Moving as a Child Essay -- Personal Narrative Moving Essays

Moving as a Child Some things in life are just meant to happen. Fate brought me to the seat I am sitting at, in this university, miles and miles from where I was born. I never thought I would move. The idea was inconceivable for an eight-year-old girl. Life was an endless cycle of days spent chasing butterflies, catching ladybugs, and blowing apart dandelions while nights were full of stars, crickets, and peace. I have learned since that moment that fate has a different idea in mind, one of its very own, and sometimes, no matter how much we struggle, no matter how much we cry out in resistance, we must all give way to the pull of the chains, and let fate have its way. One day, or what better describes it, one moment, all those butterflies and all the stars disappeared. My Mother’s job was moving us to Texas. Fate decided it was time for me to grow up and these objects I loved so much were toys that would interfere with learning. So fate took them away, and in their place I was handed Texas. Now, to hand an eight-year-old something like Texas, especially when she had possessed Oklahoma, is like taking the crown jewels from the royals and giving them cubic-zirconium. It just didn’t work. At the first hint of moving I'll admit that I was excited. The imagination of a little girl can run wild with possibilities when she is catapulted into the sky of the unknown. I do believe I was launched further and higher than any of my family ever expected. At that realization, reality decided to intervene and spin me around the dance floor. I was quickly pulled out of my school in the middle of fourth grade; torn from friends I'd had m y entire, though short, life. Gone in a snap was everything I'd ever known to be... ...hich make up a strong individual. All those butterflies I spent my childhood chasing became trapped inside my stomach but, rather than set them free, I made them apart of me. I made myself meet new people, become outgoing and involved. I have more friends than I could ever ask for, two of which will still be there when I am old and grey. What more could a person ever ask for? I feel privileged to have moved as a child. I am honored fate chose me to drag along on its wild and unseen journeys. Life is not about being in the moment; it is about taking those moments and making them apart of who you are. A part of me will always be that little girl chasing butterflies but, I'll also be the strong woman who will stand up for what she believes in and for those that she loves. I owe that part of me to the spontaneity of fate when it came pulling my chains.

History & stories of success Essay

History is shaped by stories of success and failure in foreign policy. What we however fail, as the public, to really perceive is the cause behind the success or failure of an operation. The reason behind either situation lies in the investigative work thousands of agents, analysts and governmental officials conduct. Intelligence is a very essential source of valuable information for the governments who base their actions mainly on these reports. But what happens if the intelligence and analytical work is wrong? What are the possible consequences of conducting a foreign policy operation based on wrong intelligence? Is it possible that intelligence can be in this way intentionally misrepresented to serve the goals of a policy that would otherwise not have been approved of by the public as some conspiracies claim? And what kind of real life intelligence failure events has history known as a direct result of false information? Intelligence failure can have disastrous consequences on large numbers of people and hurt both the image and well-doing of a nation. The most renowned cases of intelligence failure in recent history are the WMD false reports in Iraq, the 9/11 intelligence failure to prevent the event and the famous war of Vietnam whose failure has and continues to brand the American foreign policy as doubtful. Each of these events has had its impacts on the regular lives of millions of people both in the United States and in places as far as Afghanistan and Iraq. And each of these events has lead to the death of thousands of American citizens, soldiers and millions of foreign citizens. Could this have been avoidable if the intelligence did not fail? Intelligence in its broadest definition is information and in the case of politics it means information that sheds light on the field of national security threats. It follows therefore that intelligence gathering is essential to the functioning of any country and in the case of the United States as a world super power, it is critical and existential. But as stated before intelligence failure has damaged the image of the United States in an almost un-repairable manner. The wrong reports about the presence of WMD in Iraq for instance lead to the killing of hundreds of thousands and the destabilization of a region that has become as a result the hotbed of terroristic activity. Failing to gather the intelligence needed to know beforehand about 9/11 and be able to prevent it lead also to the death of thousands of Americans and the invasion of Afghanistan; an action whose consequences is too detailed to go into now. Vietnam is an older case but remains nevertheless interesting to look closely at since the consequences of the intelligence failure in this case lead to the death of millions and a war that went on for twenty five years. It is ironic to reflect on the fact that this started with a wrong report from the intelligence agency, something that has lead the conspiracies to target the United States for creating cheap excuses to invade other countries and thereby damaged it international reputation. The Vietnam War was fought between the communist North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam that was supported by the USA. The war was a war between capitalism and communism. It was a war between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was a struggle for world wide power between two superpowers engaged in a heated competition that has come to be characterized and termed as the era of the Cold War. The USA declared to have entered the war to prevent communism from taking over the south of Vietnam but historians and political analysts have since then come up with critical arguments on how the war initially started based on wrong intelligence. President Johnson was officially granted permission to attack the Vietcong after the intelligence received about a supposed second attack on U. S naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin. The attacks actually never happened and the war was thus based on a false report. The Tonkin incident lead to major US involvement in the region that would continue for another quarter of a century. The intelligence reports were simply misinterpreted. The intercept that apparently proved the second attack was wrongly translated according to recently published records of the account. The Vietnamese word â€Å"military operations† can also mean â€Å"long movement† and what the intercept actually refers to is not a second attack on U. S naval vessels but just the presence of two North Vietnamese patrol boats at a distance. What remains critically confusing in the aftermath of such an explanation is the government’s response to the event. Johnson moved the USA into a war that lasted for years and cost billions of dollars and thousands of American and Vietnamese lives on the foundation of a wrong and unverified intelligence report that has come to be one of the most embarrassing intelligence failures in U. S history. The question is how could this happen? How does intelligence failure occur? Intelligence failures can be categorized into several groups. Overestimation of information is the first case. The exaggeration of a report can lead to wrong conclusions and thus an intelligence failure. This happened in the Tonkin. The opposite case of underestimation of intelligence where the governmental agencies misinterpret the information and therefore give the enemy an opportunity to stay a step ahead is also possible. Over-confidence is the third case. The USA displayed too much confidence in the perfection of its intelligence system and its ability to win the war quickly. Overestimation and over-confidence lead to the disastrous war of Vietnam that could all have been preventable if the intelligence was verified accurately. Intelligence failure can be caused by several factors all affected by the political atmosphere and sentiments regarding the target of the intelligence. Prejudice and fear can obstruct the judgment and bring about an underestimation or overestimation of the enemy’s potential and intentions. This is how intelligence failure occurs and its consequences are the best exemplified in the case of Vietnam, Iraq and 9/11. The results of misinterpreted or missed intelligence can cause a lot of damage to a country and the United States as a world power needs to pay extra attention to the effectiveness of its intelligence regarding the effects a wrong foreign policy move can have on its status and power. References Grier, P. (2008). Declassified study puts Vietnam events in new light. Retrieved July 1,2009, from http://www. csmonitor. com/2008/0109/p04s01-usmi. html Goodman, MA. (2008). Failure of intelligence: the decline and fall of the CIA. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. Reynolds, P. (2004). Long History of intelligence failures. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/middle_east/3883605. stm

The Academic Nature and Standards of School

It could be said the A. S. Neill began the reformation of liberal education when he founded Summerhill Free School in 1921. The academic nature was opposite of a standard school where students have a variety of classes that they are expected to attend. The voluntary attendance, absence of order as well as adult authority are just a few things that characterize Summerhill. Students are expected to gain more of an educational wealth by learning basic concepts of self-esteem, tolerance, integrity, fairness, and understanding rather than math quations and science functions. Because Summerhill is so popular and unique, it has received enormous amounts of criticism. Consequently, the Free School has been a victim to numerous According to Kristi Ruark from the website Summerhill School, Neill was just the fourth of 13 children, grew up under the stern hand of his schoolmaster father who ran his classroom with an iron rod (Ruark). Neil believed he could expand his pupils minds and horizons by providing a comfortable learning atmosphere where students can learn what they are interested in ompared to fixed schedules and classes. At the age of twenty-five, Neill went to Edinburgh University and took a degree in English. Afterwards he became a journalist, and later head of a small school in Gretna Green. Here, he began to compose his first book, A Dominie's Log, and form his ideas on freedom for children. After a year in the school he wrote: â€Å"I have converted a hard-working school into a playground, and I rejoice. These brains have had a year of happiness and liberty. They have done what they liked; they have sung their songs while they were orking at graphs, they have eaten their sweets while they read their books, they have hung on my arms as we rambled along in search of artistic corners (Neil p. 88) . † By 1927, Neil had moved to a city in southern England where he, along with the help of his second wife, Ena, ran Summerhill until Neil's death in 1973 and Ena's retirement in 1985. Zoe Readhead, daughter of A. S. Neill, was left with no other choice but to continue running In a recent interview with Zoe Readhead, Jerry Doe raised the question of advantages to optional class attendance. Readhead then explained how it doesn't destroy your love for learning and how the things you do, you do because you want to do them. She then goes on to state â€Å"you can't have a friendly relationship with somebody and then force them to go to a class they don't want to go to (Martin). † Further along in the interview Readhead discusses the conflicts between Summerhill and the Educational Department that could result in a termination. Due to the release of the self-titled book about Free School Movement in the 60's, Summerhill was emerging. Even though, the school was receiving tremendous criticism about the lack of management in the classroom and skills that the young students obtain. The clause â€Å"Letting them (the students) do what they want will eventually result in effective learning† was not widely accepted. The HMI inspectors said it was totally unacceptable for children at the age of nine not to be able to read or write. Readhead's response to this was â€Å"If they don't want to go to class and they don't want to learn to read or write, then that's fine with us (Martin). According to John Gummer, MP, â€Å"People should have the right to decide on the education that they like for their children† (Summerhill). However, like her father, Zoe Readhead believes the Summerhill staff can educate a well-rounded student based on creative works rather than rigid discipline and formal pedagogy. The emphasis is still the same today as when Summerhill was established. The schools operate with few constraints on students or teachers, so students are free to plan and execute their own learning experiences, thus developing self discipline and responsibility. In turn, parents seem guided by Neill's philosophy and a concern that public schools were not meeting their children's needs. Like many alternative or free schools, Summerhill is small with a total enrollment of fewer than sixty along with a limited number of teachers. Summerhill and freedom are two word that fit harmoniously in a sentence. The phrase â€Å"freedom but not license† was coined by Neill. This basically meant that you are free to do as you wish just as long as you don't interfere with someone else's freedom. This independence allows the students to be self-motivated so learning is natural and enjoyable. They mature and become socially responsible without being taught moral values. Also, the freedom creates self respect for the children. They will know what they think is important so others will listen in addition to a tight wavelength bond between the two. Summerhill has now been running successfully for over seventy-five years. The school is first and foremost a place where children can learn at their own pace and maintain self-direction. It's gave children a happy learning environment, time to develop naturally, but most importantly, power over their own lives.