Reflection on Return to Education

Reflection on Return to Education What are some of the changes I can make in my routine for success in my return to college? I am a 38 year old working husband and father thats going back to school with the hopes of getting into the nursing program at Coahoma Community College. Getting back into school has been fun and enlightening, but Im also quickly reminded of the time and commitment required. The intent of my paper is to enlighten my teacher and my schoolmates my ideas to help me prepare for a successful collegiate experience. As a returning college student, my challenges include waiting until the last minute to start assignments, being unorganized, paying too much attention to distractions such as social media, television, noisy settings, and unwillingness to get started. This paper discusses the academic issues that I have and my plan for solutions in each paragraph. Out of all my bad habits, my biggest one is waiting until the last minute to start assignments (Carter 12). My plan is to not procrastinate when I know I have assignments and quizzes due. I need to arrange my study times in advance (Carter 13) and place an emphasis on responsibility and self-regulation (Adams 19). Finding time to do homework assignments and study is hard for me to do. Working a full time job during the week and some weekends, being a musician, and raising two school age children takes a lot of my time. Weekends seem to present the best times for me to study, but my assignments are usually done in between work and bedtime during the week. Recently, my wife purchased a nifty new dry erase board calendar that Ive found really helps me keep on track with assignment and project due dates. At the beginning of each week, I mark down everything that is due for the rest of the week so I can clearly see it listed in front of me. I mark each assignment out as I do them. This ca lendar has really helped me see a specific timeline in which I know when to start and when to have my schoolwork done for the week. I think its a good step for to helping me address responsibility with my work. Ive also blocked time in the afternoon and evenings to work on assignments and study after work in between dinner, helping the kids do their homework, and putting them to bed. My most productive times during weeknights are after 8 p.m. when everything has calmed down. I often seem to be unorganized (Carter 12). My result will be taking the time to look at all my assignments for the week and getting a timeline for deadlines, and mapping out assignments on a planner (Carter 13). Being unorganized is something that Ive always had problems with. I always seem to have many things going on in my life that prevents me from doing one thing at a time. This issue creates clutter on my workspaces and work areas. Along with placing my new assignment calendar where I can clearly see it, Ive made efforts to clean up my messy and untidy workspace. From now on, everything from assignments to syllabuses have a particular place on my desk and will be easy to find and identify. I have also planned to look over all my assignments in Canvas every day and mark them down for the week so I am able to see them written in front of me as I work. I pay too much attention to distractions such as social media, television, and noisy settings (Carter). My fix is to pay attention to how much time I spend on my phone, television, and my noisy environment and make proper adjustments to help with the distractions. Put away electronic devices and find a quiet place to do work and study (Carter 13). As long as I can remember, Ive been a big fan of television and various social media. Although I do not watch nearly as much television as I used to, I have plenty of family members in my household that do. Our house isnt that large and televisions can be heard throughout it. Even when I am not particularly not watching television, it can still be distracting. Social media apps on my phone and computers are distracting and detrimental as well. My short attention span keeps me wanting to be entertained constantly, and I get distracted very easily. The best way for me to handle these distractions is to isolate myself completely from them. I h ave a room I can go to in my home that doesnt have a television and get away from my children playing. I can also leave my phone in another room while I quietly do my work and study, away from those distractions. I am often unwilling to get started (Carter 12). I plan to change my approach to school work by adding new daily routines to help me focus on efficiency. Join a study group (Carter 13), add a set of reminders, and hold myself responsible (Adams 19). Aside from my issues with disorganization and distractions, I have problem with procrastination as well. In the past, I leisurely did assignments as I felt that they needed to be done. That process ended up hurting my averages as some assignments were sometimes late and even incorrect because they were done at the last minute. My untimely starting has prompted me to take charge of my academics by focusing on each assignment and deadlines for that assignment. Adding several intervals of work and study time throughout my days and weekends have also made a big difference. I have started looking out for study groups for various classes within my school to help with my efficiency, along with assignment reminders at work and at home. This new s tructure will surely help my efforts for better achievements with class. In my return to college, I have had to readjust a few of my old ways of applying myself academically. The ways of learning I had been used to no longer worked the same way for me.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Introducing a suitable schoolwork schedule, assignment calendar, planner, organized work area, and getting away from distractions have made a positive impact on my school performance. For anyone who finds themselves with similar issues like mine, I suggest utilizing some or all of these ideas to their routines as I have found them beneficial. Works Cited Adams, Caralee J. Soft Skills Seen As Key Element For Higher Ed. Education Digest 78.6 (2013): 18-22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=85157969site=ehost-live Carter, Claire. From Vegetation to Procrastination: Breaking Bad Habits. (Cover Story). Collegexpress Magazine (2015): 12-15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=110434600site=ehost-live

Disease Surveillance

Disease surveillance is defined as the systematic data collection, data analysis and interpretation of the results in order to enable effective planning in the aspect of disease control. It enables infectious diseases to be detected early so that their potential threat to the public is minimized. The threats may be due to cases of food borne infections, bioterrorism and communicable diseases (Lombardo and Buckeridge, 2007). There are several systems and networks that have been put in place in order to help in the surveillance of infectious diseases.Disease surveillance also requires the collaboration of different partners and officials, an effective communication system and reliable laboratory networks in order to be effective. BioSense involves the use of syndromic data derived from different electronic sources. This improves the speed at which disease is detected. It enables outbreaks to be detected early enough before they lead to serious problems. It has been applied in different sectors by the state such as to detect any cases of bioterrorism and other threats that may put the lives of the citizens in danger.This system has been employed by CDC (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Electronic Laboratory Exchange Networks (eLEXNET) is a surveillance system used in food safety. It is a web-based system used in state, federal and even local agencies. It enables the collaboration of both the government and health officials in that the data regarding food safety is shared and therefore the potential risk of a possible outbreak of food borne diseases is detected early enough (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).The other type of syndromic system is the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community based Epidemics (ESSENCE). It relies on data that is got from hospitals, dispensaries and clinics. This data is collected daily and assist in the tracking of the common syndromes found in a particular area. H istorical data is also helpful in this system since it acts as a starting point for the epidemiologists. The officials can also pin point the specific area or region with a high number of a certain syndrome through the use of a geographic information system (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) is a web based communication system usually used by CDC. It enables the sharing of information with the state, federal and other pubic health officials. It is an effective system since it enables the authorized users to share information and get feedbacks on every issue such as the efforts put in place for the control of infectious diseases (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Food borne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is a system which is designed to respond to any new food borne disease that is of public importance.It also monitors the trend and identifies the specific sources of these diseases. It is a more reliable and an accurate system in the estimation of incidences of these diseases (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) enable keen surveillance of diseases which have either been confirmed or rumored. It is mostly used by WHO in the surveillance of diseases that are of worldwide importance. The information is gotten from different sources such as the media, institutions and health ministries in different countries (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).Other systems that have also been used include Global Public Health Intelligence (GPHIN), Health Alert Network (HAN), Laboratory Response Network (LRN), National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS), National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS), National Retail Data Monitor (NRDM), Real Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) and Sexually Transmitted Disease Management Information System (STDMIS) (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).These systems require a number of key factors in order for disease surveillance to be effective. First, the source of data must be reliable to enable the accurate and fast response during surveillance. The data is the baseline for surveillance as seen in all the systems above such as ESSENCE and BioSense. Therefore, surveillance cannot be possible without data. Secondly, effective communication networks which enables the information to be shared with other partners such as the state, federal and public health officials. References Lombardo, J.S. & Buckeridge, D.L. (2007).Disease Surveillance: A Public Health Informatics Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley & sons, Inc. United States Government Accountability Office. (2004). Emerging Infectious Diseases: Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of State and Federal Disease Surveillance Efforts. Retrieved on 12th May 2010 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04877.pdf

Edgar Allan Poe Works Essay

Edgar Allan Poe said â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.† Throughout his short stories; â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Poe sets up his characters to subconsciously reveal their insanity. Often using syntax clues and patterns, Poe shows the madness of the narrators of his short stories. The constant theme of denial of insanity further convinces the reader of the character’s psychosis. Characters themselves often prove they are not in touch with reality through their actions. Through syntax, denial of insanity, and character’s actions, Poe allows his narrators in â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† to reveal their own insanity. Sentence structure is used consistently by Poe in his short stories to aid in his character’s revealing their own insanity. When the narrator in â€Å"The Black Cat† is listing the pets he and his wife have, the last one he lists is a c at. â€Å"We had birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.† (Poe H/O) The cat is italicized, causing the reader to wonder why the emphasis is so important. As the reader progresses through the rest of the story, it becomes evident that the cat is of a strong significance to the narrator. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the narrator has some sort of disease that heightens his senses. He also has a type of obsessive compulsive disorder, causing him to fixate on his roommate’s clouded eye. In the beginning of the story, he says â€Å"I think it was his eye!-yes, it was this!† (Poe H/O) The short choppy thought pattern here shows the mind of the narrator is less than sound. While in â€Å"The Black Cat†, the syntax proof is less obvious, though foreshadowing the story by placing such a subtle hint as to how much the cat really matters in the rest of the story, the grammatical clues in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† are much more obvious because they pertain more to the thoughts of the narrator. Listening and paying attention t o how speakers and narrators in talk in any text are vital in understanding their character. By noting how Poe uses grammar and context clues, readers can more deeply understand the mind of the narrator. Syntax isn’t the only way Poe manipulates his narrators to show their own madness. The constant theme of denial of insanity further convinces the reader of the characters’ senselessness. Poe, in â€Å"The Black Cat† writes â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad I am not – and surely do I not dream.†(H/O). Here, the narrator of â€Å"The Black Cat† states that it is possible for his actions and thought process to be interpreted as mad, still in his mind, he is not mad at all. By denying his insanity, the narrator creates a suspicion in the reader, making them question the integrity of his mind. The narrator of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is more adamant about repeating the fact that he is not insane. â€Å"†¦will you say that I am mad?†¦I have heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?† (Poe H/O) The narrator obviously worries about the fact that people may see him as a lunatic. The reader can infer that by denying his lack of sanity, and clinging to the hope that he may in fact have a sound mind; the narrator has lost all sense of reality, and cannot be trusted. Both of these stories have similar narrators in the sense that they may have once been sane, and a traumatic event has pushed them over the edge into the depths of derangement. While the above points may be valid and prove a point, nothing really shows who someone is more than what he or she may do. The character’s actions in multiple short stories by Poe show that they are not in touch with reality. The short story â€Å"The Black Cat† may have the best example of them all. When the narrator of this tale is hanging his precious, beloved cat, Pluto, he is well aware of his actions, and yet, he cannot stop himself from performing this murderous deed. One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; – hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; – hung it because I knew that it had loved be, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense; – hung it because I knew that in so doing, I was committing a sin – a deadly sin that would so jeopardise my immortal soul as to place it – if such a thing were possible – even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God. (Poe H/O)

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Is, Indeed, A Magnificent

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, indeed, a magnificent piece of work. Having said that, Mark Twain wrote this book with qualities that, without a doubt, classify it as a regional text. Twain illustrates specific features of the South such as geography, culture, dialect and characters, which, in turn, aid in adding flare to this notable style of writing. Twain captures the South remarkably through his depiction of the geography in a specific region, which in this case is the Mississippi River. That being said, the majority of the story takes places on this river. As the story unravels, Mark deploys a colorful description, if you will, to describe, as well as portray, the people and places along the river that Huck and Jim encounter.†¦show more content†¦As stated before, this had to do with the fact that slaves were at the bottom of the chain, for a lack a better term. According to Finn, â€Å"Afterwards Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance, and r ode him all over the state, and then set him under the trees again and hung his hat on a limb to show who done it† (109). As a reader, it may seem a bit obnoxious to hear such nonsense. However, this exact rubbish is what helps capture the reasoning behind a certain group of people located in a certain area. Slavery was, nonetheless, still a controversial issue following the Civil War. Mark Twain explicitly expressed the attitudes of the Southern people towards slaves and slavery. That being said, the reader is able to see the beliefs and culture of a certain group people, meaning the Southerners. This is evident in the scene were Huck and Pap are in the cabin. Pap is disgusted by the fact that blacks can vote. By doing this, Twain, perhaps, was depicting what an average Southerner thought on the subject. The dialect found in this work is an explicit example of why it is considered a regional text. Even before the story commences, Mark Twain states, â€Å"In this book a numbe r of dialects are used, to wit; the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest form of backwoods South-Western dialect; the ordinary â€Å"Pike-County dialect; and four modified varieties of this last† (105). This is self-evident that the dialect that is being usedShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Essay3051 Words   |  13 Pagesdeep impact on American literature. As his fellow-the writer Hemingway says Mark Twain creates the greatest American character in the greatest American book. One of his most interesting novels is The adventures of Tom Sawyer which gives me the deepest impression. The story is about a boys adventures only, but under Mark Twain talent pen, it becomes attractive to both children and grown-ups. Through Tom Sawyer, a self-indulgent, mischievous but intelligent, generous and kind-hearted boy, Mark Twain