Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools Essay -- Religion in Publ

Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools The question of whether or not schools should teach ethics and morals is misleading, because ethics and morals are two different things. Webster's Dictionary defines ethics as "a particular system of principles and rules concerning duty, whether true or false," and morals as "motivation based on ideas of right and wrong." As I take it, ethics implies a set of basic rules to abide by, whereas morals strictly set down what to believe, and what not to. I have no objections to schools teaching ethics, however I do not think schools, or any authority for that matter, should be teaching children morals. In this country, we have an accepted system of ethics that children begin to learn in the lower levels of education. This system tells them such basic rules as "treat others as you would treat yourself," "share with others," etc. These rules help children to learn how to interact with other people. A child will not learn much if he only talks with other children exactly like himself--he must be able to get along with his teachers, and his peers who may or may not be of the same background. A shared system of basic ethics regarding living with other human beings is essential in any society, and in school. Along with this system of ethics, however, we have myriad systems of morals, and it is impossible to determine which is the "right" one to teach. Morals, like beliefs, are totally subjective, and they are, in my opinion, personal. The method of Authority, described by Charles Sanders Peirce in "The Fixation of Belief," has no place in the formation of anyone's morals, because no Authority has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The freedom to believe what one wishe... ...uld the public school system, and, inherently, the United States government, want to educate unethical people? I believe it is because the public schools exist to create not "good people," but what Kozol refers to as "good citizens:" "defeated, unprovacative" people that will fill the necessary jobs, pay the necessary taxes, and perform all the other duties put forth to them by the federal government, such as voting, and jury duty. The fact that this process has not changed since Kozol wrote The Night Is Dark... is a testament to how well the public schools carry out their task. The solution to the problem of education we face today lies in a revolution of ethical teaching within the public schools, not in "moralizing" children with a certain dogma. A person's morals, and beliefs are things that should not be taught, but developed over the course of their life.

Welcome to South Africa

Welcome 2 ZA, welcome 2 massive poverty, obscene inequality & such horrible outbreaks of disease, murder, rape, malnutrition, suicide, HIV Aids, homelessness & scale breaking numbers of orphans. Welcome 2 the harsh reality of raging racism & the still glowing embers of slavery; the prison of poverty. Poverty defined is the deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, shelter, clothing & safe drinking water, but also intangibles such as the opportunity to learn & the respect of fellow citizens. Could you imagine living day in, day out, without any of these? Many people in ZA live without any of these things. Perhaps this is why they are only expected to live to 50. Every 10 seconds someone dies of some unquestionable reason that in our society we would find totally unacceptable. Racism is another factor which is adding 2 the instability of ZA. By its simplest definition racism is the belief that racial differences produce a clear superiority over a particular race, religion, colour, ethnic origin or group. Certain sections of society maybe denied rights or benefits, or get special treatment. Before 1994 in apartheid ZA people were classified according to the colour of their skin. The history of racism in ZA is appalling, for example in 1836 inadmissible human zoos were set up to parade the black people which they labelled ‘niggers and savages'. They were forced to do things with no clothes on and beaten to near death if they refused to do so. White skinned people thought they were of more value than a dark skinned person. They honestly believed that dark skinned peoples only use was to slave for them. When a problem occurred it was the black persons fault. Personally I feel that this frame of mind is arrogant and stupid, but also ironic. How can you call someone ‘coloured' when black, brown and white are all colours. The apartheid was a list of restricting rules imposed upon the blacks to segregate them from white people. When it was removed individuals who had previously supported apartheid publicly apologised, including F W de Klerk. He said â€Å"I apologise in my capacity as leader to the millions who suffered wrenching disruption of forced removals; who suffered the shame of being arrested for no reason; who over the decades suffered the indignities and humiliation of immense racial discrimination. As expected the years and years of anger at being constantly humiliated exploded and fears that the change of power in ZA would be violent were confirmed. It was here that the song ‘Beeko' was released by Peter Gabriel which repeated ‘when I try to sleep at night, I can only dream in red, the outside world is black and white with only one colour – dead'. All of this has supposedly passed and now according to the image the govt portrays the country is fine. I know from times out there that this wound has not completely healed. It still very much black and white in many situations. There are black schools, white schools, black shops, white shops, and black houses are of poor quality whereas white houses are of normal, even spectacular standards. I went into shanty towns where houses are made of iron, wood and rubbish. Sidney Smith said † It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little†. Taking out food to kids who are the same age as my cousins and younger, who are orphaned, starving and sometimes HIV positive, even dying, changes your view on the world. If they were born into our country they wouldn't have had these problems. We live in a society where people cannot see just how much they have, but also how much they take for granted. If Gov. like ours all over the developed country world gave a little money to ZA the poverty wheel would could end and the turmoil would be left behinf. Money CANNOT sort out everything. Perhaps if wealthy, stable and lawed coutries showed compassion to the younger generation of ZA who have not seen the horrors of their relatives past the world would change. This is the generation which will change Africa. KOFEEE ANNAN said â€Å"things get better when enough people decide they should. Things change when countries come together in a common purpose† The time to act is NOW. There are many things that could b done 2 correct the injustice. There are things even you and me can do. To quote HILLELL â€Å"If now is not the time to act, when will it b†

Sleep Quality And Academic Performance - 890 Words

Sleep Quality Affecting College Student’s Academic Performance Sleep is one of the few necessities that are needed for humans to function and overall survive. People, generally adults, fail to realize the need for sleep when they are constantly working around the clock. This sort of deficiency leads to a common sleep disorder called sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can affect teens and working adults but is seen predominately among college students. College students are succumbed to dedicating long hours to school, which makes their sleeping schedule awry. The article â€Å"Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Student...†goes into depth about the consequences of sleep deprivation. The article explains the consequences through a hypothesis, the process and the results. Students entering into college are faced with a new routine of daily life. Students fundamentally alter their sleep schedule in order to keep up and finish their schoolwork. Although students see the more time used to do school work is more efficient tha n sleeping, it can cause many misfortunes. According to the research done by Gilbert and Weaver (2010) â€Å"It was hypothesized that participant who had higher levels of sleep deprivation and poorer sleep quality would have lower academic performance (as indicated by grade point average [GPA] and course incompletions—drops, withdrawals, and incompletes) than participants with little sleep deprivation and good sleep quality.† (p.298). TheShow MoreRelatedSleep Quality And Academic Performance Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pagesfundamental routine of sleep changes dramatically. College students rarely find themselves getting about eight hours of sleep every day. Thus started the idea of how a student’s academic performance can be affected by the amount of sleep they get. The research article, â€Å"Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students: A Wake-Up Call for College Psychologists† written by Steven P. Gilbert and Cameron C. Weaver, repre sents the perfect study on how sleep quality and quantity can affectRead MoreSleep Deprivation And Academic Performance1430 Words   |  6 PagesSleep Deprivation and Academic Performance in Adolescents Sleep deprivation is an increasing issue with adolescents. Statistics show that 60% of high schoolers report extreme daytime sleepiness. 20% to 33% of those high schools report falling asleep in class at least once during the week. Daytime sleepiness is only a small issue about sleep deprivation in students. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts school performance adolescent students because it interferes with brain development, create moodRead MoreThe Effect Of Sleep On Undergraduate Academic Performance1138 Words   |  5 Pagesof Sleep on Undergraduate Academic Performance There are only a few needs of humans that are essential for survival. These include food, water, oxygen, and sleep (Gilbert Weaver, 2010). A lack of any of these fundamental needs can be detrimental to human functioning (Orzel-Gryglewska, 2010). The effects of sleep deprivation are numerous. Without sleep humans can be irritable, distracted, forgetful, and even experience hallucinations. There are even diseases associated with continual sleep deficiencyRead MoreDoes Limited Duration Of Sleep Affect Academic Performance?1673 Words   |  7 Pagesduration of sleep affect academic performance? Academic performance is utilized worldwide in order to determine an individual’s career success and in some instances intelligence. The United States utilizes academic performance as an indicator of character and potential; often individuals are defined by how well they perform in academic areas. The United States measures academic performance through grade point averages, exam results and standardized tests. The education system is based on academic performance;Read MoreSleep Can Improve Learning And Memory Essay1362 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Sleep can improve learning and memory. However whether the length and type of sleep whether this correlates to academic performance is unclear. Therefore the aim of the proposed experiment is to research whether length and type of sleep experienced correlates with academic performance It is hypothesised that longer sleep with more Non-REM sleep will correlate with higher academic performance. Participants will be randomly selected 1st year psychology students taking a mandatory 100 levelRead MoreCollege Students Minds Are Getting Enough Sleep1618 Words   |  7 Pagesstudents’ minds is getting enough sleep. Many college students may not think sleep is an integral part of life, when in fact many researchers have found how truly important it is. College is a time when students are transitioning into young adulthood, with increasing amounts of personal responsibility (Brown, Soper, Buboltz , 2001). This increase in responsibility, that at one point didn’t exist because of familial support, can lead to an interference in student sleep patterns (Pilcher, Ginter, SadowskyRead MoreCorrelation Between Average Sleep Hours And Cumulative Gpa On College Students1105 Words   |  5 Pagesaverage sleeps hours and cumulative GPA on college students. And the hy pothesis of this research is that there is a positive correlation between the average sleep per night and cumulative college GPA. There were 42 undergraduate students took the survey about sleep hours, sleep quality, and cumulative GPA. Pearson’s correlation test was conducted in the research. As the result, there was no significant relationship between college students’ sleep hours and cumulative GPA. It illustrated that sleep quantityRead MoreThesis Statement : Sleep Deprivation1414 Words   |  6 PagesEng 112.0004 Mrs. B. Peterson October 13, 2017 Sleep deprivation Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation is harmful to college students because it hinders student learning and jeopardizes their safety while driving. I. Learning a. Memory b. Lack of attention II. Safety a. Fatigue b. Decision making Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive andRead MoreThe Connection Between Sleep And One Specific Kind Of Performance1358 Words   |  6 Pagesconnection between sleep and one specific kind of performance, which is academic performance, among university students. This chapter framework the methodology that can be practical to attain the goal and objectives of the research study. Therefore, suitable preparation and thorough analysis are compulsory in planning the methodology procedure to get the expected result. A self-report questionnaire was utilized in this research study to measure sleep-related variables and educational performance, of universityRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Academic Performance852 Words   |  4 Pagesimportance of maintaining one’s health in order to optimize one’s quality o f life. My educational experience at the University of Maryland has reemphasized the importance of health professionals attuning to their patients holistic health, such as their social, emotional, and physical well-being, instead of solely focusing on their disease status. One specific topic that affects the holistic health of undergraduate students is sleep deprivation. I am interested in this topic not simply because I am