparisons or unhealthy competition (Slavin and Schunk, 2017, p. 65). When my students can observe and model my expectations that I have for them, I feel that they are developing th eir own self-efficacy by becoming engaged and motivated in their learning. From there, the learners role blossoms because trust, respect, and compassion grow for one another. Once the learner and the teachers relationship reach their optimal potential, then successful learning can take place in the classroom. Diversity In todays times the classroom is extremely different than it used to be. So long is the mindset that all students fit into a one-size-fits-all package. We now must look at the individual learner and how can we meet their diverse needs, so they can succeed academically. Ackerman (2012) states that, Teachers have to believe that all students deserve a chance at success in our classrooms, regardless of the students backgrounds, learning styles, and/or disabilities (p.6). This can be a constant challenge for teachers, but it is important that we educators work hard to overcome our own difficulties in doing this, so that we can be effective in reaching every learner, no matter how diverse. Kellough and Jarolimek (2005) state, Your challenges lie in seeing that every student succeeds in school, so no child is left behind. Your opportunities can be found in making sure that the lives of all children are enriched through contact with classmates whose cultural and ethnic backgrounds may be quite different from their own (p. 13). Psalms 127:3 says Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him (New Living Translation). To educate children is an honor and privilege, because they are a gift from God. It does not matter what makes a child diverse, whether it be their ethnicity and cultural differences, styles of learning, and/or disabilities. All these differing areas of diversity is what impacts how a learner experiences and takes in their instruction. For example, a student may have both a learning disability and a language barrier to overcome in the classroom. The impact a teacher could have on that student regarding how content is taught could be life-changing for that student. To understand this, educators need to be fully invested and engaged to meet the individual needs of the diverse learner so that success can be obtained. Conclusion The heart of the matter are the students we have the privilege to teach and mold into future citizens of society. As educators, we wear many hats in our students lives. We at times wear the hat of parent, advocate, counselor, nurse, as well as many other roles. We strive to live out truth and to teach our students truth by building positive relationships with our students, giving patience, grace and compassion, as well as meet their individual needs academically. The Bible states, In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned (Titus 2:7-8, New International Version) Our job as educators in todays world is very different than what it looked like centuries ago. Yes, we still have the awesome task of delivering the academic curriculum, but we also must be that example of what is good and right.