The success of the Nationalist cause in the Spanish Civil War Essay Example for Free

The success of the Nationalist cause in the Spanish Civil War Essay The success of the Nationalist cause in the Spanish Civil War was due primarily to the help it received from its foreign allies: For what reasons would you agree or disagree with this statement? A snapshot of 1936-1939: Britain and France tiptoe around Italys conquest of Abyssinia and their second conquest of the football World Cup. Stalin delivers a constitution, an illusion, distracting from his bloody purges. Austria and Czechoslovakia are devoured into The Third Reich. The Fair Labour Standards Act comes into play in the US fighting recession, and unemployment. The Popular Front of France makes sweeping social changes under the guidance of Leon Blum. In 1937, the 999-telephone number for emergency services is introduced in the UK. The Empire is falling apart, and Mahatma Ghandi leads a campaign of civil disobedience against British rule. The Irish Free State becomes Eire, Japan invades China. Spain has its own problems: disorganised parliamentary government a problem solved by military rule. Upon its becoming a problem, is saved by farmers, and in turn, by socialists. Yet confusion and deterioration reign and soon the actual landscape of Spain is covered with that which the weather cannot wash away. No, painting is not made to decorate apartments. Its an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy -Pablo Picasso, 19451 In support of the reasoning that Foreign aid won the nationalists the war, using a chronology full of examples can support this.2 As the war begins, Franco is flown from Las Palmas to Morocco by an unsuspecting British pilot, Captain Babb, who visits General Sanjurjo in Lisbon the previous week. The Nationalist initiative is gained and a week later the rising begins. To apply common-sense investigative techniques to this, intervention doesnt quite begin until both forces make requests on July 20th. Hitler joins with Mussolini in providing transport for Franco and The Army of Africa to cross the Straits of Gibraltar. The importance of this act of intervention in holding the initiative shouldnt be underestimated. Francos Army of Africa, (was) composed of foreign legionnaires and Moorish mercenaries perhaps the blood-thirstiest and certainly one of the most professionalised troops at the disposal of any European nation at the time3 Within two months of German and Italian involvement, Army of African troops were involved in two separate but decisive victories. Under Colonel Juan Yague they were responsible for capturing Badajoz, and thus linking the two parts of Nationalist Spain. In Alcazar, a besieged garrison of Falange and Guardai were saved from near-certain defeat when troops reclaimed the military academy. An offensive early in 1937 in the Southern province of Malaga showed the Italian addition was having a definite impact, much better organised than the Republicans defending the city. The Non-Intervention Committee under the order of Britain put a clamp on France, the only external power assisting the Republicans after only three weeks. Arms and aircraft ceased from supply, and a week later, the Nationalists mounted a successful battle taking Majorca, Catalan troops fled, under cover of Jamie I. Surely a note of nationalist planning that ten days later an air attack badly damaged the ship off Malaga by the Straits. Majorca stricken, was thenceforth the base for many of the 660 Italian aircraft set to bomb the Republic through three years. As for the Navy, the Nationalists had few ships. Two heavy cruisers under construction were important in sea battles, weight and direction provided by the purchase of four Italian destroyers, and two Legionarii class submarines from the November of 1936. Italians manned these almost entirely, independence lessened on occasion by the presence on ship of one Spanish liason officer. Twenty-six vessels were over-all involved. Technical and logistical support was offered, also from the Germans, to the Nationalist Navy. These ships were used in long and hard convoy warfare, shore bombardment, blockade and counter-blockade, and they were deadly, as stated below, Despite a common lack of personnel, the nationalist Navy was better organised and commanded, and that would translate into a more aggressive attitude4 It is also interesting to note that Spanish naval construction was monopolised by the SECN5, it largely owned by British firm, Vickers-Armstrong. Almost all ships were designed referring to Royal Navy vessels and many British technical advisors continued to work in Spanish shipyards during the course of the war. * * * * * * * * * * * The conclusion is inescapable that the defeat and destruction of the Spanish Republic must be attributed as much to British diplomacy in the years 1936 to 1939 as to German aircraft and Italian infantry -Puzzo6 Baldwin and Chamberlains 1936 Non-Intervention committee was about as successful as the rest of their appeasement policy. While the rules of the NIC were observed by the democracies, they were openly flouted by the dictatorships7 Choking the French aide meant that the Spanish Republics only course of action was to flee into the arms of Russia. Outside of the international brigades, the Soviet Union was the biggest supporter of Caballero and Negrins defending armies. Paradoxically, their help was also a hindrance. Stalins opening gestures in the war, and much of the way through, were in their own way a form of appeasement. He had hoped to keep out of Hitlers view for as long as possible. Lee suggests he had been trying to warn Britain and France of the danger the Fuhrer represented, pulling out when it became clear they were no longer interested. Whatever the actual truth, Stalin had not supplied the Republic with enough arms to do the job properly. On October 25th, a substantial part of the third largest gold reserve in the world was transferred to Russian hands. The army of Africa while fighting for Madrid, were still occupying Spanish-Morocco without problem, aided by the Moroccan government, who had matched Italys number, sending out seventy-five thousand troops.8 Along another border, Dr. Salazar sent 20,000 Portugese soldiers to assist the generals. Portugal also provided the Nationalists with places to plot during the Civil War, and geographically, a route for the importing of arms and war materials. As touched upon briefly in the paragraph dealing with Russia, an obstruction, which benefited Franco, was the corporate factor. The Texas Oil Company, The Standard of New Jersey and Atlantic Refining, Texaco, Shell all had a stake in a Nationalist victory: while the U.S government and its people favoured cosy isolationism9, the corporate face was happy enough to supply credit, but only to the Nationalists, as was the Bank of Westminster; Britain had a big foreign investment in Spain: ownership of the Pyrite factories and mining operations for an essential ingredient in ammunition was another factor leading to its decision to play at tacit neutrality. Demoralisation must have hit hard on the 26th April 1937, when the merciless Legion Condor bombed the towns of Guernica and Durango, and Bilbao fell under heavy artillery bombardment. Hauptmann Werner Molders, an inspired and gifted combat leader and tactical leader and his crew had recently been fitted with brand new Messerschmitt Bf109Cs Ds in July 1938. More than a match for (Russian) Polikarpovs new creations, these fighters were accompanied by 6,000 men, Heinekel 51s and Junker 52 bombers. Eleven aircraft squadrons laying down a landscape of destruction from Guernica to Ebro, and far beyond. With much of the Basque mountain range already taken, the town of tradition was certainly a target, and its status as a communications centre made it more so. The ruthless destruction of people and buildings brought international condemnation and a sense of loss difficult to forget through the decades. Clearly, mass influx could be the term applied to foreign assistance in this war. The Republicans were assisted with international brigades while Eoin O Duffys Blueshirts and the young French monarchists joined with the Falange in aiding Franco. There are however a number of other factors connected with the Nationalist victory having little to do with outside involvement. The superior military organisation and structure is one such factor, they possessed a greater number of middle-ranking officers and experienced soldiers. An example of this can be found by studying The Battle of Santander, were General Fidel Davilas forces were vastly outnumbered, but won due to Gamirs soldiers being poorly trained and low on weaponry. Francos armies were better supplied, with imaginative yet solid strategies. His motto, Duty, Discipline and Order. He was careful not to let one group become too dominant, and successfully united the politically diverse. The advance on the Mediterranean coast successfully cut the Republic in two; yet before crossing the Ebro, Franco handled the decisive factor sensibly and allowed his troops time to rest and re-equip. His campaign was one fought with caution and discretion, confidence and well timed capture of opportunity. In stark contrast, the Republicans were in a state of disunity such was their ideological range, and this is typified by the situation in Barcelona in 1937 and by the civil war within a civil war on the streets of Madrid at wars close. Divisions over the primary objective of the war can only have made easier the nationalist mission. The length of Francos leadership of Spain, his keeping the Republic of World War II through to his good choice of successor are aspects of evidence of the Nationalist strength outside foreign allegiance. With a view to the statement and the scope of 1936-39 to which this essay refers, I cannot judge. Much of the corporate world acted as if their involvement was necessary, whilst seeing a Nationalist victory as something of a safe bet. I can neither agree nor disagree with the statement, these facets of fact, are inseparable. To have stopped Francos Army of Africaand its well-trained Civil Guards and police auxiliaries, would have been nothing less than miraculous once it established a strong base on the Spanish mainland. That hastily formed, untrained and virtually unequipped militiamen and women slowed up Francos armys advance on Madrid for four months and essentially stopped it on the outskirts of the capital is a feat for which they have rarely earned the proper tribute from writers on the civil war of the past half century10 Indeed, for Bookchin has not mentioned that the first rising in Madrid failed on July 1936, and was continually thwarted until the Nationalists entered on March 28th, 1939. The capital Madrid was relentlessly defended time and time again over those three years, with and without foreign aid. Perhaps not such a safe bet after all. Bibliography Picasso , Alfred H. Barr (1946) International Brigades, Legion Condor, Spanish Civil War Factbook, www.skalman.nu Spanish Civil War, http://history.acusd.edu The main events of the Spanish Civil War, www.users.dircon.co.uk Spanish Civil War, www.sispain.org Warships of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Author unknown http://webforodigital.es/uphm/mgl/buques/spanishcivwar.htm Spain and The Great Powers, 1936-1941, Dante Puzzo ,Columbia University Press, 1962. European Dictatorships 1918-1945, Stephen J. Lee, Routledge. The Spanish Civil War, Hugh Thomas, Penguin, 1992 Roper-Fortune Poll, Janurary 1939, Mach 1939 , reprint. Mastering Modern World History, Norman Lowe, Palgrave 1997 Modern World History Made Simple, K. Perry, Heinemann/London, 1976 Paul Preston, The Spanish Civil War: Right Versus Left in the 1930s Oxford Concise Dictionary of Quotations, ed. Elizaeth Knowles, OU Press, 2001. Chambers Concise Dictionary, ed. Catherine Schwarz, Chambers Harrap, 1997 Encyclopedia Britannica Hutchinson Encyclopedia- The Millenium Edition, ed. Roger Tritton, 2000 World Atlas, European Map Graphics Ltd, 1996 This text may be reprinted as the user sees fit. Feedback on its facility is welcome. [emailprotected] 1 In interview with Simone Tery, 24 March, 1945, in Alfred H. Barr, Picasso (1946) 2 I have chosen to use a combination of five chronologies along with other materials for greater clearness. The components of this timeline are internet-based, www.skalman.nu http://history.acusd.edu www.users.dircon.co.uk and www.sispain.org, with addition to the chronology from The Encyclopedia Britannica. 3 After 50 Years: The Spanish Civil War by Murray Bookchin, www.spunk.org 4 Warships of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) , Authors name not searched http://webforodigital.es/uphm/mgl/buques/spanishcivwar.htm 5 Sociedad Espanola de Construccion Naval aka The Spanish Corporation of Naval Construction, from the same source as above. 6 If Im correct, this is from Dante Puzzos Spain and The Great Powers, 1936-1941, Columbia University Press, 1962. I got it from pg. 253 of Stephen J. Lees European Dictatorships 1918-1945, published by Routledge. 7 That ones direct from Lee on the same page, it just seemed to fit right in. 8 Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War, Penguin, 1992 9 Roper-Fortune Poll, Janurary 1939. Its worth noting that the same poll conducted amongst Americans at the end of the Spanish Civil War, the March edition, recorded a preparation amongst readers for war, and their involvement in it. 10 After 50 Years: The Spanish Civil War by Murray Bookchin, www.spunk.org

Impact Of Professional And Organisational Environments Social Work Essay

Impact Of Professional And Organisational Environments Social Work Essay This essay will illustrate and discuss The promise case study in relation to analysing the impact of professional and organisational environments on the situation, identifying which principles and sections from the AASW code of ethics are most relevant. In identifying sections of the AASW code of ethics this will allow for a discussion on whether or not the code was used to resolve the dilemma, and how might this be used to resolve the situation. The second part of the essay will discuss my personal values related to the professional values expressed in the code related to the situation and what difference exists between my own values and those of the code. By using these questions as basis in relation to The promise this will allow for reflection on how I would change my actions in retrospect, and should there be a different outcome justified alongside the AASW code of ethics. Abstract The promise Jane Smithers is a mother of 2 children who has been diagnosed with depression and subsequently paranoid schizophrenia. Jane has been temporarily admitted to an inpatient unit as an involuntary client. Jane has been uncooperative with her treatment but has concerns with what will happen to her children in the short term. Janes situation has come to the attention of Community Services as the school became concerned about their welfare. Following numerous visits from Community Services Jane has been persuaded to put her children in temporary foster care whilst undergoing treatment. Jane has regular contact with her children and the worker from Community Services has assured her that she will soon be reunited with her children. During her involuntary stay at the inpatient unit the treating doctor advised the Community Service worker that whilst Janes condition can be stabilised the impact of medication will make it hard for Jane to care for her children. Jane has been advised from the social worker that if she continues with her medication regime she will get her children back, yet Community Services is now looking at permanent care for the children. It has been suggested that social work takes place within an institutional framework of rights and responsibilities defined by the law (Banks, p.128). The impact of professional and organisational environment related to the case study requires a holistic approach to account for the connections between the services and client involved. Bowles, Collingridge, Curry, Valentine (2006, p.5) suggest to think about ethical practice in social work, we first have to consider what social work is, and the impact of the environment. The impact of the environment on an organisational and professional level is an important aspect in being able to identify and appropriately understand the issues faced. The professional and organisational environment effects on the situation can include, but not be limited to the legalities associated with mandatory reporting, accountability to management, dominant discourses associated with power structure related to the recommendations made by the service involved, Janes involuntary status and policy and procedures. Accountability to management is a major aspect in the professional sphere, Bowles et,al (206, p.32) argue that organisational policies and practices should not automatically be viewed as inimical to the needs and interests of the constituency it seeks to serve. Even though ethics plays an integral role in the helping profession, policies and practice continually have an impact on how situations are resolved. The systematic reasoning process is strongly driven by a medical framework which can assist in how an ethical dilemma can be approached and resolved. Banks (2006, p. 151) argues we as social workers need to be able to recognize that personal, professional, agency and societal values are interlocking, yet in tension. Actions and judgements based alongside ethical theories and principles are interlinked dimensions associated with the inclusiveness models of social work. Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2005, p. 90) suggest accountability is the ability to make decisions that can be clearly articulated and justified and take onto account the personal, professional, organisational, legal cultural and social contexts. In understanding the professional and organisational impact associated with Janes illness in retrospect of the doctors duty and the duty of community services, there is evidence that the discourses used within this framework is pervasive and can greatly influences how we as workers perceive what should and should not happen. With the recommendations made by the doctor based on the medical model framework it is evident that Beneficence associated with this case is about considering the benefits of treatment contrary to the risks and costs. The health professional regardless of the profession they are in, should have a duty of care to act in a way that benefits the client. As many treatments involve some degree of harm, the principle of non-maleficence would imply that the harm should not be disparate to the benefit of the treatment, in certain circumstances respecting the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence means failing to respect a persons sovereignty. Ridley (1998) argues that the principle recommends no particular kind of action, rather that our actions in general be consistent with one another. It has been argued that we as social workers may have conflicting duties, because different commitments have been undertaken that are incompatible with each other in a particular situation (Banks, p.125). In considering the foundations of the social work profession and the ethical dilemmas that we as social workers face the AASW code of ethics is a tool that we as social workers can refer to. In relation to the case study it is evident that in the pursuit of determination committed to the five basic values, human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity, integrity and competence that there is a contradiction in professional goals and objectives. Numerous sections and principles could be drawn upon in practices however the most relevant to this situation are, section 4 Ethical practices and Section 5 Guidelines for ethical decision making. Section 4 and 5 of the AASW code incorporates ethical behaviours which are expected of social workers in carrying out their practice responsibilities. Given the complexity of this case study ethical practice plays a large part not only for the social worker to ethically fulfil commitment to social justice but in also maintaining their professional integrity based on the conflicting issue that has been raised. The conflicting issue that has been raised for the social worker engaged in the case is that they have promised that Jane will have her children back, but without knowledge and informed consent Community Services is looking for permanent care for Janes children (section 4.2.2 conflict of interest). Section 4.2.3(2) involuntary clients is a major aspect of this case, as Jane was admitted as an involuntary client thus leading to the removal of her children. For a social worker where ever possible, clients must be notified regarding decisions about them and as a social worker it is evident that we need to beware of the impact and potential impact of oppression towards clients who are forced to undergo life altering changes without choices. The codes outlined above provide a strong argument in how to resolve the dilemma related to case study. The ethical practices provide a strong argument in how social workers can adequately maintain a strong client focus and ethical decision making skills. It is questionable though whether or not that all the services involved have been able to converse their feelings and their intentions regarding intervention and sustaining suitable provisions to assist Jane in dealing with her ongoing illnesses and care of the children. I feel that these codes were not used to resolve the dilemma as the intervention that is being contemplated does not coincide with client self-determination, commitment to social justice and professional integrity. The code of ethics could have been used to resolve the situation by taking into account the values and principles that underlie ethical practices and providing a foundation for ethical reflection and decision making by taking a holistic approach. The AASW code of ethics can also be used to determine the rights and demands of a client which can incorporate using appropriate channels to resolve issues such as the ethical dilemma in the case study. The AASW codes of ethics guides and directs an individual as a social worker through practice, particularly when the intent of the AASW code of ethics is to assist social workers to mutually and individually act in an ethical manner that can be accountable in the pursuit of the AASW professional aims. The personal values that I hold in relation to the AASW code of ethics outlined above requires the need for good judgement. Good judgement and values for me encompasses and open-mind, reflectiveness, situational awareness, and the ability to use systematic ways of thinking through ethical dilemmas. My personal values associated with the professional values expressed in the code, are closely linked with how I as a professional would work through the case but on a personal level how I would like to see a justified outcome based on these ethics. This case study entails numerous decisions to be made to justify the appropriate outcome that is best suited for all parties involved. The question that is raised for me is can services providers based on a medical model assume that an individual lacks the capability and autonomy to care for their children, based on their mental health diagnosis that can be treated with medications. Do we as workers have the power to make an individual oppressed , intervene and deem that this individual is vulnerable due to the side effects of the medication? Miley and DuBois (2007, p.32) argue that when social workers only focus on the clinical without regard to ensure a just or caring society, they abandon a core social work purpose and become unfaithful angels. There are minimal differences between my own values and that of the codes used in the AASW. The decisions that I draw upon in relation to the case study is influenced by my values that answer the question how do I as a social worker identify if there is a need for intervention, and what legal and ethical basis of obligations or duty is need to intervene based the principles of the AASW. With relation to the case study what I acted on was both my own values and professional values. This choice was influenced by working in the field of Mental Health which has led me to see individuals being able to effectively manage their children regardless of their mental health issues even those who rely on anti-psychotic medications to prevent relapse. Miley et.al (2007, p. 34) suggest the social workers code of ethics reflect a multi-dimensional view of change and rather than adopting a singular view we use the ethics of justice. In using reflection as a tool the actions that have been suggested in the case study is not the intervention that I would have chosen for Jane based on the AASW code of ethics and my own personal values and beliefs. The actions that I would change would include liaising with other services involved and I would not suggest to Jane that she would keep custody of her children if this was not the case. The basic standard of proficiency that is generally applied in legislation in relation to involuntary clients under the mental health law is a rational one. It requires us as the professional to think about does the individual have the ability to understand the decision that is being made including consequences of their actions. This situation for Jane should have an entirely different outcome. Based on ethical decision making where clients have limited decision making skills the social worker will provide adequate and appropriate information and liaise with other consulting professionals to coincide with the requirements of the law and other interested third parties. The third parties could include allowing family such as Kinship care for the children till Jane becomes well enough to look after the children.

Admittedly Committred :: essays research papers

Admittedly Committed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All I could do was stand there and shiver. I don’t know if it was the fact that all I was wearing was a hospital gown and a pair of socks or if it was the fact that I was in a mental hospital. I was standing there, waiting to be put in a room for the night and I would be reassigned in the morning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laying down on what felt like a stone with linens thrown on it wasn’t very comfortable at all. Sleep was the least of my worries at this point though; I was wondering how to stay warm. Looking around in the dark at my room, everything was bolted directly to the floor. The beds, dressers, and desks were made of cheap oak and the walls were cement covered in an inch and a half of squishy white padding. Inside this room with me lay two brothers, who I came to find out have been in this place for a very long time and weren’t leaving anytime soon. I didn’t want to be there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I awoke, the two brothers were playing some sort of fake soldier game and running around the room like animals and hitting each other with pillows. They couldn’t have been older than thirteen. It was very sad that people so young should ever need to be put in a place such as this. I introduced myself to them. One of the brothers, Beau, got on my nerves right from the start. He was a very annoying little boy. He spent most of his days in a corner in â€Å"time-out† because he was the one kid out of all of us who never listened and never stopped talking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sitting down in the discussion room after breakfast was very uncomfortable for me. I was the new kid and I didn’t like being looked at by these people. We were all in here for something, but none of us talked about it unless we were forced by the counselors in the room. These people were crazy. Running away seemed pea-sized in comparison to the other things these kids had done in here. There were kids with white stretchy bandages on their arms to cover up the cuts. Other kids just had like severe ADHD and were on high doses of Ritalin. There was this little boy named Tyler, he was the smallest, youngest boy there.

Ernest Hemingway :: Free Essay Writer

Ernest Hemingway could ernest hemingway be considered a tragic figure in contemporary literature? Looking at Ernest Hemingway's past, you'd see that he lived a very tough, strict childhood. He was raised under the thoughts that if you had strong religion, hard work, physical fitness, and self determination you would be very successful no matter what field you were to go into. This made his relationship with his parents sort of complex. It was more of a difficult relationship with his mother. She was demanding, and was also known to be over bearing. She didn't accept Ernest as being a boy, so she frequently would treat him as a female baby doll and dress him as one as well. He didn't have the 'ideal' childhood as normally wanted. I believe his mother not fostering that proper bond she should have made with him caused him to be unsure of himself. This could possibly be a cause to his depression. An example of the mental torture he was put through with his mother was on his birthday. For his birthday, after he was moved out, his mother sent him a 'present.' She mailed him a cake, th e gun that his father had used to kill himself, along with a letter. The letter explained that a mothers life was like a bank. 'Every child that is born... enters the world with a large and prosperous bank account, seemingly inexhaustible.' She continued in the letter that he should replenish what he has withdrawn, and wrote out all the specific ways in which Ernest should be making 'deposits to keep the account in good standing.' His mother could be perceived as androgynous, which means having both female and male type qualities or even personalities. In a few of the books Hemingway wrote, he gives someone the impression that he hated his mother. He referred to her as a 'dominating shrew,' meaning she was selfish and only thought of herself. His mother considered herself pure and proper, and became very upset when anything 'disturbed' her view of the world as beautiful. Anything painful, or disgusting, she thought was not lady like. His childhood was very difficult and it stuck wit h him through-out his adult hood. Ernest never forgave his mother for humiliating him in front of the town. As an adult, Hemingway didn't have it easy either. He lived a sort of rejected adulthood. When he was younger he dreamed of being a boxer.

The Lost Roanoke Colony Essay -- essays research papers

Jamestown is thought by most of our general population to be the first colony in the New World. This is only half true. Jamestown is considered our first successful colony, however it was not our first attempt at a colony. There were a few attempts to colonize the New World before Jamestown and one in particular that is found to be interesting is Roanoke also known as the Lost Colony. It received this name due to the fact that the colonists that settled this colony disappeared very mysteriously. This poses the question of What happened to the people of Roanoke? There are many different viewpoints of what occurred to the colonists and the goal here is to address each one of them. In England, a document signed on January 7, 1587, created a governing body called the Governor and Assistants of the City of Roanoke in Virginia. John White, an illustrator and map maker, was appointed governor. Then on May 5, 1587, eighty-five men, seventeen women, and eleven children boarded the ships heading for the New World. The plan was originally designed for the colony to settle at Chesapeake Bay, however on July 22, 1587, Simao Fernandes, the ship captain of the expedition decided to drop everyone off at Roanoke Island, the site of a previous expedition called Greenville, instead of pushing up the coast to the Chesapeake Bay. John White believed that they would reunite with the fifteen colonists left behind from the previous expedition. Instead he only found the bones of one of the men, ...

Narration to Process Analysis

Going to college can be a scary thing for a kid just getting out of high school. Getting out to spread your wings, being out on your own. Making your own decision. Deciding what college to go to can be challenging and a hard decision for such a young person. But as an adult that has a job or career and a family going to college or going back to college may think, that’s not an option for them? Or is it? Don’t be nervous about that anymore, they have a solution for a person that has a job, family and someone who wants to go back to school. It’s called online education. You can go to work, keep up with family obligation and YES go back to school, and keep the balance of everyday life. I am going to try to help you keep that balance of going to an online education school and work and the grueling demands of family life. First of all find a reputable online education school, such as Penn Foster. Sign up for the appropriate course you want, as I am studying Medical Assistant. Wait patiently for your materials to come in the mail. When they come look over the everything carefully, set some small goals. Set a pace, make sure you set time aside each day to study of if not everyday make a schedule that works for you, if you have kids and they go to school and you can study during the day that’s a good time of if they take a nap that’s another good time. If you have to work during the day the best time to study is after the children go to bed. I am lucky at the job I have, sometimes I am able to study while I work. My kids are very athletic and are in sports in school, so when they have meets I take my homework with me and do my studies there. I get my books out in between events and read a chapter in my book or I write a paper. The nice thing about Penn Foster is you have no pressure in doing your studies every day. They give you a year to finish a semester. But in the case you can’t finish your semester in the year, you can extend your semester by 6 months at a time for an extra fee. So you say you get sick or the kids get sick and you can’t study for a period of time, you can take it off without any worries that you would have missed in a classroom situation. Take that time off it’s your decision. But it is a good try to keep on schedule you set for yourself in the beginning of the year, so you can keep things fresh in your mind. So I hope I have helped you in the progress of keeping you well balanced between family, work and your studies, studies at Penn Foster with my own experiences on how I kept up with the everyday demands of my hustle and bustle of work, kids and Penn Foster.

Analysis of Sojourner Truth

â€Å"In some cases, campuswide averages have crept up from a C just 10 years to B-plus today† (411). In Brent Staples essay â€Å"Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s† he makes many issues and arguments on the subject. Many college level institutions are faced with demanding consumers and competition from other universities over grade issues. The colleges have simply started just handing out more and more A’s to their students to better their satisfaction. This action taken by the colleges is having many repercussions on grade inflation and making the value of degrees meaningless worldwide. With this alarming statistic about the campus wide averages and the universities resorting to giving the consumers what they want is creating a terrible storm about to bring in serious problems. In Staple’s essay, he points out many valid reasons why several college level intuitions are just handing out A’s to their students left and right. Although he makes good arguments for his reasons, I have to question that not all his reasons are truly valid. I believe that colleges are giving into the demanding students and parents because they want to save their reputation and status in society. Colleges are more willing to give out better grades to students when their jobs are on the line. Staples explains that â€Å"professors at every level inflate to escape negative evaluations by students whose opinions now figure in tenure and promotion decisions† (411). Professors have to remember that every grade they give to a student may be questioned and have serious consequences concerning better job opportunities. Students want to get the grade they think they deserve and they will go as far as to complain and place the blame on a certain professor. I think that it is ridiculous those students figure in part in a professor’s promotion decisions. I also strongly believe that whatever grade a student receives on any paper is their final grade and they should have no room to question the professor’s reasons. Staples also suggested that â€Å"some departments shower students with A’s to fill poorly attended courses that might be canceled† (411). Colleges have to give out the grades the students are begging for so they can keep their classes from getting canceled thus saving their own jobs. Again, he is emphasizing that if teachers want to keep their steady jobs they have to motivate the students in some way to stay enrolled in the classes. This strategy seems like just a form of bribery the teachers have to offer to the deceptive students to keep their jobs afloat. Colleges these days have to grade carefully and be aware of the consequences that students do in some form determine their career movements. The consumers, the students and also the parents believe they should get out as much as they put into their college educational life by exercising their right to question and inquire about their grades. Today, colleges of every stature permit [students] to appeal low grades through deans or permanent boards of inquiry† (411). Unlike high school where you had to accept the grade you received on a paper, on the other hand colleges permit students to present their graded work to a higher power if they believe it was wrongly evaluated. I believe this rule is giving students and parents too much power over the professors who have been through many years of extensive education and know what elements make up a whole hearted A paper. Enforcing this assumption again â€Å"the evidence suggests that students and parents are demanding– and getting– what they think of as their money’s worth† (411). Students and parents are getting more and more demanding as the years go by. The way they perceive things is that either the student is paying their own way through college or the parents are putting their money into their child’s education and they expect to get every dime out of it. If they are going to use their own money they are expecting to get the best grades possible—no exceptions. These blood sucking animals will not back down without a fight. They will stand, they will protest, they will argue. The students and parents have a right to question grades, but to an extent. Their arguments should not be so demanding and they should be happy they are getting a voice to express their side of the story. Students and parents are becoming very demanding concerning grades and will go as far as they can to get what they think they deserve. Some universities wanted to use the Johnson plan of calculating grade point average differently than before, but this plan would make student’s academic careers much more complicated. Staples exclaims â€Å"Valen Johnson, a Duke University statistics professor, came under heavy fire when he proposed recalculating the grade point average to give rigorously graded courses greater weight† (412). Johnson proposed this plan thinking that it would help students be more successful, but all it would do was make everything very worse. Under this plan all courses would be given the same equal weight, but this plan would have many drawbacks. Depending on what major a student had, that student would be required to take certain courses that pertained to their desired degree. By making all courses equal weight, students would have to do very well even in the classes not associated with their major causing many academic problems. I strongly believe this proposed plan of recalculating grade point average is a very horrible idea. Johnson certainly did not put into perspective that making every course the same weight, would make the lives of the students much more difficult. He simply made the students have to do well in every class they took on no matter if it the class seemed easy or hard. The student government beat back the plan with the help of teachers in humanities, who worried that students might abandon them for other courses that they currently avoided† (412). Again, most college professors and members of education boards objected to adopting the Johnson plan because of the major repercussions it would bestow on students. I believe students would get overwhelmed with having to make sure they did exceptionally good in all their classes even tho se not required for their major. These students would have to make sure not let their grades slip because no matter the course the grade point average would be worth the same. To some people this plan may seem in genius; however the Johnson plan is not an ideal plan to better educational movements. Adopting the Johnson plan to colleges would be disastrous and also very stressful to the college students, so keeping the grade point average as it is calculated is the most logical choice to make.