Anger, Aggression and communication Research Paper

Anger, Aggression and communication - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that frustration has been linked to anger when an obstruction of motivationally relevant goals has been observed. In order for angry affect to occur the situation must be understood and personally important. In other words, there must be a goal that is blocked and others may be blamed. In many circumstances, the blockage of this personally relevant goal can be viewed as either legitimate or illegitimate (unfair). Weiss, Suckow, and Cropanzano investigated the effect of unfairness of a particular outcome on reported levels of anger. As the amount of unfairness increased so did the level of anger. It is important to maintain the distinct difference between anger and aggression. Anger is an affect, an emotion, while aggression is a destructive or hostile behavior. Frustration has been studied with aggression as well as with anger. Dollard et al. were some of the first researchers to investigate the effects of frustration on aggression. They foun d that the obstruction of an expected reward created increased levels of aggression. More recently Leonard Berkowitz and his colleagues have modified this theory. In general it is accepted that the blockage of some personally relevant goal leads to frustration, which in turn may lead to anger and/or aggression. The type of frustration required to elicit an anger response may not need to be a goal of long standing personal relevance. Roseman investigated appraisals involving emotions and concluded that transient rewards or fleeting punishments can produce anger arousing affect. Obstructions to a goal determined to be purposeful created more anger than situations in which they were deemed accidental, even in temporary situations of reward and punishment. There is evidence indicating that people may become more aggressive in a frustrating situation, specifically, when anger is primed in comparison to fear. Betsch (1999) studied the concept of hostile aggression with university students . Hostile aggression was measured by participants' reactions when confronted with a scenario involving a frustrating event. Either anger or fear related cognitions were activated. Results indicate that in the anger priming condition, hostile goals (i.e. aggression) were more likely to be reported. This suggests that frustration, anger, and aggression are associated. It is assumed that in a frustrating situation, levels of anger will increase. As reported previously, as anger increases so does the amount of aggression displayed. There are other reasons for the onset of anger and in turn aggression. One interesting aspect is the role of communication. Communication Communication is an essential part of human existence, and research suggests that there are innate mechanisms in the development of human

Coming of age is a prominent theme in Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield Essay Example for Free

Coming of age is a prominent theme in Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield Essay Coming of age is a prominent theme in ‘Her First Ball’ by Katherine Mansfield. It is expressed in the plot, wherein an adolescent girl attends her first ball and is fascinated and thrilled by it all. Her hopes are then let down by an older gentleman who cruelly reminds her that she will soon be an old lady with no happiness and excitement left in her life. Mansfield depicts the theme of growing up in title, language, literary devices and characterization. The title, ‘Her First Ball’, clearly states the subject of the story while maintaining the implications of growth and ageing. The use of the pronoun, ‘her’, instead of the name, Leila, shows how ubiquitous this process- how every woman has had a first ball that is a milestone in their journey to adulthood. This reiterates the notion that Leila, like everyone else will grow up and will no longer be the ecstatic young girl in awe of everything, whether it be for better or worse. The word ‘first’ implies youth and the change that comes with ageing. It suggests many more balls and experiences to come and marks this incident as a milestone in her life. Another technique Mansfield uses to express the theme of growing up in the story is the language. The language in ‘Her First Ball’ is extremely descriptive and ornate. She uses irony in ‘I can’t see a single invisible hairpin!’. This adds to the humor of the story. This also suggests the idiocy and stupidity of the youth, lost in the thrilling chaos of the ball. Mansfield also uses elaborate phrases to capture the magnificence of the ball and how Leila feels about it such as the alliterative phrase, ‘gleaming golden floor’. The words ‘gleaming’ and ‘golden’ both represent an epitome of beauty and splendor that is contrasted with descriptions from Leila’s school. The phrase ‘ dusty smelling hall- with calico texts on the wall’ provides a juxtaposition between Leila’s past and her present to show beyond doubt the changes in her life as she ages. An additional aspect of language that brings out the significant experience of the ball is the register used in ‘Her First Ball’. It is one of informal 18th century British English. Mansfield uses words and phrases such as ‘Twig’, ‘Oh, I say’ and ‘Pardon’. This adds to the authenticity of he story and emphasizes the setting and time. The tone used in ‘Her First Ball’ changes often in the story, which adds to the notion of change and growth. Although, it’s a third person narrative, it captures Leila’s feeling very effectively in the tone. At the start of the story, the tone is one of excitement and anxiety. Leila feels unsure yet thrilled about how the ball will be and also feels slightly out of place being a country girl. She expresses her doubts and the tone is also one of wistfulness and longing to be like everyone else. As the story progresses, the tone becomes more ecstatic and admiring of the ball. The hall, the people and the experience is absolutely thrilling to Leila. This excitement is represented in the tone until she converses with the fat, old man. He reminds her that this is only temporary and this happiness will soon be replaced with a feeling of sadness and longing to be youthful once again. This brings upon a new tone into the story- one of dismay and dread. Leila knows it’s inevitable and her visions of a life of joy and come crashing down. However, the tone soon changes to one of renewed happiness and everlasting joy. The music changes to something better and she loses herself in the dance, forgetting the words of the fat man; forgetting him altogether. The frequent changes in tone conceivably represent the changes in life that come with ageing and development. The music plays an important part in the story, mirroring the feelings of Leila. ‘with rabbit ears thumping the cold piano’ is a description of Leila’s boarding school dance lessons that were uncomfortable and a drag to her. This contrasts with ‘a soft, melting, ravishing tune’. The words chosen describe the music as an art or even as a food- ‘soft’, ‘melting’. This shows the overwhelming joy Leila feels in the fantastic ball. However, after the fat old man reminds Leila of her fate, ‘the music seemed to change; it sounded sad, sad’. The music that once ‘rose upon a wave’ now ‘rose upon a sigh’. This illustrates the quick changes in mood symptomatic of the youth, the gullibility and naivety as well. Even more so, Leila doesn’t even recognize him with the advent of another dance and has forgotten her dreadful encounter, which adds to the notion of the growing up and the mercurial c hanges in adolescence. Perhaps the most potent techniques to show the theme of ageing are the literary devices used. Mansfield uses an array of similes, metaphors and imagery to capture the scene and Leila’s emotions. The metaphor ‘all became one beautiful flying wheel’ expresses Leila’s intense happiness and high spirits. The old man, the antagonist, is described with the simile ‘ his coat looked as if it was dusty with French chalk’. It shows his lack of involvement in the ball and in it’s customs that comes with age. Another sign of this is when Leila’s partners ‘were not more interested’ and joyful about the ball as she was. This shows the inevitable mellowing down that Leila will, like everybody else, achieve. The author also uses visual imagery at the end of the story to show how the reminder of the inexorable affects Leila. Although she is initially dissatisfied, she soon notices that ‘the stars they had long beams like windâ⠂¬â„¢. This phrase with striking visual imagery marks the end of her short period of unhappiness and signifies her change in mood to once again being delighted. This leads to an important idea in the story, that adds to the characterization of Leila. The old man’s attempt to remind her of her destiny, however cruelly done, is quite true. Leila remembers this for only a short period of time before returning to her admiring self. This shows that the reminder of her future has fallen on deaf ears and that Leila is so intent on having a good time she forgets her worries and perhaps that she simply doesn’t consider the advisory anything more than a bitter man’s negative opinion. Her lack of heed to her wake up call indicates the naivety of the youth. She is quick to forget unpleasant experiences rather than to learn from them and ignores the prospect of growing up entirely as it upsets her. An important idea in the story is one of symbolism. There are many symbols in the story, Leila being on of youth. She represents the curiosity and happiness of adolescence along with the gullibility and inanity. She lives in the present, which is seen both positively and negatively in the story. Her ability to concentrate on the current happenings result in her extreme joy and thrill from the dancing and fun of the ball but also result in her sadness on meeting the fat man. The ball changes from her heaven to a place where she must face her inexorable depressing fate. However, it is this quality of hers that leads her to forget her bad memory and move on to the pleasures of life, even if they are short lived. The Old man on the other hand, could be a symbol of wisdom. When he first meets her he says ‘ Do I remember this bright little face’ although he’s obviously never seen her before. This creates an atmosphere of eerie knowledge around him. His shabby appearance and the fact that he dances with the youth despite his age sets him apart from the rest of the gentlemen and marks him as different. His age, his correct conjecture that it’s Leila’s first ball and his accurate prediction of her future signifies that he perhaps plays the role of a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. The fact that Leila forgets him suggests her immaturity and her inability to see past the present. Thus, Mansfield perhaps tries to achieve the notion of the pettiness and fatuity as well as happiness and celebration of the youth in the story and its contents. She uses the plot to describe an incident where Leila is at her most happy and later, probably her least. The ending of the story shows Leila’s resilience, or rather, her ignorance. While centered on the theme of coming of age, I feel that Mansfield used the many effective literary techniques and the conclusion of the story to show that Leila has, essentially, not matured.

Strategic Management And Leadership Skills

Strategic Management And Leadership Skills Initial part of this report emphasizes on relationship between leadership and strategic management and how can organization get benefited using this dual combination. Organizations are using these concepts in improving organization performance and communication. Leadership styles such as Autocratic, laissez-fare and Participative also supporting leaders achieving organizational objective efficiently which ultimately result into successful accomplishment of organizational goal. Later part of this report stresses on various leadership theories (Transformational, Transactional, Charismatic, Situational etc) which companies are now implementing in order to refine their organizational process using innovation, flexibility, involvement, effective communication, authorization, contingent rewards and management by exception concepts. Apple is successfully using different leadership theories in order to systemize their processes. Lastly this report inculcates the future of leadership concept in business context and how companies can implement these concepts in order sustain and survive in the marketplace. Introduction Effective leadership helps business in times of peril. It makes the organization successful. Without leadership, organizations lose their way and face stagnancy. Organization give more stress on correctness, completeness and timeliness of work but leadership actually work upon it by different means of effective implementations. Leader stimulates the behavior of employees through proper motivation and gets the work done. A good leader is one who is capable of making a weak business plan success on the other hand a poor leader can devastate even the best plan. In short, leader can make or break the business. (Mills.D.Q., 2005) For example, Winston Churchill has a deep insight as well as foresight. He was futuristic and visionary. It is evident from the fact that he warned his fellow Englishman about the upcoming threat from the Hitlers army. However, most Englishman ignored his warning and felt that instead of involving in war Hitlers army would be pacified so that war could be avoided. Further, they resented Chuchill for his proactive warning. They did not show faith in his leadership. The resultant of this was that the Englishman had to fight a war with the German army. Had the Englishman been listened to Churchills warning they would have been in advantageous position which did not happen. After that incident Churchill was praised for his vision, pro-activeness, and foresight. During the Second World War he became the Prime Minster of England and people of England accepted his leadership (Mills.D.Q., 2005). Another wonderful example of Leadership is Harley-Davidsons Rich Teerlink. During the period of 1980s the USA based motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson had to face stiff competition from its Japanese counterpart such as Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki. The company was almost outmaneuvered by the competition on every aspect. In order to be in the competition it needed to change and change significantly. Rich Teerlink somehow managed to keep the company financially sound but a lot of other things were simply not in place. The company faced a daunting challenge to improve its systems and procedure along with product innovation to stay in the market. Rich accepted this challenge and completely changed the internal dynamics of the company. He formed a bottom up (from employees to manager) organization rather than top down (from managers to employees). This move helped the organization in understanding the problems faced by organization quickly and hence it helped the company in solving them quickly as well. During the course of the time this leadership approach of Rich built stronger organization than it was earlier. The employees were motivated and more confident to contribute towardss organizations success (Mills.D.Q.2005). In the ideal organization, the top level the leadership should stay close to the ground. (Barth, R. 1993-94) 1. Understand the relationship between strategic management and leadership. 1.1 Explain the link between strategic management and leadership Strategic Management- Strategic Management includes evaluating strategic objectives and aims, enhancing organizational performance, communicating and implementing change, developing the performance of the teams, strategic decision making. Leadership- It is a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us. (Mill, D.Q. 2005) Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure. ( Burke, A. 2005) Relationship The word management reflects terms such as efficiency, planning, paperwork, procedures, regulations, control and consistency on the other hand Leadership is associated with the terms like risk taking, dynamic, creative, change and vision. As per some researchers, Leadership is value-laden activity and management is not, Leadership stress in doing the right things whereas management believe in doing things right (Bennis, 1985; Zaleznik, 1983). Leadership and management complement each other, and both are vital to organizational success. The issue of Leadership versus management takes the middle-of-the-road position. They are considered closely related but possess distinguishable functions. This can be easily understood with help of figure 1-1. This figure shows that Leadership and management are two over-lapping functions. Management and leadership complement each other and a person who is a manager should be a leader committed to the customers, employees, suppliers and the community at large. (Testa, 2001) Apple Incs Steve Jobs is a perfect example of Leadership and Management. Although, Steve Jobs was a co-founder of Apple Computer but got fired as CEO once at the age of 30. In 1997, he returned back in the company as CEO, and started leading the company. When he realized that Apply was losing market share and finding it difficult to fight with Microsoft, he decided to reinvent every product of Apple offered, and gave a boost to their employees with a most powerful tool of leadership momentum and managed the whole situation successfully. He understood the essentials of leadership and management and accordingly built such environment wherein each and every employee developed hence, drove the entire groups efforts towards the accomplishment of goals. He got his employees so accustomed to change that they expect it now. Renovating again and again has become a line of attack for Apple Inc. such as Apple iPod, Nano, iPod Mini, Shuffle, iPod Video etc. Steve Jobs accustomed his employees to change and innovation in such a way that if one day he could walk into Apple proclaim that they are planning to make washing machines then nobody would think hed have lost his mind rather his employees would jointly say, Guide us the way, boss and tell us how to fabricate best washing machines anybody so far made. Leadership and globalization In order to stay ahead in this competitive environment it is very important for any organization to take necessary steps to face both domestic and foreign competition effectively. Organizations should start focusing on global framework for strategic marketing, planning, and operations. Recent development in various aspects such as transportation technologies for electronic data interchange, global communications, international marketing, finance and management, resources planning etc have improved the potential of organizations to operate globally in this aggressive environment. To sustain in this global environment each and every organization needs to have focused global vision and knowledge of various cultures, customs and methods wherein they to function. They also have to understand different regulatory and legal arrangements and aspects of countries in which they intend to operate. 1.2 Analyze the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions. There are various styles of leadership and management which have an impact on strategic decision of any organization. Leaders uses all these styles, depending on combination of their beliefs, values and preferences, what forces are involved, the situation, organization culture, norms etc. The three major styles of leadership are (U.S. Army Handbook, 1973) which are as follows:- 1.2.1 Autocratic / Authoritarian style In this style decision-making authority is with the leader. In this style opinions and suggestions from subordinates are not entertained. 1.2.2 Delegative / Laissez-faire / Free reign style In democratic leadership style decision are taken with the help of suggestion and opinions of group of employees, such as any instruction is given after consulting with the employees. 1.2.3 Participative / Democratic style- In this style, liberty is given to employees while doing any task e.g. leaders give freedom to deciding their own methods and policies. 1.3 Evaluate how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations Autocratic style can be used with new employees as they are in a learning stage. The new employees will feel motivated while learning new skills. Participative style can be used where leader is aware of the problem but dont have all relevant information on the other hand employees are well-versed with their work and want to participate in organizational decisions. Delegative style can be used where employees know their work more than leader thus has to take ownership of work. This generally allow leader to easily perform other task. There is no set pattern to follow and use these leadership styles. A good leader adopts all three styles together as per the situation arises. These styles play a very significant role in strategic decision making of an organization. With the effective use of these styles group can achieve its objective efficiently which ultimately result into successful accomplishment of organizational goal. For organizational success, leadership is considered prerequisite therefore it is prominent for all types of organizational structure (Khaleelee Woolf, 1996). Organizational variables like, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and communication are the most significant factors of organizational effectiveness (Lashchinger, 2001) and performance (Riketta, 2002; Kramer, 1999; Angle, 1981). According to some researchers, there is a strong connection between turnover and organizational variables like job satisfaction, organizational commitment and communication (Benkhoff, 1997; Baugh Roberts, 1994). For instance, when employees are not satisfied with their work and look forward for other opportunities in order to quit and dont get opportunities then they generally quit the organization mentally therefore it depicts that job satisfaction, organizational commitment and communication are quite essential while assessing the overall contribution of employees towards the organization. Leadership and organizational variables are highly correlated (Williams Hazer, 1986; Lok Crawford, 1999; 2001). Therefore, with the effective and sensible utilization of Leadership styles, organization can motivate and inspire its employee to large extent in order to achieve organization objective. 2. Apply management and leadership theory to support organizational direction. 2.1 Review the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategy. 2.1.1 Transformational Leadership Transactional leadership occurs when one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of valued things. Burns (1978) There are four components of transformational leadership, which are: Charisma or idealized influence Charismatic leaders exhibit assurance and conviction, they take stands and persuade their followers on an emotional level. Robust trust is maintained among followers and leaders which are usually built on the foundation of moral and ethical. These leaders are the Role models for their followers. Inspirational motivation These leaders demonstrate clear vision to motivate the followers using inspirational and appealing concepts and theories. Intellectual stimulation These leaders promote their followers for creative things and emphasize on building connection with the organization, employees and the objectives. They also encourage them to discover new opportunities and different ways of doing things. Individualized consideration or individualized attention These leaders understand followers needs and address them properly. They also acknowledge the contribution of followers in the team and always act as a mentor. They foster caring relationships; transformational leaders keep healthy environment so that followers feel free to impart their ideas and opinions so that their unique contributions can be recognized. 2.1.2 Transformational leadership Transformational leadership occurs when one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. Burns (1978) Contingent Reward Transformational leaders clearly assign the work which is to be accomplished and give reward when results are achieved. Management by Exception Passive: In case of intolerable performance or deviation in required standard, transformational leaders take corrective measures or give punishment. Active: In order to complete the assigned work as per required standards in stipulated time, transformational leaders actively monitors the whole process and uses different methods. Laissez-Faire Leadership Laissez-faire leaders leave so much responsibility over their subordinates; they engage themselves in paperwork and try to avoid argumentative situation. They dont help them in decision making activity and leave them isolated to handle situations independently since they want to keep good relation with everybody. 2.2 Leadership strategy that supports organizational direction. APPLE Inc. Case Study- Leadership Apple Inc. is a USA based multinational company which operates in the domain of IT and computers and was founded by Steve Jobs. The company is famous for its products such as Makintosh, iPod, and iPad. The company also has its own operating system. Apples products have revolutionized the market of computers with recent iPad 2 being the talk of the market. The company under the leadership of Steve Jobs has shown aggressive product innovation to lead in the market and kept competitors at bay. The leadership traits of Steve Jobs are widely acknowledged around the globe. Even at the time when he was on medical leave to fight his cancer he used to give strategic advice to the top level management of the company. This attitude of Jobs was a great source of inspiration for the employees of the organization. He created self belief in his employees and that is the reason that he has given the responsibility of the business development to Tim Cook (current COO). Steve Jobs is known for his transformational leadership style that he implemented in Apple Inc. Like a transformational leader he was a firm believer of the fact that transforming others to help each other, to look out for each other as a source of knowledge and motivation, to be encouraging and harmonious, and to look out for the organization as a whole are the factors important for the success of organization. The vision of Steve Jobs to provide computers as a tool to change the world attracted him many of the global talents. The basic traits of the leadership style of Steve Jobs are mentioned below: 1. Focus 2. Innovation 3. Passion 4. Involvement, and 5. Effective communication The focus and passion for innovation are one of the primary reasons for Apples success. Steve Jobs induced this feeling in employees through effective communication that innovation is the difference between the leader and the follower. The success of this philosophy could easily be understood by the fact that Mac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad all these products changed the dynamics of the computer world with competitors left out with no option but to follow. During the visit of PARC Research center Steve jobs got an idea that mouse-driven graphical user interface is a future of computing (Bennis Biederman, 1997), The failure of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) (due to lack of transactional leadership) was the reason of Apple success. Steve jobs did what Bob Taylor could not do i.e. creation of Transactional leadership style. Through Transactional leadership style, he created the systems and structures at all the levels of his organization. Through this Steve became successful in generating knowledge at every level within the organization so that employees can work unanimously with single frame of mind for organization success, keeping the vision of the company enacts. And the result of this was Apple Mackintosh. By looking at the Apples success under the brilliance and leadership of Steve Jobs it can be said that transformational leadership theory and transactional leadership theory provide a foundation for understanding how leaders impact the cultivation of knowledge (Bass, 1985; Conger Kanungo, 1998; House, 1977; House Aditya, 1997). Conger (1999) recently argued that researchers should continue developing transformational and charismatic leadership theory and doing exploratory research in this area. Exploring the role of leadership styles in converting knowledge into competitive advantages is important to our understanding of leaders and organization. 3. Access and Development of Leadership Requirement As businesses have entered into the new millennium therefore extensive concentration and observation would be needed to identifying the competencies, ability, skills and knowledge of manager/leader of twenty-first century (Greenberg, 1998; Shapiro, 1999; Kaydo, 2000; Dimitrijevic and Engel, 2002; Kacena, 2002). Future managers will need to posses both managerial and leadership attributes like tangible, measurable skills and intangible, soft-skills. Tangible skills includes knowledge of concepts, styles, theories, financial procedure etc on the hand intangible skills consist of assurance, adaptability, flexibility, commitment, vision etc. In order to sustain in the competitive environment every organizations should provide learning to their employees, which could be in terms of different management/leadership development programs and approaches therefore they should introduce productive sessions to widen their root, emotionally, conceptually, theoretically and environmentally with the intention to increase their analytical capabilities; to facilitate sellf-awareness (Byrt, 1989:14). These activities will educate the managers whilst process of management and will simultaneously improve the efficacy in a work place (Jones, Ball and Shellens, 1972:6). Organizations should develop in-house programs for employees that transmit knowledge which is significant for their success. Such formal management/leadership education programmes offer beneficial skills to future managers/leaders including introspection skills, interpersonal skills, resource allocation, leadership, information processing, conflict resolution, decision-making, entrepreneurial, (Watson, 1993:17). Future leaders will need to be acquainted with international and global environment so that they can do business effectively and efficiently. Leaders required to be well prepared for external complexities of business (e.g., managing the companys interface with regulations, trade, political, and media groups etc and several other wide ranges of issues)(Cacioppe, 1998). 4. Conclusion Leadership skills can be developed through basically two methods. First, self-help e.g. viewing events from multiple perspectives or learning from mistakes, second, formal learning through developmental activities e.g. training courses, developmental assessment, job rotation, seminars, self-directed learning, executive coaching, companies own universities, action learning, and partnership with key academics and mentoring. In-house programs will help developing because of their experiential (practical) learning base. They are generally based effective organizational, leadership and successful self-management leadership competencies e.g. thinking and acting strategically, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, ability to learn, systems thinking. Leadership development programs and sessions help participants to become emotionally intelligent leaders, who are passionate and competent builders of a productive, supportive and enjoyable work environment. It will assist both current leaders and potential leaders to develop their leadership attributes further. Leadership skills can be developed through basically two methods. First, self-help e.g. viewing events from multiple perspectives or learning from mistakes, second, formal learning through developmental activities e.g. training courses, developmental assessment, job rotation, seminars, self-directed learning, executive coaching, companies own universities, action learning, and partnership with key academics and mentoring. Future leaders will need to be acquainted with international and global environment so that they can do business effectively and efficiently. As explained above Apple is extremely successful by implementing leadership theories in the organization. In order to sustain in the competitive environment every organizations should provide learning to their employees, which could be in terms of different management/leadership development programs and approaches therefore they should introduce productive sessions to widen their root, emotionally, conceptually.

College Fraternities :: essays research papers

College Fraternities College fraternities have always struck me as being an organization of guys who spend their time drinking beer and having their "social gatherings" (parties). Just moving to Austin recently (which is by no doubt a "college city") has made me want to know more about the sole purpose of these fraternities. For these reasons I chose to select this culture for my essay. The definition of a fraternity is defined as " chiefly social organization of male college students, usually designated by Greek letters". (Morris 1982:523) This definition is not true to all where most fraternity members are seen as drunks who accomplish nothing scholastically or socially . Unfortunately, the definition and portrayal of the people fails to mention the fact that membership in a fraternity is a life-long experience that helps its members develop social, organizational, and study skills, and also teaches true, everlasting friendship. As a matter of fact most of our presidents were members of a Greek organization. "The first fraternity was founded for literary and social purposes at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia on December 5th 1776." (Klepper 1937:24) Throughout the nineteenth century many new fraternities were founded, but none of these were permanent. By the end of the nineteenth century there were over thirty general fraternities in the country. Today's fraternities still have the characteristics of past fraternities. These characteristics include "a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge , friendship and comradeship (Klepper 1937:56) . During membership one must learn leadership skills. For this reason fraternities embrace these offices held by members: President, Vice-president, Treasurer, Scribe, etc. Since membership is seen as a great achievement by other organizations, every brother must be able to uphold that office at any time. Organization is a must for every member. Fund raising activities and community service are priority in every chapter, and each member is required to take part in these activities as an act of pledge, and a brother. This helps a member to develop organization and planning. Living together in what is known as a fraternity house adds to the development of social skills and being able to live with different kinds of people in different situations. Fraternities are famous for their social gatherings (parties) which requires all members to be socially active and also develop social skills. It is normal for fraternities to organize study groups during the school year and before exams. Most fraternities keep test files and other study aids available for the benefit of their members. A lot of members are able to receive scholarships and awards based on academic excellence, leadership and

My aim in life Essay

â€Å"The mere act of aiming at something big makes you big.† (Jawaharlal Nehru) Bestowing man with life and sending him on earth to live is fully justified. This all has been done for a specific reason. Idealizing his purpose and endeavoring to objectify it into reality is the real pinnacle/ culmination of human being. A man without an aim is like a rudderless ship in stormy sea; a vagabond wandering/rambling in streets with no particular direction to follow. To give one’s life a defined pattern and to enjoy it in its full bloom, one must have an aim in his life. â€Å"Aim simply means an ambition or a desire for ones future which helps him keeping attention focused on particular target.† In this avaricious and money-oriented world, everyone enjoys a materialistic life and lives for an aim that proves to be a financial boost as well. That is the reason why most of the people wish to become a doctor, engineer or a businessman. But I dream of becoming a techer. Though teachers are very ill-paid in our society, I want to adopt this profession on completely spiritual basis. Teaching, being the work of prophets and saints, is also a subject of my religious inclination. I always love to wonder teaching a number of students the principles of justice and fair play, epitomizing them in a particular skill and nurturing their fledgling ideas into veteran moods. I want to contribute in the society by providing it with minds having innovative ideas, high objectives and good moral values; an assemblage that will steer the sinking boat of our country through the winding river to a heavenly abode. Becoming a teacher would be a way to do that. I want to inculcate the sense of richness of talent in the brooding minds with which they can do something exemplary. I want to be the guiding star showing the right path to the passengers lost in the pitchy darkness. I wish to open new horizons to/on the coming generation so that they may learn something new beyond the world of books; so that they may learn seeking answers themselves, something learned not by reading but by experiencing/practicing. For this, I would have to be a paragon of the saying of F.W. Robertson: â€Å"The true aim of everyone who aspires to be a teacher should be not to impart his own opinions but to kindle minds.† Savoring that wonderful sensation when one of your students gets a feather in the cap; experiencing the love of hundreds of adolescents; tackling with their pure mischiefs and lifting them  up to rule the sky, are those experiences only a teacher can have. Our country is direly lacking true teachers. It needs educators, mentors, reformers, guides and moralists as teachers. I would like to develop all these characteristic capabilities among my pupil so that they may serve the society in the best possible way. Becoming a doctor, I would be treating patients only! Becoming an engineer would merely result in constructing buildings! But becoming a teacher, I would be able to build a whole new society and can treat the entire spiritual (mystical) ailments prevailing around; provide the society the best manpower; and produce many doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, business men and many more, as Alexander once said: â€Å"The world doesn’t need any Alexander, but Aristotle. As Alexander can’t make any Aristotle but Aristotle can produce many Alexander’s.† A teacher plays the most constructive role in the society. He changes attitudes, to maintain a congenial environment for the society to flourish. He is the one who makes anonymous reap laurels. Utilizing all hi s capacities, he makes his pupil continue their journey amidst the endless world of victories. Doing all this, his spiritual ecstasy is at its peak and this is the foremost reason why I aim at becoming a teacher.

Influences essays

Influences essays No matter what stage in life people are they are subjected to influences. But never before has my generation been under so much influence. We are under influence from our friends, teachers, parents and new information technologies. The influence one person has on another is great. It is so great that it helps with the way we think and the choices we make. The next generation is under the most influence from our own generation. We can mostly thank our friends influence on us for the things we do and the things we say. Parents realise this and thats probably why they tell us not to hang around with that sort of crowd. But the influence from our friends can be the most dangerous and the most important support we are likely to get. This is because they will probably be our friends for life. The next major influence on us is from our parents. They are our legal guardians and we are subject to their commands and influences. Children usually copy what a parent does and tries to do that themselves. Unfortunately parents sometimes dont realise that their influence can be destructive to a childs future development. Our future is partly in their hands. We are in contact with these people five (5) days a week. They are our teachers. Teachers are especially an important influence on us because they are teaching us things we will need in later life. Over many years the job of teacher has changed from one of just teaching to one of support. Never before have teachers been under so much pressure to push us in the right direction. This is why they are such an important influence on us. A very big part of the influence my generation is subject to is that of information technology. More than ever we are learning more from the television set and from radio. But most importantly the WWW has become the biggest and most useful influence on us. Not many people my age stop and think where all this information i ...

What Teachers Should Never Say or Do

What Teachers Should Never Say or Do Teachers are not perfect. We make mistakes and occasionally we exercise poor judgment.  In the end, we are human.  There are times that we are simply overwhelmed. There are times we lose focus. There are times we cannot remember why we choose to stay committed to this profession.  These things are human nature. We will err from time to time. We are not always at the top of our game. With that said, there are several things that teachers should never say or do.  These things are detrimental to our mission, they undermine our authority, and they create barriers that should not exist. As teachers, our words and our actions are powerful.  We have the power to transform, but we also have the power to tear apart.  Our words should always be chosen carefully. Our actions must be professional at all times. Teachers have an awesome responsibility that should never be taken lightly. Saying or doing these ten things will have a negative impact on your ability to teach. 5 Things Teachers Should Never Say â€Å"I don’t care if my students like me.† As a teacher, you had better care whether or not your students like you. Teaching is often more about relationships than it is about teaching itself. If your students do not like you or trust you, you will not be able to maximize the time you have with them.  Teaching is about giving and taking. Failing to understand will lead to failure as a teacher. When students genuinely like a teacher, the teachers job as a whole becomes much simpler, and they are able to accomplish more. Establishing a good rapport with your students ultimately leads to greater success. â€Å"You will never be able to do that.† Teachers should always encourage students, not discourage them. No teachers should crush any student’s dreams.  As educators, we should not be in the business of predicting futures, but of opening doors to the future.  When we tell our students they can’t do something, we place a limiting threshold on what they may try to become. Teachers are great influencers. We want to show students a pathway to achieving success, rather than telling them they will never get there, even when the odds are against them. â€Å"You are just lazy.† When students are repeatedly told that they are lazy, it becomes ingrained in them, and pretty soon it becomes a part of who they are. Many students get mislabeled as â€Å"lazy† when there is often a deeper underlying reason that they are not putting in much effort. Instead, teachers should get to know the student and determine the root cause of the issue. Once this is identified, teachers can help a student by providing them with the tools to overcome the issue. â€Å"That’s a stupid question!† Teachers should always be willing to answer a student’s questions about a lesson or content they are learning in class. Students must always feel comfortable and encouraged to ask questions. When a teacher refuses to answer a student’s question, they are discouraging the entire class to withhold questions. Questions are important because they can extend learning and provide teachers with direct feedback allowing them to assess whether or not students understand the material. â€Å"I’ve already gone over that. You should have been listening.† No two students are the same. They all process things differently.  Our job as teachers  is to make sure that every student understands the content. Some students may require more explanation or instruction than others.  New concepts can be especially difficult for students to grasp and may need to be retaught or revisited for several days.  There is a good chance that multiple students need further explanation even if only one is speaking up. 5 Things Teachers Should Never Do Teachers should never put themselves in a compromising situation with a student. It seems that we see more in the news about inappropriate teacher-student relationships than we do about all other news related to education.  It is frustrating, startling, and sad.  Most teachers never think this can happen to them, but opportunities present themselves more than most people think.  There is always a starting point that could have been stopped immediately or prevented completely. It often starts with an inappropriate comment or text message.  Teachers must proactively ensure that they never allow that starting point to occur because it is difficult to stop once a certain line is crossed. Teachers should never have a discussion about another teacher with a parent, student, or another teacher. We all run our classrooms differently than the other teachers in our building. Teaching differently does not necessarily translate to doing it better.  We are not always going to agree with the other teachers in our building, but we should always respect them. We should never discuss how they run their classroom with another parent or student. Instead, we should encourage them to approach that teacher or the building principal if they have any concerns.  Furthermore, we should never discuss other teachers with other faculty members. This will create division and discord and make it more difficult to work, teach, and learn.   Teachers should never put a student down, yell at them, or call them out in front of their peers. We expect our students to respect us, but respect is a two-way street.  As such, we must respect our students at all times.  Even when they are testing our patience, we should remain calm, cool, and collected.  When a teacher puts a student down, yells at them, or calls them out in front of their peers, they undermine their own authority with every other student in the class. These types of actions occur when a teacher loses control, and teachers must always maintain control of their classroom. Teachers should never ignore the opportunity to listen to parent concerns. Teachers should always welcome any parent who wants to have a conference with them so long as the parent is not irate.  Parents have a right to discuss concerns with their child’s teachers.  Some teachers misinterpret parent concerns as an all-out attack on themselves.  Truthfully, most parents are simply seeking information so that they can hear both sides of the story and rectify the situation.  Teachers would be best served to proactively reach out to parents as soon as a problem begins to develop. Teachers should never become complacent. Complacency will ruin a teacher’s career. We should always strive to improve and become better teachers. We should experiment with our teaching strategies and change them up a little every year. There are multiple factors that warrant some changes each year including new trends, personal growth, and the students themselves. Teachers must challenge themselves with ongoing research, professional development, and by having regular conversations with other educators.