Lyndon B. Johnson Essays - Vice Presidents Of The United States

Lyndon B. Johnson Early Life. ----------- Johnson was born on Aug. 27, 1908, near Johnson City, Tex., the eldest son of Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines Johnson. His father, a struggling farmer and cattle speculator in the hill country of Texas, provided only an uncertain income for his family. Politically active, Sam Johnson served five terms in the Texas legislature. His mother had varied cultural interests and placed high value on education; she was fiercely ambitious for her children. Johnson attended public schools in Johnson City and received a B.S. degree from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos. He then taught for a year in Houston before going to Washington in 1931 as secretary to a Democratic Texas congressman, Richard M. Kleberg. During the next 4 years Johnson developed a wide network of political contacts in Washington, D.C. On Nov. 17, 1934, he married Claudia Alta Taylor, known as "Lady Bird." A warm, intelligent, ambitious woman, she was a great asset to Johnson's career. They had two daughters, Lynda Byrd, born in 1944, and Luci Baines, born in 1947. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the White House. Johnson greatly admired the president, who named him, at age 27, to head the National Youth Administration in Texas. This job, which Johnson held from 1935 to 1937, entailed helping young people obtain employment and schooling. It confirmed Johnson's faith in the positive potential of government and won for him a group of supporters in Texas. In 1937, Johnson sought and won a Texas seat in Congress, where he championed public works, reclamation, and public power programs. When war came to Europe he backed Roosevelt's efforts to aid the Allies. During World War II he served a brief tour of active duty with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific (1941-42) but returned to Capitol Hill when Roosevelt recalled members of Congress from active duty. Johnson continued to support Roosevelt's military and foreign-policy programs. During the 1940s, Johnson and his wife developed profitable business ventures, including a radio station, in Texas. In 1948 he ran for the U.S. Senate, winning the Democratic party primary by only 87 votes. (This was his second try; in 1941 he had run for the Senate and lost to a conservative opponent.) The opposition accused him of fraud and tagged him "Landslide Lyndon." Although challenged, unsuccessfully, in the courts, he took office in 1949. Senator and Vice-President. --------------------------- Johnson moved quickly into the Senate hierarchy. In 1953 he won the job of Senate Democratic leader. The next year he was easily reelected as senator and returned to Washington as majority leader, a post he held for the next 6 years despite a serious heart attack in 1955. The Texan proved to be a shrewd, skillful Senate leader. A consistent opponent of civil rights legislation until 1957, he developed excellent personal relationships with powerful conservative Southerners. A hard worker, he impressed colleagues with his attention to the details of legislation and his willingness to compromise. In the late 1950s, Johnson began to think seriously of running for the presidency in 1960. His record had been fairly conservative, however. Many Democratic liberals resented his friendly association with the Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower; others considered him a tool of wealthy Southwestern gas and oil interests. Either to soften this image as a conservative or in response to inner conviction, Johnson moved slightly to the left on some domestic issues, especially on civil rights laws, which he supported in 1957 and 1960. Although these laws proved ineffective, Johnson had demonstrated that he was a very resourceful Senate leader. To many northern Democrats, however, Johnson remained a sectional candidate. The presidential nomination of 1960 went to Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kennedy, a northern Roman Catholic, then selected Johnson as his running mate to balance the Democratic ticket. In November 1960 the Democrats defeated the Republican candidates, Richard M. Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, by a narrow margin. Johnson was appointed by Kennedy to head the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities, a post that enabled him to work on behalf of blacks and other minorities. As vice-president, he also undertook some missions abroad, which offered him some limited insights into international problems. Presidency. ----------- The assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, elevated Johnson to the White House, where he quickly proved a masterful, reassuring leader in the realm of domestic affairs. In 1964, Congress passed a tax-reduction law that promised to promote economic growth and the Economic Opportunity Act, which launched the program called the War on Poverty. Johnson was especially skillful in

The 19 Steps to Becoming a College Professor

The 19 Steps to Becoming a College Professor SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you love conducting research? Do you enjoy engaging with students? Can you envision yourself working in academia? Then you're probably interested in learning how to become a college professor. What are the basic requirements for becoming a college professor? What specific steps should you take in order to become one? In this guide, we start with an overview of professors, taking a close look at their salary potential and employment growth rate. We then go over the basic college professor requirements before giving you a step-by-step guide to how to become one. Feature Image: Georgia Southern/Flickr Becoming a College Professor: Salary and Job Outlook Before we dive into our discussion of salaries and employment growth rates, it's important to be aware of the incredible challenge of becoming a college professor. These days, it is unfortunately well known thatthe number of people qualified to be professors far outnumbers the availability of professor job openings, which means that the job market is extremely competitive. Even if you do all the steps below, the chances of your actually becoming a college professor are slim- regardless of whether you want toteach in the humanities or sciences. Now that we've gone over the current status of the professor job market, let's take a look at some hard figures for salary and employment growth rate. Salary Potential First, what is the salary potential for college professors? The answer to this question depends a lot on what type of professor you want to be and what school you end up working at. In general, though, here’s what you can expect to make as a professor.According to a recent study conducted by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the average salaries for college professors were as follows: Full professors: $102,402 Associate professors: $79,654 Assistant professors: $69,206 Part-time faculty members: $20,508 As you can see, there’s a pretty big range in professors’ salaries, with full professors typically making $20,000-$30,000 more a year than associate and assistant professors do. For adjunct professors (i.e., part-time teachers), pay is especially dismal.Many adjunct professors have to supplement their incomes with other jobs oreven public assistance, such as Medicaid,just to make ends meet. One study notes that adjuncts make less than minimum wagewhen taking into account non-classroom work, including holding office hours and grading papers. All in all, it's clear that while it's possible to make a three-figure salary as a college professor, this is rare, especially considering thatmore than 75% of college professors are adjuncts. Employment Rates Now, what about employment rates for professor jobs?According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the projected growth rate for postsecondary teachers in the years 2016-2026 is 15%- that’s 8% higher than the average rate of growth of 7%. That said, most of this employment growth will be in part-time (adjunct) positionsandnot full-time ones. This means thatmost professor job openings will be those with the lowest salaries and lowest job security. In addition, this job growth will vary a lot by field (i.e., what you teach). The chart below shows the median salaries andprojected growth rates for a variety of fields for college professors (arranged alphabetically). Type of Professor Median Salary (2016) Employment Growth Rate (2016-2026) Agricultural Sciences $91,580 8 Anthropology and Archaeology $81,350 10 Architecture $79,250 11 Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies $73,020 10 Art, Drama, and Music $68,650 12 Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences $85,410 10 Biological Science $76,650 15 Business $77,490 18 Chemistry $76,750 10 Communications $65,640 10 Computer Science $77,570 8 Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement $59,590 12 Economics $95,770 11 Education $62,520 10 Engineering $97,530 15 English Language and Literature $63,730 10 Environmental Science $78,340 10 Foreign Language and Literature $63,500 12 Forestry and Conservation Science $85,880 8 Geography $76,810 8 Health Specialties $99,360 26 History $71,820 10 Law $111,210 12 Library Science $68,410 9 Mathematical Science $69,520 9 Nursing $69,130 24 Philosophy and Religion $68,360 12 Physics $84,570 10 Political Science $79,210 11 Psychology $73,140 15 Social Sciences $70,740 10 Social Work $64,030 10 Sociology $71,840 10 Source: BLS.gov As this chart indicates, depending on the field you want to teach in, your projected employment growth rate could range from 8% to as high as 26%. The fastest growing college professor field is health. Nursing has a growth rate of 24%, and health specialties has the highest growth rate at 26%. By contrast, the slowest growing fields (note that they’re still growing faster than average, though) include computer science, agricultural sciences, forestry and conservation science, and geography (all of which are at 8%). In terms of salaries, the highest goes to law professors, who make a median salary of $111,210 (this is the only field to have a salary in the six digits). On the opposite end, the lowest-earning field is criminal justice and law enforcement, whose professors make a median salary of $59,590- that’s about $50,000 less than what law professors make. University of Minnesota Duluth/Flickr College Professor Requirements and Basic Qualifications In order to become a college professor, you’ll need to have some basic qualifications. These can vary slightly among schools and fields, but, generally, you should expect to need the following qualifications before you can become a college professor. #1: Doctoral Degree in the Field You Want to Teach Most teaching positions at four-year colleges and universities expect applicants to have a doctoral degree in the field they wish to teach. For example, if you’re interested in teaching economics, you’d probably get a PhD in Economics. Or if you’re hoping to teach something like Japanese literature, you’d probably get a PhD in a relevant field, such as Japanese Studies, Japanese Literature, or Comparative Literature. Doctoral programs usually take five to seven years and require you to have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. (Note that many doctoral programs allow you to obtain your master’s along the way as well.) But is it possible to teach college-level classes without a doctoral degree? The answer is yes- at some schools and in certain fields. As the BLS notes, some community colleges and technical schools allow people with just a master’s degree to teach classes. However,these positions can be quite competitive, so if you've only got a master’s degree and are up against applicants with doctorates, you'll likely have a lower chance of standing out and getting a job offer. In addition, certain fields let those with just master's degrees teach classes. These include creative writing programs, for which you'd only need a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. #2: Teaching Experience Another huge plus for those looking to become professors is teaching experience. This means any experience with leading or instructing classes or students. Most professors gain teaching experience as graduate students. In many master’s and doctoral programs, students are encouraged (or even required) to either lead or assist with undergraduate-level classes. At some colleges, such as the University of Michigan, graduate students can get part-time teaching jobs as Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs).For this position, you'll usually teach undergraduate classes under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. Another college-level teaching job is theTeaching Assistant or Teacher’s Aide (TA).TAs assist the main professor (a full-time faculty member) with various tasks, such as grading papers, preparing materials and assignments, and even leading smaller discussion-based classes. #3: Professional Certification (Depending on Field) Depending on the field you want to teach, you might have to get certification in something in addition to getting a doctoral degree. Here's what the BLS saysabout this: "Postsecondary teachers who prepare students for an occupation that requires a license, certification, or registration, may need to have- or they may benefit from having- the same credential. For example, a postsecondary nursing teacher might need a nursing license or a postsecondary education teacher might need a teaching license." Generally speaking, you’ll only need certification or a license of some sort if you’re preparing to teach a more technical or vocational field, such as health, education, or accounting. Moreover, while you don’t usually need any teaching certification to be able to teach at the college level,you will need it if you want to teach at the secondary level(middle school or high school). #4: Publications and Prominent Academic Presence A high number of publications is vital to landing a job as a professor. Since full-time college-level teaching jobs are extremely competitive, it’s strongly encouraged (read: basically required) that prospective professors have as many academic publications as possible. This is particularly important if you’re hoping to secure a tenured position (which offers the best job security for professors). Indeed, the well-known saying "publish or perish" clearly applies to prospective professors as well as practicing professors. And it’s not simply that you’ll need a few scholarly articles under your belt- you'll also need to have big, well-received publications, such as books,especiallyif you want to be a competitive candidate for tenure-track teaching positions. Here’s what STEM professor Kirstie Ramsey has to sayabout the importance of publications and research when applying for tenured professor jobs: "Many colleges and universities are going through a transition from a time when research was not that important to a time when it is imperative. If you are at one of these institutions and you were under the impression that a certain amount of research would get you tenure, you should not be surprised if the amount of research you will need increases dramatically before you actually go up for tenure. At first I thought that a couple of peer-reviewed articles would be enough for tenure, especially since I do not teach at a research university and I am in a discipline where many people do not go into academe. However, during my first year on the tenure track at my current institution, I realized that only two articles would not allow me to jump through the tenure hoop." To sum up, it’s not just a doctorate and teaching experience that make a professor but also lots and lots of high-quality, groundbreaking research. How to Become a Professor: 19-Step Guide Now that we’ve gone over the basic college professor requirements, what specific steps should you take to become one? What do you need to do in high school? In college? In graduate school? Read on for our step-by-step guide on how to become a college professor. We’ve divided our 19 steps into four main parts: High School College Graduate School (Master’s) Graduate School (Doctorate) Part 1: High School It might sound strange to start your path to becoming a professor in high school, but doing so will make the entire process a lot smoother for you. Here are some of the most important preliminary steps you can take while still in high school: Step 1: Keep Up Your Grades Although all high school students should aim for strong GPAs, because you’re specifically going into the field of education, you’ll need to make sure you’re giving a little extra attention to your grades.Doing this proves that you’re serious not only about your future but also about education as a whole- the very field you’ll be entering! Furthermore, maintaining good grades is important for getting into a good college. Attending a good college could, in turn, help you get into a more prestigious graduate school and obtain a higher-paying teaching job. If you already have an idea of what subject you’d like to teach, try to take as many classes in your field as possible.For example, if you're a lover of English, you might want to take a few electives in subjects like journalism or creative writing.If you’re a science whiz, see whether you can take extra science classes (beyond the required ones) in topics like marine science, astronomy, or geology. As mentioned above, be sure you’re getting high marks in your classes, particularly in the ones most relevant to the field you want to teach. Step 2: Tutor in Your Spare Time One easy way of getting teaching experience as a high school student is to get involved in tutoring. Pick a subject you’re strong at- ideally, one you might want to teach in the future- and consider offering after-school or weekend tutoring services to your peers or students in lower grades. Tutoring will not only help you decide whether teaching is a viable career path for you but will also look great on your college applications as an extracurricular activity. Tutoring other students can help you determine whether you enjoy teaching. (NEC Corporation of America/Flickr) Step 3: Get a High SAT/ACT Score Since you’ll need to go to graduate school to become a professor, it’ll be helpful if you can get into a great college. To do this, you’ll want to have an impressive SAT/ACT score. Ideally, you’ll take your first SAT or ACT around the beginning of your junior year. This should give you enough time to take the test again in the spring and possibly a third time during the summer before or the fall of your senior year. The SAT/ACT score you’ll want to aim for depends heavily on which colleges you apply to.For more tips on how to set a goal score, check out our guides to what a great SAT/ACT score is. Step 4: Submit Impressive College Applications Though it’s great to attend a good college, where you go doesn’t actually matter too much- just as long as it offers an academic program in the (broad) field you’re thinking of teaching. To get into the college of your choice, however, you’ll still want to focus on putting together a great application, which will generally include the following: A high GPA and evidence of rigorous coursework Impressive SAT/ACT scores An effective personal statement/essay Strong letters of recommendation (if required) Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to work on your applications so you can submit the best possible versions of them before your schools’ deadlines. If you’re aiming for the Ivy League or another similarly selective institution, check out our expert guide on how to get into Harvard, written by a Harvard alum. Part 2: College Once you get into college, what can you do to help your chances of getting into a good grad school- and becoming a college professor? Here are the next steps to take. Step 5: Declare a Major in the Field You Want to Teach Perhaps the most critical step is to determine what exactly you want to teach in the future- and thenmajor in it (or a related field). For instance, if, after taking some classes in computer science, you decide that you really want to teach this subject, declare it as your major. If you’re still not sure what field you'll want to teach, you can always change your major later on or first declare your field of interest as a minor (and then change it to a major if you wish).If the field you want to teach is not offered as a major or minor at your college, try to take as many classes as possible in it. Although it’s not always required for graduate school applicants to have majored in the field they wish to study at the master’s or doctoral level, it’s a strong plus in that it shows you’ve had ample experience with the subject and will be able to perform at a high level right off the bat. Step 6: Observe Your Professors in Action Since you’re thinking of becoming a college professor, this is a great time to sit down and observe your professors to help you determine whether teaching at the postsecondary level is something you’re truly interested in pursuing. In your classes, evaluatehow your professors lecture and interact with students.What kinds of tools, worksheets, books, and/or technology do they use to effectively engage students? What kind of atmosphere do they create for the class? It’s also a good idea to look up your professors' experiences and backgrounds in their fields. What kinds of publications do they have to their name? Where did they get their master’s and/or doctoral degrees? Are they tenured or not? How long have they been teaching? If possible, I recommend meeting with a professor directly (ideally, one who's in the same field you want to teach) to discuss a career in academia. Most professors should be happy to meet with you during their office hours to talk about your career interests and offer advice. Doing all of this will give you an insider look at what the job of professor actually entails and help you decide whether it’s something you’re really passionate about. Step 7: Maintain Good Grades As you’ll need to attend graduate school after college, it’s important to maintain good grades as an undergraduate, especially in the field you wish to teach. This is necessary because most graduate programs require a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA for admission. Getting good grades also ensures that you’ll have a more competitive application for grad school, and indicates that you take your education seriously and are passionate about learning. Always aim high! Step 8: Get to Know Your Professors Aside from watching how your professors teach, it’s imperative to form strong relationships with them outside of class, particularly with those who teach the field you want to teach as well.Meet with professors during their office hours often. Consult them whenever you have questions about assignments, papers, projects, or your overall progress.Don’t be afraid to talk to them about your future goals. You essentially want to build a rapport with your professors; this is basically the same thing as networking.This way, you’ll not only get a clearer idea of what a professor does, but you’ll also guarantee yourself stronger, more cogent letters of recommendation for graduate school. Step 9: Gain Research and/or Publication Experience This isn’t an absolute necessity for undergraduates, but it can certainly be helpful for your future.If possible, try to gain research experience through your classes or extracurricular projects. For instance, you could volunteer to assist a professor with research after class or get a part-time job or internship as a research assistant. If neither option works, consider submitting a senior thesis that involves a heavy amount of research. Best case scenario, all of your research will amount to a publication (or two!) with your name on it. That being said, don’t fret too much about getting something published as an undergraduate. Most students don't publish anything in college yet many go on to graduate school, some of whom become college professors. Rather, just look at this as a time to get used to the idea of researching and writing about the results of your research. Step 10: Take the GRE and Apply to Grad School If you’re hoping to attend graduate school immediately after college, you’ll need to start working on your application by the fall of your senior year. One big part of your graduate school application will beGRE scores, which are required for many graduate programs.The GRE is an expensive test, so it’s best if you can get away with taking it just once (though there’s no harm in taking it twice). Although the GRE isn’t necessarily the most important feature of your grad school application, you want to make sure you’re dedicating enough time to it so that it’s clear you’re really ready for grad school. Other parts of your grad school application will likely include the following: Undergraduate transcripts Personal statement/statement of purpose Curriculum vitae (CV)/resume Letters of recommendation For more tips about the GRE and applying to grad school, check out our GRE blog. Part 3: Graduate School (Master’s) Once you’ve finished college, it’s time to start thinking about graduate school. I’m breaking this part into two sections: master’s and doctorate. Note that although some doctoral programs offer a master’s degree along the way, others don’t or prefer applicants to already have a master’s degree in the field. Step 11: Continue to Keep Up Your Grades Again, one of your highest priorities should be to keep up your grades so you can get into a great doctoral program once you finish your master’s program. Even more important, many graduate programs require students to get at least Bs in all their classes, or else they might get kicked out of the program! So definitely focus on your grades. Step 12: Become a TA One great way to utilize your graduate program (besides taking classes!) is to become a Teaching Assistant, or TA, for an undergraduate class. As a TA, you will not only receive a wage but will also gain lots of firsthand experience as a teacher at the postsecondary level. Many TAs lead small discussion sections or labs entirely on their own, giving you a convenient way to ease into college-level teaching. TAs’ duties typically involve some or all of the following: Grading papers and assignments Leading small discussion or lab sections of a class (instead of its large lecture section) Performing administrative tasks for the professor Holding office hours for students The only big negative with being a TA is the time commitment. Therefore, be sure you're ready and willing to dedicate yourself to this job without sacrificing your grades and academic pursuits. Becoming a TA can teach you a lot about ... teaching. (Center for Teaching Vanderbilt University/Flickr) Step 13: Research Over the Summer Master’s programs in the US typically last around two years, giving you at least one summer during your program. As a result,I strongly recommend using this summer to conduct some research for your master’s thesis. This way you can get a head start on your thesis and won't have to cram in all your research while also taking classes. What's more, using this time to research will give you a brief taste of what your summers might look like as a professor, as college professors are oftenexpected to perform research over their summer breaks. Many graduate programs offer summer fellowships to graduate students who are hoping to study or conduct research (in or outside the US). My advice?Apply for as many fellowships as possible so you can give yourself the best chance of getting enough money to support your academic plans. Step 14: Write a Master’s Thesis Even if your program doesn’t require a thesis, you’ll definitely want to write one so you can have proof that you're experienced with high-level research. This type of research could help your chances of getting into a doctoral program by emphasizing your commitment to the field you’re studying.It will also provide you with tools and experiences that are necessary for doing well in a doctoral program and eventually writing a dissertation. Step 15: Apply to Doctoral Programs OR Apply for Teaching Jobs This step has two options depending on which path you'd rather take. If you really want to teach at a four-year college or university, then you must continue on toward a doctorate. The application requirements for doctoral programs are similar to those for master’s programs. Read our guide for more information about grad school application requirements. On the other hand, if you’ve decided that you don’t want to get a doctorate and would be happy to teach classes at a community college or technical school, it’s time to apply for teaching jobs. To start your job hunt, meet with some of your current or past professors who teach the field you, too, will be teaching. Ask whether they know of any job openings at nearby community colleges or technical schools. You might also be able to use some of your professors as references for your job applications(just be sure to ask them before you write down their names!). If you can't meet with your professors or would rather look for jobs on your own, try browsing the career pages on college websites or looking up teaching jobs on the search engineHigherEdJobs. Part 4: Graduate School (Doctorate) The final part of the process (for becoming a college professor at a four-year institution) is to get your doctoral degree in the field you wish to teach. Here’s what you’ll need to do during your doctoral program to ensure you have the best chance of becoming a college professor once you graduate. Step 16: Build Strong Relationships With Professors This is the time to really focus on building strong relationships with professors- not just with those whose classes you've taken but also with those who visit the campus to give talks, hold seminars, attend conferences, etc. This will give you a wider network of people you know who work in academia, which will (hopefully) make it a little easier for you to later land a job as a professor. Make sure to maintain a particularly strong relationship with your doctoral advisor. After all, this is the professor with whom you'll work the most closely during your time as a doctoral student and candidate. Be open with your advisor: ask her for advice, meet with her often, and check that you’re making satisfactory progress toward both your doctorate and your career goals. Don't be afraid to go to your professor's office and have a chat! (Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus/Flickr) Step 17: Work On Getting Your Research Published This is also the time to start getting serious about publishing your research. Remember, it's a huge challenge to find a job as a full-time professor, especially if all you have is a PhD but no major publications. So be sure to focus on not only producing a great dissertation but also contributing to essays and other research projects. As an article in The Conversation notes, "By far the best predictor of long-term publication success is your early publication record- in other words, the number of papers you’ve published by the time you receive your PhD. It really is first in, best dressed: those students who start publishing sooner usually have more papers by the time they finish their PhD than do those who start publishing later." I suggest asking your advisor for advice on how to work on getting some of your research published if you’re not sure where to start. Step 18: Write a Groundbreaking Dissertation You'll spend most of your doctoral program working on your dissertation- the culmination of your research. In order to eventually stand out from other job applicants, it’s critical to come up with a highly unique dissertation.Doing this indicates that you’re driven to conduct innovative research and make new discoveries in your field of focus. You might also consider eventually expanding your dissertation to a full-length book. Step 19: Apply for Postdoc/Teaching Positions Once you’ve obtained your doctorate, it's time to start applying for college-level teaching jobs! One option you have is to apply forpostdoctoral (postdoc)positions. A postdoc is someone who has a doctorate and who temporarily engages in "mentored scholarship and/or scholarly training." Postdocs are employed on a short-term basis at a college or university to help them acquire more research and teaching experience. While you can theoretically skip the postdoc position and dive straight into applying for long-term teaching jobs, many professors have found that their postdoc work helped them build up their resumes/CVs before they went on to apply for full teaching positions at colleges. Inan article on The Muse, Assistant Professor Johanna Greeson at Penn writes the following about her postdoc experience: "Although I didn’t want to do a post-doc, it bought me some time and allowed me to further build my CV and professional identity. I went on the market a second time following the first year of my two-year post-doc and was then in an even stronger position than the first time." Once you’ve completed your postdoc position, you can start applying for full-time faculty jobs at colleges and universities. And what's great is thatyou’ll likely have a far stronger CV/resume than you had right out of your doctoral program. Conclusion: How to Become a College Professor Becoming a college professor takes years of hard work, but it’s certainly doable as long as you know what you'll need to do in order to prepare for the position and increase your chances of securing a job as a professor. Overall, it's extremely difficult to become a professor. Nowadays,there are many more qualified applicants than there are full-time, college-level teaching positions,making tenured positions in particular highly competitive. Although the employment growth rate for professors is a high 15%, this doesn't mean that it'll be easy to land a job as a professor.Additionally, salary levels for professors can vary a lot depending on the field they teach and the institution they work at; you could make as little as $20,000 a year (as a part-time, or adjunct, professor) or as much as $100,000 or higher (as a full professor). For those interested in becoming a professor, the basic college professor requirements are as follows: A doctoral degree in the field you want to teach Teaching experience Professional certification (depending on your field) Publications and prominent academic presence In terms of the steps needed for becoming a college professor, I will list those again briefly here. Feel free to click on any steps you'd like to reread: Part 1: High School Step 1: Keep Up Your Grades Step 2: Tutor in Your Spare Time Step 3: Get a High SAT/ACT Score Step 4: Submit Impressive College Applications Part 2: College Step 5: Declare a Major in the Field You Want to Teach Step 6: Observe Your Professors in Action Step 7: Maintain Good Grades Step 8: Get to Know Your Professors Step 9: Gain Research and/or Publication Experience Step 10: Take the GRE and Apply to Grad School Part 3: Graduate School (Master’s) Step 11: Continue to Keep Up Your Grades Step 12: Become a TA Step 13: Research Over the Summer Step 14: Write a Master’s Thesis Step 15: Apply to Doctoral Programs or Apply for Teaching Jobs Part 4: Graduate School (Doctorate) Step 16: Build Strong Relationships With Professors Step 17: Work On Getting Your Research Published Step 18: Write a Groundbreaking Dissertation Step 19: Apply for Postdoc/Teaching Positions Good luck with your future teaching career! What’s Next? Considering other career paths besides teaching? Then check out our in-depth guides to how to become a doctor and how to become a lawyer. No matter what job (or jobs!) you end up choosing, you'll likely need a bachelor's degree- ideally one from a great school.Get tips on how to submit a memorable college application, and learn how to get into Harvard and other Ivy League schoolswith our expert guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Quality Management System (Quality in the work environment) Case Study Essay

Quality Management System (Quality in the work environment) Case Study - Essay Example Another reason for introduction of quality management system was the vertical integration of the oil industry. In the present world, with the increasing workload and decreasing resources, standardisation has become a major concern of the world’s oil and natural gas companies and their suppliers. It is the industry which relies highly on API standards in order to get the job done in the right way. Standardisation helps companies to move forward in the right direction besides allowing them to operate safely and reliably anywhere in the world. The standardisation efforts help to assure compliance with government equipment interchangeability to meet the needs of the global industry. (The oil and natural gas industrie’s most valuable resource 2004). Quality management system can be discerned as a series of practices that are constantly being reconsidered and to conform to the international standard. It aims at achieving first class customer service to be derived and at the least costs, and prove to the customers that the supplier in question has an organized and disciplined approach to the achieving that end. ( Fravennec, Trambouze & Baker, p.540). There are three elements of quality management systems that apply to refineries these are: Matter of culture, service to the customer as the quasi religion, implemented by a wide spread network of customer/supplier relationships as possible, based on the contractual approach and monitors by using quantified measures of satisfaction or nonsatisfaction. Technology, that aims continuous improvement which includes a system of correction and prevention of non-quality practices that are reviews by a process of regular audit and a system for continuous improvement to achieve enhancement of quality. Prescriptive, a formal system of procedures to codify, attempts to see that the incident resulting from a

Being human person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Being human person - Essay Example This actuality is in the place of physical beings. For Aristotle, the soul is not an object in material form, but it does somehow still exist within the body. Only the things which have life can have a soul. Without life, a soul cannot exist. The soul comes from life and life cohabitates with the soul. However, there are faculties of the soul and it is clear that the faculties state that the living things differ from the nonliving things. Those who are alive have certain characteristics. These characteristics are intellect, sensation, movement, or rest. The organisms which are living, have faculty and principle or reason. Because of this principle, life belongs to the living and this was inherited based on the principle. The question is: what constitutes the living? The ability of sensation, the touch and the ability to grow and to decay can be answer the question. The soul is a mix of several faculties and each part of the faculties make up a part or the whole soul itself. Each livi ng thing needs to have the ability to reproduce and possess the nutritive soul. Aristotle says that plants do not have this faculty, but they do absorb nutrients but lack sensation with which they do this. The other part of the soul is sensation, which is the ability to feel pain and pleasure. Some animals are capable of feeling all sensation, others can only feel some and even yet others, only one. This is what makes humans different from animals. The main aspect of sensation is touch. Some can have touch and taste. Touch can exist without taste but taste cannot exist without touch. Taste is extremely necessary for the distinction of foods. The Soul is divided into several principles and the first of these principles is in charge of the locomotives and different types of movements such as growth, alteration, decay, sensation of space. It is believed by Aristotle that the function of the soul is ‘imagination’ for fantasy. The imagination is greatly different from though t and sensation. The soul itself cannot be captured or let go. The soul cannot essentially be found or lost. Religious people believe that the soul is given from God. Organisms who can reason and know right from wrong are said to have a soul. Without the distinction, and the knowledge, a soul does not exist. The person’s ability to be an individual is determined by their free will. People are not just put on this planet to be ordered around like robots. However, with the apparent presence of the soul, we have a freedom that is different from animals who live their life based on instincts. The soul however, has nothing to do with a person’s identity or individuality. The soul is formed the same in every person. It is a capacity, not the thing that has the capacity. When we use imagination, which is one aspect and purpose of the soul, we are able to see something or feel something through the eyes of the soul which is in us, but not us. The soul therefore is a verb, is a n act and not a noun or thing. Aristotle uses the word fantasia or fantasy for visualization, or retention of past sensations, He says that fantasy occurs at two levels: the sensitive or the deliberative. We all know that nature is organized in a hierarchal way. It starts with the intimate object. Aristotle decided to develop a scale of living beings which predicted the scale of evolution. His erratic thoughts on the soul and it not being a material thing does not really encompass any other belief

Features of population genetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Features of population genetics - Essay Example Consequently, the species is more likely to become extinct if environmental conditions change, even minimally. One such virus that can induce genetic changes is the West Nile virus (WNv), and it has the capacity to change the genetic sequencing of animal species, predominantly birds. WNv can be passed to humans and other mammals via mosquitoes and causes mild to severe illness, and in some cases death. The investigators presented data that supported a phylogenetic conclusion that the MNv epidemic of North America already reached an epidemiological plateau. The conclusion that peak prevalence has been passed was based on the decline in the population growth of WNv in recent months. Snapinn et al.'s method of trying to quantify the emergence of MNv in the USA contrasts with that of previous research, such as Hull et al. (2006) and Naugle et al. (2004) who observed antibody rates of birds to identify the prevalence of WNv infection. The results for Hull's study showed that antibodies to WNv were found across all raptor groups across two geographical regions. This supports the conclusion that many of the wild raptors had survived a WNv infection. In contrast, Naugle and colleagues observed that their sage-grouse sample did not exhibit WNv antibodies, suggesting that the species lacks resistance to infection. For both studies it appears that the summer months are times of increased infections, perhaps due to the increase in mosquito populations. These conclusions were drawn from evidence of statically different antibody rates across summer and winter regions used in each sample. Method Statistical methods were used to track the WNv population, estimating a set of parameters; rate of evolutionary change; sequences divergence time; and rate of viral population growth. These factors were based on the changes observed in gene sequence data. This method of modeling estimates the level of new infections across all species that can be host to WNv. This is a reasonable conclusion given that a virus leaves an epidemiological 'history' on gene sequences.The limitation of this study was that the statistical estimates used a viral sample from only one species - birds (corvids and raptors), and from only one geographical region - northeastern USA. It may be that species differences affect the lifespan of the virus, and that such a narrow geographical sample does not reflect random sampling of the entire population (which exists across the entire nation), and so is not representative. There may be confounding variables such as climate, pesticides, food availability or predators that impact on the health of the birds in this region that make them more resistant to MNv. Such a case would be of interest in developing a vaccine to the virus, but does not illuminate the true state of affairs with regard to the population growth, stagnation or decrease of MNv.Hull's study drew plasma specimens from Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), Red-shouldered Hawks (B. lineatus), and Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) was Whilst Naugle and colleagues collected the serum of 112 radio-marked sage grouse (Centrocercus

What can be gained by engaging in comparative education studies

What can be gained by engaging in comparative education studies It is in the very nature of logical activity to make comparisons. Comparing is a elementary part of thought process which enables us to make sense of the world and our experience of it. Indeed, it can be said that only by making comparisons can we properly defend our position on most questions of importance which requires the making of the judgments. Comparing causes us to make statements to the effect that one thing is intellectually or morally preferable to or more effective or better than the other, and this can be clearly exposed in the education field, where the quest for improvement for doing things better is always compelling. In a world which is mainly focused on intense global economic competition and growing beliefs in the key role of education as the source of potential advantage, governments have become increasingly obsessed with the international rankings of measured educational outcomes. Educational policy is increasingly driven by national attempts to copy the perceived advantage associated with the educational strategies and techniques of other countries. Margret Brown argues that documenting practices in high-scoring countries that give ideas for change are very important (as cited in Broadfoot 2000, p.361). It would be at least as important to find out why similar projects have not been successful in other countries. (Shorrocks-Taylor Jenkins 2000, p.16) It is crucial to assess any suggested practices from one country to another. Teachers and the general public need to be informed about the problems of putting something borrowed into practice and reform ideas from other countries to our own system. The increasing international importance of a policy discourse of learning in relation to conventional educational institutions such as schools and universities, reflects the contemporary understanding of the implication of the knowledge society (Broadfoot 2000, p.358); It is of great potential and inevitability for the whole population to be capable and disposed to take advantage of the new methods for accessing new knowledge that information and communications technology is making available. This also reflects the growing recognition that learning is not equivalent with teaching. Todays growing concern is lifelong learning which is powerfully described in a recent European Commission report: The Treasure Within. (Broadfoot 2000, p.358) Different perspective of comparative education by different scholars Antoine Jullien de Paris in 1817 saw comparative education as an analytical study of education in all countries with a view to perfect national schooling systems with adaptation and changes from which policymakers can borrow ideas to implement in their own-country (Bray 2007, p.1). In Hans view the utility of comparative education was that type of education which analyzes comparative law, comparative literature or comparative anatomy in order to highlights the differences in the forces and origins that create the differences in the educational systems (C.S. Oni 2005, p.244). Lewis approached the issue of comparative education in terms of an Island formation. Lewis asserted that, no country is an island; that each is a part of the world; therefore, no educational system anywhere in the world is worth anything unless it is comparable to some other systems in the world.(Quoted from C.S. Oni 2005, p.244). Comparative education for Blishen is the branch of educational theory that has to do with analyzing and interpreting the educational practices and policies in different countries and culture (C.S. Oni 2005, p. 244). Le Thanh Khoi believed that comparative education is a multidisciplinary area when he said that it is not strictly a discipline, but a field of study covering all the disciplines which serve to understand and explain education (quoted from Bray 2007, p. 35). In addition to learning about other people and cultures, comparative education also helps the researcher to know about oneself. As George Bereday puts it: It is self-knowledge born of the awareness of others that is the finest lesson comparative education can afford.(Quoted from Kubow Fossum 2003, p. 11). With the enhancement of nationalism and the increasing importance of the nation states in the beginning of the 19th century comparative education was pushed ahead. The objective was to learn useful lessons from foreign countries, especially concerning education systems. This contained a very colonialist view of the western societies on the foreign countries. School systems were seen as a resource of new educational ideas, which could be borrowed to improve the own school system. Comparative education transferred itself from highly pure description level to a more sophisticated analysis. With the rise of the social sciences in the 1950s the historical aspect became insignificant. Instead comparative education was introduced as a true science by using statistical techniques and more quantitative methods. The main approach was structural functionalism. The aims of comparative education: The aims of comparative education are to describe educational systems, processes, and ending products as well as to assist in the development of educational institutions and practices. It also highlights the relationships between education and society and establishes generalized statements about education that is valid in more than one country. Comparative education also deepens our understanding of our education and society; it can be of great aid to policy makers and administrators; and can be of great asset in the education of teachers (Bray 2007, p.15). Comparative research also helps us understand better our own past; locate ourselves more exactly in the present; and see more clearly what our educational future may be. Comparative education gives the researcher the ability to describe what might be the consequence of certain courses of political and economical action, by looking at experience in a range of countries. From the theories mentioned above extracted from different sch olars, we can see that comparative education facilitates the researchers to learn from the accomplishment and faults that other countries have made in the process of solving similar educational problems. The focal point of comparative study in education is the collection and categorization of information, both descriptive and quantitative. As Sadler stated in one of his lectures delivered in 1900: In studying foreign systems of education we should not forget that the things outside the schools matter even more than the things inside the school, and govern and interpret the things inside. We cannot wander at pleasure among the education systems of the world, like a child strolling through a garden, and picking flowers from one bush and some leaves from another, and then expect that if we stick what we have gathered into the soil at home, we shall have a living plant. A national education system of education is a living thing, the outcome of forgotten struggles and of battles long ago. It has in it some of the secret workings of national life. (Quoted from Philips in Alexander et. al 1999, p.19). On Comparing The comparative education researcher should go far from the familiar to see the unfamiliar to make the familiar strange, in order to broader the principles, geographical and epistemological view (Broadfoot 2000, p.363). When comparing in education researchers are producing a variety of descriptive and explanatory data which differ from micro to macro comparative data analysis, allowing us to see various practices and procedures in a very wide context that helps us to throw light upon them (Sultana as cited in Borg 2009, p.21). While less developed countries have a tendency to look at more developed countries to learn from them, more developed countries tent to look at countries that are on the same economic and educational level to make cross-national comparisons. Examples of this are number of countries that looked at USA as their model. Switzerland in mid-1990 apart from looking up to USA, it also hired American consultants to develop a reform package for schools (Steiner- Khamsi 2002, p.76 as cited in Bray 2007, p.18). On the other hand, America learned also from other countries (Levin 2010, p.96 in www.kappanmagazine.org) like East Asia, (Bray 2007, p.21-22) where the US department of education made an intensive study of Japanese education and came out with 12 principles of good practices. Educators and policy makers went to Finland, which is the top-performing country in the first three rounds of PISA, in order to find the key to education success to achieve high marks in PISA. Private companies like Cisco and McKinsey, are issuing reports on the quality of education around the world. Comparisons across time provide information about improvement or decline over the years like comparing the different periods in the history of education. These comparisons though are limited in the nature of the reference groups or criteria used: that is they are usually limited to school systems similar to those being evaluated. When policy makers look at the past to learn for the future as the British policy makers used to do in 1980s to make comparisons with their own past rather than with other countries. Sometimes the reason to compare with the predecessors is to see how the society has developed as well as to learn from the mistakes that were done in the past (Bray 2007, p.23, Bradburn Gilford 1990, p.2). Comparisons with other localities or between states, provincials and regions compare similar local educational systems within the same state, or with those in other states or the nation as a whole. Comparisons with other states or the nation as a whole have the advantage of comparing between educational systems that are broadly similar. They provide information on particular nations level of achievement in education to the much broader area of the worlds education system (Bradburn Gilford 1990, p.2).Example of such comparison is the comparison between the education systems of Hong Kong (Bray 2007, p.131) or the education systems of Macao (Bray 2007,p.134). When comparing the researcher has to identify the areas; countries or places, and cannot be generalised. As Le Than Khoi (in Sultana as cited in Borg 2009, p.16) gave the example of the Mediterranean. There are too many differences in the region that we call the Mediterranean to make it the object of comparative analyses. Culture is an important factor when comparing places. An example of this is the result that Finland got in the PISA in 2002 compared to other places which was based on the reading competences. Finland achieved well as it has centuries of cultural tradition that long promoted the reading ability (Bray 2007, p.167). A comparative education researcher must try not to be prejudiced either on political, national, religious, racial, gender or ideological aspects. It is crucial that the paradigms used are relevant to all geographic areas and nations that are included in the study. Differences between inter and intra-national research present challenges in comparative research that must be recognized. Such differences are often significant resource of cultural variation (Bradburn Gilford (1990), p.21). The contribution of developing countries in international studies adds information to the development of local research capacity and also widens the sample of participating countries. Third-world participation develops North South dialogues as well as East- West linkages as it serves as a good source for building trust and co-operation (Bradburn Gilford (1990), p.22). As the economic sector is increasing its value and the importance of having a sound education system, the business and industry sector may consult comparative educational studies in their international planning. Textbook publishers, developers of educational software and other educational traders use comparative education to categorize the needs and markets for new products. So the question raised is In whose interests do the education system and decisions taken, work? (My lecture notes). Though comparisons in education are of great benefit there are also who is sceptic and critic about it. There is the belief amongst these that comparative research will lead to a homogeneous-world approach to education that impede proper attention to each countrys unique history, culture, and people.(Bray 2007, p.178). This idea comes from experiences with international institutions that forced economic policies that had negative consequences in less-developed countries. It is vital for policy makers to keep in mind that not all the methods of any country can or should be put into practice in other countries. (Lavin 2010, p.96 in www.kappanmagazine.org, Stromquist 2002, p.87) It is important that insiders and outsiders work collaboratively in order to research and development work that is more sensitive to local, social constructions of reality. (Crossley 2002, p.82) Education research projects and organizations: As global economic competition increases, increases also the beliefs in the education as the source of marginal advantage, governments have become increasingly obsessed with the international rankings of measured educational outcomes. However the issue and impact of power on the educational institutions differentiate form in society to another. It is becoming important more than ever as the decision making in education is changing considerably. The main actors are no longer those most affected by education like the students, parents and the teachers but rather private agencies and international financial institutions (Stromquist 2002, p.87). International agencies compare patterns and results in different countries in order to improve the advice that they give to national governments and policy makers. The UNESCO, World Bank and OECD are amongst international agencies each emphasising their own aims varying from pedagogy, curriculum, economic and financial matters, which play an important part in the education arena. Their aim is to assist countries in designing and implementing successful policies to address the challenges that the educational systems are facing. They also create schemes for promoting lifelong learning in relation with other socio-economic policies (Bray 2007, p. 31). New ideas gained from international studies such as PISA, TIMMS and Survey -Lang can be tried to see if they will improve the education system and to understand why the performance of students in different countries differs (Shorrocks-Taylor Jenkins 2000). Since the late 1950s with the founding of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) such large scale comparative studies have taken on considerable significance in education. From the beginning the IEA has been committed to studying learning in the basic school subjects and to conducting on a regular basis survey of educational achievement. Over time, these outcome data have been increasingly linked to analyses of the effects of curriculum and school organization upon learning and the relationship between achievement and pupil attitudes (Shorrocks- Taylor 2000, p.14). There are different methods on how to measure the comparative aspect which differs from theoretical grounded studies intended to build or test complex models of educational systems to descriptive studies whose purpose is to monitor different features of educational systems, practices and outcomes. The purpose of theoretically oriented studies is mainly to examine relationships among variables and look for casual explanations. It is designed to examine links between school achievement and such characteristics as curricula, teaching methods, family expectations and funding levels. These highlight the level of differences between schools or classes as well as on differences between students as the unit of analysis. (Bradburn Gilford 1990, p.5) Belatedly, the intensification of international competition, spurred on by globalization, neo-liberalism and marketizing, has major implications for cross-national studies of educational achievement, for those engaged in or dealing with the powerful influence of national and international league tables, and for the theoretical frameworks that we employ in our analyses. If the funding of research is increasingly linked to commercial interests, for example, the potential for critical theory, or for alternative cultural perspectives to influence the construction of new knowledge, may be increasingly challenged. Questions of power and whose knowledge counts?, in the process of development arise, perhaps, more strongly than ever before ( reference from my lecture notes). As Sultana stated, comparative education should go further than the concern with comparing like with like (Sultana as cited in Borg 2009, p.9). It focuses more on finding a particular point from where educational and related social phenomenon can be seen from different perspectives; create a deeper understanding of the dynamics as well come up with new ideas. Comparative education provides insights on higher education, educational innovation, teacher education, power and education researches each bringing the experience of the researchers country, or the country or the countries that researcher has studied and came together in order to share these issues in debating sessions. Comparative education and globalization: In a globalise world, schools have come under greater national enquiry regarding the ways they can contribute to or delay a national progress. Claxton (1998) has described the rapidly-changing times we are living as the Age of Uncertainty in which it is impossible to predict the state and shape of the world in few years time (as cited in Broadfoot 2000, p. 358). The educational world today encounters systems which may eventually prove to be a revolution in what is to be taught, to whom and how, since, as Edmund King implies, all its established systems were developed for a world that no longer exists (quoted in Broadfoot p.267). Accountability and educational transformation rose questioning on the education process itself. The heightened interest in and concern over education has encouraged educators to re-evaluate in the light of new global realities, the purpose of schooling, the underlying theories about the relationship between education and development and questioning about educator professionalism. (Watson as cited in Crossley 2002, p.81) The ways in which educators in different countries view these issues and the strategies employed to address them must be understood in the light of different cultural, social and political context in each country. By viewing the educational issue from the perspective of two diverse countries the researcher can identify factor that might be missed when viewing the issue within the context of own country alone. If the research area is related to researchers own cultural environment, it is not always easy to perceive its special characteristics. The case may appear too understandable and non-problematic. A fish cannot see that it is living in water (quoted in http://www2.uiah.fi/projects/metodi/172.htm). Multiple cultural perspectives thinking and analytic frameworks from a multiplicity of disciple the research would provide an international context as well as tools for opening perspective to enhance the way of seeing education. Critical thinking on Comparative education: Comparative education and the critical perspective taking that comparative inquiry, help the researcher to go into a deeper analysis of the relationship among society, development, education and the role that citizens either directly or indirectly play in the education process. Through the development of comparative thinking skills researchers should be able to undertake analyses of their home cultures and systems with a more understanding of the various cultural factors at play. Comparative education encourages both researchers and educators to ask questions like: What kind of educational policies, planning and teaching are appropriate and for what kind of society? The field of comparative education focuses attention on what might be appropriate and inappropriate policy while encourage awareness of philosophies underlying educational policies and encourages interdisciplinary critique. (Klein 1990, 1996, Epstein 1983 as cited in Kubow Fossum 2003, p.7). Comparative education is beneficial and necessary not only for scholars and policy makers but for education practitioners as well. As Gutek said, teachers function in two dimensions: as citizens of particular nation-states, they foster students national identity; and second as citizens of a global society, they recognize that possibilities of humans growth and threats to human survival going beyond national boundaries (Gutek 1993 as cited in Kubow Fossum 2003, p.251). Teachers must learn to look at other equivalent classroom and school practices throughout the world. As Stake (1978) said we observe that people intrinsically pursue the general by looking at the specific. People make sense out of the new circumstances they encounter by comparing that particulars to the universe that includes their own frames of reference. We have named the process of performing cross-cultural investigation and then deriving insights from these investigations the skills of comparative perspective takin g (quoted in Kubow Fossum 2003, p.252). Schools are compared with arenas which constitute tension and combination of forces. In order to understand and control such condition, involves critical skills and the ability to understand the political underlining of societal and educational circumstances (Kaplan 1991 as cited in Kubow Fossum 2003, p. 252). These kinds of critical thinking can promote critical questions like: What is the intention of schooling? What are the equitable education and who decides? What is the appropriate balance between educator authority and accountability? What factors reinforce or hinder teacher professionalism? (Quoted from Kubow Fossum 2003, p. 252). The field of comparative education continues to define its identity and significance in the new thinking about education, society, colonialism and development. Ideas from post-foundational thinking, post-modernism, post-structuralism and post-colonialism, are of great importance in comparative research because they deal with common metanarratives of progress, modernity, dominance and subordination that there have been the fulcrum of the main ideas in comparative education.(Mehta Ninnes 2003, p.238), Crossley 2002, p.82). Examples of Case studies: Case study 1: Comparing literacy The usefulness of comparative education is seen in the number of different case studies. An example of a case study is Literacy skills in Maltese-English bilingual children by Rachael Xuereb (2009). The study examines the reading and phonological awareness skills in English and Maltese of children whose mother tongue is Maltese and second language English. A sample of 50 typically developing Maltese children aging between 8 years 0 months to 10 years 5 months was chosen to participate in this study. The children acquired Maltese as a first language within the family and later acquired English as a second language through Kindergarten and/or the early school years. The participants in this study attend a church school situated in the south-western part of the island. Since children star going to school at the age of 5 years, the children have been learning to read in Maltese and also in English. For the purpose of this study, Maltese reading and reading-related tests were created to parallel the UK and US standardised assessments. All the children sat for the novel tests and the standardised tests. According to the results found by Xuereb, Maltese children read better in Maltese than in English, which is the language of instruction in most of the subjects. Each child was tested on the following measures in both languages: word and non word reading, non word repetition, spelling, segmenting words and non words elision, rapid naming of letters, numbers and colours, forward memory for digits. Increasing research has addressed this issue for bilingual students, in relationship to whether phonological awareness in the first language predicts phonological awareness in the second language (Quiroga, Lemos-Britton, Mostafapour, Abbott Berninger, 2002). Studies comparing first language and second language decoding skills in readers of different orthographies suggest that these skills are positively correlated and that individual differences in the development of these skills can be predicted on the basis of underlying cognitive and linguistic abilities such as phonological skills, memory, orthographic knowledge and speed of processing (Geva Wade-Woolley, 1998 as cited in Xuereb 2009, p.331). This study aimed to find answer for how do Maltese-English bilingual children perform on reading and phonological tasks and to verify whether prior findings of cross-language transfer from first language phonological awareness to reading or to second language phonological awareness be replicated in this sample of Maltese-speaking students. Case study 2: Comparing the role of gender and age on students perceptions towards online education. This study conducted by Fahme Dabaj, and Havva BaÃ…Å ¸ak, was conducted in order to question and analyze the perceptions and attitudes of the students to online distance education by means of email and the World Wide Web as the method of delivering instruction through on-line diploma programs offered by Sakarya University in Turkey with respect to their age and gender. The research was based on a questionnaire as a mean of data collection method. The findings of the analysis explained that although the students registered to the online program by will, they preference was for the traditional face-to-face education due to the difficulty of the nonverbal communication, their lack of ability in using the technology required, and their belief in traditional face-to face learning more than online education. The research methodology of this study used the quantitative statistical methods and techniques such as significance differences, correlation and the cross-tabulation distribution to find out if there is a significant relationship between the independent and the dependent variable questions, measuring the role of age and gender of students towards their perceptions regarding distant education. The quantitative data was collected by survey questionnaire and was analyzed via quantitative statistical methods. All the students enrolled in the distance education programs and the online courses in the autumn term of the 2005/2006 Academic Year took part in the research. Regarding gender, the results proofed that the female students have a better awareness of the online education contrasting to the male students. Regarding age, the results showed that the older the students preference moves towards attending face-to face classes. Case study 3: Comparing different Art methodologies. I also attempted to make a small comparative study in which I compared Art methodology adopted in a state school compared with that adopted by the Verdala International School. The Verdala International is a co-ed international school in which foreign students resident in Malta can attend. The Art department in this school in based on two Art Programs; the IG which is equivalent to O level exam and the IB which is equivalent to the A level exam. My research was aimed at bringing out the difference in teachers and students approach towards the subject. The first difference which I pointed out was the level of organization in the state schools Art room in comparison with the organized chaos that ruled in the Verdala International. Both teachers response to my comments about the Art room environment was that it reflects the methodology they adopt towards the subject. Art lessons in the state school are more structured; students have to follow rules which hinder them from using their imagination freely. In both schools the lessons where introduced in the same manner there was a lot of teacher talk with the teacher orchestrating the whole thing. The children were only asked to participate when the teacher asked them for suggestions. The two lessons differed in the way they developed while in the state school, the students followed the traditional method by copying the teachers examples from the whiteboard and were very limited in experimentation, at Vedala international the students were much freer to experiment and be creative. The reason was that although the Art syllabi of both schools are very similar, the methodology adopted is different. The teacher at the state school believes that in order to break the rules in Art first the student has to learn them by using the traditional method by copying. While Art lessons at the state school are more exams oriented, although at Verdala International they do have an end of year test, the focus is more on helping students develop creative ideas. During my observation sessions at the state school, which were carried out in the beginning of November, the teacher consistently reminded the students about the exam. On the other hand at Verdala International the final test was never mentioned. At the Verdala International I also tried to compare Maltese students who have been to a state school and are now attending Verdala International with foreign students who had been attending to Art classes in their own countries are now at Verdala. The aim of such comparison was to identify students perspectives of the methodologies used for the teaching of Art in Malta and abroad. The foreign students interviewed were from Italy, USA, Sweden, Germany, Russia and England. From the response given it resulted that the conservative Art methodology used in Maltese state schools is very similar to that in Russia and in the early years of the middle school in Germany. Lessons at Verdala International are more similar to those in Italy where the students are active participants and able to take decisions on what they should do. While in state schools every lesson planned out by the teacher following the syllabus that is to be covered, at Verdala International the lesson is in the form of a group discussion. Each student decides on a theme that he/she would like work on and the teacher will facilitate his learning. This way, different students might be working on different projects unlike in state schools where everyone would be doing the same thing. Maltese students prefer more the methodology used at the Verdala International than the Art methodology used in the state school. The research methodology of this study consisted of observation sessions, interviews with students both on individual bases and in groups, and interviews with four teachers (one at Verdala International and 3 at state school). The number of students that took part in this study was 45 students (22 at Verdala International and 23 at state school). Conclusion The comparative education area is composed by what researchers declare about its nature, origins, purposes, futures, by the truths people support and by the struggle over what made true comparative education (Mehta Ninnes 2003, p.240). The significance in studying this area using intellectual accuracy, the working and foreign systems of education will result in our better fitted to study and understand our own while helps to extend and d

The Advantage of School Uniforms Essay -- Arguement Argumentative Pers

Did you know that as many as twenty-five percent of the nation?s pubic elementary, middle, and junior high schools have successfully implemented a school uniform policy? (Isaacson, 1998) School uniforms greatly benefit both the students and faculty by creating an atmosphere in which the students are able to get the most out of their education. I believe that all students should wear school uniforms regardless of whether or not the school is public. Below are clear-cut arguments in favor of school uniforms. First, one of the chief benefits of school uniforms is their ability to make schools safer. Studies have shown that they help to reduce gang influences. (Isaacson, 1998) Many gang members wear particular types of colors and clothes to signify their membership to a certain gang. With every student wearing the same articles of clothing, gang members will not be able to establish a rivalry within the school. Uniforms also minimize violence by reducing some sources of conflict. A Long Beach Superintendent stated the first year that the uniforms had been implemented into his school, crimes decreased by thirty-six percent, school violence by fifty-one percent, and vandalism to the school dropped eighteen percent. (US Dept. of Ed., 1996) Uniforms will also make it easier for trespassers to be identified. (Ryan & Cooper, 2000) These trespassers will stick out like a soar thumb because they will not have on a uniform like everyone else. Identifying and properly escorting the...

The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty-Four

I FELT PRETTY BAD about burning down my teacher's house. Ms. Terwilliger, for obvious reasons, seemed to think that was the least of her problems. She wasn't sure if her insurance would cover the damage, but her company was pretty speedy in sending someone out to investigate the cause. We were still waiting to hear their verdict on coverage, but one thing they didn't report finding was any sign of human remains. Part of me was relieved that I hadn't actually killed anyone. Another part of me feared we hadn't seen the last of Alicia. What silly comparison had Adrian made? The Moriarty to your Holmes. I had to imagine that being hit in the face with razor blades and then left in a burning building would make anyone hold a grudge. A little investigation eventually turned up Veronica at a Los Angeles hospital, checked in as Jane Doe. Visiting her comatose sister became the greatest of Ms. Terwilliger's priorities, and she harbored hopes of possibly finding a way to undo the spell. Despite how busy she now was, my teacher still managed to urge me to meet her coven, and I agreed for a few different reasons. One was that it was kind of impossible for me to act like I didn't want to wield magic anymore. The other reason was that I didn't plan on being around. I was still resolved to go with Marcus to Mexico, and the week flew by. Winter finals were a breeze, and before I knew it, it was Friday, the day before our trip to Mexico. I took a risk by telling my friends goodbye. The safest thing would've been to disappear without a trace, but I trusted them all – even Angeline – to keep my secret and feign ignorance once the Alchemists discovered they had a runaway. I told Trey as well. No matter what had gone down between us, he was still my friend, and I would miss him. As the day wore on, the dorm grew quieter and quieter – aside from unending Christmas music playing in the lobby. Not wanting to exclude other religions, Mrs. Weathers had also set out a menorah and â€Å"Happy Kwanzaa† banner. Tomorrow was officially the last day before everyone had to be out, and a number of people had already left for winter break. I'd finished my own packing, which was light. I didn't want to be burdened down with excess luggage since I really had no idea what to expect in Mexico. I still had two people I needed to say goodbye to: Adrian and Jill. I'd avoided them both for very different reasons, but time was running out. I knew Jill was just a flight of stairs away, but Adrian was more difficult. We'd been in touch a couple times after the fire, simply to sort out some details, but he'd soon gone silent. No calls, no texts, no dreams. Maybe I should've been glad. Maybe I should've welcomed the chance to leave without any painful goodbyes . . . but I couldn't. My chest ached with the thought of not seeing him again. Even though he was the reason I was leaving, I still felt like I needed some closure. It's not about closure, Sydney. You want to see him. You need to see him. And that's exactly why you have to leave. Finally, I took the plunge and called him. It took me so long to work up the nerve that I could hardly believe it when he didn't answer. I resisted the urge to immediately try again. No. I could wait. There would still be time tomorrow, and surely . . . surely he wasn't avoiding me? I decided to hold off on talking to Jill until the next day. Telling her goodbye was just as difficult – and not just because of what she saw through the bond. I knew she'd think I was abandoning her. In truth, if I stayed and ended up with Adrian, I'd possibly be caught and never be able to help her at all. At least if I was away and free, I could try to help her from the outside. I hoped she'd understand. Waiting on her gave me the opportunity to take care of an unwelcome errand: returning Malachi Wolfe's gun. I'd never gone to his home without Adrian, and even though I knew I had nothing to fear from Wolfe, there was still something a little unsettling about going to the compound alone. To my complete and utter astonishment, Wolfe let me into the house when I arrived. All was quiet. â€Å"Where are the dogs?† I asked. â€Å"At training,† he said. â€Å"I have a friend who's an expert dog trainer, and he's giving them some stealth lessons. He used to work for a local K-9 unit.† I didn't think it was in the Chihuahua genetic code to ever be stealthy. I kept that to myself and instead stared around in amazement at Wolfe's kitchen. I'd expected something like a ship's galley. Instead, I found an astonishingly cheery room, with blue-checkered wallpaper and a squirrel cookie jar. If someone had asked me to describe the most unlikely Wolfe kitchen out there, it would've looked something like this. No – wait. On the refrigerator, he had some magnets that looked like ninja throwing stars. That, at least, was in character. Adrian's going to flip out when I tell him. Then I remembered I might not see Adrian for a very long time. That realization killed whatever amusement I'd just felt. â€Å"So what do you need?† asked Wolfe. Peering at him, I suddenly had a strange feeling the eye patch really was on a different eye from last time. I should've paid more attention. â€Å"Another gun?† I returned to the task at hand. â€Å"No, sir. I didn't even need the first one, but thanks for lending it to me.† I removed it from the bag and handed it to him. He gave the gun a once-over and then set it inside a drawer. â€Å"Fixed your problem? You can still hang on to it if you want.† â€Å"I'm leaving the country. Bringing it over the border might cause me some trouble.† â€Å"Fair enough,† he said. He grabbed the cookie jar and took off the lid, leaning it toward me. An amazing scent drifted out. â€Å"Want one? I just made them.† I was really regretting not being able to tell Adrian about this. â€Å"No thanks, sir. I've had more than enough sugar these last few weeks.† I felt like I should have a frequent customer card for Pies and Stuff. â€Å"I thought you looked better. Not all skin and bones anymore.† He nodded in approval, which felt really weird and slightly creepy. â€Å"So where are you two kids going?† â€Å"Mexi – oh, Adrian's not going with me. I'm going with someone else.† â€Å"Really?† He slid the squirrel back across the counter. â€Å"I'm surprised. I always figured when you two left here, you went home and had your own private ‘training sessions.'† I felt myself turning bright red. â€Å"No! It's not like – I mean, we're just friends, sir.† â€Å"I had a friend like that once. Silver Tooth Sally.† He got that faraway expression that always came on when he had an anecdote to share. â€Å"I'm sorry, did you say – â€Å" â€Å"Never met a woman like Sally,† he interrupted. â€Å"We fought our way across Switzerland together, always watching each other's backs. We finally got out alive – just barely – and she wanted to come back to the States and settle down. Not me. I had dreams, you see. I was a young man then, drawn to danger and glory. I left her and went off to live with an Orcadian shaman. It took two years and a lot of vision quests to realize my mistake, but when I got back, I couldn't find her. When I close my eye at night, I can still see that tooth sparkle like a star. It haunts me, girl. It haunts me.† I frowned. â€Å"I don't think the Orcadians have vision quests, sir. Or shamans.† Wolfe leaned forward and shook a finger at me, his eye wide. â€Å"Learn from my mistakes, girl. Don't go to the Orkneys. You don't need some mystical vision to see what's in front of you, you hear me?† I gulped. â€Å"Yes, sir.† I hurried out after that, thinking that being in a different country from Malachi Wolfe might be a good thing. The next morning, I prepared to tell Jill goodbye, but she beat me to it and showed up at my door. It was the first time we'd truly spoken since the morning after that last dream with Adrian. She walked into my room and frowned when she saw the suitcase. â€Å"You're really going?† â€Å"Yes. And I'm sure you know why.† She crossed her arms and looked me straight in the eye, without any of the reservation she'd shown last time. I had trouble holding that stare. â€Å"Sydney, don't leave Adrian because of me.† â€Å"It's more complicated than that,† I said automatically. â€Å"It's really not,† she said. â€Å"From everything I've seen and heard, you're just afraid. You've always controlled every detail of your life. When you couldn't – like with the Alchemists – you found a way to seize back that control.† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with wanting control,† I snapped. â€Å"Except that we can't always have it, and sometimes that's a good thing. A great thing, even,† she added. â€Å"And that's how it is with Adrian. No matter how hard you try, you aren't going to be able to control your feelings for him. You can't help loving him, and so you're running away. I'm just an excuse.† Who was she to lecture me like this? â€Å"You think I'm lying about how awkward it is for you to see everything that happens between us? Every intimate detail is on display. I can't do that. I can't live like that.† â€Å"Adrian's learned to.† â€Å"Well, he's had to.† â€Å"Exactly.† Some of her fierceness mellowed. â€Å"Sydney, he brought me back from the dead. It's the greatest thing anyone can or will do for me. I can't pay him back, but I can let him live his life the way he wants to. I don't expect him to shelter me because of the bond, and I'm not going to judge him – or you. Someday, he and I will learn to block each other.† â€Å"Someday,† I reiterated. â€Å"Yes. And until then, we do the best we can. All you're doing by leaving is making three people miserable.† â€Å"Three?† I frowned. â€Å"I'm helping you.† â€Å"Do you really think I'm happy when he's miserable? Do you think I like the darkness that crawls over him?† When I said nothing, she pushed forward. â€Å"Look, I don't have the same physical reaction to you that he does, but when he's with you, he's so full of joy . . . it radiates through to me, and it's one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. I've never been in love like you guys are.† â€Å"I'm not – † I couldn't say it, and she gave me a knowing look. I tried a different tactic. â€Å"Staying here is dangerous, especially with him. The Alchemists might find out about everything – him, my tattoo, Ms. Terwilliger, and God knows what else.† â€Å"And if they don't find out, look at what you get. Adrian. The rest of us. Magic. The chance to uncover their secrets. I know you love this life. Why would you give it up? You're too smart to get caught. We'll help you. Do you really think Marcus and his Merry Men can do that much fighting when they're always on the run?† I shook my head. â€Å"They're like me. They understand me.† She was obstinate. â€Å"They aren't like you at all. They talk. You act.† It was so surprising to see her like this, so confident and so much wiser than her years. It was also a little irritating. If she was so wise, why couldn't she understand how much was at stake? â€Å"Jill, staying is a big risk – in all ways.† â€Å"Of course it is!† she exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger. â€Å"Any life worth living is going to have risks. If you go to Mexico, you'll regret it – and I think you know that.† My phone rang, cutting off my next response. It was Eddie. He rarely called, and panic seized me. â€Å"What's wrong?† I demanded. He sounded mystified. â€Å"I wouldn't say anything's wrong . . . just surprising. Is Jill with you? You guys should really come down. We're outside† He hung up, and I was left totally confused. â€Å"What's up?† asked Jill. â€Å"Something surprising, apparently.† She and I went down to the lobby, with no more mention of Adrian. When we stepped outside, we found Eddie and Angeline pointedly avoiding eye contact with each other. Standing near them was a tall, good-looking guy with neatly trimmed black hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a stern, serious expression and was scanning the area. â€Å"He's a dhampir,† Jill murmured to me. His eyes locked onto us at our approach, and that fierce look relaxed. â€Å"Jill, Sydney,† said Eddie. â€Å"This is Neil Raymond. He's going to be joining us here.† Neil swept Jill a bow so low, it was a wonder he didn't hit the ground. â€Å"Princess Jillian,† he said in a deep voice. â€Å"It's an honor to serve you, and I'll do so to the best of my abilities, even if it means sacrificing my own life.† Jill took a step back, her eyes wide as she took him in. â€Å"Th-thank you.† Eddie looked back and forth between them, a small frown appearing on his face. â€Å"Neil's been sent as backup. I guess you filed some complaint about Jill not having enough protection?† That was to me, and unless I was mistaken, there was an accusatory note in his voice. â€Å"No – I. Oh. I guess I kind of did.† When I'd been trying to do damage control with Stanton, one of my grievances had been that I never felt Jill was safe. I guess this was Stanton's response. It was surprising, just as Eddie had said, but more eyes on her couldn't hurt. From the way she was sizing Neil up, she certainly didn't seem to mind either. I shook his hand. â€Å"Nice to have you around, Neil. Are they passing you off as another cousin?† â€Å"Just a new student,† he said. That was probably just as well. Our â€Å"family† was in danger of taking over Amberwood. I would've liked to learn a little more about him, but my time was up. Marcus was picking me up soon to go to the train station, seeing as Latte had been declared totaled. I guess that was a different sort of closure, albeit a sad kind. I told them all goodbye as I left to get my suitcase, acting as though I just had to run an errand. Eddie, Angeline, and Jill knew the truth, and I could see the hurt and regret in their eyes – especially Jill. I prayed they'd be okay without me. When I came back downstairs, I found Jill was the only one still there. â€Å"I forgot to give you this,† she said, handing over a small envelope. My name was on the outside, and I recognized the writing. â€Å"I've been trying to get a hold of him and thought he might be avoiding me. This is his goodbye, huh?† I felt disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see Adrian in person one last time. Maybe a letter was better than nothing, but I wished I could have left with those beautiful eyes fresh in my mind. â€Å"Is he . . . is he really upset?† I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting. â€Å"Read the letter,† she said mysteriously. â€Å"And remember, Sydney. This isn't about me. This is about you guys. You can control everything else, but not this. Let go, and accept how you feel.† We left on that note, and I went outside to sit on the curb and wait for Marcus. I stared at the envelope, looking at the way Adrian had written my name. Three times I nearly opened it . . . but chickened out each time. Finally, I saw Marcus drive in, and the envelope disappeared into my purse. As soon as he picked me up, he began talking excitedly about the big plans ahead. I barely heard. All I kept thinking about was Adrian and how empty my life was going to seem without him. Marcus and I were meeting Wade and Amelia at the train station, but I couldn't picture any of them understanding me like Adrian – even if they were human and shared the same background. None of them would have his dry wit or uncanny insight. And simmering beneath all those emotions were the more heated memories . . . the way we'd kissed, the way it had felt to be wrapped up in him. . . . â€Å"Sydney? Are you even paying attention?† I blinked and glanced over at Marcus. I think it was another of those moments where he couldn't believe someone wasn't hanging on to his every word. â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"My mind's somewhere else.† He grinned. â€Å"Well, shift it to beaches and margaritas because your life's about to change.† It was always beaches and margaritas with him. â€Å"You left out the part about us sealing the tattoo. Unless your tattooist is also a bartender.† â€Å"There you go again, funny and beautiful.† He laughed. â€Å"We're going to have a great time.† â€Å"How long will we be down there?† â€Å"Well, we'll take care of the tattoos first. That's the most important thing.† I was relieved to see him taking that seriously. â€Å"Then we'll lie low, enjoy the sights for a few weeks. After that, we'll come back and follow some leads on other dissatisfied Alchemists.† â€Å"And then you'll repeat the process?† I asked. In the rear-view mirror, I could see the Palm Springs skyline disappearing as we drove north. I felt a pang of longing in my chest. â€Å"Get others to retrieve critical information and then free them?† â€Å"Exactly.† We drove in silence for another minute as I processed his words. â€Å"Marcus, what do you do with that information you gather? I mean, what are you going to do about Master Jameson?† â€Å"Keep finding more evidence,† he said promptly. â€Å"This is the biggest lead we've ever had. Now we can really push forward in finding out more.† â€Å"It's more than a lead. Why not leak it to the Moroi?† â€Å"The Alchemists would deny it. Besides, we don't want to be hasty.† â€Å"So what if they do deny it?† I demanded. â€Å"At least the Moroi will have a heads-up.† He glanced over at me with a look that reminded me of a parent trying to be patient with a child. Ahead of us, I saw a sign for the train station. â€Å"Sydney, I know you're eager, but trust me. This is the way we've always done things.† â€Å"I don't know that it's the right way, though.† â€Å"You have a lot of ideas for someone who just joined up.† He chuckled. I wished he'd stop doing that. â€Å"Just wait, and then you'll understand.† I didn't like his condescending attitude. â€Å"I think I already understand. And you know what? I don't think you guys do anything. I mean, you've uncovered some amazing information . . . but then what? You keep waiting. You run away and skulk around. How is this really helping? Your intentions are good . . . but that's all they are.† I could almost hear Jill's voice: They talk. You act. Ironically, Marcus was speechless. â€Å"You could do so much,† I continued. â€Å"When I first found out about you, you seemed to hold all the potential in the world. Technically, you still do. But it's being wasted.† He pulled into the train station's parking lot, still looking utterly stunned. â€Å"Where the hell is this coming from?† he asked at last. â€Å"Me,† I said. â€Å"Because I'm not like you guys. I can't do nothing. I can't run away. And . . . I can't go with you.† It felt good to say that . . . and it also felt right. All week, my brain had been telling me the right thing to do was to walk away before things with Adrian and the Alchemists blew up. And yes, that probably was the smart thing. My heart had never entirely been on board, but I'd tried to ignore it. It wasn't until I'd listened to both Jill and Marcus that I realized just this once, my brain might have to opt for the less logical solution. I had to give Marcus credit. He actually looked concerned and wasn't just put out at not getting his way. â€Å"Sydney I know how attached you are to this place and these people, but it's not safe for you here. It's not safe for you anywhere, not as long as the Alchemists are watching. Not as long as your tattoo is vulnerable.† â€Å"Someone told me any life worth living has risks,† I said, unable to hide a smile. I never thought I'd be quoting Jill. Marcus slammed his fist against the dashboard. â€Å"That's sentimental bullshit! It sounds good in theory, but the reality is completely different.† â€Å"What kind of reality could you have created if you'd stayed with the Alchemists?† I asked. â€Å"How much could you have uncovered?† â€Å"Nothing if I was caught,† he said flatly. â€Å"And no matter how useless you think we are, I've freed dozens of Alchemists. I've helped Clarence and other Moroi.† â€Å"You aren't useless, Marcus. You do good work, but we're just not on the same path, that's all. I'm staying and doing things my way. Isn't that what you said when we first met? Helping the Moroi on our own terms? These are mine.† â€Å"You're wasting your time!† â€Å"It's my time to waste,† I said. Adrian had said exactly the same thing to me on the flight to the wedding, when I'd told him he couldn't keep loving me. I felt bad for Marcus. I really did, especially since he'd truly been counting on me to come with him. He caught hold of my hand. â€Å"Sydney, please don't do this,† he begged. â€Å"No matter how confident you feel, no matter how careful you think you are, things will spiral out of control.† â€Å"They already have,† I said, opening the passenger door. â€Å"And I'm going to stop fighting them. Thank you for everything, Marcus. I mean it.† â€Å"Wait, Sydney,† he called. â€Å"Just tell me one thing.† I glanced back and waited. â€Å"Where did this come from? When you called me to tell me you were coming, you said you'd realized it was the smart thing to do. What made you change your mind?† I gave him a smile that I hoped was as dazzling as one of his. â€Å"I realized I'm in love.† Marcus, startled, looked around as though he expected to see my objet d'amour in the car with us. â€Å"And you just realized that? Did you just have some sort of vision?† â€Å"Didn't need to,† I said, thinking of Wolfe's ill-fated trip to the Orkneys. â€Å"It's always been right in front of me.†