Staff Development And Managing Technology

Staff Development And Managing Technology Staff development is a continuous plan in school that focuses on developing teachers’ knowledge, skills and strategies. The development programs aim at influencing teachers’ self understanding and their behaviors so as to influence the students. This happens because teachers have a direct contact with the students in their daily operations through the process of learning and teaching. The training is reinforced through continuous, classified, formal or informal plans.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Staff Development And Managing Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Personal development addresses specific teaching career issues (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). This paper seeks to explore the essence of staff development and technology change management in schools and also analyze the effectiveness of these components. Introduction It is important for an institution or organization to capitalize on t he staff’s abilities and potentials that arises from the shared responsibilities and the use of technology. This is because employees have the ability to improve their skills through self directed programs for development and trainings. However, whether or not it is an initiative of the school or company to have employees train, the staff has to be committed to learn and explore the learning opportunities. This is the only way in which the goals of the development plan can be achieved. Discussion The initial ability and comfort in using information technology to enhance staff skills and knowledge of content delivery in a learning environment may be a challenge. This is because of the various attitudes that are likely to emerge due to the different attitudes, beliefs and thoughts about the technology in use among individuals. The beliefs highly influence future intentions in the use of technology in the elementary education. Teachers can be given a chance to evaluate their ski lls against the parameters of the training program. A staff development practice in a school will foster personal development hence improve the overall performance in the institution. The proof for this can only be measured on improved results and achievements of students. The National Staff Development Council, NDSC advocates the improvement of professional efficiency in the teaching and learning process in order for all students to achieve their optimum results (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p. 312-314). Staff development not only aims at enhancing performances in school but also on enhancing workers’ attitudes towards work, positive motivation, creating strong relationships among the teachers and sharpening them on the acquire new skills and knowledge.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Staff development practices The fact that the training team has common values and long term goals; every member has to tolerate multiplicity and disagreements in order to learn as a group. There is also the need to cultivate essential and quality practices that will help achieve a successful implementation of the staff development strategy. Study group is one of these quality practices that reinforce the achievement personal development among employees. Teacher trainees can be assigned to look into a particular area where most of them have a problem in teaching discipline. The group carries an extensive analysis on the area through sharing of opinions and seeking clarifications from the instructor and consulting among themselves. It is one way of strengthening staff-staff relationship. The study group also facilitates sharing of experiences, skills and knowledge hence learning new techniques that will further be used in classrooms to teach the students (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p.312-314). In staff development programs trainees coach one other. Peer coaching is anothe r major program that teachers and instructors can undertake in efforts to enhance collaboration among them and overcome their differences. Collaborative practices encourage trust and openness among the teachers. Peer coaching also help the members to value each other and accommodate their diverse experiences, attitudes and behaviors. More so is because teachers have divergent attitudes and thoughts about change and improvement needful in meeting professional development. Peer coaching promotes teamwork other than working as an individual. It creates a forum for sharing successful experiences that facilitates career growth and support for colleagues in teaching profession (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). The idea of utilizing the teachers’ ability to use technology is not always an easy and one day event. Most learners are often concerned about the professional risks and changes that technology brings to education. This is because the learners must adapt to pressure while using t he computer aided instructions and also ensure maximum participation as an individual.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Staff Development And Managing Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This to some adults may mean avoidance or even fear while using technology hence failure in meeting the expected results (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p. 312-314). Some techniques may involve the use of net to carry out research and electronic projections to learn. Self direct learning can also be done though attending seminars in order to enhance an individual’s knowledge and skills. Staff development approaches for adults Professional Staff development strategies organize adults into learning communities with the goals of improving learning among the trainees of the program. Teachers, students and the administrators need this form of professional training that is far different from the traditional workshop- driven approa ch. It may involve an ongoing team that meets regularly on certain days and at a given time with the goal of conducting joint lesson planning and also methods of problem solving. The commitment in the learning process among these learning communities is to adhere to the norm of a continuous enhancement and experimentation in order to enhance their daily work and also achieve the school goals (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). My understanding of development approaches for adults have been reinforces due to various factors as argued below. Adults commit themselves to learning only when the objectives and goals are realistic and meet their needs. Therefore when designing such a professional program, it is important to conduct needs assessment program so as to achieve an effective professional development program. The belief that learning activities is challenge to adults’ competencies may contravene the professional development approach. This is because they are their own origin of education and will therefore reject learning activities on the belief of attacking their qualifications. The other reason is that these learners have differences in levels of learning experiences, interests, self-direction, and competencies. Professional development learning must relate to the individual’s day- day activities. If the approach is technical and hard to understand, then the probability of its unsuccessful application is high. The learners must also be given direct experiences and relevant examples so that they can apply the skills in real work (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p. 312-314). Strategies to implement this in classrooms should then be implemented to see to it that teachers accept the use of technology with their own abilities. They may design video formulated programs to use in classrooms while teaching. They also need a hand- on trial in order to utilize the acquired skill, develop units, and implement the program by themselves.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To sustain this skill, follow up is need. They get opportunities to participate in an ongoing discussion. They can also reflect on the necessary processes and procedures that bring in the expected change (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). The understanding for staff development and technology development has also been reinforced because of the knowledge that there exists a direct connection between the curriculum and technology in use. If the teachers his students excelling and having improvements, then there is a link. Professional development on technology use needs to illustrate projects on particular areas of the curriculum in use, the skills and assessment competencies. The use of Specific content helps the instructors to analyze, reflect on the ideas and the structure of the project. Good integrated training programs do not necessarily see the need to use technology in classrooms but also checks on the outcome of its application. There is a relation between staff development in sch ool and educational change. These changes may be in the form of new plans, strategies and or even cross- curriculum initiatives that enhance the school curriculum (Clerk Mayer, 2007. p.7-28). Staff development approaches and the use of technology Learning approach in staff development of adults must be guided by the adult learning theory. The theory asserts that adults require viable and distinct experiences with enough content support, frequent response to the practices done, continuous and sustained follow ups. Staff development and the use of technology are totally different from the traditional mode of training and education which only carry out workshops. Research shows that teachers comprehend well the content provided to them when reinforced for a long time as compared to workshops which conduct a single session. The devised staff development strategy undertaken should be a long term based implementation plan. This is because the teachers require an on going support while th ey develop their skills to obtain the objected skills and knowledge. Single trainings and workshops often results in ineffectiveness, waste of time, money and energy. Lecture-base trainings must be avoided by all means while developing the skills of an organization’s employees. It is important to note that this paper doe not aim at stating that traditional approaches of professional development did not succeed at but other improved ways of effectively training employees. An instructor must by all means avoid delivering the content of the program by just verbal words alone. However, a combination of both word and practice must be incorporated for optimum results. Professional development in adult education requires well formulated approaches. Workshops and presentations enhance attainment of new ideas and skills concerning a particular topic by giving direct instructions and also enabled participatory practices. This may be undertaken as the initial step towards attainment of professional development in adults. This is because the organized workshop acts a vehicle in introducing the participants to the strategies of gaining professional development. It may also helps in introducing the practitioners to the relevant knowledge or skills that they further put hands-on (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). The instructor must design a comprehensive and practical development plan to reinforce the learning abilities of the staff. Such a plan requires investment. Regardless of the difficulties at the starting time, the participants must show commitment to the learning process and later move from move from teacher trainees to competent professional with time. Benefits of staff development and use of technology use in schools Job rotation in teaching is an out dated and ineffective approach of staff development and should be replace with Computer Aided Instructions (CAI). Computers display instructions when one needs such assistance, play audio on demand. CAI is one of t he most effective approaches of staff development among adult trainees. Unlike CAI job rotation involves rotation of staff through various levels/classes in order to acquaint them with the technicalities at each level. Its efficiency is insignificant (Clerk Mayer, 2007. p.37). The effects of CAI are significantly noticeable because it allows teachers to put their practice the areas that concern them. A school’s technology plan should be designed to incorporate professional development and technology use. The reason for this is that the inclusion of technology in the school’s overall improvement plan helps improve learning and teaching processes in school. The integrated technology in the school curriculum must be sufficiently sustained so as to allow the instructors and administrators continue using technology in learning processes (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p.312-314). With technology, individuals get personalized instructions that enable the staff to actively partici pate in the learning process of their professional development as compared to the traditional job rotations. Technology grants educators diverse opportunities to improve their teaching skills which in turn increase the students’ ability and achievements in education. Learning and working together produces improved and better results than learning and working individually. This is because technology does not allow interactions rather it permits software socialization and collaboration via real time like discussion boards and emails (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-5). Technology in staff development allows the learners to try out the newly skill acquired during the workshop session, the trainees follow up by applying what they observe in workshop and give a feedback. This comes after the learner has rehearsed the details provided to have the data integrated in long term memory. Feedback approach provides the learners with information and response that relates to their performance. In case the learner wants to try out another skill acquired at the first stage then the research or inquiry approach may be applied. This approach ensures that the learners think about their daily operations in relation to the acquired skill. They reflect on their practices over time. On the same line, workshops and seminars can be arranged to discuss needs analysis and then collaboratively come up with curriculum development program reinforcement (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p. 312-314). With CAI, the process of learning takes place smoothly without boredom, fatique and impatience that is a common behavior in most ‘traditional classrooms. With Computer Aided Instructions, students receive immediate feedback. It also gives the students the ability to decide on the speed at which to receive instructions and content. Additionally, after the teachers have gone through staff development trainings using technology, the teachers is saved the energy of moving from one station to another wh ile giving same instructions to different students (Clerk Mayer, 2007. p.37). Technological staff development plans provide instructions that are tailored to the learners’ requirements. The learners send their responds to the instructor’s questions, if there is an error on the learners practice problem, the system will sends increased instructions to help the learner solve the problem. This system allows the learners to practice inputting data into the computer hence feedback practice. The practice continuous until they get the right answers as per the instructions. Contrary to as many may think, there is no one perfect professional development approach. From the discussion, multiple approaches may be integrated to solve dynamic issues related to particular program content and also as per the needs of the learner. The effectiveness of particular staff development program comes as a result of utilizing integration of different approaches to be use for different situati ons. Professional development for the staff comes with a variety of factors and not just adoption of one approach. It is important to connect program to the students learning in order to facilitate high –order thinking. The development plan should be designed to incorporate technology use. The reason for this is that the inclusion of technology in the school’s overall improvement plan helps improve learning and teaching processes in school. The integrated technology in the school curriculum must be sufficiently sustained so as to allow the instructors and administrators continue using technology in learning processes (Rodriguez, 2000, para. 3-7). During the learning process, there is need to divide the participants into small groups so that they can share, reflect together and finally generalize their learning experiences to achieve the desired results. This is different from the idea of having one individual analyzing, reflecting and evaluating about an idea and then practice the same alone. Training strategies must aim at passing skills and knowledge to an individual and the knowledge retained, then applied at work place creating for more opportunities to acquire skills. On certain programs, learner may have to keenly observe and master the graphs and words provided in order to use the data for the practice session. Culture and staff development Every successful staff training program faces several challenges from the existing cultural differences among the members of the school. The cultural components relate to the relationship between research and teaching and also in the nature of teaching. The context in which Personal and professional development takes place also influences its success. To begin with school timetable and schedule plans may limit the teachers in securing time for the joint planning. This is because the teachers have class responsibilities that they must fulfill to meet the administration’s requirements. For the set staff development plan to effectively progress and be a successful project the school has to have a flexible program to accommodate teachers’ development that fosters for the success of learning on students (Clerk Mayer, 2007. p.37). The other cultural limitation is the leadership system in the school. Principals and heads must support the initiatives for teachers’ development by allocating enough time for a continual learning process. The administration and management must also provide the required resources for the learning programs. If this is not the case, then it can be said that the leaders are not committed to the staff training session s and implementing the development plan. Successful implementation of an education change plan calls for good practices among all participants in professional development in order to achieve positive students’ progress (Thomson Holloway 1997, pg.312). Individual teachers’ development also encounters the culture of individualism. This is a common isolation practice among teachers that protects teachers from criticism and blame. Some teachers tend to concentrate on short time plans in their classrooms and avoiding discussing and committing time for the necessary changes that affect their daily practices. Individualism results into failure collaboration with fellow teachers through fear of criticism and judgments. This affects the process of meaningful feedback, their value and competencies. Individual attitudes towards the use of technology in education play a major role in determining the results of using technology to improve the staffs’ skills. It becomes a concern to the learners about their ability to grasp the skills of using technology itself while on the learning process. These attitudes vary among different individuals ranging from generic ‘motherhood beliefs’ to the apprehensiveness of technology. ‘Motherhood’ beliefs question about the positive value s that technology brings (Thomson Holloway 1997, pg.312). Culture dominantly influences the learner’s choices for the training program. For instance, certain beliefs limit one’s selection of some subjects. To resolve this, training has to be reflective of the educator’s ability to influence the choices of learner’s positively. Furthermore, culture determines who will take part in what training program. Oppressive cultures that are oppressive to women, limit a woman’s choice of a training program. Thus, the use of peer coaching or study groups of different gender in cultures where women should only learn limits the learning that that the participants of such programs acquire. These are some culture which can negatively affect any staff development in a school because there is generally lack of commitment for the training program. There are major benefits that accrue to staff training and development that can not be ignored. These benefits surpass t he above discussed thoughts, beliefs an attitudes associated with technology in adults learning. It is therefore imperative to ensure that beyond these cultural challenges, the main objective of the professional development program is successfully implemented. The other idea that emerges in addition to the above discussion is the confidence of teachers of practicing the new skills like computer use knowledge. To all the teachers who use internet to research and later write research reports, the probability is that they struggle with lack of self confidence. The learners may never be confident about how well they were prepared to practically use technology while teaching. This is a major set back of using while implementing a development strategy to improve the staffs’ pre- service programming skills. This program may also increase anxiety among the group of how they will be using technology in classrooms upon their students (Thomson Holloway, 1997, p. 312-314). Conclusion An effective professional development program is an ongoing process and not a single instance application. Teachers need to continually practice the technology in use comfortably and in a professional manner. Significant changes in the school may take place after several years. This allows for the teachers enough time to comprehend integrated and master the new information and approaches into their daily practices. It is clear that, an instructor must be able to evaluate the approach he chooses for professional development. This is an intentional reflective practice that any instructor who aims at succeeding must do in order to refine the approach. This is more often done at the presentation stage so as to encourage the educators to reflect on the situation and then formulate other viable solution to the learner’s problem. Hand in hand with this kind of reflective approach is observing the educator through video or class attendance. Reference List Clerk, R. Mayer, R. (2007). E -learning and the science of instruction: proven guidelines of consumers and designers of multimedia learning: U.S, John Wiley and sons. Web. Rodriguez, G. (2000). Critical issue: providing professional development for effective technology use. Web. Thomson, J. Holloway, D. (1997). Staff development and a culture of collection in a primary school. Teacher development. Vol. 1, No. 2, Routledge: Routledge.

Television Violence and its effect on Children

Television Violence and its effect on Children The children of today are surrounded by technology and entertainment that is full of violence. It is estimated that the average child watches from three to five hours of television a day! (Neilson 1993). Listening to music is also a time consuming pastime among children. With all of that exposure, one might pose the question, 'How can seeing so much violence on television and video games and hearing about violence in in music affect a child's behavior?' Obviously these media have a big influence on childrens' behavior: we can see it in the way they attempt to emulate their favorite rock stars by dressing in a similar style and the way children play games, imitating their favorite cartoon personalities or super heroes. Studies have shown that extensive television viewing may be associated with, aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, obesity, and the use of drugs or alcohol (Deitz). Television, video games, and music are very influential and if there is t oo much violence available for children to watch, play, or listen to, this can sway their attitudes in a negative direction.No Video GamesTelevision is especially influencial on the children today. The hard truth is that children spend an average of 28 hours a week in front of the television (Neilson 1993). This is almost two times the amount of time that some children are in school. At this very impressionable age it is no wonder that the images that kids see sometimes has a profound impact on their behavior. Fifty-five percent of children watch television with a friend or alone. (TV-Free America). Too often parents assume that their children are responsible enough to choose suitable programming. But the sad fact is that even some shows deemed as "children's television" are violent. A survey in Mediascope showed that a...

Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Math - Essay Example help students have good economic life in future, that is, be employed and deal with life issues such as handling money, interacting with other people, and be well conversant with spiritual life (Peter, 2001). The other aspect of education is to produce a person who is physically, morally, and spiritually upright. All these should be instilled through teaching of mathematics. This paper therefore emphasizes on how mathematics leads to spiritual development. Mathematics as a subject is normally used by people to give a better understanding of very great things including description of natural phenomena normally use mathematics as a subject, how they occur in the world. For instance, knowledge of probability may make a person tell whether it would rain the next day or not (winter, 2000). Even explanation on the depths of ocean waters, heights of mountains and calendar of the days. All these descriptions require the knowledge of mathematics. Mathematicians are philosophers on their own since they can sit and think how great things came into existence there giving an insight to occurrence of infinite things of the world (Downes, 1997). As a matter of understanding wonders and infinite things, mathematics teachers apply the methods of using surprises in order to make complicated things become real. For example, Movshovits Hadar (1988) argues that using the concept of Pythagoras theorem in bringing ideas of squaring sides of a right-angled triangle is a surprise to students. Mathematics has been used to promote spiritual development in learners. This can be clearly explained in terms of religion, philosophy and science that attempt to explain how Christians are linked with charity and social justice through mathematics. The origin of mathematics can be traced back from great philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato who through rational thinking did a lot in the field of mathematics. According to Morshovits (1988) mathematics play a spiritual function by providing a

Maritime law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Maritime law - Coursework Example This is the absolute duty that the ship or the vessel owner owes to the seamen who are involved in the voyage, for the protection of any risk that might face their lives emanating from the unworthiness or lack proper maintenance of the ship. Thus, if any event of collision or accident occurs in the sea, due to the un-seaworthiness of the ship or the vessel, then the owner of the ship or the vessel is liable for the damage, and the appropriate liabilities shall befall the owner3. This includes the liabilities of all the damages incurred on the cargo, the seamen or the other ships or vessels that could have collided with the unseaworthy ship or the vessel, during the course of their voyage. Among the cardinal duty of the ship or vessel owner is to provide a seaworthy ship or vessel. The doctrine of seaworthiness is the cardinal principle of the Maritime law, considering that the issue of seaworthiness of a ship or a vessel directly affects the liabilities of various stakeholders in the Maritime Law, who may include the liability of the carrier, the marine insurance and the environment4. The concept of seaworthiness of a ship or a vessel is provided under the law, as the presence of all pipes, pumps, heater coils and all the other components of the ship or the vessel, which are in good working order. Thus, the law is further interpreted to mean that the fundamental responsibility of the ship or the vessel owner, which he owes to the seamen; both operating the ship he owns or the seamen operating other ships or vessels on the water body, is to ensure that the ship or the vessels are fit to undergo the hazards of the sea, or any other incidental risk that may occur along the voyage, which the ship or the vessel might be exposed in the course of the voyage, without necessarily having such risks being contributed in any way, by the un-seaworthiness of the ship or the vessel6. This being the case, the owner of the ship bears all the liability in case of an accident, co llision, damage or injury occurring to the vessels, the ship or the seamen, which emanates from any aspect of the ship being unworthy for the sea voyage. However, as s reprieve to the owner of the ship or the vessel to be involved in a voyage, the concept of seaworthiness of the ship or the vessel was lessened only to include the worthiness of that ship or vessel, at the start of the voyage2. Therefore, while there are many instances that may arise where a vessel could be identified as being unseaworthy, the only liability that the owner of the ship or the vessel can bear, is that of the ship or the vessel being unseaworthy at the start of the voyage, while the other aspects of un-seaworthiness, which might occur in the course of the voyage, are deemed incidental and thus the liability is assessed differently3. According to the provisions of the Maritime law, there are several conditions that may constitute the un-seaworthiness of the ship or the vessel in voyage. First, a stowage w hich may affect in any way the safety of the ship or the vessel is considered unseaworthy, and thus constitutes the un-seaworthiness condition of the ship or the vesse7. Secondly, any deficient systems ashore or on board the ship or

Article reviews Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Article reviews - Assignment Example The author admits that technology has managed to generate a long chain of social networks but regrets that the manner of communication in those links has not been as effective as in the past. Lately, people communicate via email and phones even to the closest ones who they should interact with face to face such as family and close friends. An instance is a case where a child writes a requisition note and sends it to the parent’s email. It indicates the detachment that has evidently been brought by new communication mediums. Families have broken away from the traditional systems and cultures where they could gather around a table for dinner as they discussed issues affecting them. Nowadays, an individual just needs to go behind a computer and share their problems online. The author is, therefore, appealing to the community to abandon the ineffective technology-aided communication and reincorporate the traditional methods that enhanced attachment. To solve this, it is in order for some of the traditional cultural ways of interaction to be revisited and reintegrated back into the modern life. The community should move from digital interactions to real face-to-face co mmunications. The author, in this article, explores some of the negative effects information communication technology (ICT) has brought to learning. This article addresses this issue by giving a practical instance in which classroom sessions have been interrupted profoundly by the many electronic gadgets that students use to surf the internet with. Freedman, appreciates the fact that technology is a real advancement that has improved lives. However, the trend of excessive internet obsession has brought more harm than benefits in classroom learning. A case is highlighted of a war that raged on between the teacher and a student in which the lecturer had to smash the leaner’s phone to show how much serious he intolerant he was with the issue. The author

The Young Man Has Changed Essay Example for Free

The Young Man Has Changed Essay As I was stabbing out the cigarette with my foot I was standing leaning against the dusty black wall, which was blocking the view of the railways. Next to me was my best friend Salim who was carefully watching me and then imitating every minute movement and action. To some extent without boasting I was the leader and Salim was the follower. Just then a young girl wearing a tight body top and a short silky black mini skirt was walking past us and Salim was beginning to whistle at her. As she was disappearing into the main road we were both sniggering loudly. By the reflection on the glass door that had a varnished wooden border I was seeing myself holding a mobile phone, wearing a brand new pair of Reebok trainers, Georgio Armani jeans, and the latest v-neck GAP jumper. In my pocket I was carrying at least fifty pounds that I had made on the streets by doing a few dodgy deals. But even though having all this, deep inside I was feeling no peace, no buzz as if something was missing. Living the life of Islam was the answer to all my difficulties. At the time I knew this but I still could not do it as it was asking me to leave all the things I loved and this was including girls and music. However the weakness which was making me follow my desires and not the way of Allah did at last leave my life. It was one cold summers evening when I was sitting in an alley with a gang of friends planning which club to go to that night. All of a sudden everyone flickered their eyes at the muddy and dirty entrance. There two youngsters with glowing faces walked in. They wore pure white robes and Arabian caps. They greeted us in just the right way Safe boyz. The shorter brother told us that they came from Manchester and that they were here to remind the Muslims about their faith. Everyone including Asim who everyone called The Big Boss was silent and showed both of them lots of respect. The taller brother came in the centre of us and started to talk about Islam. As he said every word and every sentence, the idea that this world is only a test and the life after death is the real place for excitement became a strong feeling inside me. His voice was like a power flowing inside me making me feel peaceful. The things he said and the way he said them made me realize for sure that he had been through what I was going through. When he had finished talking and when both of them had left, all my friends had their eyes towards the floor and all of them were absolutely silent. But then one idiot had to lift his head and crack a joke. And guess what? All of them began to laugh! It was as if the devil snatched away the important advice from their hearts. I was really angry at their behaviour and straight away left them. As I was walking home that evening I was deciding it was time to change. Inside me was born a new feeling that I would be a failure in life unless I began to follow Islam fully. The following day was a big test for me as it was the day I was going to show my changed life to the world. I rolled my trousers up just above the ankle, as this was the teaching of the prophet Muhammad and wore a topi on my head. Like this I walked into school and in the playground everyone was so shocked to see me dressed in this way and their wide opened eyes were glued to me. Some girls when walking past me would look at me with a weird face as if I was some sort of alien. However those of my friends and other people who knew why I had changed were happy for me and were pushing me to carry on. At first when I would be around a lot of strangers and especially girls I would feel really shy but I was not allowing this to stop me from practising my religion because I had faith in Allah that He gives ease after every difficulty. Within a month, every thug on the street knew that I had changed and I was beginning to get respect from everybody in my area, youngsters and grown-ups. Even the people I did not know were greeting me. Now I was feeling a deep satisfaction and as if that something which was missing was found. At present I go to college which I find really different to school mainly because there are more girls around me and I have more freedom to do what I want to do. I feel that Allah is testing my faith in Him by testing me with these young girls. I need to crush my feelings towards them so that I do not get attracted to them and this is hard. But I am coping and when I see girls I try to look down and when I do this I feel as if a wave of ecstasy is swirling inside me and I believe this to be a reward from Allah for listening to Him. The thoughts that make me do this are the images of heaven and hell. They alarm me every time I am about to do something bad and so far these are my strongest motivators in life. Now death has become something I think about a lot. The other evening when I was coming back home from college I was waiting for a train on the Blackhorse Roads filthy platform and this was making me think that I am like a traveller in this world and soon I will leave it. When the train was coming and as it got nearer it stared at me with its beaming eyes and roared even louder and this was making me feel scared, as it was reminding me of the Angel of Death who takes away everyones life. On the same evening after reaching Woodgrange Park station, I was walking home using a different route and by chance I was passing the old, dusty, black wall and it was bringing back my shameful past. I whispered to myself, What an idiot you were. Topi is a hat worn by Muslims.

Irony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essay -- The Story of an H

Irony in Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as irony. An author uses irony to shock the reader by adding a twist to the story. The author of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is Kate Chopin. Her use of irony in the story is incredibly done more than once. Irony is thinking or believing some event will happen but in return the unexpected or opposite occurs. Kate Chopin uses two types of irony in this short story. Situational irony refers to the opposite of what is supposed to happen, and dramatic irony occurs when the audience or reader knows something that the rest of the characters in the story do not know. Kate Chopin does a great job in placing irony into this short story and makes the reader understand that the unexpected happens in life. There are few characters in this story, but they all play an important part. The characters are Mrs. Mallard, Josephine, Richards, and Brently Mallard. Mrs. Mallard and Brently Mallard are married and live together in the house that the story takes place in. Josephine is Mrs. Mallard’s sister and she is the one who would break the news to her about Brently Mallards death in the railroad accident. Finally Richards who is Brently Mallards good friend, and he is the one who found out about Brently Mallards death. The setting of the story takes place in the Mallards house. It seems to me that the house is old and very comfortable. I think this because after Mrs. Mallard finds out about her husband’s death she goes to her room and the narrator says â€Å"There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank.†(157) This shows that the furniture is old and worn because most furniture takes a while before it can be worn is so when sat on it will sink in. Throughout the whole short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† the reader sees’ irony but the best usage of irony occurs toward the end of the story in the last few paragraphs. As the reader reads the story they notice that Mrs. Mallard’s husband Brently Mallard died in a railroad disaster. The reader also finds out that Mrs. Mallard has a heart trouble, and great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death. (157) There ar... ...iant because it lets the audience know her real death and what the characters in the story thought her death was. Without irony in a story it may be very boring and easy to put the story down. With irony included in the story the reader does not want to put the book down and stays interested throughout the entire story because irony makes the reader want to know what is going to happen next because they can’t guess it. Kate Chopin uses irony to perfection in this short story. She does this by using irony to let the reader better understand the purpose and meaning of the story. Without the irony in this story it would be dull and boring, but with irony, the story has suspense and unexpected events. This story was not like other stories that you usually read. It was not predictable at all. I love the vivid imagery throughout the whole story. I like this story because you can not really predict what is going to happen. When you can predict, it usually ruins the story. It kept you wandering about how it was going to end. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. The Story and its Writers. Compact 6th Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 15