Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world†. (1) When thinking about going back to school to finish my degree, I came upon this quote by Nelson Mandela. It touched me for two different reasons. The first, because I have not finished my own education; and second, because I am getting my degree in elementary education to be a grade school teacher. When trying to figure out which school would be best for my lifestyle and what I wanted to accomplish, there were several factors to consider. The main factors were degree, cost, time, and what fit my personality best. In today’s society, a college degree is a necessity. It is no longer an option or privilege. Most people feel the need to look good in the eyes of society. With that, comes a degree and with going to school for so long, comes a debt to be paid. WGU is by far the cheapest and quickest way to get a college degree. In today’s society, those are the top two factors when looking into going to school. With the economy being what it is, everyone is trying to better himself or herself to get a better job and make more money. If you’re looking to get your degree, WGU is the answer. The first thing I did when looking into colleges, was look for the schools that had a degree in elementary education. Not only that, but an accredited college with my degree. Several came up; options of online programs or schools with a physical campus. After seeing all the different choices, I had to think about what would work better for me. I am not a fan of a classroom, or a specific time to be in one. I hate driving to school. I am never motivated to do work, unless it is on my time, in the comfort of my choosing. Also, with the job I had at the time, I would not have been able to have a set schedule. So, I decided that online would be the best option. Although WGU does not have a specific degree in elementary education, it did have a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (K-8), which satisfies the requirements. WGU also has one of the more flexible schedules in the online world. In today’s day and age, most everyone going to school has a job. Some even have a couple. WGU is not only aware of that, but they encourage it. They work with your prior obligations so that you don’t feel like school is taking over your life. Once figuring out that online was my best option, I then needed to weigh in on the cost. This was a bit tricky, since every online program sets their price differently. Some did it by the amount of credits taken each semester, some did it by the amount of classes, and WGU priced by term. That was initially what had caught my eye. I had never heard of that before. One set price for the six-month term; no matter how many credits you took? I was shocked. After doing all the calculations of what classes I still needed to complete my degree, WGU was the cheapest – by far. I also needed to see which schools applied financial aid, which most do. But with most of the school’s costs for just the classes, financial aid wouldn’t even make a dent. With WGU, it would pay for tuition, books, fees, etc. , plus extra for cost of living. Sounds like a no brainer, but I wanted to make sure I got the best education for the time I was going to put into it. Which brings me to my next point. I took my top three choices, by degree and cost, and looked into how much time I could put into it and how much time was required of me, for both semester/term and total, to finish my degree. All of them required at least 12 credits per semester/term to be considered full time. Which was what I wanted and needed for financial aid. Two of the three did not allow more than 18 credits a semester, with there being three semesters in a year. But WGU allowed as many credits as you are able to complete per each six-month term. So, although there are only two terms in a year, you could potentially finish school quicker, if you set your mind to it. This is an imperative point to be made when thinking of the future. WGU is the only school online that allows and encourages students to take as many courses as they can handle in a 6-month period. The last factor I had to look at was whether the school was going to fit my personality or if it would be a waste of my time and money. Once all signs pointed to WGU, I called. I spoke with a very nice and informative woman, who told me exactly what to expect and what would be expected of me. She told me that I would be talking with a mentor, in my degree, once a week for the entire time I was in school. I would also have a community for each course, along with course mentors, to reach out to for help understanding the information. She told me about the website and how easy it was to navigate through, and how organized I would be with the degree plan and other tab options they have. She ended the call with emailing me a couple informational packets, along with letting me know I could call or email anytime with any questions. After we hung up, I felt so warm and welcomed. Again, I was shocked. How could a simple phone call make me feel like I was already part of a community? That woman had to have been a great salesperson in a past life, or the school was really just that great, that it made her love her job more than one would think. Either way, she sold me. It sounded like I would fit this school more than any I have looked into in the past and I had made my decision. If you are looking for a school that makes you feel like more than just money in their pocket, some place where you feel important, then WGU is the school for you. After looking at all the research and all the facts, I decided on WGU. When combining my degree with cost, time, and my personality, WGU had it all. The cost alone can sell the school to any Joe Shmoe, but that really was just the icing on the cake for me. With the economy today, and most everyone having to work at least part time, no one has time for school. WGU has the most flexible schedule that works with your free hours, so that you don’t have to stress about getting things done by a certain time. WGU does not only have people who are there for you when you have a question, but they are there for you to root you on and they genuinely want to see you succeed. Who wouldn’t want a bunch of cheerleaders to stand on the sidelines of your own dreams? I have looked into several options for continuing education, and I would, hands down, recommend WGU over any other school out there.

The Real Monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay -- Literary Analy

In this essay I will be discussing who really is portrayed as the monster in her gothic horror novel, Frankenstein or â€Å"The Modern Prometheus†. Frankenstein was written in 1816, (thought by many to be the first real science fiction novel) during the age of Romanticism and it tells the story of a selfish man, Victor Frankenstein, whose ambition conducts him to seek for supernatural powers and leads him to death. He is a young scientist, eager to discover something new, the key to life, help to make scientific advances and let other scientists get a better idea of how the body works and who after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of like, leading him to create a monster that becomes malicious, in his attempt to reach a God-like level, to see his name glorified by humanity. However, I will be concentrating mainly on chapter five as this is the point in the novel where Victor’s scientific obsession appears to be a kind of dream but near the end we are left off with the birth of the creature. The horror of his project only strikes him when it is too late, when the creature itself, comes to life. He notices this when he realised that he was trying to take the place of God, and soon, in the shear horror, he abandons him, leaving the creature â€Å"to his own devices† and he gets no nurture, from in one point of view his father. Victor’s actions are what make up This is the most important chapter in the whole novel as this is what we have been leading up to all throughout. Also in this chapter we know that Victor is very obsessive with his work and is convinced that what he is doing will be the best for society. Overall, you can easily tell, that this is a gothic horror novel, m... ...any similarities as this concept still hasn’t been overcome. Mary Shelley uses a very different kind of language techniques throughout the novel. One technique is shown straightaway right at the beginning of chapter 5 â€Å"it was on a dreary night of November†. Here Mary uses pathetic fallacy. Pathetic fallacy is the attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature. In this case, she describes the night to be â€Å"dreary†, this tells the reader that it was a miserable night and this creates an eerie atmosphere, and the phrase â€Å"accomplishment of my toils† tells the audience that Frankenstein has a plan but we do not know what it is, and this causes tension to rise. This use of pathetic fallacy emphasizes what is about to happen, and gives us a better idea of the mood around, letting us understand what she is trying to say.

Language Learning

IntroductionA foreign language is the language that people from another specific country/nation speak. Why should we learn foreign languages? As Frank Smith (Voxy, 2011) stated: â€Å"One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way†. Learning a foreign language is a fundamental way to broaden one's horizon, to find a job, to communicate with people from all over the world, to understand and respect other civilizations, to study or work abroad, to consume knowledge from the foreign media and others. The list of the gains of speaking a foreign language is endless. It is not only about having the skills to speak a language; it also serves personal potential to grow and to improve oneself. In the era of globalization and massive migration, language learning is more needed than ever before. The last decades, millions of people have been moving from one place to another (for various reasons such as political, economical, cultural reasons) in order to ameliorate their lives and get more opportunities to develop themselves. This situation sets the language learning inevitable because without it people could simply not communicate. As education has been always the most shaping mechanism, foreign language teaching is a main purpose in nowadays' schooling. A key note of UNESCO's proposes in the  «Guidelines on Intercultural Education » is that  «the role of language is a basic tool through education to arise understanding among people's cultures » (Cowen, 2009, p. 1019). The primary education level is considered one of the most important periods in a child's life. It is a core-stage that comes after pre-schooling, where children get the basic knowledge in order to evolve themselves and to build later a personal cognitive system where they can add all the following knowledge they are going to face during education (either formal or informal). School curriculums worldwide include teaching students at least one compulsory foreign language as they start primary school. Regularly, those school curricula in each country form the way of language teaching and they are continuously looking for the best methods and policies in order to achieve the greatest cognitive result. Education should prioritize and support the language teaching in favor of students to have access to a very broad information/knowledge area.  English as a foreign language in EuropeHaving a global language makes our lives much simpler and our communication attainable. The selection of English language benefits people from different national contexts to connect and interact in several levels (for example: educational, professional, political, social level). In fact, without having a common language as a means of communication, the struggle of it would be noticeable everywhere in our lives. According to Collins Dictionary for the definition â€Å"English as a foreign language† is: â€Å"the practice and theory of learning and teaching English for use in countries where it is not an official medium† (English as a Foreign Language definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary†). The heads of European Union in 2002, focused on a two foreign language teaching from a very early age. This process would develop children's tolerance to deal with the different cultures and/or languages. The positive outcomes of this action would also benefit children in cognitive and academic level as they would be more effective in all other areas (Dedrinou, 2013, p.46). Therefore, the urgent need of foreign language acquisition is a vital matter in recent years' schooling and its position becomes stronger and stronger. Reviewing the â€Å"Key data of teaching languages at schools in Europe† the most common foreign language that students learn in primary and secondary school, is English. English is a mandatory foreign language in nearly all education systems that stipulate a particular foreign language that all students must study, that is, in almost half of the European countries studied (Union, 2018, p.13). The percentage of European students learning English during the whole process of education is 97.3%. In Primary schools it is lower (79.4%) due to the non-compulsory character of English teaching at the first years (grades) of Primary education in several countries. The last ten years 18.7% more primary school students were learning English compared to 2005. The reason is that the starting point of English teaching moved in lower grades of schooling (Union, 2018).Aim and significanceThe present exam paper points to reflect the importance of learning the first foreign language from the very early age of Primary school. Moreover, it aims to add knowledge to the existent information in language learning generally and particularly in these two countries, in order to promote international overview understanding of educational methods and policies. The cases of Greece and Sweden are compared as a means to review the similarities and the differences of language teaching practices in each educational system. The Swedes are highly motivated to learn English and their rankings are on the top of the list of non-native English speakers (Number 2 among 80 countries/regions)(â€Å"EF EPI 2017 – Sweden,†). Greek people spent a fortune in additional English teaching outside school and they hardly achieve proficiency in English as they finish their education (Number 23 among 80 countries/regions) (â€Å"EF EPI 2017 – Greece,†). These rankings above inspired the author of the present paper to examine the process of English language teaching in these two specific primary school systems. Featured information within this paper could help to point out and explain each system's weaknesses and also, to highlight good quality methods or/and results. The two –country selection is also, author's high-interest topic. Specifically, Sweden is often used as a â€Å"great example† of educating students with innovative techniques and considerable results. Greece is the author's country of origin. As a result of personal experience as a student and as an English language private teacher in six-year old children, this paper aims to examine the teaching process and efficiency in Greece. It is considerable to examine the whole process of English learning in Greece because it is not only about schooling but also, a matter of external factors. The analysis of Greece is a slightly more extended by the case of the explanation of these external factors mentioned above. Of special concern is to pose some basic questions that are going to be investigated within this paper:Which age is the most suitable to start learning a first foreign language?Who supposes to teach the foreign language?How children that are taught English perform in two different countries?How the teaching process is accomplished in Greece and Sweden?What the current data state about total student assessment in English?Which country's method seems to be more efficient?  MethodFirstly, as far as the comparative part within this paper, it is based on the famous cube by Bray and Thomas. The chosen dimensions/ levels of comparison are the following: age groups (primary school children), countries (Sweden and Greece) and teaching methods (first foreign language teaching) (Bray, Adamson & Mason, 2014, p. 9). This multilevel analysis gives comparative approach to an international issue, the one of teaching the first foreign language. The aspects of comparison are three so this cube is a perfect model of comparative usage because it makes it more comprehensible and accessible. The specific comparison constitutes an indisputable piece of International and Comparative Education and as Marshall reports: â€Å"Comparisons enable us to view education from alternative perspectives, potentially leading to a greater understanding of the world, the people who live in it, and the issues they may face.† (Marshall, 2014, p.61-62). Furthermore, the main material information for the two comparing countries is collected from the Eurydice Report of EU Publications: â€Å"Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe†. This report contains information and statistics in language teaching from 42 countries/regions in Europe. Due to the broad character of the report, the chosen level is primary schools and English language teaching in both Greece and Sweden. However, the report includes data for second language teaching in each country or minority language teaching (Union, 2018). Research in journal articles, academic papers and web pages contributed to indentify the process of learning English as the first foreign language and both the similarities and differences in the countries of question. International and Comparative education's literature is also used to examine paper's topic through the lens of the field.LimitationsAs already mentioned above, the main material within this paper comes from a European Report found on Eurydice, where the phenomenon of language teaching is examined in 42 European countries/regions. It was not possible to compare all these countries/regions, the levels of education or several languages provided during education and come to conclusions, so the selected areas are just two countries (Greece and Sweden), one foreign language (English) and one level ( Primary education). Therefore the language teaching in secondary education and the learning outcomes of both countries are not examined and well-explained in the present paper. As it is expected in every national context, social, historical, economical and lingual reasons shape a different reality in each country. In this paper those reasons are not analyzed due to paper's formation. For instance, Swedish language structure is closer (comparing to Greek) to the English one, so the Swedes are way more familiar with the English alphabet, grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure . Therefore it is expected that the Swedes are more likely able to conquer the target language rather than anyone else whose native language is quite different (Igawa & Yagi, 2011, p. 106). Probably, it is an interesting perspective for future academic research and analysis. Moreover, the following analysis of Greece is going to reveal the situation of additional English classes that Greek students are encouraged to take in order to ameliorate their English status. These classes divide into two categories: Foreign Language Schools (Frontistiria) and private lessons at home (Idietera mathimata). As it comes to the second option (private lessons at home) data is limited owing to the informal character of these lessons.

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe Essay - 1055 Words

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe ?The Cask of Amontillado? by Edgar Allan Poe is a story about two men at a carnival, the narrator Montresor, who is being eaten by jealousy, and Fortunato, a rich drunk man that has a weakness for wine. It is through deception that Montresor achieves his revenge against Fortunato. He did not believe that killing Fortunato is wrong because of the insults and injures Fortunato brought against him. ?The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne.? (Poe, 75) says Montresor. Montresor brought Fortunato down into the catacomb. This was his chance for revenge. In the opening lines Montresor explains what Fortunato has done to him: ?he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge?(75. The next line†¦show more content†¦Montresor says this to get Fortunato to go to the catacombs with him, where he has his revenge plotted. Whether he has amontillado or not, he was not planning on giving Fortunato any. Montresor was also deceptive in saying, ?My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature,? saying ?My friend? is and example of Montresor being deceptive and also when he is saying, ?I will not impose upon your good nature? is misleading because he doesn?t care if he imposes or about Fortunato?s good nature. On page 77 Montresor says, drink,? I said, presenting him the wine,? this shows that Montresor wanted him drunk. Montresor knew that Fortunato was already drunk, ?for he had been drinking much?(76), ?He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.?(77). With Fortunato drun k it is easier for Montresor to kill him. Throughout the story Montresor says things to make him seem like a caring man. Things like ?I have my doubts?(76), ?some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your own?(76), and ?we will go back; your health is precious?(77). These are all things that are ?buttering up?/flattering Fortunato; Montresor says these things to make Fortunato feel good about himself and comfortable as his death is being arranged. Both of the characters are not themselves. They are dressed up for the carnival and they are both drinking. Fortunato did not really have a clue whatShow MoreRelatedThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe888 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe In ?The Cask of Amontillado?, Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad man. Poe uses certain elements to convey an emotional impact. He utilizes irony, descriptive detail of setting, and dark character traits to create the search of sinful deceit. Poe also uses first person, where the narrator is the protagonist who is deeply involved. The purpose is to get the reader to no longer be the observer. He wants them to see with MontressorRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pagesqualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled man who plans to seek revenge on another man named FortunatoRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado1384 Words   |  6 PagesWhat makes Edgar Allan Poe work unique? Other than being a strange individual, Poe has become a remarkable literature writer. The Raven, Annabel Lee, and The Cask of Amontillado are just a few of Poe’s work that staples the theme of gothic literature. This essay will allow you to see the gothic elements Edgar Allan Poe uses through his most common poems. Gothic literature has many elements which play into its definition. The actual definition is a style of writing that is characterized by elementsRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe906 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† was written in 1846, by Edgar Allan Poe. Born in 1809, Poe never knew any of his parents. At the age of three, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father deserted the family before he was born. Taking care of him was his foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. They loved Poe, but were not supportive of his decisions and kept Poe poor. Having debt and not being able to provide food and clothes for himself caused Poe to quit school. Later, heRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe920 Words   |  4 Pageswhen that trust no longer exists? In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. On the surface, Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have an irrationality that only Montresor understands? In different ways, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have downfalls that will l ead to a tragic ending. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language contributes to the understandingRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1555 Words   |  7 PagesIn his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as â€Å"I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified hisRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1303 Words   |  6 PagesIn Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the narrator recalls an extremely significant time in his life, and takes the reader along with him. Throughout the story, one experiences a perfectly planned murder which took place over fifty years ago, and still no one has discovered what truly happened to poor Fortunato as he was chained to a wall in a room that was then closed off, and torched to death due to all the nitre in the walls. As the story goes on, the reader can see some of Poe’s unfortunateRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1076 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of terror and betrayal. Like many of Poe’s literary works, the story has a dark undertone with a theme of terror and depression. More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan argued that though Poe was fascinated by evil, the evil that he had in mind was not that of Calvinism, but that of the split man and the split civilization. In general, McLuhan was right, but in this instance Calvinism, and its God, provided a darkRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe707 Words   |  3 PagesIn the short story of The Ca sk of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor who seeks revenge against Fortunato. Montresor began to develop the perfect plan for revenge. During the carnival season, Montresor meets with Fortunato and decides to implement his plan carefully through irony. Poe s story describes the murderer s mind which has lived as a memory of Fortunato s death for fifty years. Poe uses different types of irony and symbolismRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe985 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allen Poe is a well known author of short stories and poetry from the 19th century. He is known especially for his stories of horror and suspense. The Cask of Amontillado is one of his more famous pieces. The story follows the narrator, Montresor, as he exacts revenge on Fortunato. Montressor draws Fortunato into the wine cellar where eventually he chains Fortunato to the wall and encloses him inside it. Throughout the story the narrator continually proves that he is not the most reliable source