Changing Demographics Essay Example for Free

Changing Demographics Essay New demographic changes, economic globalization, high levels of workforce automation, and pressing health and security issues are intertwined instruments that seem to be changing the global polity. A high level of immigration into countries with a relatively stable economy has tremendous impacts on every facet of the host community. America has thus gradually become much more diverse and multiethnic than it was in past decades. The impacts of changing demographics also affect the education sector. In most American elementary schools, there have been tremendous changes from what was the usual status quo many decades ago. Changing demographics in elementary schools can have both many positive and many negative effects. The positive effects are desired, cherished and encouraged while the negative ones are regrettably unfortunate and measures should be put in place to reduce their severity. With the increasingly multi ethnic nature of elementary schools, the students are able to mingle with students from entirely different backgrounds and ethnic affiliations. This has the advantage of allowing intercultural interactions among students of various ethnic backgrounds. Difficult actions like the acquisition of foreign languages and cuisine are easily achieved. There are also many reasons to redesign our elementary schools so that they are more international in character. Part of the redesign process is focused on making it easier for foreign students to be fully integrated into the communities surrounding the schools. Since elementary schools currently have services that reaching far beyond their immediate geographical locality, many types of support services are being put together to help international students. The management and the faculty of many elementary schools are being forced to revise their curriculums with the aims of internationalizing them. This include the introduction of new foreign languages into the curriculum. It is now becoming very popular to see elementary schools teach Chinese and Arabic along with the more traditional French and Spanish. The curriculums that are inspired by changing demographics are set to make the students become more successful global citizens with adequate information about the world, its people and their traditions. The elementary school teaching profession should become more adept at teaching students of different backgrounds. This will involve professionalism and updated skills on the part of the teachers. Thus, teachers are being forced to go for re-training to be able to meet up with the millennial challenge of teaching elementary students. This is a good omen for the teachers and the schools in general because it could be totally absurd to use ancient teaching methods meant for Alaska born and based students in a class with mixed ethnicity. Due to the NCLB Act, the local educational bodies are now compelled to raise the standards of education in the various elementary schools to meet up with expectations of the parents that are bringing their children to the school. Some ethnic groups are considered to be protected minorities, and a school could face sanctions if it fails to achieve adequate performance among these groups. Studies have shown that quest for quality education is one of the driving forces in global migration. Most of the schools are now raising their standards to complete for the enrollment of students in the schools. The improved standard of education is also making it possible for investments in elementary education to be lucrative. With more foreign students admitted, more funds are being generated. This however, is a disadvantage on the side of the students both local residents and foreign that involved often have to pay exorbitant fees for the education. Like the wind, changing demographics blow students about. Sometimes exceptionally brilliant students are coughed in the wind. If blown to the right school, the skills, talents and abilities of such students could be discovered, polished and utilized to the fullest potential. Some skills are priceless in terms of the prestige that is bestowed on the students, the school and the society. A lot has been said in the positive ways that demographic changes have affected and are currently affecting elementary schools. It would be worthy be also note the problems that changing demographics can bring to the elementary schools. According to recent studies, a high influx of foreign students into elementary schools has caused an increase in the rate of ethnic intolerance. This is also evident in middle and high schools. More children are having divided feelings about belonging to the school over time. It is common to see students in their own ethnic groups rather than as a class. They tend to associate only with students for same background while these that are not are liberated and ostracized. The usual tradition of referring to the schools as a community may seem to have been long lost. The variable changes in the education system have greatly increased the worries of some students about their academic performance. Average students may be seen struggling to be in tune with the rhythm. This may be occurring because of the limitations of language barrier and totally different education methods that may lead to problems for them in class. An intense cloud of insecurity also seems to have enveloped the schools. Students of a particular background may feel threatened by students of other backgrounds. Children from Arabic backgrounds may be seen as potential terrorists. There is also a fear students being infected by an unknown disease that was carried by foreign students. In some countries of the world, most citizens are carriers of some types of parasites and possibly strange diseases or diseases such as tuberculosis. When children from that type of background mix with students with whom they don’t share close ties with, there is the possibility of them spreading communicable diseases. Competition for the limited available space in the elementary schools which are near by s is also creating problems when more students apply to schools, and various measures are employed to cut down the size. These can include exorbitant fees and overstressing the available academic resources. Being social with other people is the desire of must individuals. While having people thought of as strangers in one’s territory may bring suspicions, alienation should never be an option. Children at a delicate stage in their life deserve to be brought up in a loving and severe community and the elementary schools should not be expected to be failing in the provision of these. When the influx of immigrants seems to be going at a rate of is alarming, adjustment may be very difficult. The education system is expected to maintain standardized curriculums and it is expected to create a proper community that could facilitate qualitative education. Students in elementary schools deserve to be well educated and their satisfaction should not be taken for granted at the expense of anybody; everybody should be satisfied. Proper legislation should be put in place to check migration and adequate protection should be given so that elementary schools will not be caught unaware when bad wind blows!

Fly Away Peter Analysis

Fly Away Peter Analysis In Fly Away Peter, David Malouf carefully and subtley indicates humans ability to transcend the immediate and create an alternate perception of their own life. Malouf does an exceedingly good job at expressing his opinion on the importance of the continuity of life, and the human mind set against the meaning of life. The three main characters, Jim Saddler, Imogen Harcourt, and Ashley Crowther are all employed in different contrasting ways to add meaning to the main concepts in the book. Malouf implies throughout the book that fate is beyond the control of any individual person, and that the only way to counter this is through the imagination of man. Its the human mind, the imagination that makes us special is a prime example of Maloufs intention. This is just one example of how David Maloufs intention was to express the idea of fate in the book. Malouf also intends to imply that individual life is extremely important, using symbolism to represent lifes perpetual continuity. An outstanding example of this is his detailed descriptions of migrational patterns of birds in the novel. As birds have no concept of time, the book quotes The time span for them was more or less infinite. Maloufs use of Jim and the sandpiper was very well done, as when Jim is amazed at how the sandpiper can find its way across the world and abck, it becomes apparent that the many references to bird migration are intentionally there to symbolize the continuity of life Yet another example of Maloufs intention to imply that time is ceaseless, therefore meaning that life can have little meaning is when they discover the mammoth fossil in France. Malouf writes looking at them made time seem meaningless. This line also gives substance to the argument that Malouf is trying to say that as time is never ending, life is insignificant and that it is the ability to create your own world which gives life meaning. Maloufs final message towards continuity of life and time comes to a climax with the death of Jim. With Jims death, his mind is transported to a forest where he and his lost friend Clancy Parkett dig earth together, along with many others. Clancy then brings up another message of time, saying Theres all the time in the world mate. No trouble about time. The three main characters all provide excellent examples of individual life, in contrast to the significance of masses of life lost in the war. Jim Saddlers offers insight to this, posting himself a question What does it mean the likes of us? This question, although essentially unanswered goes to suggest that life may not have meaning as a whole, but the significance lies within the individual. Jim realises this towards the end of the book, stating that Nothing counted. For Jims life he had been intent on naming things, this compulsion of recording birds shows Jims human nature for something to be permanent. Imogen Harcourt in some ways brings permanency to things; however Imogen did this through means of photography. Imogens personality, photography, views, and attitudes all reinforce the notion that life is brief and needs to be savored. Her love for photography indicates that her love of life is expressed through the permanency of photography, as that moment is captured forever. This provides a nice contrast to Maloufs intention to portray the insignificance of life, and how people find their own ways to find permanency and enjoyment in their lives. During the final chapter of the book, Imogens grief that is expressed towards the loss of Jims life brings things into perspective. That is what life meant, a unique presenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. A life wasnt for anything. It simply was. David Malouf intended to cement this idea of life being brief compared the endless nature of time with the symbolism of waves crashing against the beach in the final chapter of the book. The waves, metaphor is quoted as they rose, gathered themselves, stood poised a moment holding the sun at their crests, then toppled. There was a rhythm to it . The notion that this brief moment should be savored, rather than a bleak outlook on the big picture. Having momentary beauty and significance is an important contrast that David Malouf intends to weave throughout the book. David Malouf presents important life messages in a unique and uninteresting way. Significance of individuality, mans ability to transcend the immediate, and the meaning of life are all touched upon in a symbolic matter. Malouf has carefully constructed his three main characters to portray a contrast in individuality and to emphasise his main themes. A prime example of this is summarized David Maloufs intention to touch upon a wide range of themes has worked well in Fly Away Peter, themes such as the significance of the individual as opposed to the meaning of life, mans ability to transcend the immediate, and the continuity of life. Malouf crafts his three main characters to portray and develop the essence of his main themes. David Maloufs intention to express these themes in a subtle and interesting manner was well designed and worked effectively throughout the book.

Essay --

Tribal Rights and Sovereignty of the Yakama Nation and Klamath Tribes Quinn Buchwald AP United States Government, 1st Period Ms. Peck December 17, 2013 The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is a sovereign Native American tribal entity in Washington State. The tribe's reservation is located in southern Washington State and is east of the Cascade Mountains. The reservation is 2,185.94 square miles and has a population of over 30,000. The tribe itself has almost 11,000 enrolled members. The Yakama Tribe consists of multiple groups of Native Americans, including the Klikitat, Palus, Walla Walla, Wanapam, Wishram, and Yakama. These people have lived here for thousands of years and have developed their own very unique way of life and culture. They belong to a larger cultural group known as the Sahaptin people, who live throughout the Columbia River Basin and Plateau in central, eastern, and southern Washington State and in northern Oregon. The Yakama life style was dependant on their surroundings and environment. They heavily relied on wildlife, game, and fish for their sustenance, and where solely hunter-gatherer societ ies before European and American contact. Due to their close connection and reliance on the environment, the Yakama highly respected nature and were always aware of their impact upon it. They believe that everything has a purpose and an important place in the natural order. With the expansion the United States into the Pacific Northwest and the rapid encroachment of white settlers into their territory, the Yakama signed the "Treaty with the Yakima" with the United States government in 1855. The Yakama people were able to negotiate for many tribal rights due to their strategic and powerful po... ...es: Sovereignty, Ethics, and Data-Sharing Issues." Environmental Health Perspectives 120 (2011): 6-10. Print. The Klamath Tribes. The Klamath Tribes, 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. OFFICIAL SITE OF THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE YAKAMA NATION. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. "A Short History of the Klamath Tribe." A Short History of the Klamath Tribe. The Klamath Tribes, 1985. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. United States. Department of the Interior. National Parks Service. Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal Governments. By William J. Clinton. National Parks Service, 4 May 1994. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. United States. Dept. of State. "Treaty with the Yakima, 1855." Yakama Nation Archives. Print. "YN CHC :: Yakama History." Yakamamuseum.com. Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Leaders and Businessmen of the Victorian Era Essay examples -- Victori

Uneducated Gentlemen: The Leaders and Businessmen of the Victorian Era Changing Intentions of Public Education The public education system in Victorian England was originally intended for the education of the poorer working classes, and the training of clergy (Landow, par. 2). The children of the upper classes were often educated at home by private tutors, and therefore it was assumed the public schools would be a place for members of the lower classes. Despite the original intentions of public education, the schools eventually became a primary means of helping to elevate the status of the middle classes. In fact, rather than being primarily concerned with the imparting of knowledge, â€Å"the whole educational process was designed to mold the student into a young Christian Gentleman† (Everett, par. 2). The middle and upper classes wanted to keep children of the working classes from being educated, perhaps as a means of social control, and thus according to Eric Hobsbawm, in 1897 less than 7% of academic secondary school students were members of the working class (qtd. in Landow, pa...

Essay --

Science project: Creating a cell Cell membrane The cell membrane in the plant controls what comes into the cell. If something is needed the membrane lets the cell get past. In a plant, the membrane is surrounding the cytoplasm and the cell itself. The main function: The cell membrane has the important job to support the cell membrane and cytoskeleton inside of it. The membrane does the same job to the cytoplasm as it does to the cell. It lets some proteins in and keeps others out. In a plant, the membrane also serves an attachment to the cytoplasm. This means the membrane supports the cell and keeps it in shape. The membrane is made up of two parts, the internal and outer membrane. The outer membrane controls what comes in of the cell and how much of it is needed. The inner membrane supports the cell and controls the exchange of organelles from its cell to another. However, membranes are semi-permeable. This means that they allow very small molecules in even if not needed. Like oxygen and carbon molecules. The cell transport proteins to other cells that keeps the cell healthier. Other parts that help the membrane transport organelles are transmembrane proteins. These proteins are spread around the whole membrane. There are four types of transme mbrane proteins transporters, receptors, anchor and enzyme. Transporters carry one molecule to another. The enzyme transforms a molecule to a different form. An anchor protein can connect an outer molecule with an inner molecule. What are they made of; Cell membranes are made up of a phospholipids bilayer. The bilayer is made of many phospholipids side by side. The phospholipids has one glycerol two fatty acids and one phosphate heads. This compares to a †¦ Laser alarm: ... ...reate a chemical reaction to make NADPH and ATP. Now the dark reaction. The ATP from the light reaction is used to make carbohydrates from hydrogen. The carbohydrates posses and energy that are given by the ATP and NADPH. This carbohydrate has the chemical energy to make glucose (sugar) that is the main source of their food. The chloroplast’s ability to do the process photosynthesis is not only helpful to plant but to animals that eat plants. This because a plant cannot live without food and an animal’s food is a plant. What is it made of: A chloroplast is made up of lipids and protein membranes that are folded in a complex way. This compares to a: Solar panel: Similarities: †¢ Converts sun light to energy †¢ Just like the chloroplast, the solar panel stores the energy from the day so they can use it for the night too. †¢

Political Science – Eyes on the Prize Submission

On August 28, 1955, Emmet Til's body was found lying in the river. Two local men were arrested and charged with murder. This was a significant event during the 50's because it was very rare that a black man could press charges on a white person. Mose Wright was the uncle of Emmet Til. He said that the two men came to his door and asked if he had 2 boys from Chicago. They did this because earlier on, Emmet had walked into a store and said â€Å"bye baby† to a white woman. This was considered talking fresh. Emmet didn't know any better because he was from up north. His body was found maliciously beaten and it was barely recognizable. Emmet's mother insisted on the body being shipped back up north for an open casket funeral. The picture of his casket was published in Jet Magazine. Roy Bryandt and the girl's brother-in-law were the one's arrested for committing this horrible crime. During the court case the blacks were forced to sit together and away from everyone else. It took the jury one hour to find these men not guilty. Martin Luther King, jr. was asked to head the boycott and Montgomery Improvement Association. Coretta Scott King, MLK's wife, testifies that he was weary at first of accepting this position because he wasn't sure if he was qualified enough. He was a new minister and a young man. He finally came to the conclusion that if no one else would do it, he would accept the position. While the members of the Montgomery Improvement Association were on a bus ride, shots were fired at them. Martin Luther King, jr. and ED Nixon's houses were both bombed. The Montgomery Improvement Association also headed the bus boycotts. James Meredith was a young black man that applied to a University in Mississippi. Medgar Evars was the head of the Mississippi State NAACP and counseled James Meredith through this troubling time. After a long fight, the court ruled James Meredith must be accepted. (He was of course qualified. ) On September 20th, Governor Barnett personally flew up to the University of Mississippi and turned James away. On September 25th, James tried to register at the Jackson location and again, Governor Barnett was waiting and also blocked the door entrance so Meredith could not even enter. On Saturday the 29th, Ross Barnett had an engagement to attend to. He was the half time speaker at a football game. On Sunday, September 30th, 100 US marshals were sent to help James Meredith register. President Kennedy was to make a speech in the state of Mississippi also. At 8:00 Mississippi University turned into a battlefield and no one even heard the President's speech. The mob targeted the media but the marshals were instructed not to use guns. 35 marshals ended up being shot and 2 people were killed. James Meredith finally registered at a private office in Oxford and contested this; â€Å"I've been living a lonely life for a long time. † Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregated schools were unconstitutional under the 14th amendment. NAACP shut down schools in Alabama due to white violent resistance. Aubrey Lucy was a black female and went to a white college. Riots caused the board to suspend her temporarily. She ended up being expelled. President Eisenhower thought this of the desegregation of schools, â€Å"Too much, too fast. † The desegregation of schools and getting whites to comply with it got so bad that in Little Rock, Arkansas national guards had to be brought in to sustain the peace. Central High School in Arkansas only admitted white students. 8 blacks went to register on the first day, accompanied by their parents. The National Guard turned these students away as their presence would surely cause a riot. Seven of the eight black kids had made arrangements to walk to school together. Elisabeth Eckford had not heard of this arrangement. She walked alone to school and met a mob. She would not speak to the press at all. She sat down on a bench, shocked, amazed and afraid. The first peaceful sit-in occurred in Nashville, Tennessee. One day, black students entered the diner and sit at the counter where they were not allowed. They sat there and did homework, talked, and would not leave until they were served. A recollected memory from one of the black women at the sit-in is that of a white waitress who repeatedly kept dropping dishes. She was so frightened that she just dropped one dish after another. Once black students were tired of sitting, others would come in their place. This went on for 3 weeks. 80 demonstrators were arrested and charged with unorderly protest. After this, the blacks decided to not buy from downtown. After 1 month the boycott closed a lot of stores down town. Blacks who worked down town were struck by random acts of violence. A car struck Z. Alexander Lubee's house. He was a man who defended the protesting students. 147 windows in the medical college across the street were shattered because it was so loud. Freedom rides were bus rides in which interracial passengers sat backwards and drove through the south. For example, the blacks would sit in the front and the whites in the back. They wanted to create a crisis so the government would react and enforce the law. The first freedom ride was on May 1st 1961. 7 whites and 6 blacks were to be the first freedom riders in Washington D. C. The night before the ride they all sat down to have dinner. One freedom rider recalls that it was kind of like â€Å"The Last Supper. † More and more freedom rides continued and on the first occasion, mobs firebombed the bus and blocked the exit. 12 riders were hospitalized and the bus was of course destroyed. Gov. John Patterson of AL said, â€Å"Stay home, fools! † The FBI had information that the busses were going to be attacked but did nothing. Patterson refused to provide protection for these riders. 40 miles away from Montgomery there was no protection for these riders. MLK telephoned Kennedy to tell of the violence. Patterson then said he couldn't guarantee the safety of MLK Jr. George C. Wallace was the governor of Montgomery Alabama in 1963. He was strict, severe, a segregationist, and a racist. He was closely affiliated with Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor. â€Å"Bull† Connor was a KKK member and the commissioner of public safety in Alabama at the time. Also, during this time the freedom riders were attacked on Mother's day. People looked upon it as these students ruined mothers day and disgraced them or some nonsense like that. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and SCLC (Southern Christ Leadership Council) were two student groups that fought for civil rights. These two organizations at one time spawned a rivalry for one another because SNCC supposedly wanted more attention. During the times of these organizations was a movement called The Albany Movement. In conjunction with the Albany Movement 500 people were jailed. Laurie Pritchett was the chief of police in Albany at that time. He made sure that the jails would not fill up from the mass arrests that were being made. He stuffed 65 people in a cell built to hold only 10. Arrested persons were also sent to jails in other towns to make sure there was enough room for all. In July 1962, MLK Jr. as sentenced to 40 days in jail. He was however, released 3 days later. His bond was paid at Pritchett's request. The Albany Movement continued on without MLK Jr. for the time being. MKL Jr. was depressed at the fact that Albany was still segregated. Bull Connor also tried to run for mayor in this time but lost. The SCLC organized â€Å"project c† confrontation. The headquarters would be at 16th street Baptist Church. The goal was for demonstrations to target 3 main stores down town. 21 people were arrested the first day in Birmingham. Also, during this time there were 2 mayors and 2 governments in Alabama. One government would just not leave. This was a major cause of the unorderly conduct in Alabama. Connor remained head of police in Birmingham AL. Demonstrations continued and badly affected businesses. Courts finally ordered the demonstrations to stop. MLK Jr. along with SCLC planed the second phase of project C in room 30 at the Gaston Motel. Children led phase 2. They were kept out of school and told to go and protest/demonstrate. Connor brought in police dogs and turned fire hoses on the kids. Finally, the jails filled up and there was an agreed one-day of truce. Friday May 10, 38 days after project C, The Birmingham agreement was made. After this, police still beat blacks and blacks in turn rioted. The March in Washington had 200,000 people show up. It went from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Some speakers even rewrote their speeches as not to ruin Kennedy's proposal. MLK Jr. gave his â€Å"Let Freedom Ring† speech and was from this point on seen as the true leader of the movement. On September 15th, the 16th street Baptist Church was bombed and temporarily halted the project. 15 were injured and 4 kids were killed. The freedom summer in Mississippi was a basic invasion. It was designed to â€Å"open up† Mississippi. People risked beatings, arrests, and their lives. William J. Simmons of the White Citizen's Council wanted to protect the white way of life. The Citizens Council opposed integration. Ross Barnett, a racist, went so far as to foreclose mortgages and punish whites that went against him. He denied loans and passed white-only laws. Blacks outnumbered whites 4-1 in some counties. 1961 was the last of the freedom rides and the end of Freedom Summer. Medgar Evars traveled to Mississippi to help organize the boycott on Capital Street. Hundreds were arrested for marching in the demonstration. After Kennedy's strongest speech on civil rights in 1963, Medgar Evars was shot in the back in his own driveway after getting out of his car. The wife and kids were inside and as soon as they heard gunshots, hit the floor, as previously rehearsed. His wife came out shortly after to find her husband dead. It was concluded that a member of the White Citizen's Council shot Medgar Evars. There were 3 men, Goodman, Chaney, and Schreoner, which drove to investigate the burning of a black Methodist Church. At around 3 O'clock their blue Ford station wagon stopped outside Philadelphia by the sheriff, Ceasil Price. They were released at 10pm but that was the last anyone saw of them. They disappeared and Johnson issued a search and FBI involvement. Hoover of the FBI said he wouldn't protect people and that it was a matter to be dealt with by local authorities. 6 weeks later the bodies were found and Chaney, the only black man in the group, had a fractured skull. Dave Dennis of CORE blames the people who committed this crime just as much as those in Washington for not supporting or enforcing their laws. Everyone knew the men who committed this crime would be found not guilty because they were white. During this time 80 arrests were made and thousands of arrests were made. After this, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. SNCC opened 41 freedom schools in Mississippi. Whites were now teaching blacks and living in black homes. Civil rights workers invaded the state. As soon as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed blacks lined up to register to vote. They were told to move to the sidewalk. Less than 1% of blacks were able to register to vote. Sheriff Jim Clark arrested Amelia Bointon, a highly respected community leader during this time. This caused 105 teachers to protest down at the courthouse (Teacher's March). This occurred in Selma, AL. Clark was confronted in the courthouse about his brutality towards blacks. He said he didn't know what they were talking about. The Selma to Montgomery march was a response to Jimmy Lee Jackson's death. A state trooper shot Jimmy because he wanted to protect his mother. Marchers were beaten. One white that marched with the blacks was badly injured. He was told there were no doctors for â€Å"people like him†. SCLC opposed the march but 600 people gathered to march anyway. The marchers crossed over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and there were state troopers waiting for them on the other side. The marchers were ordered by Wallace to stop or brutality and tear gas would be enforced. MLK Jr. asked if they could sit down and pray, which they did. He then ordered the marchers to get up and turn around to avoid the fight. SNCC called this turn around a sell-out. Stokly Carmichael of SNCC withdrew from the Selma Campaign.

Born or Made Essay

In other words, I’m hitting two birds with one stone: watching the movie and relating it with my reaction paper on leaders being born or made. I’m talking about Captain America and Iron Man. What about them? Captain America was a hero in the past. He joined the military. Because of his diminutive size, he wasn’t given much attention in the army. In other words, he was a nobody until he was asked to be part of the experiment. From a small soldier to a buffy one, he has become a man of power and strength. He has become Captain America! On the other hand, Tony Sparks, commonly known as Iron Man, was a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. Because of his intelligence, he was able to make inventions that helped mankind and eventually made him Iron Man. Both have the same goal: to help and save mankind. Now, how is this related to the main topic of this paper? As I was observing the two heroes, my personal opinion would be: Captain America has innate abilities of being a leader while Iron Man has acquired the abilities, so to speak. So, are leaders born or made? II. Synopsis In the article written by Bottger (2010), he mentioned that the question â€Å"Are leaders born or made? † may not even be relevant. He claimed that it is a question that has obsessed many leadership scholars over the years and is often posed by executives in development programs. According to him, it’s â€Å"a bad question which begets bad answers†. â€Å"As many decades of leadership writing shows, this is a question that cannot yield a satisfactory response, especially for aspiring leaders. Understandably, the line taken by management educators tends to be that most leadership qualities can be developed, given adequate amounts of key personal characteristics, notably intelligence and physical energy. But the fact is that you do not know what you are born with until you try very hard to express it. Actually, the question illuminates little, as it fails to deal with a basic point, namely the degree of responsibility sought. What level of leadership responsibility does the person aspire to? The highest levels of leadership responsibilities present tasks that are massive, complex and conflictual. The playing field, the boundaries and the rules become less certain. Indeed, it is the leader’s job to shape these choices. † Bottger proposes three questions to assess one’s leadership potential: How far do you want to go? What are you willing to invest? How will you keep it up? III. Reaction/Insights Throughout history, we have learned many great people and great leaders. Napoleon Bonaparte, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , our very own Dr. Jose P. Rizal to name a few. They indeed proved their worth, thus making them part of the great men in history. But, how about now? How about me? Humbly speaking, I would say I’m not born to lead, but I’m sure made to lead and serve. If I were to trace my leadership roadmap, I would gather my playmates and acted like I was their teacher. In grade school, I was an active member of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, I even became a Patrol Leader. In high school, I was a class officer. When I reached college, I became a class mayor. Now that I’m teaching, I have been a co-moderator of our school’s Student Council. Working with young leaders is indeed a challenging yet rewarding experience for me. I have learned so much from my council leaders. Young as they are, they have a lot to share. I can see the spirit of service in them strong. Eventually, they will become our nation’s future leaders. If I am made to lead, so are they. It is a humbling experience to be working with these young leaders because I get to realize my strengths and limitations. The leadership trainings and workshops I was exposed to eventually helped me become effective in my assignments. There is no doubt that with proper training and exposure, a person who is willing to learn and even learn from his mistakes, will become a good leader. Indeed, everything can be learned, but the leader-wanna-be should be willing to learn. But how come others seem to learn faster than the rest even if they are all willing to learn? One important factor would be intelligence. We have different IQ’s. Some learn faster, some need more time to grasp what is being taught to them. Another factor would be the environment they were or are exposed with. A person may be early on exposed to dealing with other people, say, employees of his parents in their family business. His parents may have already exposed him at a young age on how to deal with their staff and the different responsibilities involved in their business. Another person may have been exposed to a leadership in a basketball team. Being a varsity member and the team captain, he exercised responsibilities of a leader. I believe that openness to growth is very important especially to aspiring leaders. As an aspiring leader, how far do I want to go? Honestly, I love being in the academe. For as long as my superiors put their trust in me, I would love to stay for a higher position in the academe. What am I willing to invest? Pursuing my graduate studies is one step I am taking. I understand there’s still so much I have to learn. How will I keep it up? I need to be more open to criticisms, resistance and setbacks. It’s tough, I know. But I believe I can make it. Knowing that the Greatest Leader is there to guide me, I will really be able to do things right. I believe I am made to lead and serve for God’s greater glory. IV. Conclusion Are leaders born or made? I would rather say leaders are made. I believe that if a person already has innate leadership abilities, but isn’t open to growth, he or she will never become an effective leader. However, if someone has shown such leadership potential and shows willingness to be trained and is really open to learning more, he or she will become an effective one. Furthermore, the important question is: what are you willing to do – or to sacrifice – to become the best leader you can be? V. Source Bottger, P. C. & Barsoux, J. (2010, March). Are leaders born or made? Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www. imd. ch