Freedom in a Montessori Environment Essay Example

Freedom in a Montessori Environment Paper Thus a child will be aided to grow through independence and must be allowed growth through his inn guide. This is because a child uses his environment to grow. A child must therefore be aided in his development through activities that will encourage independence such as self-help skills like wearing shoes buttoning sweeping and other activities that will make him independent. All materials should be given the correct sizes; materials should be kept orderly; furniture should be child sized. The child must be aided in developing his will by by ensuring coordination and ensuring activities are awards a given end. The child must be given constructive work. Maria Interiors has described a classroom as a room in which all children move about intelligently voluntarily and without being unruly or loud. It is important to note that in allowing freedom, any destructive acts of the child must be limited. All other good and useful manifestations must be observed by the directress. There are however limits to freedom within the prepared environment; they are: Respect for the environment: The child has freedom but must treat the environment with care and respect. He must be courteous ND treat all with respect and care. We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom in a Montessori Environment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom in a Montessori Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom in a Montessori Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Respect for Himself: It is not enough to treat other with courtesy; he must also respect himself and use the materials respectfully without destroying. Respect for Others: The child is free to carry out activities as long as he is not interfering on the rights of other children in the classroom. Progress at his own rate and development: Each child is allowed to develop at his own rate and pace. No competitions are allowed in the environment. The Interiors environment also allows freedom in many aspects. F-redeem of movement as they are allowed to move around the lassoer as well as outside the classroom. Thus a Interiors classroom is not divided within work periods. A child is also allowed freedom of choice to choose their own activities in the classroom as this enables concentration and helps develop good working habits. Freedom of speech is also allowed as children speak to each other and initiate activities as a team or individually. Because they are not forced; they naturally develop the tendency to help thy neighbor. Children are expected to observe the rules of basic courtesy; which involves not interrupting other people. Freedom to grow and to instruct his own mental capabilities. All materials are with a focus to helping the child build his inner self. Freedom to love and be loved is important as a child must be loved exceptionally and respected for just being himself. An example of Deja a three and a half year old who accidentally defecates on his body. Immediately other children start complaining about the smell and proceed to laugh at the child. The teacher who was also horrified was disgusted and showed this to Deli. The child sat still ashamed of himself. A well trained directress should correct Deja and clean him up and also courage other children from making fun of him. It is important that love is shown in such circumstances while correcting the boy lovingly. Thus if such an occurrence occurs in future other children will learn to assist and show loving support. Freedom from danger is also important as a child has a right to be protected away from danger. Freedom from competition and pressure is discouraged as a child is free from artificially induced competition reward and punishments. The inner motivation of the child stimulates him to work to the best of his ability and the satisfaction is the reward. He is thus allowed to grow at his own rate and development. In conclusion freedom allow a child grow by removing obstacles which can impede his normal development. The freeing of a child consists in removing as far as possible these obstacles that will deter true development in a child. Thus to objectively achieve these demands objectively a close attention must be on the part of the adult. THE SENSITIVE PERIOD The sensitive period is a delicate and transitory period helping the child with the purpose of formation. This urge helps him to focus his attention on retain aspects of his environment with such congruency that he excludes other things. As a result of the meeting of minds between this inner urge and this activities; the child completes it and feels excited and stronger. This inner urge can be likened to an intrinsic weaving of the thread of life. The importance of the sensitive period abound as they help in later years to assist in the development of concentration and intellectual powers. Sensitive periods in language have been identified; a child who without prior formal lessons, without conscious effort learns to pronounce the language he hears refectory. It has been identified that the sensitive period for language has already begun in the child before he can walk and talk. By four months through the watchful eyes of a child he starts making vague sounds. As he progresses the baby will begin got make real sounds. This mysterious urge starts in the soul; its intensity lights up a flame and is turned outward as a light. Under this influence the sounds separate though the child cannot understand the language. As the child interacts more with the environment he listens voluntarily to the spoken language. It had been defined as divine nomad which the child imitates and does not know why. A child who is starved of been exposed to the sensitivity of language can lead to having a difficult time learning the structure of his language. An example in Nigeria is where parents refuse their children to learn the local language and speak only English to the child-As the child grows older learning to communicate in their mother tongue becomes a challenge as the child cannot relate to others in his immediate environment. Amazing is also the sensitivity to Order as it reveals itself in the second year of life. The child at this stage displays a cohesive passion in the order of things. For example Deja a 3 years old has a pack of balls bought for him in a basket by his mum. Family friends come to the house and one of the younger children removes the pack of balls from the basket. Deja starts screaming as he tryst to put all balls back in the basket-He quieted down after he put back all the balls without any interference from the guest. It is very necessary for the child to have order in his environment as he is constructing himself from the elements of the environment. A baby can be helped by an adult through following a general rhythm. Dont forget to add advantages Another sensitivity which occurs in the second year is the sensitivity to small objects-Children are drawn to small objects alas miniature scientists. However the adult must be patient,observant and not shout when a child pick up objects. Freedom is also critical to enable a chi lid explore their environment. The adverse effects of sensitivity to small objects will be lack of observational skills passiveness and lack of comparative judgment. Sensitivity to coordination of movement occurs from 21 /2 years. This is the period A Child loves to explore the environment by jumping ND running. They engage in activity that will coordinate their movement. Constructive work that will promote good coordination of body movement egg pouring from one jug to another is important. The adverse effect will be lack of good coordination. Children between two to five love to play with their mates. They also want to do things adults and develop social skills. At this time they pick up manners and behaviors from adults. The adverse effects are that children remain dependent passive and lonely. Sensitivity through learning through the five senses. Children take interest in sound shape texture. At this time the children are given activities which impress and stimulate the senses refining their functions-This period is important especially in adult life especially in some vocations Normalization has been described as the single most important result of a teachers work. This is when the teacher has helped the child to attain a normal developmental stage where they focus for long periods of time. At this stage they are satisfied and proud of their work. Normalization occurs during the first phase of development at ages 0-6 years. Peter is a three year old pupil and a new student at BBC School. Peter is unable to concentrate on a particular task and lacks interest in activities. After careful monitoring and patience by an adult in a prepared environment; Peter transforms and shows keen interest in activities. Children who are young or new to the prepared environment are said to be in the first stage of development. These children are not ready for the freedom and like peter in the example above are invited to work with a teacher keeping an eye on the child. These children increase their level of concentration and take pride in their accomplishment As the hill progresses; the child experiences freedom and now have the confidence to move and complete activities. Children at this stage benefit from frequent and different presentations. The role of the teacher s to observe the child keenly to ensure they are receiving the assistance needed for the transformation. By the time Peter in our example above is five or six years, the child is able to focus on One activity; work in teams; teach younger children and work independently without disturbing the work of others. This journey has taken years for the child to become normalized and as such the coacher must patiently and without giving up enjoy the journey towards independence and normalization. In a growing child there is physical energy; especially the muscular energy of intelligence and will and also the mental energy of intelligence and will. These two streams work in unison to make a child complete. A normalized chide develops the following characteristics; a love for order in which a child expresses a love for the environment and a desire to preserve the environment. Also the love of work which in a prepared environment means any activity which the child becomes engrossed in and consumes his personality. A child grows to like work naturally and finds joy in completing his work. Another characteristic is profound spontaneous concentration which has been called attention to life or a wonder of growth. It is the Childs intelligence that is concentrating here and constructing itself through an exchange with its immediate environment. Following closely is an attachment to reality as a normalized Childs mind constructs itself through contact with the environment which is the foundation of the world as taken in by a child through the five senses and eater is built on by reason and imagination.

Free Essays on Life on the Mississippi

After reading the selections from Life on the Mississippi, I couldn’t help but feel a little confused and let down. From our past readings, I had begun to appreciate Twain and his style of humor more and more only to be surprised by what I feel is a surprisingly dull book with nothing to really laugh out loud about. From the get go, I was expecting something more like The Innocents Abroad, or Huck Finn; what I got was facts, followed by boring recollections, toped off with more facts. If I was looking forward to reading this book from a historical sense, and had I been in the proper mind state, I might be able to say that I enjoyed it on some level, but because I had my expectations set on humor and some good, quick witted ribbings my opinion of this book found itself falling as the page numbers increased. Now I don’t want to outright bash the book and say it was no good, I simply want to say that I was caught off guard by its straightforwardness. I would compare it to this scenario. Take a master photographer like Anne Geddies, an artist who’s work is almost entirely children. If she was to take a photograph of a dying elderly man, no matter how esthetically perfect and pleasing it is to the photographic community, I still wouldn’t fit in the description of what is expected of her even though the work was done with the same skill and attention. One passage that illustrates my point perfectly is the beautiful description of the river captures in beautifully graphic detail. Twain speaks of what he sees as the natural beauty of the river and then goes beyond to speak about the underlying scientific values of such sights. The Twain that I enjoy reading is not the kind of guy who gets sentimental about such things, but makes fun of the guy who is sentimental of such things. There are some points in Life on the Mississippi that, to me, stand out where twain tried to make the book more attractive to the skeptical Twain read... Free Essays on Life on the Mississippi Free Essays on Life on the Mississippi After reading the selections from Life on the Mississippi, I couldn’t help but feel a little confused and let down. From our past readings, I had begun to appreciate Twain and his style of humor more and more only to be surprised by what I feel is a surprisingly dull book with nothing to really laugh out loud about. From the get go, I was expecting something more like The Innocents Abroad, or Huck Finn; what I got was facts, followed by boring recollections, toped off with more facts. If I was looking forward to reading this book from a historical sense, and had I been in the proper mind state, I might be able to say that I enjoyed it on some level, but because I had my expectations set on humor and some good, quick witted ribbings my opinion of this book found itself falling as the page numbers increased. Now I don’t want to outright bash the book and say it was no good, I simply want to say that I was caught off guard by its straightforwardness. I would compare it to this scenario. Take a master photographer like Anne Geddies, an artist who’s work is almost entirely children. If she was to take a photograph of a dying elderly man, no matter how esthetically perfect and pleasing it is to the photographic community, I still wouldn’t fit in the description of what is expected of her even though the work was done with the same skill and attention. One passage that illustrates my point perfectly is the beautiful description of the river captures in beautifully graphic detail. Twain speaks of what he sees as the natural beauty of the river and then goes beyond to speak about the underlying scientific values of such sights. The Twain that I enjoy reading is not the kind of guy who gets sentimental about such things, but makes fun of the guy who is sentimental of such things. There are some points in Life on the Mississippi that, to me, stand out where twain tried to make the book more attractive to the skeptical Twain read...

Extent of Growth Depends on the Diversity Among the Students and Essay

Extent of Growth Depends on the Diversity Among the Students and Faculty - Essay Example I was born in Macao, and hail from a Chinese background. This has influenced my viewing of the world from a Chinese perspective. Over the time that I have spent in the United States of America, I have broadened my vision of the world through interaction with students from different cultural and economic backgrounds, and with different academic capabilities. It is this experience that I believe will stand me in good stead in my choice of a good classmate to assist me in the development of myself as a person, and my knowledge and skills. I also believe that this is not intended to be one-way traffic of me receiving only, as I am capable of giving assistance for the development of other individuals. My potential classmate would be of Indian origin. There are several reasons for this choice of mine. Indians have had a very long culture and tradition extending as long as the Chinese. This has deeply ingrained traditional, cultural and social values in Indians. Such deeply ingrained culture and tradition do not wipe off easily in new environments, and there will be ample opportunities when these will be displayed. The reason why I feel that Indian traditions and culture are important lies in the ability of Indians to cope with adversity and then emerge triumphant. India is rising as an economic power of esteem within six decades of gaining independence from the ruin of two hundred years of colonial rule. I believe I have leadership qualities, but in this changing world, I need to develop the ability to cope with change, which I believe my Indian classmate could give me.

Critically analyse, examine and evaluate the key issues involved in Essay

Critically analyse, examine and evaluate the key issues involved in the process of development and implementation of coherent international marketing strategy N - Essay Example There have been large initiatives, like the IT thrust by introducing supply chain management to ensure regular deliveries, to introducing new strategies like focusing on the new found power and wealth of women in sports. For the past 30 years the marketing strategy was dependant on the make to sell model. Products were made in anticipation of sales and cross fingers became a habit as the mysteries of the unknown were omnipresent. Every manufacturer likes to evolve into make to order market. That is a segment that spells stability and a certain level of recognition in the market. It becomes more pronounced when the market is global, across geographies and cultures. Nike too had this vision. They wanted to cross frontiers with a common approach. It was like wanting a clan, not just a family, which followed common principles, yet had identity of its own respecting their environment and circumstances, but adhering to the common fundamental principle. It was a huge call and needed people to understand the conglomerate of which they were a part. It required a merger of thought, not just action, and the very vision became their clarion call, Just do it. Before a company decides to go â€Å"global,† it must first show â€Å"an ability to appreciate the degree of globalization that exists in a given industry, or sector, and to provide the required strategic response. †Jeannet, Jean-Pierre,3 Centralization is the basic format of Nike’s plan. Not only product designing, but the contracting out of manufacturing at different factories and delivery schedules are all carried out at the Head Office. In response to highly chaotic running shoes market in 1975 a plan named Futures Program was developed.4 The intention was to force the Retailers to order nine months in advance by placing non-cancellable orders. This assured cash upfront for the company as well as predictability

Evaluation of Corporate Performance Research Paper

Evaluation of Corporate Performance - Research Paper Example Its Server and Tools division offers server software, training to developers, cloud-based services. Its Business division offers Microsoft Office and related products. The company markets its products and services across most part of the world. Income Statements (all figures in millions) Year ended June 30, 2011 2012 2013 2014 (projected) Revenue $ 69,943 73,723 77,849 85,634 Cost of Revenue $ 15,577 17,530 20,249 22,274 Gross Profit $ 54,366 56,193 57,600 63,360 Total operating expense $ 27,205 34,430 30,836 33,920 Income before income tax $ 28,071 22,267 27,052 29,940 Provision for income tax $ 4,921 5,289 5,189 5,689 Net income $ 23,150 16,978 21,863 24,251 Figures for the year ended 2014 has been arrived at by projecting 10% growth on revenues and cost of revenues. Income tax provision has been made in the same percentage as made in the current year to arrive at the net income after tax. Ratio Analysis Liquidity Ratios Liquidity of the company can be denoted by several kinds such as current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio, and cash conversion cycle. a. Current Ratio is given as Current Assets/Current Liabilities For the year ended 2013, Microsoft’s current Ratio = 101,466/37,417 = 2.71 b. Quick Ratio This is also known as the acid-test ratio. This takes into account the most liquid current assets to cover current liabilities. Inventory and less liquid current assets that cannot be converted to cash quickly are eliminated while calculating this ratio. This informs more liquid status of the company. Quick Ratio = (Cash & Equivalents + Accounts Receivable + Short-term Investments)/ Current Liabilities = (3804 + 17,486+73,218)/37,417 = 2.52 Financial Leverage c. The debt-equity ratio is one of the popular financial leverage ratios that provides information regarding the company's leverage state. This is given as = total liability/shareholder's equity = 63,487/78,944 = 0.8 This indicates that for every single dollar of share holder’s equity, there i s 0.8 dollar of debt. d. Debt Ratio Debt ratio is defined as total liabilities/total assets For Microsoft, it is calculated as 63,487/142,431= 0.45 In other words, 45% of the assets of Microsoft have been created from debt funds. Asset Management The return on assets employed in the company will provide information about how assets are used to generate return for shareholders. e. Return on Total Assets It is defined as Net Profit/ total assets employed = 21,863/142,431 =15.34% However, to understand how efficiently current assets are managed in enhancing shareholder’s wealth, it would be appropriate to find return on current assets. f. Return on Current Assets It can be given as net profit/current assets = 21,863/101,466 = 21.55% Profitability There are several measures of profitability and in this paper we calculate net profit margin and profitability against shareholder’s equity. g. Net Profit Margin is given as: Net profit/ revenue = 21,863/77,849 = 28% h. Profitabi lity on shareholders’ fund It can be given as net profit/ total equity = 21,863/78,944 = 27.7% Market Value The market value of the firm can be given by its market capitalization. i. Market Capitalization of Microsoft = No. of shares ? price/share = 8,328 ? 35.52 = $295.8 Billions j. Market Multiples (P/E) It will be interesting to understand P/E ratio in details. It is important to note that the closing price of any stock keeps fluctuating on daily

The Family And Contemporary Society | Analysis

The Family And Contemporary Society | Analysis A family can simply be defined as a group of people connected by blood or marriage. They can either be living together in a household, for example, a couple and their never married children living in one place as a family or are related based on blood but are not immediate family -for example, genetic relationships and this can simply be referred to as kin. According to the American anthropologist George Peter Murdock, The family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults The two most common forms of family are nuclear family and extended family. The nuclear family comprises of a husband and a wife with one or more children, own or adopted. According to Murdock, the nuclear family is a universal social grouping which means, it is found in all societies. The extended family is a family structure which is often made up of three generations e.g. grandparents, parents and children. Basically, it is the extension of the nuclear family and this can be done in various ways. Unlike the western society marriage which is monogamous, that is, one wife and one husband, many other societies practice polygamous marriage where by a person can marry more than one wife or husband. It is found in many small-scale traditional societies, particularly in Africa. A part from that, families can be extended if for example grand parents, brothers and sisters of the married couple live in one household. This is mostly practiced by the Indian communities in the UK. During the pre-industrial period, societies were divided in to kinship groups called lineages, which consist of people descended from a common ancestor. Lineages may contain hundreds or even thousands of members, it is mostly found in traditional societies such as the Nuer of southern Sudan and the Bunyoro of western Uganda. Anyone in that group sees each other as relatives. The only source of livelihood was farming and livestock, for this reason; the most common family structure was extended families because, they work together and to some extent, they share domestic tasks and income. Any member is allowed to farm and graze their livestock in the land owned by the Lineages. People who would be seen as very distant relatives in western societies may be defined as close relatives within a lineage. According to the 19th century historical research by Michael Anderson (1971), the early stages of industrialisation may have encouraged the development of extended families. He found that 23% of working class households in Preston contained kin beyond the nuclear family. This was due to the fact that, there was widespread poverty, high birth and death rates and without welfare support from the government, people had to depend on their kin for care and support. The working class extended family continued well in to the 20th century. Michael Young and Peter Willmott defined an extended family after their study of Bethnal Green in the east end of London (1957) as a combination of families who to some large degree form one domestic unit. The family members does not have to share one household as long as they contact regularly and share services such as caring for children and elderly relatives. The industrial revolution gradually undermined and disrupted the existence of extended family because; men were increasingly drawn out of the home in to industrial employment. Long working hours and movement of individuals between different regions affected family socialisation. Despite that, low income working class areas such as Bethnal Green did not break their extended family ties up until the 20th century. By the 1970s, the family structure changed to home-centred and privatised nuclear family. Family life is focused on the home. Husband and wife depend on each other for companionship. During free time, they silently watch TV at home with less contact of the wider kinship network. According to Talcott Parsons, the isolated nuclear family is the typical form in modern industrial society, on the other hand, Michael Haralambos states in his book, Sociology in focus that, a number of sociologists argue that, the so called modern, self-sufficient and self-centred nuclear family process has been exaggerated and that nuclear family members still contact their extended kin when the need arises though the relationship is not as strong as those in the traditional extended family. According to Janet Finch and Jennifer Mason (1993) in their study of Greater Manchester, they found that, over 90% of the people they approached had given or received financial help from relatives and almost 60% had shared a household with an adult relative(not parents) at some time in their live. Finch and Mason also found that help was subject to negotiation and not a right However, the British Social Attitudes have disputed the above study after they conducted a survey representing adults aged 18 and over during 1986 and 1995. They were looking at frequency of contact with kin. They found out that people are less likely to visit or be visited by anybody at all, be it relative or friends because there was no evidence to show that friends have substituted relatives and a large number of women are working outside their home which resulted in 20% drop of seeing their mother at least once a week (McGlone et al, 1999). People from different backgrounds have different family structure from the indigenous population. For example, the Asian families in Britain have strengthened their ties with their family members more in reaction to lack of value attachment between British family members and their kin. They are worried of losing their values and culture. To help overcome that fear, they maintain links with their villages of origin in Asia. The main sociological theories of the family are functionalist, Marxists and feminists. Functionalists consider the nuclear form of family as the best type. They believe that family is a vital element at the heart of society and a good source of socialisation. However, they only endorse the nuclear family as the norm, idealistic and more home centred, whereas, they consider the other types of family as harmful. Functionalists see family as a social institution which is there for a purpose that is beneficial to both its members and society. According to Murdock (1949), the family is a universal institution with universal functions. Their theories contain strong arguments that are vital for the wellbeing of society. They argue that, the family help to stabilise the social system by monitoring or setting some limits on their members not engage in sexual relationships outside marriage with some societies completely forbidding such acts unless married. This helps to reduce conflict. The functionalists also see family as a unit of production, for example, a farming family produce food while here in the west, the family is a unit of consumption, families buy goods and services for the rest of their family members, therefore contribute to the economy and to the wider society. The most interesting point of the functionalists theory is that, the family is responsible for primary socialisation. The first year of our life is very crucial to the rest of our life and all that is made possible by the immediate family members. Murdock believes that, no society has succeeded in finding an adequate substitute for the nuclear family however, the American sociologist Talcott Parsons argues that, the nuclear family in the modern industrial society have become more specialised and unlike the pre-industrial societies, some family functions like looking after the elderly have been taken over by specialised institutions such as social services but he claims that they still perform the basic function which is, the primary socialisation of children. Despite the strengths of the functionalist theory, there are some weaknesses associated with their views of the family. The first one is that, they ignore the dark side of family life, for example, conflict between husband and wife, child abuse and male dominance etc. They also pay less attention on the harmful effects the family may have on the wider society. Unlike the Marxists, the functionalists never consider variations in family life based on class, ethnicity, religion and locality The second sociological theory of family which is Marxists concentrates on nuclear family as well but they reject the view that the family is there for the benefit of all, instead they see the family as maintaining the position of the ruling class. They believe that nuclear perpetuate capitalism and that the economy shapes the rest of society. In comparison to the functionalists, Marxists dont accept that the family is largely responsible for primary socialisation, instead they argue that, children are socialised in stereotypically predetermined roles. The Marxists strongly argue that, the status of the society is largely determined by the economy and the capitalist economic system will produce a certain type of society. Basically, they see the family as an institution which is twisted by the requirements of capitalism. According to Friedrich Engels, the modern nuclear family developed in capitalist society. They also pointed out the great inequalities of wealth and income in modern societies. A small minority of the population who privately own economic institutions like banks and factories rule the larger population who are workers. The workers produce goods and services and are paid wages. The Marxists argue that, the minority ruling class exploit the majority of the population by gaining at the workers expense through profit making. The fact that they only endorse nuclear form of family, they argue that, this solved inheritance disputes because there is no doubt about the paternity of the children unlike the monogamous nuclear family. Both functionalist and Marxists see the family as a unit of reproduction and socialisation of children. The weaknesses associated with the Marxists view are; they ignore the degree of stability in society, instead they concentrate on the idea of power and domination. They also undermine the role of women in the society. Sociologists agree to some extent that the economic system has some influence in the family. However, majority disagree with the Marxist view that the shape of the family is determined by the economic system. Unlike the Marxists and functionalists, the feminist which is the other sociological theory of the family, criticize the power of men over women. They argue that male dominate the family and that they often control key areas of decision making e.g. moving house. The two main types of feminists which are radical and Marxists have different point of view in regards to unfair treatment of women in the family. The radical feminists see male dominance influence the structure of society and as a result, there is widespread domestic violence of which women suffer most. They promote lesbianism. The Marxists feminists argue that women serve as cushion for the man to release their tension of the day and these inequalities resulted from class variation in capitalist society. The feminists strongly point out that, most of the unpaid domestic work is done by women irrespective of them working full time outside home or not. According to Delphy Leonard, 1992, Women make the main contribution to fa mily life, men receive the main benefits. They also argue that, in most cases, the wife gives up her work to care for the children and economically depend on her husband. Feminists base their view from negative perspective and ignore the positive side of family. It is possible that many women are happy to raise their children and do most of the housework. Feminists are criticised by some people as preaching hatred against men and undermining traditional gender roles. In modern societies, there is greater evidence of equality between partners but feminists are criticised for not acknowledging that progress but instead they still remain determined to address remaining inequalities. Contrary to Murdocks explanation of family which includes at least one adult of each sex, there is significant number of children who were raised by single parents or same sex parents living in a household. A woman with her dependent children, whether adopted or her own is a unit of family. There are a high number of single-parent families in Britain. According to Government statistics, in 1961, 2 percent of the population lived in households consisting of lone parent with dependent children. Lone parenthood can come about through different circumstances eg divorce, separation and death of spouse. In the case of unmarried partners with children break up, one of them will be a lone parent. There are a high number of divorced or separated couples who still keep in touch for the common interest of their children. They share responsibilities of raising their children; In this case they are described as co-parenting or joint parenting. Neal Smart, 1977 see it difficult to describe such s cenarios as lone-parent families. Some Sociologists suggest using the term lone-parent household rather than lone-parent family, this means, one of the parents does not share the same household with the rest but still contributes to the family. Becoming a lone parent is never the first option for both married couples but due to un avoidable circumstances, many choose to be lone parent than living in an unhappy relationship. According to Hantrais and Letablier(1996), Britain has the second highest rate of lone parenthood after Denmark in Europe. Another type of household is the Gay and Lesbian households. Contrary to Murdocks explanation of family, Gay and Lesbian households do not contain adults of both sexes but they can as well care for children from their past heterosexual relationships, adoption or may have been produced using new reproductive technologies. Diversification of family in modern societies was contributed by high divorce rate, decline of marriage rate and increase in the number of stepfamilies.

Capital Punishment Essay - Death Penalty is Socially Sanctioned Murder :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The Death Penalty – Socially Sanctioned Murder Capital punishment is not "actual" punishment. It's a capital reaction to a type of criminal act. It serves no purpose. When a person is executed, the person learns no lesson. He or she cannot say, "Hey! I learned my lesson. I surely won't do that again," for he or she is dead. Although the word "punishment" is used in varying contexts, it is generally accepted that it is served out unpleasantly to an individual in hopes that that person learns from the punishment and, therefore, doesn't repeat the bad deed. Good grief... So, why execute? The question is one of justification. It is wrong to deliberately kill another person, yet capital punishment (or "killing") consists of doing precisely this. Cost of the Death Penalty Capital punishment in California, as in every other state, is more expensive than a life imprisonment sentence without the opportunity of parole. These costs are not the result of frivolous appeals but rather the result of Constitutionally mandated safeguards that can be summarized as follows: Juries must be given clear guidelines on sentencing, which result in explicit provisions for what constitutes aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Defendants must have a dual trial--one to establish guilt or innocence and if guilty a second trial to determine whether or not they would get the death penalty. Defendants sentenced to death are granted oversight protection in an automatic appeal to the state supreme court. These constitutional safeguards translate into: - a more extensive jury selection procedure - a four fold increase in the number of motions filed - a longer, dual trial process - more investigators and expert testimony - more lawyers specializing in death penalty litigation - and automatic, mandatory appeals Since there are few defendants who will plead guilty to a capital charge, virtually every death penalty trial becomes a jury trial with all of the above necessary requirements and expenses. In Los Angeles County, the total cost of capital punishment is $2,087,926. In Los Angeles County, the total cost of life imprisonment without possibility of parole is $1,448,935. General Studies A study done by the Sacramento Bee argued that California would save $90 million per year if it were to abolish the death penalty. The average cost of a capital trial in Texas is $2.3 million--three times the cost to incarcerate an individual for 40 years. The average cost of a capital trial in Florida is $3.2 million. Myths and Facts Deterrence Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime. The respected Thorsten