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My Philosophy Of Education

More than 2000 years have passed since my principal instructor Socrates cautioned his students that the unexamined life is not worth living. Such a statement demonstrates a basic tenet of my own philosophy of education: education is a process in which the individual must routinely question the very roots of self-knowledge. The goal of such a process is the creation of a total individual. For the ancient Greeks, such an education was not confined to phenomenal knowledge alone. Instead, the total individual is an amalgam of physical, spiritual and intellectual excellence.

Integral to my philosophy of education is the notion that each student is a unique individual and must be treated with respect. Keeping to the Socratic idiom, students must not be taught this or that bit of knowledge. Rather, the student must be taught how to learn and how to think. Therefore, education is really little more than a process in which the student learns how to learn. Such a process is set in motion if the instructor treats the student as an extension of himself. In this way, the improvement of the student is necessarily the improvement of the instructor. This explains why I teach since I too am a student in search of self-improvement.

The relationship between student and instructor is grounded in mutual trust. The instructor ought not to engage the student for the sole purpose of imparting his knowledge. The instructor must be skillful in pulling knowledge from the student – according to Socrates, the student has knowledge. The role of the instructor is to force the student to reveal that knowledge through a clever dialogue of question and answer. Such a dialogue is predicated on trust and mutual respect. If such a dialogue is not forthcoming, then the process of education may fall victim to the admonition of Cicero: the authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.

The ultimate purpose of education is to produce individuals who strive for excellence for themselves, their peers, and their community. The well-rounded individual, the total individual, is one in whom the higher ideals of life (read virtue or arete) have been instilled. In this way, students enter the rest of their lives with the valuable lesson that they can make a difference. In the final analysis, the student infused with the higher ideals of life will take those ideas into the larger community whereby the improvement of self is translated into the improvement of all.

My philosophy of education also is based on my understanding of man, nature, and the relation between man and nature.

There may be many characteristics that distinguish man from the other animals. One is that man has moral values shared in his community. Another is that he has the capability to understand nature. By nature I mean the world as a whole, including man himself. The process of man’s constant interactions with nature (including interactions with himself since he is part of nature) is the process of his understanding of nature. This process will never come to an end, since nature is ever changing and unlimited. We may call the knowledge shared in his community the community truth. The level of community truth depends on the effort each community member makes to interact with nature.

After a child is born, he has the potential to become a man from both moral and intellectual aspects. The principal aim of education is just to maximize this potential of each child, regardless of his colour, race, or economic and social status of his parents.

Moral education should be concentrated on the moral values shared in the community. The child should know what a qualified community member should do and what he should not, what is valued in the community and what is not, and why. The child’s ability to judge and criticize the evils in the community should also be fostered so that he can get immunized from these “diseases.”

The intellectual education should include the introduction of the established community truth and some possible methods to test the truth and make one’s own inventions. The child should be encouraged to join nature and interact with nature in his learning as much as possible.

Both moral and intellectual education is very important for the child. Failure in intellectual education may result in a parasite for his community; failure in moral education may result in an educated devil, and an educated devil is vastly more formidable and appalling than an uneducated one.

Who should be responsible for the education of the child? My answer is his family, his teacher, and the community. Each part is indispensable to the triple educational network. Failure of the cooperation of any part may affect the work of the other two, and may even result in the total failure of the education of the child.

As a teacher, my role in the education of my students is not a referee who judges which one is right, which one is wrong, or which one is the most competent of a group. The role I should play is a coach who gives instructions and advice with the purpose of maximizing each student’s potential and helps him become a qualified human being. I like the idea of learning community, where students and teachers, in a relaxing environment, help each other and learn from each other. I understand that it is natural for students to make mistakes in their learning. It is often the case that today’s success just resulted from yesterday’s failure.

To create a proper environment for my students to grow is important; to set an example for them is equally important, especially in terms of moral education. Teaching is done not only through words, but also through an example. What a teacher does often means more to his students than what he says.

The children we are teaching today are our future. The task for the preparation of future is heavy but glorious. As teachers, we are not only responsible for our students, but also responsible for our human community. With the purpose of having a bright future, we need to work hard, together with parents and other community members, to maximize each student’s potential and help him become a qualified human being.

Thirdly my philosophy embraces that education should prepare students for effective service in an increasingly postmodern world. Informed citizens need to understand the world as it is, as well as possess a vision for what it can be. While today some individuals question the idea of a stable, objective reality that can be known, and may affirm a relativistic or postmodern world-view, Christians affirm the existence of a transcendent God who has revealed moral absolutes and sustains a stable universe. While life sometimes appears to be meaningless and chaotic, Christians understand that this is due to the presence of sin and evil in the world, the consequence of the fall of all creation–including humanity–as recorded in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Yet, at the same time, Christians can affirm the value of research and rational thought because humanity was initially created in the image of God, also recorded in Genesis. The potential for the acquisition of knowledge, as well as the limitations in this respect, contribute to the need for humility in education and research. Humility is a key virtue of Christianity and it should be reflected in the Christian’s quest for knowledge and understanding. Rational thought and scientific inquiry will always fall short of the perfection that only God possesses, yet because we are made in the image of God, genuine knowledge and truth can–in part–be apprehended in a seemingly chaotic and meaningless world.

Students need a base of knowledge that thoroughly integrates a Christian worldview and valid conclusions based upon trustworthy research and informed personal experience. The learner is to be eclectic in gaining knowledge; carefully integrating revealed Truth with the conclusions of academia in a non-contradictory manner. As a part of their educational experience, my students are expected to synthesize Christian ideas, personal experiences, and perspectives offered by the academic discipline being studied. In this synthesis, the authority and priority of Christian belief, built upon biblical foundations, constitutes an adequate superstructure for academic learning as well as personal faith.

Teaching should include methods and procedures that are maximally effective and practical, thus facilitating the mutual search–by teacher and students–for a distinctively Christian viewpoint. It is not assumed that the teacher has all the answers, but is in a quest for the best possible answer given the limitations of human reason, realizing that only God is perfect.

By modeling and sharing in the quest for a Christian perspective, the teacher is able to encourage students to defer judgment until sufficient evidence is accumulated and analyzed. Because of prior study in the discipline, the professor is also a guide or mentor who helps direct students to central concepts in that area of study, rather than allowing the class to become sidetracked with peripheral or irrelevant matters. The goal is to help students carefully evaluate the tenability of concepts from research and human experience. This is an important component in developing future Christian leaders.

Academic knowledge is important, but knowledge is inadequate without developing and implementing corollary applications. I include a variety of projects in my classes, helping students use what they learn in class in a practical manner. Education in the fullest sense is cognitively understood, affectively experienced, and behaviourally transforming. The whole person is involved.

The social sciences and education, as understood from a distinctively Christian stance, are of great value because they provide alternative views of human interaction and behaviour, and are rudiments of a genuinely holistic perspective of the world. I am convinced that both an understanding of individual behaviour (psychology) and groups (sociology) complement one another, and that either in isolation provides at best a truncated view of human activity, as would any discipline apart from the historical commitments and assumptions implicit in that discipline. I am particularly interested in educational applications framed by the social sciences, partly because these are the areas of my academic preparation, but also because I believe the educational context–at any level of education–can profit from the insights and research conclusions of the social sciences, making it more likely that educators can influence people in a productive manner.

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Aging Conditions

Clarissa Leger Response

Part A: Two environmentally influenced abnormal memory disorders

Hi Clarissa! I do agree with your post that the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is an environmentally influenced mental disorder and to which is accompanied by long-term alcoholic use. Besides, the condition can also result from the deficiency of Vitamin B-1 and present with such syndromes as confusion, changes in the eye, and vision and exaggerated storytelling. Therefore, the condition does not only get influenced by increased alcohol intake for a prolonged duration but also as a result of malnourishment. I believe that the inability to form new memories results from distortions in mind resulting in forgetfulness. Traumatic brain injury is also an environmentally influenced condition in that it involves an external influence.

Part A: Two genetically predisposed abnormal memory disorders

I also tend to agree with you that Alzheimer’s is a genetically predisposed condition in that it runs in the family. The reason why it can be considered genetic is that there is a high chance of predisposition to the condition if one of the members in the family has the condition. However, the condition can also be influenced by environmental factors. I do agree that the condition is characterized by short-term memory.

Part B: Techniques that can be used to improve memory and to continue learning throughout a lifetime

Improving memory in old age is the only option since aging cannot be reversed, and this can be done through such things as learning. Putting the brain into use regularly makes it easy to manage memory. Overall it is a Great Post!

Chloe Johnson Response

Part A: Two environmentally-influenced abnormal memory disorder

Hey Chloe! Dementia is indeed an environmentally influenced condition. However, the disease is not necessarily caused by exposure to chemicals in the environment but also by other factors. Dementia is mostly associated with aging due to its ability to destroy brain capacity. Thus, Dementia contributes significantly to the loss of thinking ability of the infected person, which leads to impaired reasoning. I also agree with your argument that there are very many toxins exposed in the environment that may affect the human brain leading to Dementia. Brain injury is also another environmentally –influenced memory disorder that has a significant role to play in memory loss, especially in the elderly.

Part A: Two Genetically- Predisposed Abnormal Memory Disorder.

I agree with your selection of Alzheimer’s disease as a genetically-caused abnormal memory disorder. The condition causes changes in personality due to failure to recognize new instructions or learning environments by the affected persons. Alzheimer’s condition is passed on genetically from parents to their siblings. I also agree that Parkinson’s disease is a disorder, especially affecting the movement and stability of a person. The instability brought by Parkinson’s disorder leads to brain damage due to falling and, thus, an abnormal memory disorder. The condition is as well passed on through inheritance.

Part B: Description of how the aging process affects memory intelligence and learning.

It is true that aging is inevitable and, therefore, cannot be controlled. As by grow older, their thinking capacity and memory are affected as well. However, intelligence may be said to increase with the increase in age to a certain limit, and so does learning.

There are techniques that can be used to boost human memory, such as physical exercises and healthy eating habits. Meditation is also useful in maintaining memory for long.

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Clarity of the Class Readings on Social Situation in America

Social inequalities will always exist in America as long as we have different social classes that is the working class, the middle class and the low class. People rarely talk about the existence of social classes in the U.S but thy exist and are seen through actions of discrimination, racism and corruption. From the three reading in the class there is a lot of impact about social trends in America that I have concluded, ranging from facts which I did not understand and realities that we experience daily. From the three readings, ‘The Virtue of Prosperity’, ‘Class in America…’ and ‘The Myth of equal Opportunity’ have really impacted on my view about social issues in America.

Spiritual and social crisis have been impacted negatively with technology from the past ten years. The age of unprecedented prosperity makes many people in the U.S more successful than they could ever imagine. The advancing technologies give us the ability to communicate to a wide range of people and it is through this we get the chances to embrace power since technologies create capitalism and wealth. Currently the people in the U.S are utilising technologies for negative purposes where techno capitalism brings inequalities, watching the videos destroy the cherished values in the society and through technologies families and communities are undermined. Technology brings a lot of changes to the economy but people are still left with unanswered questions on how the web developers make a huge amount of money that even a small country cannot (Dinesh D’Souza. Pg. 23). If we use technology and other inventions rightfully we will achieve the American dream of prosperity.

From the readings I can say that poverty is a state that can be passed from generation to generation whereby once your parents are born poor there is a high possibility of being poor or one class ahead of theirs. If one is born I a family that is doing well there is a high chance of getting better foundation in terms of education and when growing up there is a wide range of opportunities unlike those born from low class (Gregory Mantisios. Pg.8). Through the readings it has been made clear to me about he understanding of the power of a social class where the rich have more changes of getting rich and the poor can remain poor unless they struggle hard. The haves and the have-nots exist in the American society it is just that we tend to ignore this part and claim we are all equal.

The idea that people always work for low wages in bad poor working environments is something that will go on since the rich will continue to exploit the poor who are always desperate to make a living. We all have different opportunities and nobody should lie that there is fairness in our offices, schools and commercial stores. People are given opportunities according to their race, social class and who they are related to in the society. The readings clarify that equal opportunities is a saying that is used to make the Americans feel included in everything but when it comes to actions there is bias (Adrian Hemans. Pg.6). The condition of the low and the middle class can be improved if more donations and organisations come together to support the ideas of people from these classes. The people with talents and initiatives can be helped with money and loans from the banks and government to help them achieve their dreams. If we stay true to our virtues and treat everyone equal the American dream of prosperity can be achieved.

References

Adrian Hemans. The Myth of Equal Opportunity (2000)

Dinesh D’Souza. Excerpt from The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Value in an Age of Techno Affluence. (2000).

Gregory Mantisios. ‘Class in America: Myths and Realities (2000)

My Philosophy

My Philosophy of life over the past couple of months of learning “philosophy,” by its definition, is extremely vague and confusing. It can be related to anything to do with thought, perception, and even basic human existence. However, over the notes, readings and class discussion I have been part of through these months, I learned that philosophy is just simply the study of knowledge. It is also described as the love of wisdom. Consequently, in further defining philosophy, perhaps it is easier to simply state what it may or may not involve rather than trying to find a concrete and firm definition. Philosophy includes the studies of logic, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Logic deals with the principles and systems of reasoning. We deduce and interpret information by this method. Ethics involves the principles of morals and the judgment of “good” and “bad” conduct.

In a world where people are murdering, stealing and harming each other, it’s hard to find the good in people now a days. The people who are doing these things need help. That’s where people with good morals can step in hopefully and change the way they think. I think that people are created initially good and then go create their own nature, which is what Plato thought. He believed that when you are born, you are born with a “clean slate.” I can agree with this by what I have learned In church with my religion, and I think that anyone that believes in God can believe this. Now some of us have it better than other, which can really hurt our chances to do well in this world. If you where born in a bad neighborhood with a lot of violence and drugs, then hung out all with a bad crowd, chances are you will become a bad person. That why these kids need to be put in the right direction.

Aristotle said that everyone lived to be happy, that is something that I totally agree with. Even though different things make different people happy. Aristotle also pointed out that pleasure and happiness is two different things. Like eating wings on a Tuesday night might be pleasurable but may not make me happy so to say. I live my life by having my own philosophical thinking, a combination of my own believes and disbeliefs on the outlook on life. I do not agree with everything that one philosopher thinks, I agree with some points then disagree with others. I just try to do what I think is the right thing, and what makes me happy. I base this on what I have learned through out life. You have to use what morals and values you have, and hopefully they are good. You must first look at your morals and ask yourself if they are good or bad. Having a good moral judgment means you have values in your life. Values are beliefs you have in life that are worth a lot to you. For example, I value life more than anything in this world. I think murder and suicide is terrible. We are put on this world for life, when someone takes that a way I think that is the greatest sin. That is only one of many values, some others include truth, honor and love. These are some great values to have in life, which can make you a very good person. Truth is good because your friends and family will always trust you and be able to rely on you. Honor lets people know that you are a faithful person and can be trusted. Love is the greatest one, whether it is in a relationship with a girlfriend or a family member, or maybe even a person that you don’t even know, Jesus loved everyone and knew they were capable of being good.

Aristotle defined a virtue as a habit of living according to reason. He said that all people had the potential to be virtuous. So if we learn how to take our values and not have too much of it and not too little of it then it becomes a habit, then it will become a virtue. I agree with what he said, I think if we start being truthful, no matter what the case is then eventually we will become a truthful person. People sometime value the wrong things. We value money, greed, and pleasure. Although money is needed in life, I think it can be taken to far.

I have these values but they are no where close to being what they should be. God gave me the potential to be virtuous so it is up to me to strive to meet these standards if I want to be a good person. I am a very caring person, I hardly ever get mad at someone or am mean to someone. I know how it feels to be yelled at or made fun of, so I have learned not to do that to someone. My mother is the one that has taught me most of what I know. So when I got old enough to know right from wrong it didn’t matter how I seen things around me, I just tried to put myself into their shoes to see how they felt. My parents are separated and really didn’t have a great relationship through my whole life, but it didn’t really affect me. I know they both had their flaws and sometimes was right, and sometimes was wrong, but I always understood how to see what they did wrong and reverse it in my own personality.

Basketball is a big part in my life, it has kept me out of trouble too. All throughout high school while my friends were out partying and drinking, I was at the park practicing. Playing college basketball was always a dream of mine. Having dreams and goals is a very good thing. It keeps you occupied and keeps your head on straight, so you do not get caught up in the bad things in life.

Going back to what I was saying earlier about while my friends were drinking. I don’t think drinking is that bad, unless you are binge drinking out of control and you do not know what is going on. Going out and having a few beers with your friends can do no harm. Just as long as you don’t have enough to impair your thinking so much that you make bad decisions that can harm you.

Along with having good values you have to have a very good attitude towards life. Everyone has problems so you need to have good outlets of your problems. I usually deal with my problems in a very rational way. For every problem there is a solution. Sometimes when we get mad we don’t see the solution or we see it but it just seems way to hard to solve. We either don’t know where to begin or don’t know where to go. So we give up. I try not to think like that. If there is a problem I try to fix it right away. For example, if I heard from one of my friends that someone was talking behind my back. I would go to the source, which would, be the person talking. I would go up to them calmly and ask them what was going on. You can’t rely on what others say. Stories get twisted and people like to exaggerate a lot. It also helps when you can go to your family and friends for advice. They are very good outlets for your problems. If you have good family and friends, they can be very understanding and they will listen more than the usual person would. I have been fortunate enough to have family and friends like that.

I am not saying I am issue free at all. I think my biggest problem is judging people. Sometimes I think that my life is so good that everyone should be like me. Every now and then I have to sit back and think, wait a second, people have a lot more problems than me and deal with them differently than I do, which is not wrong at all. Who knows, I might be the one with the wrong outlooks and ways of thinking.

I think I could overcome his by just changing my way of thinking. When you start understanding that people can think differently than you do and deal with things differently that will make you a better person. This is a big problem with everyone. Understanding that you can help this person with their problems but still giving them the chance to vent and deal with things there selves is good. You can only help them as far as they want to help themselves. You can’t control them or nor should you want to. If they want to change they need to take the first step and that is knowing that there is a solution and that this problem is just one of many speed bumps you will come to in life. You may just need to point them in the right direction and be that friend to just listen and understand. I think if everyone had this mind set that the world would be a better place.

As you can see I have my own little outlook on life. It isn’t nothing really new, it may be what you call a regular outlook of a 20 year old college student. But throughout the last 20 years of my life, I don’t think I have been depressed or wished my life was a whole lot different. My parents have been separated and bad things have came in my path but it hasn’t slowed me down. I just deal with my problems and look at the brighter side of life. Life is too short to worry about the small, petty things. Philosophy class this year was very confusing, but still opened my eyes and made me think of how I felt about things. It made me look at my own life a lot closer and analyze it. Aristotle and Plato both had some similar ways of thinking. I agreed with a lot of what they said, even though I might not go into it, or think about it as much as they did. I guess you can say my philosophy would be go with the flow, be happy, stay out of trouble and live life.

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My Preface on Concepts of Politics

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My preface on Concepts of Politics

Democracy refers to a government system in which either eligible state members or the whole population governs the state and is mostly done through the elected representatives. Canada is an example of a state that practices democracy, to be specific, parliamentary democracy. The various political concepts are as discussed below.

Government is a political concept that revolves around mechanism through which the citizens are ruled or controlled (Key Concepts in Politics, 2007). The central feature of governance is its ability to collectively make decisions and its capacity to enforce these decisions that have been made. Governance may also refer to the collective body of the institutions or people who make and ensure that the laws or rules are enforced for the larger community. A democratic state would conduct a free and fair election to elect the people who will make and enforce the laws on behalf of the larger community.

Human nature is another political concept (Key Concepts in Politics, 2007). It is the immutable and essential character of human beings. This concept basically highlights what is innate about the human beings and what is considered natural about the human life. It fails, however, to emphasize on what human beings might have gained through the various forms of education or through their own social experiences. Most of the political doctrines form their basis on theories about human nature and in most cases these doctrines are simply implied. This concept does not overlook how complex human beings are.

Law is a political concept which refers to a set of enforceable and public rules which are applicable throughout the political community. For a rule to be law it must be compulsory, made by the government and must be published and recognized by the citizens as the rules of the land. Power is broadly referred to as ability to achieve an outcome that one desires. It revolves around one’s ability to keep themselves alive to the ability of the government to promote economic growth. Political analysts however see power as one’s ability to influence others to do something that isn’t of their choosing.

The state is an association which is political and has established a sovereign jurisdiction within territorial borders that have been defined (Political Concepts, 2014). The state establishes permanent institutions and then uses them to exercise authority. These institutions are public and the state portrays permanent interests of the society. Sovereignty, as a political concept, is simply the rule of unlimited or absolute power. It is divided into two that is legal and political sovereignty.

In summary, the various concepts of politics include sovereignty, the state, power, law, human nature and government. These concepts are important in political fields such as political science as they set the guidelines or the rules of engagement to be used in politics.

Reference

Gad, U. P., & Petersen, K. L. (2011). Concepts of politics in securitization studies. Security Dialogue, 42(4-5), 315-328.

Aalberg, T., Strömbäck, J., & De Vreese, C. H. (2011). The framing of politics as strategy and game: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings. Journalism, 1464884911427799.

Class (2) Peer Response (1)

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Strategic leaders are leaders that have supportive teams to ensure that their objectives and goals are met while ensuring that their strengths and weaknesses are managed to the best of the team members’ abilities. On this note, therefore, I agree with the researcher fully, since strategic leaders are supposed to operate on the basis of approaching issues or crises, with fast-working solutions at hand to meet both individual and organizational goals.

On top of this, the researcher writes about the embrace of rivals and strong-minded people into the cabinets of both of these leaders. There is a lot of truth in this. Abraham, for instance, included two of his rivals, Edward Bates and William H. Seward, during his nomination for the presidential election while managing to seek military advice from the commanding general, Winfield Scott (Ameet, 2019). Lincoln further included important colleagues, on top of his rivals, to challenge him and his way of thinking (Brettle, 2020). Obama, in the same light, appointed Hillary Clinton as the secretary of state during his presidential nomination, together with several other rivals onto his cabinet, just like Lincoln did to embrace the intellectual horsepower that led to their success (Nelson, 2019). I am in strong agreement with the researcher on inclusion of the rivals and strong-minded people into the cabinets of Lincoln and Obama as strongholds in their decision making process.

With regard to taking into consideration the views of his team members, Lincoln sought the advice of his own on various matters, including the abolition of slavery. Although this was an important step, he listened to all the advice that he was given, even in light of thoughts against decisions of slavery abolishment, and then made his final decision. His final decision was lined in the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves, which was agreed upon by some and disagreed upon by others (Coutu, 2009). On that note, Lincoln was sure to take his and his team’s responsibility for any issues that might have arisen as a result of mistakes that had been made along the way. This was a matter of reliance on the team but not self-reliance. The researcher has done a good job in the engagement of his team in decision making, so much so that it reflected positively on his government, especially in slavery abolishment. Looking at Obama in the same light, he engaged a lot of his cabinet members in decision making regarding the financial crisis that the country faced (Epstein, 2009). His engagement with both democrats and republicans helped inform his financial decisions better to an improvement during the crisis. Problem solving during his tenure included a lot of engagement with all sorts of intelligent people in his cabinet. I agree with the researcher’s work on the steps Obama took in dealing with the financial crisis.

It is clear that Lincoln and Obama were strategic leaders when they were serving as presidents, and especially when including their rivals and other strong-minded people in decision making. Challenging decision making is what they were going for, on top of a lack of compromise, and feedback for improvement. The researcher makes strong arguments in this regard.

References

Ameet, R. (2019, Feb 13). Four Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Medium. https://medium.com/@ameet/four-leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincoln-83867391bfe0Brettle, A. (2020, Apr 28). 3 crisis-leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/3-crisis-leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincoln-136794Coutu, D. (2009, Apr). Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/04/leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincolnEpstein, G. (2009, Jun 10). Obama’s Economic Policy: Achievements, Problems and Prospects. OpenEdition. https://journals.openedition.org/regulation/7459Nelson, M. (2019). Barrack Obama: Domestic Affairs. Miller Center. https://millercenter.org/president/obama/domestic-affairs

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The researcher identifies the importance of having dependable people around us, especially in consideration of their differing or developed opinions. On this note, I completely agree with his need. In the same frame of mind, the researcher identifies the importance of strategic leaders operating in the same way, through having dependable people around them to help eliminate the issue of minute mistakes that might be greatly impactful. The researcher then goes ahead to identify the differences between the presidencies of Obama and Trump, in this light of strategic leaders and thinkers.

First, Obama considered the engagement of his rivals, past, and future presidential contenders as the best team members, not only in strengthening his leadership capabilities but also in moving the country (Coutu, 2019). I agree with the researcher on the terms that Obama already had in place as a good idea for effective decision making in his presidency. It is true that the members aboard Obama’s cabinets did not necessarily disagree a lot as was expected, but it is also true that they helped bring a great deal of knowledge and information to the president’s attention, especially in the most challenging of times (Vinik, 2014). This is to say that they resourceful in dealing with crises. In this case, therefore, I completely agree with the researcher on the strategic leadership of Obama.

On the other hand, the researcher views Trump as a leader far from embracing strategic leadership. Trump is said to have a different approach to leadership. He lacks a strategic plan to bring his goals to fruition, thus making the achievement of these goals difficult. With his firing and hiring ways, it is difficult for Trump to have a dependable team, especially in light of being resourceful when needed (Power, 2017). The constant turnover is an issue in effectiveness. Trump lacks empathy especially towards those people with whom he disagrees. Not only does he lack empathy, but he also fails to understand why certain task forces are in place. In the case of the task force on public health threats and pandemics that had been created by Obama, he has it dismantled when he takes over presidency. He applies his personal feelings in leadership; therefore, failing to see what is important for his leadership and most importantly, for his people (Riggio, 2018). This leads to ineffective decision making, resulting in ineffective leadership. This is one of the explanations why the COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult issue to deal with, especially in light of a lack of preparedness. On this note, I agree with the researcher on lack of strategic capabilities on Trump’s part. There is a greater failure in a lack of effective communication and a lack of criticism acceptance, both of which contribute to consideration of Trump as lacking strategic capabilities (Bridges, 2019). I agree with the researcher on this point of ineffectiveness of Trump as a strategic leader.

The two leaders have a lot of differences. However, it is clear that Obama has had more achieved with a dependable team by his side, as opposed to the limited achievements by team, especially due to a divided, ineffective, and less than strong-willed team. On this, I agree with the researcher.

References

Bridges, F. (2019, Apr 30). How Trump Embodies The Definition Of A Bad Leader. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2019/04/30/how-trump-embodies-the-definition-of-a-bad-leader/#6a205ec5c0c3Coutu, D. (2019, Apr). Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/04/leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincolnRiggio, R.E. (2018, Oct 28). Leadership Lessons from Donald Trump. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201810/leadership-lessons-donald-trumpPower, R. (2017, Jun 20). 5 Leadership Failures of President Trump. Inc. https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/5-leadership-failures-of-president-trump.htmlVinik, D. (2014, Oct 29). Why Can’t The Media Give Obama Credit For Crisis Management? The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/120022/obama-better-crisis-manager-media-gives-him-credit

My nursing philosophy

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My nursing philosophy

Being a registered nurse with the community Hospice of Albany County, and having practiced nursing for some years now, I am a holder of the belief that; to practice nursing effectively and professionally, one must be having their own personal philosophy. On my part, it is fortunate for me because I am in my career of choice. One aspect of life that motivates me, and keeps me going, is my unique perspective of looking at the profession of nursing. My nursing philosophy explains my beliefs, attitudes, values and the guiding principles of the professional and ethical practice of nursing.

Although people have argued differently concerning nursing being either an art or even a science, I tend to believe that nursing is both an art and a science. In the care of patients, one has to apply artistic and scientific skills in order to achieve a better outcome for the patient. I believe nursing is an art because I have to use my hands artistically to do for the patient that which they are not able to do for themselves. In the practice of nursing, it gives me relief to the patient being free. Seeing a patients struggling to do something that I can help gives me a lot of pain. This empathetic feeling has given me a lot of motivation in my profession. I use my hands to apply my artistic skills in order to help the patient. When I see my patients comfortable, the joy of my life is accomplished. I say nursing is also a science because I have to develop my knowledge base. I believe in taking action to a patient with the basis of taking that action. I believe in having scientific rationale for every action I do for the patient. In this case, I cannot do for the patient anything I wish, without considering the implications of doing it, or even failing to do it.

For me to exercise what I believe in relation to my nursing philosophy, there are certain aspects of care that should be available. For example, there must be an environment of care, I as the nurse, the patient and also the state of health must be considered. For nursing to accomplish what it is meant for, I believe all these components should interact to control and improve the environment of care. The environment of the person as a whole, has to be looked through using the lens of care, in order to determine how best to achieve the objectives of the nursing philosophy. In this case, for nursing to distinguish itself as a profession, it should consider the continuum of health, from health, all through to illness and even to death.

The patient counts as the focus point for nursing. The mission of the hospice I am working for has a very important statement that completely rhymes with my view on a patient as a component of my nursing philosophy. It states that; the hospital aims at treating all the patients with compassion, dignity and hospitality, as it is possible, with all the available human potential. As I care for my patients, I have always wanted to think of myself lying in that bed. This provokes my mind to think of what I would like done to me. This is what guides me in planning patient’s care. Going by this, the goal of a nurse that I believe in is trying my best to improve the health results of my patient in the health continuum. To make sure I accomplish this, I view the patient holistically, and consider how best I can make them enjoy life in the state they are in. through this, I believe that the environment of care should be controlled by the nurse in order to achieve the health of the patient. In a broader sense, these components interact in a certain relationship. In the event that the nurse has not taken care of the environment of the patient, the patient will not realize their health. Therefore, the interrelations that exist between the patient, nurse and the environment, determine the health of the patient. In lieu of this, the nurse intervenes to control the environment in the health continuum, and make sure the patient realizes their health.

As a nurse leader, educator and practitioner and as a believer I nursing as both an art and a science, I do not hold a fixed mind about my conceptual model in nursing. Instead, I am a believer in nursing research that is both qualitative and quantitative. This is the best model through which the body of knowledge will be developed. As a nurse leader and practitioner, I am directly involved in the management of patient care. The cases of patients are diverse and they differ greatly. The diversity of this field points to the diversity of the need of knowledge. Therefore, I embrace scientific research in nursing to widen the knowledge base, which can even be applied to modify my nursing philosophy. Again as a nurse educator, I have a role of preparing nurses who will demonstrate a wide base of knowledge in the practice, and be equipped enough to handle the challenges in the ground. For me to achieve this as an educator, I have to embrace a wide base of knowledge and skills, which comes only through research. This shows why I am a believer and advocate of nursing research. If I am able to accomplish all these, I am sure I will be living my dream.

Personal History

Education to me has been a journey of learning that I started as a child, its direction has changed severally down the road, but the destination has always remained the same; to become an academic scholar. In order to achieve this, I need to have motivation, need to have knowledge and fill in a lacuna with information and at the same time have a degree. I remember, this one time when I was ten, my dad took me to a visit his younger brother, my uncle, who was in college. It was a scene to be longed for; the tall buildings, the lecture halls, the student hostels with music and pictures all over. What caught my eye, however, was the library; standing strong in the middle of the college like it was the heart, with shelves full of books about our history and opening a chance to defining our future. That night, I remember I made the resolution that I had to become one of those students I saw there.

Coming from a large family of five siblings, we were taught embrace our culture as a family. I know when I say culture most people think about ethnicity and heritage, but to me culture is what one believes in. Culture to me is not the fact that I am an Arab, culture is the things I do every day in the same way because of the course my life has taken. An Arab and an African can have different heritage, but the same culture especially when they interact on an intellectual and social setting.

Without all the support I got from my family I probably would not be where I am currently. Having many siblings enables you to be able to socialize with people of different personality and characters and learn how to accept them. This enabled me to find a family at school. My teachers became like my parents, they would guide me, point out my mistakes and congratulate my achievements. My classmates became like my siblings, even though at times we would disagree we would always look out for each other. And the school became a home, where my dreams were cherished and my potential noted and exploited for my greater good. I have made wonderful friends and memories in school; made mistakes as well, learnt lessons from all challenges and grown in terms of who I am. However, I can’t wait to make new friends, new memories all over again. I can’t wait to experience new challenges, learn life lessons and mostly expand in terms of knowledge. Since knowledge is power, increase my power to influence and enact changes in the contemporary society.

As I write this letter, I can’t help but recall my academic journey. As an Arab, whose religion is Islam, I have experienced racism and discrimination based on those two factors. While in school I used to be teased because of my ethnicity and heritage; at times it would get to me but I would always redirect my frustrations into positive energy. I studied hard and became at the top of my class most of the times. This boosted my confidence enough to be able to speak up against racism, discrimination and prejudice of any kind.

Even though I have experienced challenges in my life as I was coming up, there are several achievements in my life that I am proud of and they have made great impacts in shaping the person that I have become;

In 2003: Earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia in 20034/2003 -12/2005: Worked with National Company for Cooperative Insurance, Tawuniya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as Customer Service Executive after graduation. My tasks were:• Acquired managerial skills, evaluated risks and analyzed customers’ financial and risk related statements.Guided and directed marketing representatives, brokers in medical and auto insurance services as a professional consultant.In 2006: Earned King Abdullah Scholarship in 2006 in order to finish my masters at U.S

After receiving a scholarship to do my masters in America, I was exposed to a different social setting. This brought out an aspect in me that I had never known existed; curiosity and acceptance. I wanted to know all there is to know about the American economy and social life and I was willing to accept certain changes in ideology and opinion as a result.In 2010: Graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a Master of Science degree in Economics with specialization in Financial EconomicsIn 2011: worked with the Saudi Credit Bureau (SIMAH) at their Research & Advisory Centre as a Researcher and an Economist.In 2012: Chosen by SIMAH to work with Standard & Poor analytics and Capital IQ division in S&P’s headquarters in the financial district of New York to design the first probability of default model by using a Logit model tailored for the Saudi economy. The main objective of this model is to anticipate the creditworthiness of potential borrowers.

The highlight of it all was when my book under the title of: Does the U.S. dollar have an effect on the price of crude oil?, was chosen by a German publishing house, known as Lambert Academic Publishing House, in order to be published and sold by whole sellers worldwide. It was a reward that inspired me more and more to know that I can be able to solve problems in the society using my knowledge. Currently, I want to continue with all my achievements by doing a Phd in economics in the UC Santa Cruz.

UC Santa Cruz is my choice because it embraces diversity. I am a strong believer of what Emile Durkheim once said that cohesion in a society is not based on the similarities of individuals, but is strengthened by differences and diversity because it builds dependency and responsibility. Having been brought up in a relatively cosmopolitan society, I believe differentiation gives people a chance to work hard. This is not only in terms of opportunities but also in terms of social class and household income. I also believe that a person is more than what simply meets the eye. We are all given the same opportunities and the law equalizes us, however what we do with these opportunities defines who we are. Heritage and genetics can offer us so much.

This brings me to the question of who am I? I am the young child who had a dream of going to college and dared to make it come true against all odds. I am the person who chooses to focus more on the solution rather than the problem. I am the person who believes that education is not the end; it gives me a chance to do much more. At the same time I am the person who believes that Heroes still exist, that swimming is a fun sport and ice cream is not only for children.

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My Opinion on Human Existence

What gives your life meaning? As for me, I believed it was God but not anymore. Some people would hold a different opinion on that issue as some will say God, love, games, money, fiction, among other things. I always believed that God created me with a particular essence, and nobody would fault me for wanting my life to be meaningful. Many philosophers argue that all of the above aspects can provide one the meaning of their lives, but at the same time, others say that none of them can. My opinion is none of them can.

Two ancient Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, held everything in life that has an essence (Gordon, 1). By essence, they meant that existence of specific core properties vital for something to be given that particular meaning.

After reading the literary works of Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre, my belief changed on the essentialist ideas of being imbued with any purpose. Friedrich believed in the ultimate meaningless of life that he called Nihilism. Sartre challenged essentialism by asking, what if humans exist first without any imbued essence (Sartre and Philip 1)?  However, it is upon individual responsibility to figure out their identities. In other words, existentialism holds that existence precedes essence. Humans’ existence happens first; then, they later determine what they will become as they grow older through the way they choose to live. I now believe that human beings do not have any predetermined purpose and no set path to follow.

In my previous beliefs, it was difficult to explain how radical the ideals were back then since, for many decades, people did not have to follow absolute paths, but God did it for them. I am now critical of the notion that God made human beings or the world with a fundamental essence in his mind. I believe in God’s existence, but it is somewhat different when it comes to instilling me, my life, and the cosmos with meaning. It is not what God is all about

One may adhere to a religion, government, etc. but they are people just like you. Those authorities cannot give people their respective life meanings since they do not have any answer; instead, they figured out how by themselves how to live. As such, humans should live authentically. Humans should accept the full weight of their absurd and acknowledge that it’s only them who can determine any meaning regarding their lives.

Works Cited

Gordon, Jill. Plato’s erotic world: from cosmic origins to human death. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Sartre, Jean-Paul, and Philip Mairet. Existentialism and humanism. London: Methuen, 1960.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism is a Humanism. Yale University Press, 2007.