Coming of Age Essay Example for Free

Coming of Age Essay A coming of age experience can happen any time during ones life, most often when it is least expected. It is the thread that sews humanity together, a phenomenon, which is undeniable. Society tells us, it is a defining moment in a childs life, when the world somehow becomes his or her own. Why then is Coming of Age simply relegated to the young? We all experience this phenomenon, from the tender age of four till the ripe old age of ninety-four. It is not an experience based solely on chronological milestones. Coming of age is a defining moment when a persons wide-eyed nnocence is replaced with something deeper and at times something darker and more sinister, a snapshot in life when one realized the answer rests inside us, not relying completely on God. Consequently, in that way, we are always coming of age, always-losing innocence, gaining understanding, and always discovering new truths about ourselves, emotionally, and intellectually. Coming of age is the act of experiencing a definitive shift in ones perspective, a greater realization of ones place in the world, and a further understanding of how personal actions and reactions are ntegrally linked. Thats not fair was my signature quotation as a little girl. A life full of Barbies, tea parties, and several rounds of Go-Fish card games was very demanding for a five year old. I could only assume the world revolved around which Barbie I wanted to be, what frilly dress I wanted to wear, and my pristine skills of winning every round of Go-Fish. As a little princess, fairness was vital to what made me happy. When I was eight years old, the word fair took on a whole other meaning the day my mom and her best friend, Muffy, took my sister and me to lunch. As we at down at the table, Muffy, the mother of my best friend, Sam, hesitantly twisted the diamond protruding from her gold wedding band. We waited for our lunches in silence, my sister and I only knowing that they had something to tell us, but not knowing what. The silence was unbearable; waiting for something that must have no positive outcome was definitely, as I would term, unfair. After the waitress brought our food, my moms voice filled the intolerable silence. Unlike her usual motherly lectures, my moms voice seemed Just as excruciating as the previous silence; it was uncertain, unfamiliar, and distant. My mom has always been the woman that I admire and would hope to become. The smiles and love she has given to my sister and me have been unconditional and contagious. At the moment, the slightly tilted frown and the unfulfilled eye contact was not the woman that I knew as my mother. All I wish for was to read her mind, fgure out who she had become so that I could make everything better and change her back to the woman I see myself being one day. Muffy began with her understanding voice, a quality that she and my mother share, Emily and Peggy, I can see the concern on your faces and we are here to tell ou that Sam has cancer. He will be undergoing surgery next week and all I ask from you is to be as understanding, mature, and as helpful as possible. I know you are both strong and that it is going to be hard for all of us. My best friend, at eight years old, has cancer. I continued to repeat this in my mind. There was no He will be find or Everything will be taken car of. My mind was running with questions, How long has he had cancer? Will he have to undergo chemo? Will he lose all his hair? But unfair. Two years later Sam went through his third treatment. At this point we were told hat he was not going to make it and at that moment, as a young eight year old, I began to understand that lifes trials cannot be won like a game of go-fish. I began to understand that life is not fair because I did not understand why someone so caring and loving like Sam would be put through this. I do wish that fguring these things out at such a young age would not be as tortuous as my best friend getting cancer and passing away. However, for me, maturing at that age is accepting that the world does not revolved around me. That losing in a game of go-fish is not the end of the world and to treasure every day of life.

Women’s Health and Men’s Health magazine Essay -- Gender Roles

The Sourcebook on Violence against Women reports that 14.8% to 36.1% of women will experience sexual violence over their lifetime. They also cited studies that found that up to 26.4% of women have experienced intimate partner violence (Renzetti, Edleson, & Bergen, 2011). With roughly 1 in 4 women experiencing sexual violence or violence perpetrated by a partner, many scholars are looking to point fingers. There are several theories that have something to say on the issue. However, it is important to realize at the heart of all the theories is how they are played out in the everyday lives of men and women. The media is a portal to how children are socialized, what consumers purchase, and lifestyle choices people make (Tallim, J). There is little dispute that media outlets are thriving in America. Magazine sales net over $4.5 billion every year. Magazines are widely available to the general public. The Magazine Publishers of America found that 93% of American adults read magazines. The growth trend over the last five years shows that next to the internet, magazines show the most growth in media usage (Magazine Publishers of America & International Periodical Distributors Association, 2010). Most of the public would agree that the American culture has become hypersexualized. Feona Attwood goes as far as calling the transformation a â€Å"‘pornographication’ of mainstream media†¦ [with] women increasingly targeted† (Attwood, 2005). There have been some efforts to combat this by encouraging the empowerment of women but results are still forthcoming. A comparison between the Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazine, owned by the same company, shows how media portrays men and women and perpetuates a violent, sexual culture that cultivates v... ...through the abuse that it teaches men is ok to perpetrate. Media is a powerful source of information for people of all ages. Consumers spend $86 million on magazines a week (Magazine Publishers of America & International Periodical Distributors Association, 2010). Media outlets should be working towards restructuring how boys and girls are socialized and the gender roles for men and women. Magazines should focus on empowering women rather than showing them scantily clad as sex objects. Not every article in Men’s Health and Women’s Health follows the stereotypes and enables violence or the objectification of women; however, the articles that do perpetuate violence far outweigh those that set a good example for men and women. Men’s Health and Women’s Health need to step up and learn to empower women instead of leaving them vulnerable to intimate partner abuse.

Preschool Graduation Speech Essay

Thank you all for coming on this special day to celebrate the graduation of the Pre-K â€Å"Rockstars† class of 2011. This is a monumental occasion in the lives of our children. It is also a time to recognize the outstanding work and support of all the staff here, the parents, and most of all the students. Just looking around at the smiling faces says so much about the culture here at our school. Each morning, my heart just melts, when I see those smiling faces that are followed by their warm embraces which continually remind me of why I love teaching and how lucky I am to be a part of their lives. I am so impressed with their progress this year and they have grown to see learning as fun, exciting with a passion that will help them as they advance with their education. Looking ahead, our children are very well equipped to take on the next part of their personal and educational lives. They have formed have a strong foundation and I feel especially confident that we have given o ur children a great start in life with the knowledge of many priceless lessons. So, To the Class of 2011, Pre-K Rockstars, â€Å"My Chickadees†: †¢ challenge yourself †¢ have a kind heart †¢ enjoy learning †¢ give back to others †¢ laugh and love †¢ And be all you can be! In closing, I would like to dedicate this poem to my special chickadees†¦This one is for you†¦. â€Å"To My Special Chickadees† I want to let know, How much you mean to me And how fast the year did go! Please come back to visit me All through the years you grow, Try to learn and love all that you can There is so much for you to know I’m glad I am your teacher I’ve come to love you so. I can’t believe the end is here. It is so hard to see you go The one thing I tried to teach you to last your whole life through, Is to know that you always be â€Å"my special chickadees† And there’s is no one else like you! So it’s with all my heart I send you on your way, with great hope and expectations for years of happiness and bliss to stay.

Academic Ethics And Ethical Procedures - 906 Words

The purpose of this paper is to address the issues surrounding Academic Integrity and ethical procedures as they relate to students, scholarly research and practice. We will take a look at the viewpoints of two articles that tackle this issue. When I think about the word â€Å"ethics†, morals and doing the right thing comes to mind. In life, there is a constant struggle between making good and bad choices, especially if the choice you choose can make or break your career. In the first article, Aaron Roche, (2012-2013) highlight several levels of academic dishonesty being displayed and the repercussions that followed as a result. Together Aaron and Roche, try to identify where academic dishonesty can begin and how society plays a major role in its flourish. From an early age we are taught to be competitive and to always strive to be the best at what we do, at least that’s what most parents expect from their children. There is an enormous amount of pressure placed on chi ldren in the elementary and high school grades to achieve high scores on standardized test. Unfortunately this type of pressure if continued can lead to cheating on the collegiate level (Schellenbarger, 2013). Academic dishonesty or â€Å"cheating†, has become a common standard amongst specialized high schoolers and prep school students. In one scenario, involving a specialized school in New York, high school students devised an organized plan to cheat on a Regents exam. Of course the students involved were caught andShow MoreRelatedThe Code Of Ethical Conduct1243 Words   |  5 PagesEthics in research are ideally the norms or the morals every person should adhere to when conducting research. In essence, ethics in research entails conducting research in a way that the method or procedure employed, the purpose of the research and the way one publishes his or her research findings adheres or exemplifies good conduct. 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