Standardizing The Mind :: essays research papers

Standardizing the Mind Is it safe to assume that all people are capable of learning the same things? Should the educational system be allowed to say what is useful information and what is not for human learning and development? These questions deserve attention since the answers can determine so much about someone's future. One standard set for students is the SAT test. Most Colleges use this single test score along with GPA to determine whether or not a potential student will be allowed enrollment to their school. An SAT test is based in two subjects, mathematics and English. By placing such heavy emphasis on these areas of learning, do we plan to grant the best higher education to those who are gifted writers and mathematicians? Perhaps we don't intend to do this, but an underlying social bias affects the way we value knowledge or what we think smart people know how to do. Students are encouraged to be doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, or engineers; they are encouraged to shoot for a high status occupation that will generate wealth. In America we like money, we like jobs that make us money, not jobs that make us good people. Our society values scientists. The scope of Western thought is based on reason and logic, everything that we produce is supposed to have a direct purpose and function, production for the sake of consumption. What happened to creating something for thought? Where did our artists go? When was the last time the US won a Nobel Prize in Philosophy or any field other than Science? We don't think about things unless we get paid for it. Why is an artist not as important to us as a brain surgeon? I think both can show us great and interesting things, but for now I think that an artist can tell us more about human thought. From as early as grade school we are taught the 'Scientific Method', when maybe we should spend more time with finger paints and cooperative learning. In my mind the two most important traits an individual can develop are appreciation for individual creativity and understanding the benefits of sharing that inner individualism with others. No two people are the same, but sharing what we do is best for everyone. People can learn about themselves, their goals and what makes them happy by seeing what other people are capable of producing and realizing that they are also endowed to create.

Educators and their Perception on Children Essay

Studies reveal that there has been an increasing degree of childhood challenging behavior. On a survey made by Joseph et al (2003) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004) revealed that 73% of educators perceived that children with challenging behaviors has been increasing. More importantly, educators have also been affected by such an increase of challenging behaviors as 70% of them claimed that children with such make them feel stressed, while 60% said that it has a negative effect on their job satisfaction. Since challenging behavior has been increasing at present, such also has a negative effect on teacher turnovers. In relation with it, it has also been viewed that such a character of children has a significant relationship to the educator’s burn out and amount of complaints that they receive from the parents. In consequence, the school’s upper administration, tend to squeeze their budgets for a more costly approach and on the other hand, educators are being questioned of their efficiency. During the 1960’s educators believed that the source of difficulties in their class primarily emerges from children with problem behaviors. As such, they tend to see them as â€Å"bad apples† that could be removed in order to maintain a more favorable environment (Long et al, 1965) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004). In fact studies of Joseph et al on 2003 revealed that 40% of educators reveal that they have removed students from their class for the past 12 months. Another problem that the educators experience is that they take the approach to children with challenging behavior as evident on their expression of â€Å"frustration, anger, inadequacy, fear, guilt and stress† (Strain and Joseph, 2004). In addition with this, respondents also reveal that they felt â€Å"overwhelmed, undervalued and disrespected† (Strain and Joseph, 2004). These feelings are clear indications that there are problems that the teacher needs to address. The educator needs to cope with these kinds of feelings in order to provide more self-control and rational thinking to be able to effectively address their students’ challenging behavior. Odom et al (1990) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004) also found out that a teacher’s openness to adopt a new approach towards teaching children could also affect the rate in which children could go through with the problems that he or she is experiencing. It has also been perceived that the amount of work that the teachers have to handle could also impact how the way the handle children with challenging behavior. For teachers who have a lot of priorities and paperwork, to ask them to â€Å"do one more thing† further adds to their frustration. Teachers also argue that they don’t have enough training in order to deal with this type of children. These situations in addition to their relatively low wages are also determining factors of their negative attitude towards children with challenging behavior.

The Effects Of Media On Body Dissatisfaction Of Young...

The media is an important aspect of the current society and is ever present to the public. With the creation of new technology, there are more and more ways the media can be received and displayed for people to see everywhere they go. There are so many media sights nowadays such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as new magazines, commercials and other media publications made every day that allow people to connect to current events and new trends. Although today’s media has the potential to have a positive or negative impact on the lives of the people, there have been many controversial debates on the impact of the media on the body dissatisfaction of young girls and adolescents. Body dissatisfaction can be described as â€Å"the negative self-evaluation of one’s own appearance and to be more physically attractive, and is fairly common in young girls and adolescents. Approximately one hundred studies of media effects on body dissatisfaction have been conducte d with the majority of these showing at least some evidence,† (Ferguson, Munoz, Contreras, Velasquez). Many psychological experts and specialists have explored the effect of the media on developing female girls and adolescent body image to conclude whether it has a significant or insignificant impact on the body image of female adolescents and young girls. In the current media, women are idealized as skinny, airbrushed, and flawless. â€Å"The media has been harshly criticized for creating and perpetuating a culturalShow MoreRelatedWomen and adolescent girls are exposed, daily, to the medias portrayal of perfect beauty. Being1600 Words   |  7 PagesWomen and adolescent girls are exposed, daily, to the medias portrayal of perfect beauty. Being bombarded with images of beautiful women with perfect figures and porcelain skin has had an effect on the way women and young girls portray their own bodies. This, in return, causes a drive for thinness which, ultimately, can ignite f eelings of dissatisfaction which can cause eating disorders and poor health decisions. This epidemic has captivated many women and adolescents as they go to tremendous lengthsRead More The Medias Influence on Eating Disorders Essay example1100 Words   |  5 Pagessocial issues. Media images help define cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness and are often acknowledged as one of the factors that contribute to the rise of eating disorders (NEDA). The National Eating Disorders Associations website, The Effect of the Media on Body Satisfaction in Adolescent Girls, The Medias Influence on Body Image Disturbance and Eating Disorders, and Dieting Behaviors, Weight Perceptions, and Life Satisfaction Among Public High School Adolescents are all articlesRead MoreThe Effect Of Body Image On Adolescent Girls1427 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to a study on body image 42% of first to third grade girls want to be thinner (Collins,1991). This presents a dilemma to parents and educat ors, as adolescent girls are becoming increasingly concerned with their body image, and have been led to unhealthy practices in their desire to be thinner. Research into this showed that as much as 57% of adolescent girls engage in harmful practices such as fasting, self induced vomiting, or diet pills (Boutelle et al, 2002).This occurs as a result ofRead MoreThe Effects of Media on Adolescent Girls Essay1029 Words   |  5 PagesMedia has become a significant component within society. While media provides many pros, it supplies various cons as well. One very prominent fault that the significance of media has is its visual depiction of women. There is an abundance of media portraying women to have ideal bodies, and this undoubtedly has a negative effect on adolescent girls. Two of the many effects of media on females are depression and self esteem issues, as well as eating disorders. Unfortunately, body dissatisfaction causedRead MoreSexual Objectification Of Music Videos And How A dolescents Are Affected Essay1068 Words   |  5 Pages Sexual Objectification in Music Videos and How Adolescents Are Affected Lauren Faron, Aynsley Fishel, Nisha Patel, Menelik Solomon The Ohio State University Music videos are easily accessible to everyone, especially adolescents. From its earliest origins on TV to recent upgrades to technology on the internet, such as YouTube, anyone can watch music videos at any time of the day. Online music video sites draw an average of 150 million people each month who viewRead MoreSocial Media Allows People To Share Pictures And Ideas1057 Words   |  5 PagesSocial media allows people to share pictures and ideas with others across the world. Women and girls can use social media to earn approval for their appearance and compare themselves to others. Women during this time period that are so heavily impacted by the media can link their self-worth to their looks. I used scholarly articles all relating to how social media affects body image to decide what my view point was. After research, we can conclude that social media has a negative effect on a woman’sRead MoreEffects Of Social Media Essay1322 Words   |  6 Pagesresearch all types of e ffects social media has on society, especially adolescent girls as that age group is mainly targeted. The role of media has changed drastically from when it first started to now. It was first created for the main purpose of communicating information. Although that is still true to this day, there are also other purposes for the media now. Media presents information through books, posters, the web and etc. One of the most popular forms of media today is social media. That includesRead MoreStudies of Social Media and its Effects on Adolescent’s Body Image 1166 Words   |  5 Pagessocial media has become a major asset in the lives of people. Social media can include websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but can also include video games and magazines. However, social media is not always genuine. In the mindset of adolescents, these medias help to create unrealistic ideas of who they are and who they should be. As if going through puberty isn’t difficult enough, teenagers are raised to face these phony thoughts everyday. One of the top problems that boys and girls experienceRead MoreBody Image And Self Esteem Among Adolescents1685 Words   |  7 PagesBody Image and Self-Esteem among Adolescents The topic of body image is an issue that we see amongst many adolescents all around the world. This huge issue can be dealt by adults but the main victim of body imaging are adolescents. Everywhere, anyone goes, there is example of what society considers â€Å"beautiful.† Even if someone is not completely studying it, their subconscious is still registering all of the images and words to what society thinks is a perfect body. Everyday there are people thatRead MoreLiterature Review : Body Image1173 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature Review: Body Image â€Å"Act 2: Extending Theory on Social Media and Body Concerns† shows the pattern and connection between social media and body image. People that are already affected by vulnerable factors, such as low self-esteem, depression, perfectionism and the thought that appearance is essential to self-worth, seek the gratifications that come from using social media. For example, if someone is feeling unattractive, but a picture they posted online is getting liked and commented on