Use this Sample Basic Essay as a Model Essay Example for Free

Use this Sample Basic Essay as a Model Essay The essay below demonstrates the principles of writing a basic essay. The different parts of the essay have been labeled. The thesis statement is in bold, the topic sentences are in italics, and each main point is underlined. When you write your own essay, of course, you will not need to mark these parts of the essay unless your teacher has asked you to do so. They are marked here just so that you can more easily identify them. A dog is mans best friend. That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets. In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If theyre not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch! In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats dont even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also dont often have accidents. Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed. Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return. Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.

Deviance Behavior Criminal

Deviance Behavior Criminal Deviance: Is It In the Eye of the Beholder? Abstract Deviant behavior is described as actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally enacted rules as well as informal violations of social norms. This paper will examine what the various types of deviance and will present the important theories of deviance. There is often the argument that deviance is in the eye of the beholder but after research I found out that it is not quite true. Deviance is an established abnormality in individuals and society and sociologist have been seeking to find solutions for it for decades by applying various theories upon this abnormality. There are seven major theories of deviance that are further followed by sublistings of variations on themes. These theories are differential association, anomie, Marxian conflict, social control theory, labeling, utilitarian/deterrence and routine activities. Deviance is also broadly categorized into three basic forms of rule breaking behavior; good, odd and bad behavior. It is now realized that though many acts maybe deviant they may still not constitute bad or criminal behavior. But they are still socially reprimanded because of their nature such as highly inappropriate modes of dress. There is the absolutist stand in viewing deviance and the relativist stand. The absolutist stand places all blame of the deviant act upon the individual while the relativist stand is more lenient in taking into account the larger picture that considers societal factors and other influences in causing deviant behavior. The modern day sociologist is considered to be a relativist who believes in taking the middle road when analyzing deviant behavior. According to Shur (1965), ‘The societal reaction to the deviant, then, is vital to an understanding of the deviance itself and a major element in—if not a cause of—the deviant behavior. Deviance: Is It In the Eye of the Beholder? When it come to an attempt to ascertain whether or not deviance is in the eye of the beholder, the fact is that all the research that is related to deviance only proves that it is a phenomena that is not in the eye of the beholder but a valid and recognized form of socially abnormal behavior. In any given society of the world, deviance is an established of behavior that breaks out of the recognized norms and requires to be corrected in order for the normal flow of social life to progress. Deviance describes actions or behaviors that clearly violate cultural norms including formally and informally enacted rules as well as informal and formal violations of these rules, regulations and norms. This paper will try to depict how deviance is seen, created, challenged and enforced. Deviance is an act defined as the deliberate violation of the cultural norms of a given society. The most prevalent form of deviance is crime of any sort or the violation of societal norms enacted by a society that have been formally enacted into criminal law (What is Deviance?) Deviance has been recognized as an integral part of every society and hence is studied as a sociological science. In being studies as a science of society, there is little doubt that deviance should be considered to be in the eye of the beholder. The sociology of deviance is based on the study of deviant behavior as the recognized violation of cultural norms. It also deals with the creation and enforcement of those norms. It is important to understand that certain deviant behaviors may not be recognized as such by all societal standards. In other words, not all societies have rules that would disallow all forms of behavior. But still every society does have its own set of social rules that when broken, consti tute deviance for the members of that particular society. Rather on the contrary, deviance is defined in relative terms with different societies having different ways to view the same behavior (Sociology of Deviance). Many of the theories that are related to deviance and criminal behavior are simple and uncomplicated stating one or two explanatory principles that apply to all instances of the particular form of deviance that is being explained. These are also called simple theories that are conventionally classified into six or seven major categories and have sublistings of variations on themes. The categorical schemes that are most popular are related to strain, learning, labeling, control, opportunity, psychodynamic and biological. According to Pearson and Weiner (1985) the simple theories that are most important are differential association (Sutherland and Cressey 1978), anomie (Merton,1975), Marxian Conflict (Bonger 1916; Quinney 1970), social control (Hirschi 1969), labeling (Becker 1963; Gove 1975, 1980; Schur 1971), utilitarian/deterrence (Andenaes 1974; Becker 1968; Cornish and Clarke 1986; Gibbs 1975; Tunnell 1992; Zimring and Hawkins 1973) and routine activities (Cohen and Felson 1979) ( Tittle, 1995). Sutherland and Cresseys theory of differential association is considered to be one of the most prominent social learning theories. Sutherlands research was focused on white collar crime, professional theft and intelligence and disputed the notion that crime was a function of peoples inadequacy in the lower classes. He did not consider crime to stem from individual traits or from socioeconomic positions but to be a function of a learning process that could affect any individual regardless of culture. The acquisition of behavior is a social learning process rather than a political or legal process. Consequently the skills and motives that are conducive to crime are learned as a result of contact with pro-crime attitudes, values, definitions and other related pattern of criminal behavior. The basic principles of differential theory are that criminal behavior is learned, learning is a byproduct of interaction, learning occurs within intimate groups, criminal techniques are learned, perce ptions of legal code influences motives and drives, differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity, the process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal with anticriminal and criminal influences involve all of the mechanisms that would be involved in any other learning process and that criminal behavior is an expression of the general needs and values but it is not excused by those general needs and values because non-criminal behavior is also an expression of the same needs and values (Seigel, 2005). The theory of anomie was presented by Robert Merton and it explains the occurrence of crime as well as wider disorder and deviance. This theory is considered to be a wide ranging and essential sociological explanation for deviance. Merton borrows the term anomie from Durkheim and rejects individualistic explanations of crime and criminal behavior stating them to be socially learned. He also says that there are social structural limitations imposed on access to the means to achieve these goals. The focus of his work is on the position of the individual within the social system rather than on personality characteristics. He says, â€Å"Our primary aim lies in discovering some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in non-conformist conduct† (Burke, 2005). This theory is based on the work of Karl Marx and views a dominant class as being in control of the resources of society, using its power to not only create institutional rules but entire belief systems that support this power. The theory looks at the structure of society as a whole in trying to develop explanations for deviant behavior. According to this theory the economic organization of capitalist societies is responsible for producing deviance and crime. Since this scenario causes certain groups in society to have access to less resources in capitalist society they are hence forced into deviance and crime to sustain themselves. The high rate of economic crimes such as theft, robbery, prostitution and drug selling is explained by conflict theorists to be the result of the economic status of these groups. Contrary to emphasizing values and conformity as a source of deviance, as done by functional analyses, the conflict theories view deviance as the direct result of power relations hips and economic inequality (Andersen, Taylor, 2006). The theory of social control was offered by Hirschi and it evolved from many previous contributions. The primary concept of the theory is the ability to deviate from normative behavior. Many people do not engage in deviant behavior because of their bond to society. Social bond was also conceptualized by Hirschi on the basis of the attachment of the individual to others, commitment to conventional lines of action, involvement and belief in legitimate order. These four components were regarded by Hircshi as being independent and having a generally negative association with the chances of engaging in deviant behavior. It was his opinion that when the elements of social bond were weakened, the probability of delinquency and deviancy increased (Weis, Crutchfield, Bridges, 2001). Labeling theory is considered important in the study of deviance since it focuses not only on crime but also the situation surrounding the crime. It goes beyond viewing the criminal as a robot like person whose actions are predetermined by also recognizing that crime is often the result of complex interactions and processes. Decisions to commit crimes and other acts of deviance involve the action of a variety of people that include peers, victims, police and other key characters. Additionally, labeling also fosters crime by guiding the actions of all parties involved in these criminal interactions. Actions that are considered insignificant and innocent when committed by one person are considered provocative and deviant when committed by another who has been labeled a miscreant. On the same note, labeled individuals may also be quick to judge, take offense and misinterpret the behaviors of others due to their past experiences (Siegel, 2004). Sociologist clam that when a person becomes known as a deviant, and is ascribed deviant behavior patterns, it is as much, if not more, to do with the way they have been stigmatized, then the deviant act they are said to have committed. As a matter of fact, labeling theory has subsequently become significantly dominant in the explanation of deviance. This theory is also often referred to as rationale choice or â€Å"economic† theory. The main idea of the theory is that all human acts are decisional and that any behavior is more easily understood in terms of relative costs and benefits. When the cost of any behavior exceeds the benefit or utility for any individual he or she will in all likelihood forgo it. But when the benefits exceed the cost, the behavior will follow. Hence if one could learn the costs and benefits of different courses of actions it would make it easy to explain and predict what will happen (Tittle, 1995). The theory of routine activities asserts the fact that high crime rates in the US have always been a part of normal life. The main concept of the theory are taken from the insights of a number of other perspectives on crime and victimization such a the free-will basis of human action or rational choice and empirical studies that reflect that patterns of crimes and victimization differ in time, in location and in the social distance between the victim and the offender. The key claim of the theory if that the patterns of victimization and crime are the result of the everyday interaction of the potential offenders, suitable targets, and guardians. It is the interaction of these three variables within geographical space and in time that eventually determines the rates of crime and delinquency in modern society (Beirne, Beirne, Messerschmidt, 1999). Deviance is broadly categorized into three basic forms of rule breaking behavior; good, odd or bad behavior. Deviance that could be considered good or even admirable but which still breaks out of social norms is something akin to heroism such as putting ones own life in danger in an attempt to save the life of another person. There are many behaviors that may be considered odd even though they may not be criminal. They are considered odd because they are different than behavior that is shown by other people. Examples of this deviance range from outlandish or inappropriate modes of dress, mildly eccentric behavior such as a person who sees nothing wrong in sharing their house with 50 cats to outright madness. Bad behavior is what the name implies it to be; law breaking or criminal behavior that in some way is seen as being something more than simply outlandish or eccentric. The different kinds of behavior in this category constitute crime, violence, crimes against property and the lik e dependant on the time and place at which they take place (Types of Deviance). Though the definition of deviance and the different ways of interpreting it have undergone much research over the years, the fact that there is indeed such behavior in every society that clearly deviates from the norms of that society and hence constitutes deviant behavior hasnt changed. According to Rock (1973), â€Å"The common sense definition has not changed: the absolutist orientation still prevails. Not so for social science. Sociologists in particular now realize that, contrary to common sense, the identification of and reaction to deviance in everybodys life is no different from other areas of life: these processes hinge on one persons interpretation of another persons deeds. The chief difference between interpretations in other areas of life and those in deviance lies in the use of a moral yardstick when deviance is interpreted. To be sure, what is seen a deviant is part of everyday knowledge of common-sense reality. But it is a socially constructed reality† (Rosenber g, 1983). Because most of the world does have a socially constructed view of deviance, it makes people view the act and not the actor. Societies, heritages, morals passed down from generations, and religious preferences have all blinded individuals from using their own personal judgments and common sense. My interest in this particular topic had a lot to do with my free will of judgment in reference to how I myself viewed deviance and although I guide my kids into what is believed to be right and wrong, I also teach them to make their own decision on what they consider to be deviant in their eyes. As times change, so does the world and although some things are more acceptable, values remain the same. However, if one really wants to understand the way deviance is viewed, created, challenged and enforced, one has to take a much deeper view. It is not enough to focus on the individual deviant and the means of society trying to transform a behavior into some acceptable normal thing; one also needs to examine those who insist on this transformation and who have defined it as deviant in the first place. In some cases, it may be the actual values or the way people judge and label deviant behaviors that is more deviant than the acts or behaviors itself. In conclusion, after examining the types of deviance and the different theories of deviance it can be surmised that it wont be logical to say that â€Å"deviance is simply in the eyes of the beholder†. Deviance is a recognized social ill. It also needs be mentioned here that there are two ways in which sociologists view deviance; the absolutist way and the relativist way. The absolutist are not willing to cut any slack at all in the discussing of deviance being an effect of environment, society and other factors related to it laying all blame of the deviant behavior entirely on the individual. To the contrary, the relativists are the ones who present their case in a manner akin to â€Å"so deviance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder†¦almost every conceivable human characteristic or activity is pariah in somebodys eyes† (Simmons, 1969). In modern times most of the sociologists are relativists where they claim that human action is neither inherently deviant nor inherently nondeviant but dependant of the effects of the environment and society as well. However, in determining the validity of deviance it is best to adopt a middle position which is neither strictly absolutist nor strictly relativist. Given the growing diversities of societies all over the world, it is only by adopting this middle path can one truly judge deviant behavior and seek plausible solution to it by applying the theories of deviance upon them. According to Schur (1965), ‘The societal reaction to the deviant, then, is vital to the understanding of the deviance itself and a major element in—if not a cause of—the deviant behavior. In my opinion, deviance is in the eyes of the beholder nonetheless, it is still a societal ill that first needs to be treated as such before solutions can be sought to remedy it. References Andersen, M. L., Taylor, H. F. (2006) Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Pp. 170 (Thomson Wadsworth 2006) Beirne, Beirne, P., Messerschmidt, J. W. (1999) Criminology: Third Edition. Pp. 215 (Westview Press, 1999) Burke, R. H. (2005) An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Pp. 100 (Willan Publishing 2005) Rosenberg, M. (1983) Introduction to Sociology. Pp. 404 (Routledge 1983) Siegel, L. J. (2004) Criminology: The Core. Pp. 173 (Thomson Wadsworth 2004) Siegel, L. J. (2005) Criminology. Pp. 226 (Thomson Wadsworth 2005) Sociology of Deviance. Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 12, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology_of_deviance Tittle, C. R. (1995) Control Balance: Toward a General Theory of Deviance. Pp. 1 (Westview Press 1995) Types of Deviance. Retrieved on July 15, 2008 from http://www.sociology.org.uk/wsdo2.htm Weis, J. G., Crutchfield, R. D., Bridges, G. S. (2001) Juvenile Delinquency: Readings. Pp. 364 (Pine Forge Press 2001) What is Deviance? Retrieved on July 15, 2008 from http://www.geocities.com/tdeddins/deviance.htm

Letter to President Jackson :: writing letters

Dear President Jackson,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir, I have been meaning to write to you recently. I am truly devoted to your beliefs on how to treat our growing nation. Currently, I am a Senator for the State of NJ, and I feel strongly confident that you will lead us to a stronger and better nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason that I have felt the urge to write this letter to you persists to the formation of your spoils system. I am writing this letter to compliment you on your great accomplishment. Your spoils system gives many â€Å"common people† a spot in the national government. Along with you, I believe that this system is more democratic, and it fits our country just right. As you may already know, there have been many critic reviews posing against this system of yours. They believe that many qualified men aren’t getting a fair chance in the government. To reassure you, I believe that you are advancing with the necessary steps needed, and you will prevail amongst our people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Jackson, I would also like to state that I thoroughly agree with this statement of yours, which pronounces, â€Å"The duties of all public officers are†¦so plain and simple that men of intelligence may readily qualify themselves for their performance.† This statement has led me to ask you this question, â€Å"If you like to reward only common people spots in the government, why have kept Van Buren?† If it is possible, please reply to this question and your letter. Besides the question mentioned above, I would like to compliment you once again for a job well done for our democracy.

Good and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker :: The Devil and Tom Walker

Good  and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker    The concept of evil in the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" can be shown in many ways, by Irvings' symbolism. In the short story, Tom Walker symbolizes all of mankind by portraying him as being "sinful" and evil. When there is an intent to destroy, then we get a different level of hatred. We see that good vs. evil has been a theme that is ubiquitous in many writings. The story "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a story about a man who lives an immoral life of greed. Walker lives in a wooded area, where it is solemn, and quiet area of New England. Walker runs into the devil and sees that the devil is cutting down someone else's timber. The evil is shown, by the devil in how he is premeditating the murder of a "Deacon Peabody". Walker contemplates this meeting with the devil, and recognizes that evil is wealth is the first priority for him. Tom Walker's wife, was filled with cupidity and wanted to acquire the gold that the devil had promised. Walker hadn't obliged to his wife, and due to his wife's acute cupidity set out on her own journey to acquire that gold. She had been killed because of her greed, and lack of morals for self-prosperity, which resulted in her death. This is an important example of the use of evil within "The Devil and Tome Walker". Walker is told from the devil that he could earn money through usury and extortion. Walker commits to usury and makes a generous sum of money. Walker has no repentance for such a sin and continues to his usury. The evil accumulates in the story as Walker accumulates more and more money, resulting from more and

Dmitri Shostakovich Essay -- Musicians

Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg, Russian on September 25, 1906. He was the second child of Dmitry Boleslavovich and Sof†²ya Vasil†²yevna and he had two siblings. At the age of nine, Shostakovich took a piano lesson and discovered that he was musically gifted. When he was twelve years old, he composed a funeral march to honor Kadet Party leaders that Bolsheviks murdered, in 1918. Shostakovich stared to take classes at the Petrograd Conservatory in 1919. However, he did not do well in most of them, but he did extremely well in the artistic classes. Shostakovich composed â€Å"1st Symphony† and premiered it in 1926. Shostakovich worked as a concert pianist after he graduated to earn some money. He also composed at the same time. At the Warsaw International Piano Competition in 1927, Shostakovich met Bruno Walter, a conductor. He liked Shostakovich’s works and he said that he will conduct Shostakovich’s â€Å"1st Symphony† in Berlin. Shostakovich completed his â€Å"2nd Symphony† in 1927, and he started to work on the music for the opera â€Å"The Nose†. When the opera premiered in 1930, the opera did not do well and received many terrible reviews from the audience. Because of this opera, Shostakovich’s â€Å"3rd Symphony† was not perceived well Shostakovich married his first wife, Nina Varzar, in 1932. In 1935, they were separated when Shostakovich had an affair with Yelena Konstantinovskaya. They were later reunited and the born of their first child strengthen their relationship. Shostakovich worked on the opera â€Å"Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District† while he worked at Leningrad Theatre of Young Workers, known as TRAM in Russian acronym, in the early 1930s. When the opera premiered in 1934, the opera were successful. He was praised â€Å"it co... ... and emotions of the characters, and it created the atmosphere for the films, just like how his â€Å"5th Symphony† was able to captured people’s emotions when they lost many people that they know in mass execution. Works Cited "Classical Net Review - Shostakovich - King Lear." Classical Net. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . David Fanning and Laurel Fay. "Shostakovich, Dmitry." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 1 Apr. 2012. "Dmitry Shostakovich." AllMusic. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "Hamlet." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "King Lear." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. .

Racism: Black People and New York Times Essay

I think everybody has heard about segregation. We all know about how everybody used to say separate but equal is okay. I think that racism is still going on today, even though it isn’t as obvious. It’s a disease that a lot of people have, which we must find a cure for. It’s a little harder to cure than the common cold though, but I think that it’s just as bad as it used to be. The first example of racism is when they are going to the trial in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird when Scout, Jem, and Dill are going to the trial and trying to find a seat in the balcony it says, † . . . and steered us gently through the black people in the balcony. Four Negroes rose and gave us their front-row seats. † (Lee 164) This is a good example of racism because it shows that blacks had to stand if whites wanted to sit down. So it shows segregation. Another quote is, â€Å"The colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom. Like a second veranda†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lee 164) This says that there was still a lot of segregation because it was just a â€Å"colored balcony†. That’s the only place blacks were allowed to sit or they could stand in the back. One more quote that I have from the book that says racism was, and still is a problem is, â€Å"But around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black. † (Lee, 162) I really think that this is a strong quote, because I think that it’s true. If someone doesn’t like one group of people and then they find out that your slightly one of them. They automatically push you away. My reasoning for them doing this is because they are either scared or jealous of them. It also says that people don’t try to get to know people very well. Lots of people did and still do make judgements based on outward appearance. In this paragraph, I’m going to prove to you that racism still exists, just as bad as it did in the 1930’s. Even though there isn’t segregation anymore racism is still a problem. People are racist mainly against blacks. Like this article says, † . . . 88 black men have been executed for killing whites, while only two white men have been executed for killing blacks. † (New York Times, February 24, 1995. A Long History. Laws once gave penalties by race.) It shouldn’t matter what your skin color is depending on how severe your punishment is. Another article says, † . . . when blacks committed crimes against each other without involving whites, the legal consequences wee lower than when whites were harmed. † (New York Times, February 24, 1995. A Long History. Laws Once Gave Penalties by Race. ) This one shows that once whites were involved the crime suddenly got a lot worse than they were making it. I think that with some proof from the book that shows how it used to be. Then some proof of how it has been in the last few years, I think that anyone can clearly see that racism is just as bad as it used to be. My solution to the problem of racism is very hard to do. It is known as a disease, but this isn’t one we can take some medicine for and cure it. This is one we have to teach. Racism is not caught, but taught. We have to teach each other that it doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. How do we teach this? We can go to schools all around the country. Do a lot of different public speaking sessions. That is how I would cure racism. So in conclusion, I hope that I have convinced some of you that racism is just as bad as it was in the 1930’s. You can plainly see that Harper Lee, even as a little child could see that racism was going on. Then it was a little more obvious, but we still need to realize it. Just because racism is just as bad as it was before doesn’t mean that we can’t change that.

Unit 304 Promote Children and Young People’s Positive Behaviour

Unit 304 Promote children and young people’s positive behaviour 1. 1 Summarise the policies and procedures of the setting relevant to promoting children and young people’s positive behaviour. The policies and procedures of the setting relevant to promoting children’s and young people positive behaviour covers a range of six sectors these are †¢ Behaviour policy †¢ Code of conduct †¢ Rewards and sanctions †¢ Dealing with conflict and inappropriate behaviour †¢ Anti-Bullying †¢ Attendance Behaviour policy A guideline to all staff on how pupil’s behaviour should be managed. It is important that this policy is constantly being applied to ensure full safety of the pupils; this is why all staff must be familiar with this policy. Code of conduct A set of rules/guidelines for the pupils so they understand how they should behave and what is expected of them. It is important that the children are reminded of the code of conduct so that it becomes their routine and they fully understand it. It is essential that positive behaviour is always promoted, praised and used as children notice when adults behaviour is out of character, if positive and professional behaviour is continually used it is more likely that the pupils will also behave in that way. . Providing a school environment that is safe and stimulating for the children in our care. In order to ensure that this is so, there is a policy with set procedures to create a calm, secure and happy working environment for all. There are, however, occasions when individual children exhibit behaviour that is unacceptable. As part of the Discipline Policy of rewards and sanctions, all staff use behaviour modification strategies to change an individual child’s behaviour. By using a positive system of rewards we reinforce good behaviour, we believe that setting high standards and expectations, and focusing on positive achievements. By using a positive system of rewards we reinforce good behaviour, we believe that setting high standards and expectations, and focussing on positive achievements. All members of the school community should respect one another. Primary School expects children to be well-behaved, well-mannered and attentive. Children should walk (not run) within the school. All children should respect their own and other people’s property and take care of books and equipment. All children should show regard for their fellow pupils. If a child has a grievance against another child, it should be reported to a member of staff, who will take appropriate action. Children should wear the correct school uniform. Jewellery and trainers should not be worn. Children should not bring sharp or dangerous instruments to school. . Foul or abusive language should never be used Chewing Gum is banned Mobile Phones are not allowed Rewards and Sanctions Physical violence is never acceptable, neither is retaliation. Repeated or serious incidents will lead to a managed moved which means the student will be transferred to another school. Although good behaviour is encouraged in schools, children will still behave inappropriate at times. Consequences for bad behaviour†¢ Name on the board (sad face) †¢ Miss time out from golden time, break or lunch play. †¢ Be sent to the head of year/deputy head †¢ Be sent to the head teacher and a meeting arranged with parents Continuous bad behaviour, the student is put on report these reports are filled in by the teacher in every lesson on the day, saying whether the student has behaved in class, the student can be on report for a week or longer depending on the response of the student producing good behaviour. My response to inappropriate behaviour on a daily basis within the classroom. Examples continuous disruption to a lesson, I would ask the student to come outside of the classroom where I would speak to the student in a stern but positive voice, reminding them of the consequences of their behaviour, and in some cases I would take them their team leader, if the student wasn’t responding . Good Behaviour When promoting positive behaviour in schools there are policies and procedures that all staff needs to be aware of. The main policies relating to behaviour will be the behaviour policies but other policies will also have an impact for example the health and safety policies, child protection policies and anti-bullying policies. All adults in school are expected to act as good role models and to behave in a consistent manner. We make sure that good behaviour is recognised and praised as well as praising children for good work, effort and achievement. Recognitions for good behaviour can be any of the following. A smile and a compliment and verbal praise Phone calls home to parents to give praise about how well their child has done. Post cards can be sent home relating to how well their child is doing. Vivo can be given; children can save these up and buy things from our vivo shop like pens pencils chocolate etc. When they save a lot of vivo then can then buy more expensive item like iPods, mobile top-ups and a whole range of different things. Certificates are awarded for student of the week and also for students who have achieved awards for things like sport performing arts and in all other aspects of school work. 1. 2 Evaluate how the policies and procedures of the settings support children and young people to: Feel safe Make a positive contribution Develop social and emotional and skills Understand expectations and limits When planning indoor and outdoor activities, there are many factors of health and safety that we have to take into account for example: Age, you have to make sure that the activity and equipment is suitable for the children's age group. Abilities & individual needs: you have to assess to see if each individual child is able to do it and if their personal needs are met. Risk & Hazards: before you plan the activity you must do a risk assessment and reduce any risk involved and make sure the area is suitable and large enough for the activity. Making a child or young person feel safe is essential for their well-being; every practise is aimed at safety and security for students and staff. Within school we have a security person who checks in and around school all day, every day. Students make a positive contribution by following rules and procedures in and around school, also through their attendance, having respect for others, wearing the correct uniform and through their behaviour. Students develop social and emotional skills by knowing how to communicate in a correct manner towards other students, teachers and outside staff that may come in time to time always showing respect. Students show empathy by respecting someone’s misfortune or sadness by showing emotions that they are capable of showing they care that a person is unhappy or sad from a situation that may have happened. Expectations of students are that they follow rules and regulation that they know are in place to help protect them within school, also that they respect each other and they know their limits in doing wrong and except the consequences of their own choice. 1. 3 Explain the benefits of all staff consistently and fairly applying boundaries and rules for children and young people’s behaviour in accordance with the olicies and procedures of the setting. It is important for all staff to communicate with each other to evaluate student’s progress, emotionally and physically, and set fair boundaries for students who don’t get it right. Teachers and all staff work together to ensure fair rules are set to ensure the learning environment isn’t disrupted, minimi sing loss of quality learning. All children have the right to be educated to be treated equally in a classroom. There are set boundaries within a classroom that have to be followed to promote a safe and good learning environment, if these rules are not met there are consequences’. Detentions can be set for students, or they could lose their breaks to make up for time lost. Children and young people have boundaries in their home environment which are there for a reason to protect them and keep them safe, the same apply in their learning environment. Outcome-2 2. 1 Promote positive behaviour Please refer to the above 1. 1 2. 2 Demonstrate ways of establishing good ground rules with children and young people which underpin appropriate behaviour and respect others. Ground rules are important in a learning environment as they help to establish what is expected from the learner in terms of behaviour and mutual respect for each other, as well as identifying what is considered to be good manners in class. I would encourage the learners to word the rules in a positive way, for example, do turn up to class on time, rather than in a negative way, as in don’t be late to classes. Examples of ground rules would be Respect each member of the class when they are talking, always put your hand up if you want to speak not just shouting out. Ground rules set the boundaries within which the students must work; they enable everyone to have an equal opportunity to carry out their study whilst in the classroom. An ideal way to do this would be to put the class into 2 groups and asking them to discuss in a team, and write down things they think a classroom rules should be, then each group should read out their ideas. This enables a neutral ground for discussion giving the students a feeling of teamwork and achievement. When reviewing the lists you have to have a fair and balanced view to all points identified, your objective is to do much more than lay down a few rules. In negotiating with the students you give them a sense of worth, this helps you gain their trust. Any rules agreed upon within the group are more likely to be adhered to by the students, if broken, peer pressure will hopefully prevail and the student in question will respond. This is much more constructive than having their Teacher point the finger of authority, which may then lead to a negative response. 2. 3 Demonstrate strategies for promoting positive behaviour according to the policies and procedures of the setting. Please refer to 1. 1 Good behaviour rewards 2. 4 Demonstrate realistic, consistent and supportive responses to children’s and young people’s behaviour. (Please refer to 2. 1) 2. 5 Rewards for good behaviour Provide an effective role model for the standards of behaviour expected of children, young people and adults within the setting Being a role model to children and young people is important for you, showing respect to children and young people, colleagues and people you meet on a daily basic is a basis to earn respect back. As a role model showing that you respect their feelings and take into consideration their point of view, shows them you are willing to listen and let them have their say which also shows them you are interested. So often in this society children and young people are told to shut-up or told to go away, so when they come across someone willing to listen the child or young person will come back to you again and again because they feel comfortable with you, it also shows them the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. Everybody has a voice and have the right to be listened too. Manage inappropriate behaviour 3. 1 Demonstrate strategies for minimising disruption through inappropriate behaviour of children and young people Some strategies used to minimise disruption and inappropriate behaviour are for children and young people to firstly abide by the rules and regulation that are in place within school and within the classroom. Using simple verbal reprimands when misbehaviour occurs. Making sure that they are to the point (e. g. â€Å"Stop talking and work on the task set for you please†) Give praise to the entire class as frequently as possible telling them how well they have worked. Students who continually show unacceptable behaviour: E. g. Always out of their seat and walking round. Talking over the teacher when the teacher is talking. Shouting out Being verbally inappropriate towards another pupil. If there is anything troubling them, sometimes a few minutes out of lesson is enough for them to calm down and they are ready to return to the classroom and do their work On a more serious situation I would take them to their team leader. . 2 Demonstrate strategies for managing inappropriate behaviour according to the policies and procedures of the setting. Within a classroom when a student isn’t doing it right but at the same time is not being disruptive, by using facial expressions to convey to the student that the misbehaviour was not totally overlooked. As a teaching assistant I would also walk around the room frequently, to avert potential behaviour problem s. Students can be put on report, on these reports there is a comment written on the report explaining why they are on it. Every lesson they are in, their behaviour is monitored and at the end of the lesson the teacher signs the report and adds a comment saying how they have worked also giving praise by awarding vivo if they have been exceptionally good. Students stay on this report until their behaviour has improved to the standard of acceptance. If a student is being extremely disruptive, there team leader is emailed by the teacher to come and remove them from lesson. On some occasions depending on the nature of the behaviour a student will be put in what we call the study room. When a student is put in the study room it means they can no longer go to the classroom to do their learning and have to do their work in the study room, they could be in the study room for as long as a week or depending on their behaviour, sometimes it could be just for a day or for a few days. Phone calls home to parents are often done to let parents know that their child isn’t doing it right in school and detentions are set, with the approval of the parents. 3. 3 Apply rules and boundaries consistently and fairly, according to the age, needs and abilities of children and young people. Please refer to 1. 3 above 3. 4 Provide support for colleagues to deal with inappropriate behaviour of children and young people As a teaching assistant providing support for colleagues could be various things like in a situation when a student is acting in an inappropriate way, I would help by getting another colleague to deal with the situation. This could be the teacher in the next classroom depending on the urgency of the situation. If the situation was really serious I would go to the first point of contact for help, which again would be the teacher in the next classroom. On occasions when a teacher has had to take a student out of class to talk to them, my role would be to ensure everybody stays on task and continue working silently until the teacher comes back in. Other support could be taking the student out myself and taking them to the appropriate person to deal with the situation. On witnessing inappropriate behaviour I would along with the teacher fill out an incident form which can be obtained in the department office. 3. 5 Explain the sorts of behaviour or discipline problems that should be referred to others and to whom these should be referred Behaviour that should be referred to others is behaviour that: Threatens other students or colleagues. Any student with an offensive weapon Fighting Bullying Inappropriate conversations that could suggest child abuse Signs of neglect Concerns about a child’s or young person’s home environment Most of the problems listed above would be reported to our child protection officer Jenny Clarke who is situated in school. Please refer to unit 334- section 3. 3 Outcome4 4. 1 recognise patterns and triggers, which may lead to inappropriate behavioural responses and take action to pre-empt, divert or diffuse potential flash points Depression, restlessness, aggression and attention deficit disorder can all contribute to classroom disruption in some form or another whether its lateness, disengagement, rudeness boredom etc. Disengagement† is the major reasons for behaviour problems in the classroom. Each learner has a defined attention span and teachers must try to re-engage them as soon as they appear to be disengaged from either the teacher or the rest of the group. Walking around the group, could be an extremely effective re-engagement technique. Using praise rather than focusing on the misbehaving learners, praises the learners near them who behaving more appropriately. It is hoped that the misbehaving students will then model that appropriate behaviour. Recognising body language can show some signs of disagreement, and must be acted upon straight away, stopping quickly any angry feeling that could erupt between students, by removing the student taking them outside of the classroom to calm down and try resolved the problem by listening and talking to the student. Different types of behaviour Talking or texting on mobile telephone * Talking over * Eating and drinking in class * Out of seat * Brushing hair * Makeup * Passing notes * Shouting * Throwing objects (paper aeroplanes) * Chewing gum * Playing with equipment * Swearing * Singing * Crawling on floor * Attacking pupil or teacher All these actions contribute to unacceptable behaviour within the classroom, and as a teaching assistant I have the opportunity to look round a nd walk round the class, sometimes being the eyes and ears for the teacher when students seem restless. As well as supporting the students, if they take the choice of not doing work and are causing disruption, I will sit with them prompting them to do their work reminding them of the consequences (Detention after school to do the work) which hopefully will prompt them to do their work. Sometimes students who are disruptive work better if I take them outside of the classroom to the learning area where they can get on with their work as there is no-one there for them to cause disruption with. T. A role models they must always express positive body and verbal language and support classroom rules. T. As should be confident and professional so that children in turn become self confident and express positive behaviour. Leading by example they should express encouraging words, be approachable, understanding and show empathy in order to encourage positive behaviour, also being observant. 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 4. 5 Use agreed strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour according to the policies and procedures of the setting. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 brought in new clear-cut legal powers for schools and for those working within them when they are dealing with the behaviour and discipline of pupils. This includes promoting good behaviour and programmes of reward and recognition, as well as dealing effectively with negative behaviour. Equality of opportunity is about providing equality and excellence for all in order to promote the highest standards of learning and achievement. This applies to all members of the school community – pupils, staff, governors, parents and community members. Every child matters. Everyone is equally important, equally valued and given equal opportunities. Our school community provides a happy, secure, stimulating learning environment. Everyone is encouraged to work together to develop self-esteem, become successful learners and to reach his or her potential. Through our Positive Behaviour policy we aim to create a calm, safe and happy learning environment. We aim to encourage each child to take responsibility for his/her own behaviour, leading to increasing independence and self discipline and to encourage respect for individuals. We hope to create a consistent approach to assertive discipline and behaviour management throughout the school praising acceptable behaviour and enforcing firm boundaries for unacceptable behaviour. We will lead by example in the way that we treat each other and the children in our care. If as adults we behave inappropriately, children would copy us. In order to achieve our aims, as staffs we must make sure all children are aware of appropriate behaviour in all situations, and we must be aware of all children's behaviour in class and around the school, dealing with every incident appropriately, giving mutual support to colleagues. We will follow the rules of rewards and sanctions, and be as consistent and fair as possible in the use of rules and sanctions taking into account each child's individual needs, age and ability. We will ensure each child has work appropriate to their level of ability achievements. Parents will be informed as soon as possible that an incident has occurred and that it has been dealt with, and we will work in partnership with parents in dealing with behavioural issues. It is important as an adult to act as a role model for desired behaviour, treating all adults and children with respect and to deal with all problems calmly. If necessary we will work closely with outside agencies implementing advice and strategies in dealing with a child with behavioural difficulties. To achieve our aims pupils should follow the school rules, co-operate with all school staff and be responsible for their actions. Parents should support the school's rewards and sanctions, and help children understand the rules and the need for them in an ordered society. They should work in partnership with the school to promote high standards of behaviour at all times and ensure their children attend school regularly/punctually and notify the school of reasons for absence. Sanctions include 1, Warning 2, Reminder of rules 3, Time away from group 4, Loss of Golden Time , Sent to Deputy Head 6, Head Teacher 7, Parents There are several types of behaviour or discipline problems that should be referred for continued incidents or more serious cases of inappropriate behaviour there are further sanctions. If a child is involved in continual minor incidents such as fiddling or talking out of turn they will have time-out in another class and their parents will be contacted. The same sanctio n will apply to children who are involved in more serious case such as swearing/verbal abuse towards children or adults, and children damaging property. A child involved in more serious incidents such as stealing, racism, violence, bullying or refusing to comply will be placed on daily progress monitoring and have a 'cause for concern' book. They will be monitored daily by class teacher and weekly by Head/Deputy teacher with a meeting taking place with the parents and the child being kept under review. If there is no improvement in a child's behaviour or for a serious, one-off incident of violence the child will be given fixed term exclusion. If a child has a series of exclusions a Pastoral Support Plan meeting will take place. If there are still no improvements and other children are being put at risk on a daily basis, the child will be permanently excluded from the deferred to others. As a teaching assistant you may feel confident in dealing with inappropriate behaviour, but there are some situations in which you should always refer to others for support. These situations include; .When pupils are a danger to themselves or others around them. If you are not comfortable dealing with an unpredictable situation or pupil . If you are dealing with a difficult situation alone. .When you are not in control of a situation because pupils are not carrying out your instructions. On occasions it may be enough just to have support from another adult within the school, such as another teaching assistant or class teacher. Though if needed there is a wider range of support offered within the school and outside of the school. Additional support within the school setting includes; The SENCO/BECO for first point of contact for behaviour support. .Senior management team – Head teacher or Deputy Head. .Other class teachers. Additional support outside of the school setting includes; .Behaviour Unit – will offer support for dealing with pupils who have Behaviour problems, and may come into school to work with these children. .Educational Psychologist – visit all schools to support children and the Adults who work with them regularly. They are involved in the assessment of children, and offer help and advice. .Rewards include Vivos Star of the week Attendance awards (Certificate) Postcards home Telephone calls home Achievement certificates Parent/teacher consultations – positive comments and report on target sheet – recognising good behaviour and attitude to school. Rewarding children for their good behaviour is important in maintaining their motivation and sense of self worth. Rewarding children for positive behaviour will help develop their social and emotional skills. The schools behavioural policies and procedures help to support children and young people. By consistently responding to and dealing with inappropriate and challenging behaviour, and applying clear and consistent boundaries, children feel safe and supported. This will encourage quality relationships with adults, leading to a positive impact on their behaviour. Children will also be able to engage in decision-making and develop appropriate independent positive behaviour, allowing them to develop self-confidence. It is important that all staff consistently and fairly apply boundaries and rules for children and young people's behaviour in accordance with the policies and procedures of the school. Children need to have boundaries that they can understand and which are regularly reinforced by adults. Children are more likely to respond positively to school rules and boundaries if all members of the school including teachers, support staff and parents are using the same principles and strategies when managing behaviour. If it is not clear to children how they are expected to behave or if adults give them conflicting messages, children will become confused and upset, and find it hard to know how to behave next time. All children will test boundaries for behaviour; if they are met with the same response each time they will be less likely to repeat it. Children need to understand the boundaries and what is expected of them, as well as being aware of the rewards and sanctions, whoever is speaking to them about their behaviour. It is important that support staffs are given status within the school so that they are respected in the same way as teaching staff. Rules and rewards should always be appropriate to the age or ability of the child, and language used should make the expectations of the adult clear. It is important to respond appropriately and within school policies and procedures when dealing with challenging or inappropriate behaviour. The more you observe children's behaviour and get to know them, you will become aware and be able to recognise triggers which may lead to inappropriate behaviour. This knowledge of pupils will help when managing behaviour as you will know what responses work and what do not work for an individual child. Written records of identified triggers should be kept, allowing others to be kept informed. These records will enable staff to refer to individual children's behaviour plans and triggers, allowing staff to work towards avoiding triggers for pupils so that these situations could be avoided if possible. There are many reasons why children behave in an inappropriate way, and it is important to be aware of other factors that could affect their behaviour. If there are no signs of progress with an individual’s behaviour, children may undergo an assessment and a behaviour plan will be put in place. Teaching assistants will work alongside teachers and other professionals to provide additional support identified within the plan. When dealing with challenging behaviour it is essential to assess and manage risks to your own and others safety. The schools health and safety policy and risk assessment procedures should always be followed, these policies should also give guidelines for the use of restraint. Young children are not always aware of dangerous situations or risks, so when speaking to them about their behaviour we should always point out the consequences involved. If a child is becoming distressed within a situation, it may be necessary to remove them or speak to them. It should be possible to speak to a child you are supporting, and discuss with them any situations they find difficult to manage. It may be necessary to discuss individual children’s behaviour with the schools SENCO, and if necessary involve outside professionals to assist in strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour. It will be necessary at times to contribute to reviews of behaviour policies and the effectiveness of rewards and sanctions. Opportunities to discuss attendance, bullying and behaviour and the effectiveness of school policy reviews will be reviewed by all staff. Any children that have specific behavioural difficulties should have their behaviour reviewed on a regular basis. They should have the opportunity to discuss and think about what they do and how their behaviour impacts on others. To be able to be involved in a review of a pupil, it is essential that the pupil is comfortable working with you and that you know them well. If I was involved in a review with a pupil I would remain sensitive in my approach to them and the questions I use. I would encourage the pupil to think about what they have done and the impact their behaviour has had on their learning and achievement, and the consequences of their actions for others. A review will involve other members of staff and at times the child's parents will be present. As well as reviewing the behaviour of the pupil, new targets can also be developed and all outcomes considered. Outcome5 Contribute to reviews of behaviour and behaviour policies . 1 Behaviour strategies are in place to manage behaviour. The effectiveness of behaviour management strategies should be reviewed on a regular basis, giving opportunities to discuss and make recommendations regarding behaviour (including bullying) and the effectiveness of rewards and sanctions. Forms of behaviour management that work for one child will not always work for another. Class teachers, teaching assistants and other staff should work together to evaluate the strategies that are used within the school. By monitoring and recording the effectiveness of strategies, these records can be used to evaluate the strategies against the outcomes. Being the eyes and ears working as a support teacher gives us the advantage to notice things like bulling, harassment and other inappropriate behaviour within the classroom. Acting immediately on any of these situations is essential for the well-being of all children and young people. 5. 2 Demonstrate ways of supporting children and young people with behavioural difficulties to identify and agree behaviour targets. Children and young people need to abide by the policies, procedures, and rules of regulations within the setting to ensure their full potential as students is gained in their education, behaviour strategies are set in place to provide this. Ways of supporting children and young people are firstly by listening, giving them a chance to voice their views, giving them the respect that you would expect back as an adult, also letting them know it’s their own responsibility to realise that it is their choice to misbehave. Reminding children and young people of the expected pattern of behaviour in the school setting and the consequences. Giving students behaviour targets depending on the serenity of their behaviour would be reviewed on a daily basis giving them a set target which could be the student being put on a daily report where they have to have it signed by the teacher after every lesson, written on these reports would be the reason they have been put on it. The teacher would sign the report and put on a comment saying if the student had reached their target of behaviour in that particular lesson. The student would be kept on a daily report until their behaviour has improved, this could last for a week or more. It is therefore the student’s responsibility to abide by the agreement made by the appropriate person and by themselves to improve their behaviour. 5. 3 Demonstrate own knowledge of promoting positive behaviour to contribute to reviews of behaviour policies, including bullying, attendance and the effectiveness of rewards and sanctions. In my role as a teaching assistant when inappropriate behaviour is happening within a lesson I. e. verbal abuse, bullying, demonstrating disruptive behaviour, continuous talking ,coming to the lesson late all add to the teacher being unable to carry on with the lesson. Sometimes inappropriate behaviour is hiding learning difficulties when a student misbehaves it’s their way of hiding their learning difficulties. On occasions like this I would take the student out of lesson and talk to them to try and find out the problem, calm them down by having a sympathetic ear and reminding the student that every child has the right to learn and that they were responsible for stopping that happening by disrupting the lesson and hopefully return them to the class room so they aren’t missing their own education. If it were the case they found the work task to difficult I would sit with them and simplify the task, as some words in the vocabulary are difficult to understand and simplifying the word can help them along and I would encourage them to complete the task set. I have done this on occasions and it does work. Giving them praise for doing the right thing making the student feel good about themselves promoting self- belief. Also praising them to the teacher about how well they have done leading to a praise phone call home, postcard sent home, and giving vivo rewards. Promoting good behaviour can also be done by recording good behaviour on the sims network where other teachers around school can read saying how well the student has done in that particular lesson. All these things promote good behaviour giving pupils encouragement and making them feel self worth. On a more serious challenge, bullying I would remove the student from the class and take them to the appropriate person to deal with the matter which in the first instance would be their team leader. Attendance would also be managed by the team leader of the student. If I had concerns about a student’s attendance I would report it to the appropriate person who would make a phone call home to see why their attendance was poor. 5. 4 Provide clear and consistent feedback on the effectiveness of behaviour management strategies to inform policy review and development. The Education and inspections Act 2006 brought in new clear cut legal powers for schools and for those working within them, when they are dealing with the behaviour and discipline of pupils. This includes promoting good behaviour and programmes of reward and recognition, as well as dealing effectively with negative behaviour. Keeping students engaged it is keeping them motivated. Good communication between teacher and student means that group work flows well as instructions are well followed and easily understood. Giving feedback to teachers and other colleagues is effective in behaviour management as it promotes positive behaviour management when praise encouragement and a sense of self belief is given to student who find work tasks difficult, causing bad behaviour. Giving rewards for the smallest achievement is a good development strategy and makes the students feel good about themselves.