Average Student Reaches For Above-Average Success :: Interview Essay

Average Student Reaches For Above-Average Success With her curly hair pinned up and her leg shaking nervously, Tricia searches for both potential employers to work for and Master’s programs on the Internet. In the midst of her psychology textbooks lay piles of GRE practice tests and Graduate school applications. For the past year this has been a daily ritual. As she clicks around, her eyes glaze over and a headache sets in; but she tells herself to stay focused. Graduation is quickly approaching, and she feels a lot of pressure to figure out what she is going to do next year. In May, Tricia will graduate from King’s College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. â€Å"My options are limited, especially in today’s world. Four-year degrees don’t matter anymore; higher degrees are what’s expected. With a four-year degree in Psychology I could be a Guidance Counselor at a High School or teach Psychology classes at a Community College. But as for what I want to do- Forensics- I need Graduate School, specifically in Forensics and there are only ten schools that have it. It’s very competitive,† says Tricia Buchanan. Tricia has spent the last year researching Graduate schools to prepare for next year. â€Å"I started looking in July for Graduate schools. I had my mind set on going to Graduate school in August after graduation and that I wasn’t going to work. So, I spent the majority of this school year taking GRE practice tests, studying, getting applications, meeting with the career planning and placement office, and talking to teachers,† says Tricia. Average Student Discouraged by GRE’s Tricia’s plan changed in December. Suddenly all of those visions of getting into a Graduate school and moving ahead towards her goal, Forensics, were wiped away. All those hours studying seemed like wasted time. â€Å"In December I decided I was going to go the job route. I changed my mind because I got discouraged. I felt I needed a break from school and some time off. The GRE’s were a lot harder than I thought they were going to be. Also, I realized how competitive Graduate schools are. I am an average student. I don’t have any experience. Graduate schools in my program rely heavily on GRE scores, your cumulative GPA, and work experience,† says Tricia.

Achilles, Aeneas, and Roland

Imagine living in a turbulent world, where people lived their day to day lives praying that they would see the next sunrise. That was life for villagers that lived during the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as during the medieval period when Germanic tribes ruled Europe. To help them get through their very insecure days, people would tell oral stories of great heroes, like those of Achilles, Aeneas, and Roland. Achilles was a Greek war hero who fights in the Trojan War, a ten year long war between Greece and Troy (present day Turkey). Aeneas was an epic hero in ancient Roman folklore. He was a soldier who fought in the Trojan War and after surviving the destruction of Troy, he later founded the city of Rome. Roland was an epic hero of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present day France. All three of these heroes played vital roles in giving strength and hope to the peoples of their respective cultures. The Illiad was an epic written by a Greek poet named Homer. It takes place in the last days of the Trojan War. Achilles was an integral part of the war. He helped raise the Greek soldiers’ moral, he was an excellent fighter and swordsmen, and he killed Hector, who was the leader of the Trojan forces and son of the King of Troy. It is said that Achilles was half man and half god. He is the offspring of Peleus, King of Thessaly, and the sea nymph Thetis, who had dipped her infant son in the river Styx, thus making him invulnerable except for the hell by which she held him. In the epic, Homer gave Achilles many human characteristics, including revenge, anger, and love. He even gave him many challenges to overcome. In the beginning of the war, he did not fight because of an affront to his honor that angered him. However struck with grief when his dearest friend Patroclus is killed by Hector, he in revenge joins the war. Throughout the Illiad, this male protagonist is on a quest to reconcile selfhood and communal responsibility. After killing Hector, Achilles shows his humanity by sparing Priam, the King of Troy, when he sneaks in to the Greek camp. He even grants the kings request by giving back his dead son’s body, so that he can have a proper burial. He could have killed Priam and ended the ten year long war, however he chose to act on good virtue and morals and that showed his humanity. Aeneas, the Trojan born epic hero in Virgil’s Aeneid, was Rome’s mythical founder. His father was Prince Anchiseses, who was the second cousin of the King of Troy, King Priam. His mother was Venus, the god of love, beauty, and procreation. Like Achilles, Aeneas was also part god, part man. His mission was to gather any survivors from Troy and take them on a journey to Italy, where he will establish the city of Rome. On his journey however they end up settling in Carthage where he meets and has a long affair with the beautiful Carthaginian princess, Dido. While in Carthage, the messenger god, Mercury, leaves Aeneas a message. The message was to remind him to leave Carthage and proceed to Italy and end his love affair with princess Dido. Despite the fact that he loved Dido very much, his Stoic sense of duty overcomes his desire for personal fulfillment. That is the characteristic of a true hero. He told Dido that he never asked for any of what happened. He said if he had his way, he would be watching over the city of Troy, and caring for his people. Also, Priam’s palace would still be standing. The last thing he tells her was that he goes to Italy not because he wanted to. He was asked by the God’s to move to Italy and he will not fail the duties that are installed for him. That is what makes him a pious man. Roland, the last of the greatest epic heroes, was the nephew of Charlemagne, a Frankish chieftain who was crowned by the pope as â€Å"Emperor of the Romans. † In The Song of Roland, Roland was described as a very modest yet arrogant man. He said that he could strike great blows to the pagans with his sword, Durandel. In the story, he faced the challenge of halting the Muslim invasion of France. The Saracens were the Muslims invading France. He was described as a model medieval hero, because he was a natural Christian leader who was sent on a holy war to stop the Muslims from invading and converting France. He was a noble Frenchman, who died at the hand of power and land hungry, Islamic forces. At the end of the story, it is said that he died while he was chasing away the pagans. To this day, in the 21st century, homo sapiens still write stories about heroes that will save them and society. The number one characteristic that describes a hero is one that has a Stoic sense of duty that can overcome the desire for personal fulfillment. Achilles, Aeneas, and Roland were all created to create personal comfort for their people that lived in such a hectic and dangerous world. These three protagonists who were viewed by their cultures as gods also showed their people that they did portray human characterists (two out of the three even die) and that anyone can be like them if they tried. In a way they were used to inspire their respective residents to be better civilians in their community. If everyone could follow that, than living in a turbulent world would go from reality to fiction.

Evidence Based Assessment Of Learning Disabilities

Evidence-Based Assessment of Learning Disabilities in Children and Adolescents Old Dominion University student Honor Pledge: â€Å"I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system. I will report to the Honor Council if summoned.† Signed: student Abstract Utilizing, the Old Dominion library databases, an article was found concerning evidence -based assessments for children and adolescents with LD: in an effort to improve reliability and validity of assessments for children and adolescents with learning disabilities, researchers reviewed four assessments and identified problems with aptitude, low achievement levels and achievement discrepancies. This article details the nature of learning disabilities and four different assessment models for measuring children with LD. The article discusses using assessments with regard to specific considerations that make up criterion for LD identification and treatment. Literature Search Procedure: Exploration was completed using the Old Dominion library databases of scholarly articles. The database used to complete the search was EBSCO Host. The key words â€Å"assessments† and â€Å"evidence-based† were used followed byShow MoreRelatedLearning Styles And Plan For Diverse Learners1285 Words   |  6 Pagesplanning of assessments and moving away from the one size fits all paradigm. How do we address the learning styles and plan for all students’ success during the assessment? There are two frameworks that can be used to address these questions which are Understanding by Design (UbD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UbD framework was created by Wiggins McTighe which includes three stages: identifying desired results or learning outcomes, deciding what evidence will show learning outcomesRead MoreThe Research Study Of Early Childhood Education873 Words   |  4 PagesThe researcher will discuss the findings and analysis section of the signature assignment, which is related to the researcher’s study of Early Childhood Education. The chosen topic considered the achievement gap among students with learning disabilities in the context of the Common Core State Standards. As guided by the research questions, the researcher will present key literature, which supports the findings of the thesis. Accordingly, the researcher will identify the best concepts that contributeRead MoreIs Hospital Admissions For Adults With A Learning Disability?1667 Words   |  7 Pageshealth inequalities faced by adults with a learning disability (Emerson, Baines, 2010). I have been more involved in decision making by following the Transforming care program which focuses on providing the best care for adults with a learning disability or co-morbidity. (DH, 2012) Being involved in this process gives me a feeling of involvement and understanding of why robust assessments are necessary to obtain the desired outcome. Evaluation Assessment is the collection of subjective, objectiveRead MoreDifferent Treatment Methods For Children With Learning Disabilities1310 Words   |  6 Pages The purpose of this paper is to define, diagnose, and explore different treatment methods for children with learning disabilities. By considering various empirical studies conducted by researchers, the neurologically based processing disorder will be explored. Children diagnosed with learning disabilities can achieve academic success when they receive overall support from medical professionals, educators, parents, and society. Quite simply, children learn in different ways despite factors associatedRead MoreRTI and Disporportionality in Special Education Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pagesof appropriate assessment strategies, socioeconomic status, race, and gender (Kanaitsa, 2010). Cultural differences pose several barriers for students and may impair their opportunity to learn. These barriers are created by differences in language expression, communication style, preferred learning style, gender-role customs and behaviors, and limited parental involvement due to these cultural or socioeconomic barriers (Ralabate, Klotz, 2007). The lack of appropriate assessment strategies unfairlyRead MoreSkills Are An Imperative Part Of Communication Skills For Students1496 Words   |  6 Pagesbehind and not find academic success (Rosenblum, Weiss, Parush, 2004). Some teachers and parents might say these students are lazy or not motivated but the problem may be due to a learning disability called dysgraphia. What is Dysgraphia? According to the International Dyslexia Association, dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects how children learn written language and how they use written language to articulate their thoughts. It can manifest itself through difficulties in spelling, poor handwritingRead More1.3 Explain the Responsibilities of the Assessor Essay1126 Words   |  5 PagesExplain the responsibilities of the assessor * Carrying out assessments in accordance with EAL assessment specifications and assessment documentation * Ensuring evidence provided by learners is sufficient to meet EAL requirements * Providing feedback to the learner about performance and achievement * Devising and agreeing an assessment action plan with the learner as appropriate * Completing all relevant assessment forms and returning them to the internal quality assurer/CentreRead MoreI Study Math Instruction For A Total Of Five Hours867 Words   |  4 Pagesall of the specific disabilities represented by the students in his classroom but he did indicate that the students qualify for special education and that more than one of the students have specific learning disabilities and ADHD/ADD. He also advised me that he has seen an increase in the number of students that have this diagnosis and it likely that both general and special education teachers will have students diagnosed with ADHD/ADD in their classrooms.   Ã‚   Evidence based features of instructionRead MoreFactors That Impact The Learning Process Of Students With Learning Disabilities959 Words   |  4 Pagesseveral factors that impact the learning process of students with learning disabilities. Along with a presentation and analysis of these factors, authors also provided a vast amount of evidence from previous research studies conducted by investigators from the past ten to twenty years regarding the subject matter. While discussing the background related to reading difficulty, the authors point out that there has been an increased diagnosis of learning disabilities over the past twenty years (p.Read MoreEssay about Everyone Is Capable of Becoming a Lifelong Learner1364 Words   |  6 Pageshopes that the influence of lifelong learning habits will be incorporated into their worldviews when they become adults. There are some people in society who believe that the developmentally disabled person is unable to become a lifelong learner due to their disabilities. Over the last century, research on early intervention educational programs proves these unjustified beliefs wrong. These programs and services provided to the young exceptional learning community are making it possible for