Theodore Roosevelt A Life Essays - Sons Of The American Revolution

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life Theodore Roosevelt: A Life, by Nathan Miller, is an extensive biography of Theodore Roosevelt's life. Theodore Roosevelt, who was born on October 27, 1858, later went on to become one of the most influential figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centaury. In addition to providing an extremely detailed biography of Roosevelt, Nathan Miller also shows the lifestyles and characteristics of the society in which Theodore was raised. This book carries much significance for many reasons. First, it may be based on factual instances, but it is not solely ?just the facts.? Theodore Roosevelt: A Life also draws attention to the emotions of the characters and their opinions, not just actions. Second, it provides an accurate image of America during Theodore Roosevelt's life. Miller begins by covering the latter part of Theodore Roosevelt Sr.'s life and the events precluding the birth of Teedie, as Theodore was known during his childhood, and his siblings. Theodore was a very sickly child. This is significant as it provides a sense of contrast to the strong powerhouse into which this ?sickly boy? evolves. Theodore, early in his life, travels with his family to Europe for several years. During his early teens, Theodore returns to his home city of New York. Miller then addresses Theodore's strong will to self-improve. The author mentions young Roosevelt's experiences with weightlifting and other physical exercise in an attempt to ?make his body.? This is a very key section of Theodore's youth because it demonstrates the power of Roosevelt's will. As Theodore approached adulthood, he attended Harvard and graduated with prestige. He was introduced to the political scene at an early age. Theodore Roosevelt also fought in the ?Rough Riders? Probably the most important thing is that Theodore Roosevelt achieved presidency. While there: he implemented the ?Big Stick? diplomacy; he assumed the responsibility of the Panama Canal; and he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Theodore Roosevelt: A Life was written in 1992, although it still accurately reflects the time period in which it takes place. It shows the obvious differences between then and now. An example is using coffee as an old-fashioned cure for asthma. Another is monopolies and their stranglehold on American society, business, and free trade. This is still a delicate issue even today due to the battle Theodore Roosevelt started a hundred years ago. Also, just because it takes place a centaury ago, does not mean that everything has changed. The rivalries and feuds still exist among political parties as it has for many years. Nathan Miller also examines this in reference to the struggle with Taft for the position of Republican party candidate. The central theme conveyed to the reader is most assuredly that one should strive to succeed and always attempt to self-improve. This is probably the biggest credo by which Theodore Roosevelt lived. As a boy, he tried to build up his strength and endurance by exercising. He worked tirelessly at Harvard to receive high marks. He struggled to have his voice heard politically. Since his father had told him to make his body as a child, Roosevelt had pushed himself to the limits to prove himself. When the opportunity to prove himself came in the form of a war, Roosevelt was entirely involved. Later, he accompanied McKinley, as the vice-president of the United States, and eventually, through the assassination of William McKinley, became president. Theodore Roosevelt was not like Gerald Ford, however. Roosevelt went on to be reelected based on his popularity and his accomplishments in office. Along with this, he led an active outdoor lifestyle. He would travel constantly to pursue big-game hunting. He had the confidence to form his own political party to rival Taft. These are all actions of a dedicated and driven man. Roosevelt seemed to live by the notion that ?life was meant to be lived.? He seemed to squeeze every drop out of his life, attempting not to miss anything. In a summation, Nathan Miller's Theodore Roosevelt: A Life is a truthful and accurate depiction of not only one man and his extraordinary life, but also the underlying strength that forced a small, sickly, asthmatic boy into a strong, intelligent and influential world leader. It was the power of Theodore Roosevelt's will that enabled him to do so, and

Response to Intervention and Assistive Technology

Response to Intervention and Assistive Technology Introduction Response to intervention (RTI) can be defined as a framework that enables the differentiations of instructional interventions for each student based on their demonstrated need (Greenwood et al., 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Response to Intervention and Assistive Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More RTI encompasses the use of universal screening for all students to identify those experiencing learning difficulties as well as those with Special Learning Disability (SLD) before there is a measurable discrepancy that qualifies the student for special services. The identified students are provided with additional intervention, frequent monitoring and assistive technology tools so as to improve their performance. Assistive technology is one of the RTI interventions and is provided for individuals with disabilities so that they can perform functions deemed difficult or impossible. Response to i ntervention (RTI) implementation Practices RTI identifies students with learning problems that need specialized and individual attention as well as other individualized interventions which include Assistive Technology (Beard, Carpenter Johnston, 2011). RTI has been proposed as an alternative to IQ discrepancy method and has been approved in most states in the United States (Hughes Dexter, 2011). In RTI, the teacher intervenes and provides targeted instructions and appropriate resources when a child shows signs of learning difficulties. This effectively prevents a child’s academic and social failure and secures his success (Beecher, 2011). Most of the RTI models use a three tier plan. Tier 1 involves evaluation of all the students in the whole class. At this stage, students are screened in order to identify those with learning disabilities. Students who fail to attain the cutoff marks move to tier 2 where targeted skills are evaluated and their progress monitored twice a mon th. Tier 2 is comprised of a small group of students who are regularly monitored, assessed and given special training. After the monitoring process, the instructors decide whether to move the students to tier 1 or tier 3.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tier 3 students receive intensive, individual instructions and may also be referred for special education evaluation. The RTI model is more beneficial than â€Å"Wait to fail† model as students with learning disabilities and those at risk can receive special interventions (Beecher, 2011). One major aspect of RTI is progress monitoring. A variety of methods have been developed for this purpose. Student’s performance in â€Å"at risk areas† such as mathematics, reading and social behavior should be closely checked so that they are moved from tier 1 to tier 2. The method to be used must be evaluated in terms of validity and reliability. One recommended method is the Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM). This method describes the academic competence of a student, tracks academic development and improves the student achievement (Hughes Dexter, 2011). The main benefits of monitoring include: faster students learning, ability for tutors to make informed decisions, easy accountability as the student’s progress is documented, efficient communication with family members about the student’s progress, high expectations by tutors and reduced referral incidences. Benefits of using RTI RTI has proven to be beneficial to the education system. One of the major benefits of RTI is the ability to identify the student’s academic needs at an early stage. This ensures that the requisite intervention methods are adopted thereby safeguarding and improving the student’s performance (Myers, Simonsen George, 2011). Another benefit highlighted by teachers is the ability to group stud ents with weakness into smaller groups. These groups can be accorded intensive instruction and extra assistance so that their overall performance improves (Swanson et al., 2012). Collaborative effort is also another benefit of RTI. Through RTI, all teachers, counselors, administrators and other interventionist participate in problem solving exercise which is beneficial to the students and also results to increased consultation among the teachers (Swanson et al., 2012). Collaborative effort enhances the learning process and ensures that appropriate instructions are accorded to tier 2 and tier 3 students.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Response to Intervention and Assistive Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More RTI has also been found to reduce the number of students being referred for special education. The use of RTI showed a 38% decline in the number of students referred for special education at preschool le vel. Though interventions, student’s experiencing learning difficulties can be specially trained thereby preventing their referral to special education (Greenwood et al., 2012). RTI Problems and Challenges The implementation of RTI poses many challenges. There is no criterion that has been developed to aid in identifying students at risk in tier 1 screening (Hughes Dexter, 2011). Some tutors use the percentile method so as to identify students performing below average. However, this method has been criticized as there will always be students in the lowest quartile, that is, students may be ranked last in a class but this does not necessary mean that they have difficulties. This presents a problem in the identification of students at risk and makes screening exceptionally difficult. Another impediment to RTI is lack of knowledge and resources. Teachers lack the knowledge on how to differentiate the different levels of instructions that students may need. This can be alleviate d through appropriate training so that tutors can conceptualize on ways of meeting the student’s educational needs (Greenwood et al., 2011). Other challenges include: workforce quality, lack of appropriate intervention strategies, lack of progress monitoring tools and poor administrative resources. Use of Assistive Technology (AT) in RTI Assistive technology encompasses the different services and equipments that are used by individuals with disability so as to enable them perform functions that are deemed impossible. AT devices and services are used to increase and improve the functional capabilities of students with disabilities. AT differs from universal design for learning (UDL) in that; while UDL involves the development of products and services that can be used by a wide range of users, AT devices are specific and the products developed are used to enhance the learning ability of disabled students.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More RTI works in conjunction with AT. The RTI process identifies students with special needs that prevent them from using UDL devices. These students are availed AT equipments to improve their performance. Thus, RTI assist in the identification of struggling students while AT provides some remedial measures to students facing difficulties. Neglecting the use of RTI can result to serious negative consequences. Universal screening is necessary so as to identify students with academic difficulties so that extra attention is given to them. When this is not done, the student’s academic performance may drop and result to eventual failure. RTI is designed as an effective service delivery tool through which effective training can be accorded to academically poor students. Providing intervention at an early childhood level provides important social, emotional and literacy experiences which prevent the need for special education. Without early intervention: poor literacy, behavioral disord ers and language problem may result (Greenwood et al., 2011). One of the main RTI process is effective monitoring of students. When this is not done, the teacher may fail to identify the declining student performance and this eventually increases the number of students recommended for special education. Neglecting the use of RTI especially in disabled children can result to drastic problems. RTI evaluations effectively identify students with difficulties while using UDLs and recommend the use of AT. When this is not performed, the students may have difficulties during study and this result to eventual failure. References Beard, L.A., Carpenter, L.B., Johnston, L.B. (2011). Assistive technology: Access for all students (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Beecher, C.C. (2011). Response to Intervention: A socio-cultural perspective of the problems and the possibilities. Journal of education,191(3),1-8. Greenwood, C.R., Bradfield, T., Kaminski, R., Linas, M., Car ta, J., Nylander, D. (2011).The response to intervention RTI approach in early childhood. Focus on exceptional children, 43(9),1-23. Hughes, C. Dexter, D. (2011). Response to Intervention: A Research-Based Summary. Current Perspectives on Learning Disabilities and ADHD, 50(1), 4–11. Myers, D. M., Simonsen, B., George, S. (2011). Increasing Teachers’ Use of Praise with a Response-to-Intervention Approach. Education and Treatment of Children,34(1). Swanson,E., Solis, M., Ciullo, S. Mckenna , J. (2012). Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions and Instructional Practices in Response to Intervention Implementation. Learning Disability Quarterly, 35(2),115–126.

Analysis and response assignment of joan didion's on going home Essay

Analysis and response assignment of joan didion's on going home - Essay Example Although, this past life will give them fond and nostalgic memories, it could affect their present life, including the lives of their currently related ones. This tough feeling and dilemma could occur to any individual, and it happened to Joan Didion as well. Joan Didion’s wish to connect with her childhood life including her parents and other relatives in California negatively impacts her present life in Los Angeles, which includes her husband and daughter. So, this paper focusing on Joan Didion’s work On Going Home will analyze her dilemma of wishing to hold on to her past life although her present life is calling her. The paper will also provide a personal perspective of how Didion’s dilemma somewhat ‘mirrors’ the dilemma of mine. Didion begins the story by stating that her "home" is not the â€Å"house in Los Angeles where my husband and I and the baby live, but the place where my family is, in Central Valley of California† (Didion 125). So, from her nuclear family life in Los Angles, Didion visits her extended family in Central Valley, California to celebrate the first birthday of her daughter and importantly to connect with her childhood life and recollect the nostalgic memories. However, at the outset itself, Didions husband does not want to stay in California and wants to return immediately to their home in Los Angeles. He does not like it in there because, first Didion’s family does not wholeheartedly accept him and do not treat him as an important individual, mainly referring him as Joans husband. Importantly, he feels that as Didion stays there for a long time, she changes her way of living adopting her families’ lifestyle, instead of following his way of living. These grievances of her husband complicates her mind because, she does not want to stop her visits to her family home, but at the same time does not want to offend and oppose her husband. Her wish to travel on a neutral path, balancing both