Youngwomen, self-esteem, and the confidence gap Essay Example for Free

Youngwomen, self-esteem, and the confidence gap Essay In 1990, The American Association of University Women conducted a national survey to find out the attitudes that three thousand boys and girls between the ages of nine and fifteen had about themselves and school. From their findings, they found that as young girls reach adolescence their self-esteem drops rapidly. It was also found that this loss of confidence was severe among ethnic groups. The survey also helped to support years of research evidence documenting gender bias in American Education. Peggy Orenstein in association with the American Association of University Women released her book SchoolGirls: Young women, self-esteem, and the confidence gap in 1994 in response to the survey report entitled Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America. In this book, Orenstein writes of her first hand experience with a behind the scenes look of adolescent girls everyday lives. The narrative explores the human side of the statistics found during the report as well as providing insight into how the education system often restricts girls from getting the experience they deserve. The first two parts of the book take place at two California middle schools, which are fifty miles apart from one another, but they seem like two different worlds. Weston is a predominately white suburban middle school with a reputation for excellence, while Audubon is located in a beleaguered urban community that is ninety percent ethnic minority, mostly poor or working poor (p. xxii). My criteria was simple, says Orenstein, I chose schools based on their racial and economic makeup and the willingness of the administrators, teachers, and students to participate (p. xxi). Results from both of these schools in which Orenstein observed are presented in both sections. The third section of the book, is spent in a classroom where gender equity is practiced. The findings from Weston are separated into six chapters. The first of these chapters discusses how girls learn to be silent, inactive participants in the classroom. Orenstein points out that the ratio of talk in the classroom was approximately five boys to one girl. Chapter two shows how the hidden curriculum teaches girls to be submissive and deferential. Girls are seen as facing much contradiction. They are supposed to be outspoken, yet they face a thin line on just how far they should carry out this characteristic. In chapter three, an even more contradictory line is examined. Girls protest to being called a schoolgirl, but being called a slut is not a good thing either. They constantly have to supervise their intelligence and their sexual desire.

Dance with the Music :: essays research papers

When we think of gifts, we picture little boxes covered with shiny wrapping paper and a cute little ribbon on top. For my fifth birthday, my present didn’t exactly fit these â€Å"requirements†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sitting down in front of the piano every night, I can remember the time when one little girl’s dream came true. Immediately after I woke up on the day of my fifth birthday, my parents blind-folded me and led me to the dining room. Taking off the handkerchief, I stood in front of the most beautiful piano I had ever seen. In front of me was a brown, upright Wurlitzer, my very own piano. I immediately pulled out the chair from under the piano and opened the lid. I took a deep breath and played Jingle Bells, the only song I could memorize at the time. Gliding my fingers over the smooth piano keys, I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Turning five, I was only interested in music. While other children would sit in front of their televisions and bug their eyes out watching Barney and Sesame Street, I became engrossed in watching tapes of ballets, concerts, and musicals. It was evident that I was a child who would grow to love music and its art; however no one could ever imagine that this interest would evolve into a significance that would change my childhood forever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At around the same time, I realized that my cousin Caroline was my role model. She was a tall girl that would blow people away as soon as she stepped into a room; you could sense her magnificence from a mile away. Caroline was attracted to just about everything that I was, and excelled at all the things that she attempted, which included the art of piano. Once I learned that she was such a brilliant musician, I started to beg to learn how to play the piano. Most of my family members thought that this was just some childhood stage that I would quickly get over and drop.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My mother brought me to my first keyboard teacher, Scott. He taught me about all the essentials including the notes, their values, and some simple songs. Although I learned nothing more then the basics, I was overjoyed, treating the uncomplicated steps as gold. Every week after lessons, I would rush to my parents, skipping with delight, eager to show them what I had learned.

Life History Essay

The purpose of getting a life history on a person is to be able to â€Å"paint a picture† of who they are. The information from the history should not just be a random collection of facts. The history should be an account of the person’s life story, including important themes in their life that reflect the development of their personality and their relationships with other people. Life histories play key roles in psychological treatment and research. While the following guidelines are rather typical of the sort of questions asked, interviews vary considerable depending on who’s doing them and why. Your purpose in conducting this interview is educational. While your objective is collecting the same information you might in a real clinical or research situation, keep in mind this is a didactic exercise. Therefore, be willing to sacrifice sensitive or upsetting information to protect the comfort and privacy of your subject. Be sure to let him or her know (s)he does not need to talk about anything (s)he doesn’t want to. While doing the interview, pay careful attention to how the person is responding to your questions, and always be respectful of his/her privacy. If it seems like the person is uncomfortable discussing some aspect of his or her life, don’t press for an answer. Move on to the next part of the interview. Each of you will interview a classmate. Then, that classmate will interview you. I expect each interview to take about 1.5 hours. You should take notes, and if you have access to a tape recorder, I would recommend using it too. Be sure to check your recorder to see that it is working, though, and take notes anyway–machines fail at the darndest times! Be sure to print a copy of these guidelines and bring them with you. Don’t be afraid to refer back to them for questions and guidance about topics to broach. This assignment is due on 5/29/00. Beginning the Interview It is best to begin the interview by giving the person free range to tell their life story. Where they start their story and how they tell it will reveal what immediately strikes them as important. So begin the interview with the following instructions: â€Å"I’d like to find out about your life history. Could you tell me about it? Describe it to me as if you were telling me your life story.† Most people will leave out certain details. If the details seem important, use open-ended questions to probe for more information, such as â€Å"And then what happened?† or â€Å"What did you do after that?† We also want to find out about how people thought and felt about what happened to them. If they omit this information, use such questions as â€Å"How did you feel about that?† or â€Å"What did you think about that at the time?† The Importance of Reflection It is best if the interview doesn’t turn into a â€Å"question and answer† session where you ask questions and they give short answers. It’s difficult to do, but try to turn the interview into a smoothly flowing discussion. Use the technique known as â€Å"reflection† to encourage a person to talk more about something. Simply reflect back to the person some important aspect of what they have just said. You may simply repeat the exact words the person used, or you may sometimes add in some thought or feeling that you detected in what the person said. Reflections are NOT in the form of a question. If you can do this effectively, you won’t have to bombard the person with all of the questions listed above. Here are some examples: Person: â€Å"My father and I used to play ball in the backyard. We had a lot of fun with that.† You: â€Å"You and your father had some fun times.† Person: â€Å"When he said that to me, it really annoyed me. I couldn’t believe my best friend would say something like that.† You: â€Å"He could really get you angry with his remarks.† Other examples of open-ended reflections might be: â€Å"I guess you really enjoyed that time of your life.† â€Å"It sounds like it upset you when he said that.† â€Å"It seems like that was a very important event for you.† When a question does seem necessary, open-ended questions are most likely to lead to richer responses (rather than â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†). Open ended questions invite answers that are descriptive and elaborative, rather than monosyllables. â€Å"How do you feel about school† is an open-ended questions, because it allows great latitude in the response that might be given. â€Å"Do you like school† would merely prompt a few word response; similarly, a multple-choice format limits responses. There are situations where open-ended questions are not optimal (e.g., â€Å"When and where were you born† is fine). But usually, the goal is getting the subject to talk about important topics, rather than answer hundreds of questions you think might be relevant. Open-ended questions are usually best for initiating a flowing conversation. Areas to Explore People will also leave out certain topic areas that are important. You will need to ask questions about this areas, but always try to do so in an open-ended way that allows people to express themselves freely, according to what strikes them as important. You should get information about all of the following areas. Start with the first open-ended question, and work your way down to the following questions, if needed. 1. The history of parents and grandparents: â€Å"Tell me about your parents’ lives.† â€Å"What can you tell me about your grandparents’ lives?† (Inquire about their lives before and after marriage, including important events in their life, their childhood, education, occupation, ethnic and religious background. If they leave out a parent or grandparent, inquire about them) 2. Early childhood (before school): â€Å"What do you know about yourself as a baby.† â€Å"What was your mother’s pregnancy like?† â€Å"Were there any family stories or jokes about what you were like as a child?† â€Å"What are your earliest childhood memories?† â€Å"What do you remember or know about major early events in your life – like eating habits, walking, talking, and toilet training?† â€Å"Were there any stresses in your family at that time?† 3. School Years: â€Å"What were your early years in school like?† â€Å"Do you remember the very first day of school?† â€Å"How did you do at school work through the years?† â€Å"What were your relationships like with your teachers and schoolmates?† â€Å"Who were your friends and what sorts of things did you do with them?† 4. Adolescence: â€Å"What was your adolescence like?† â€Å"How was your social and school life at that time?† â€Å"When did you enter puberty. How did your life change then? â€Å"What was your relationship with your friends during your teen years?† â€Å"What was your relationship with your family at that time?† â€Å"When did you start to date, and what were those relationships like?† 5. Adult Life (including college): â€Å"What has been important about your adult life?† â€Å"What have your adult relationships with friends and co- workers been like?† â€Å"What has your relationship with your (husband/wife, fiance, boyfriend/girlfriend) been like? â€Å"What types of jobs have you worked at, and what did you think about those jobs?† â€Å"What was college like for you?† â€Å"What hobbies or other interests do you have?† 6. Family Information (if you didn’t already get this info): â€Å"What has your family been like over the years.† â€Å"Tell me about your brothers and sisters† (age, education, marital status, their relationship with the interviewee) â€Å"How would you describe the personalities of the people in your family?† â€Å"What role did each parent take in raising you?† â€Å"Were there any emotional problems in the family, or conflicts between family members?† â€Å"Did your family ever move? What was that like?† â€Å"What is the ethnic background of your family?† â€Å"What has been your religious upbringing, and your attitudes about religion?† â€Å"Describe your own family.† (relationship with children, how children relate to each other and spouse, typical activities, etc.) Questions & Answers about the Assignment Here are some questions a classmate asked. I felt it might be helpful to share them, and my replies, with the rest of you. I do have a tape recorder ( I am not sure if I trust it very much, what if it doesn’t pick up the voice or ), Point the mike at the interviewee, talk a few minutes, then play it back to see if it’s working. If your partner has a tape, use it too as a back-up. I actually do use two sometimes in my work. And, of course, take notes in case the darn thing decides to fail when you need it most. but what should I do about notes? (i don’t write very fast at all) And how can/should an interviewer take notes so as to minimize its interference in the interview? Learning to use shorthand is part of learning to be a good inteviewer. Just write what you must to reconstruct the conversation. You can go back and fill in the details later. It’s ok to ask the interviewee to wait while you write (â€Å"just a second, please†¦ok, thanks, go ahead.†). This is less disruptive than you might imagine, as long as you don’t do it too frequently. Are we supposed to ask All the questions? That is a stupid lead-in on my part, but it seems like that would take longer than 1.5 hours. I actually expect the interviews will run about 2 hours, but if I assigned that people would run over anyway, so I thought I’d do you a favor by starting with a lower expectation. Try to pace yourself. If you find you’re spending lots of time on one part of your subject’s life, move the conversation (â€Å"great. Thanks. Now, could you tell me about [new topic]†). I don’t expect anyone will follow the guidelines exactly. That’s why I’m offering them as guidelines rather than a rigid set of questions. Are there wrong responses to this interview? I would not want to ramble and be a bore. I like to talk/share. I am trying to decide if I should warn my interviewer. That really is the interviewer’s job†¦to politely redirect the subject when (s)he rambles off. Some of that is inevitable, even desirable, but it is important to redirect things when the subject lapses into long, relatively unimportant tangents. Besides what if you just don’t remember or it takes too long to try and remember or you only remember vaguely or if things are difficult to explain? Well, you won’t be able to say much about those things. That’s ok. It’s not as though I think about these things all that often or in specific articulable terms, ya know? Or do I sound like an idiot? No, I feel the same way about some of the questions. For example, I don’t know much about my toilet training. I suppose if I was still in diapers at age 4 I probably WOULD know about it, so often, when something in early childhood is unremarkable, we don’t know much about it. That’s fine. Should we try to think of responses? What should/can I do to be a better interviewee/interviewer? I don’t think you need to prepare to be interviewed. Of course, there’s no harm in thinking a little about the questions ahead of time, but I think it would be a poor idea to prepare your responses. That wouldn’t give your interviewer a very natural experience. By the way, what is the age range difference between what is referred to in/by Schoool Years versus Adolescence? School Years generally refers to middle- and later-childhood, say the ages of 6-12. Also, What is due on the 26nd? Notes? A write-up of some sort? Q & A transcript type record? No. Both interviews should be complete by that date. Your write up will be due on the last meeting of class. You say this is a Didactic experience—as opposed to what? What sort of instruction is that intended to give us? Did you mean to convey anything specific, may I ask? Not to sound suspicious, just trying to understand. I’m trying to remind you that this is a learning experience. So, if you start discussing things that are upsetting to the interviewee, or (s)he is reluctant to discuss, I wouldn’t encourage you to â€Å"push† or â€Å"dig deeper.† One might do such things during a professional assessment, or as a therapist, but this is an educational experience for the interviewer, not a clinical intervention to benefit the interviewee. Consequently, it’s appropriate to sacrifice information that be essential in a different context. For example, if you find that your subject was beaten as a kid, you might not push for details in this exercise (that would be an unwarrented intrusion), although I certainly might in a â€Å"real† clinical or research interview.

Emily Dickinsons Living Death Essay - 1539 Words

Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts to a governing father and an almost non-existent mother. Her father was a lawyer, a legislator and a rigorous Calvinist. Although her father had strong faith in God, Dickinson declined to pronounce herself as a believing Christian in her late teens. In her younger years Dickinson considered herself different because she was shy and sensitive (Emily Dickinson’s Life and Work). Dickinson and her younger sister Lavinia started their education at Amherst Academy. Dickinson spent seven years at the academy. After finishing her final term at the Academy in the August 1847, Dickinson began attending South Hadley Seminary for Women, now know as Mount Holyoke College, about ten†¦show more content†¦According to Masako Takeda, The cause for Dickinson’s seclusion was that she suffered a broken heart by Reverend Charles Wadsworth. Dickinson spent the majority of her days alone in her house until the yea r 1861 when she completely secluded herself and her poetry from the rest of the world. Dickinson’s seclusion from society was the time when she really picked up her writing. June 16, 1874, her father Edward Dickinson died after a stroke. She didn’t attend the funeral; instead she stayed in her room only. This loss pushed her further into seclusion (Takeda). Known for her seclusion from the outer world and introvert nature, Dickinson gave her poetry a unique touch. Dickinson is a major figure in American literature; in her review of the Dickinson Electronic Archives, Martha Smith says, â€Å"She is widely regarded as the quintessential American poet, and her work a foundation upon which twentieth-century American poetry is built† (Smith). This is because of Dickinson’s unique style of writing for her era. Her poems were generally written in short lines and lacked titles. It was uncommon in American literature to use slant rhyme along with unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Only after Emily Dickinson’s death in 1886, did the world know about the over 1700 poems written by her (Emily Dickinson’s Life and Work). The principal of death is fundamental in Emily Dickinson’s poetry. In her work, â€Å"I Felt a Funeral in My Brain† (1862),Show MoreRelatedEssay about Emily dickinson1145 Words   |  5 Pages Emily Dickinson’s poetry powerfully indicates values of society of the time. It does this through its conciseness, its simplicity and its control. Indications of society’s values are seen in many of Dickinsons poems, but they are especially noticeable in ‘It was not Death’, and ‘Because I could not stop for Death’. In Dickinson’s poem ‘It was not Death’, she demonstrates how restricting and stereotyping society can be on an individual, and how society values the conformity of the whole communityRead MoreTheology Leads to Interpretation1336 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinson’s extensive collection of poems on the subject of death can be better understood individually once time has been taken to view her works a s whole. By viewing the works as a whole, it is possible to conclude a likely theological view point of the author and then apply this theology to the individual works in order to improve interpretation. Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† is one such poem that when viewed individually is open to a wide scope of readingsRead MoreThe MY Wheel Is In The Dark, By Emily Dickinson1228 Words   |  5 PagesThe poems written by Emily Dickinson in the late 1800s construes her feelings about the events occurring in her time period through the extensive amounts of work containing a unique poetic language, grammatical characteristics, and cogent meanings. Released a little after the war between the states, the overall tone of these series of poems abides to despair and downbeat, reflecting the war’s miserable times. Emily Dickinsons series of poems provides a different viewpoint of the feelings peopleRead MoreAmerican Authors Research Project: Emily Dickinson644 Words   |  3 PagesBetween 1858 and 1864 Emily Dickinson wrote over 40 hand bound volumes of nearly 1800 poems, yet during her lifetime only a few were published. Perhaps this is why today we see Dickinson as a highly influential writer, unlike those during her time who did not see the potential. Emily Dickinson wrote towards the end of the romanticism era, but considered more of a realist, ahead of her time and one to shape the new movement. The main characteristic of Romanticism that Dickinson portrays in her writingRead More Death in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain1449 Words   |  6 PagesDeath in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain Emily Dickinsons poems Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain all deal with one of lifes few certainties, death. Dickinsons intense curiosity towards mortality was present in much of her work, and is her legacy as a poet. Because I could Not Stop for Death is one of Emily Dickinsons Read MoreIssues of Mortality in Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died595 Words   |  3 PagesWritten in 1862, Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died â€Å"symbolizes the death that Emily saw around her daily. Emily Dickinson wrote the poem around the time of the Civil war which was between the years 1861 through the years 1865.Emily Dickinson was socially awkward, and around the time of her early twenties completely secluded herself from the outside world. Despite the fact that her family had strong political traditions, Emily and her brother seemed uninterested in the war. Very muchRead MoreMortailty and Eternity in Emily Dickinson Poems Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Dickinson is the epitome of the modern poet. Her poetry breaks from the traditional style with dashes to separate ideas. Dickinson, also, challenged the religious belief of her time. Growing up as a Puritan in Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson knew the bible, yet as an adult, she questioned that belief. Many of her poems seem focused on death; death of the body, death of the soul, death of the mind. Why was she so intrigued with death? The poems that embody this theme are: â€Å"Success is countedRead MoreEmily Dickinson : The Point When A Reader1749 Words   |  7 PagesMohammed Horieh Introduction to Literature Professor Knoernschild November 27, 2015 Emily Dickinson At the point when a reader hears the name Emily Dickinson, they consider a female who composed verse that has been surely understood for a considerable length of time and years. Much to their dismay that Emily Dickinson established American Literature, and began an entire unrest of verse. The procedure Dickinson used to keep in touch with her verse was at no other time seen and was theRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson Compare and Contrast Essay1596 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, Compare and Contrast Emily Elizabeth Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe are two of the biggest poets in American Literature from the 1800s. They had many things in common from their writings about death and sadness, because of their unfortunate losses in life, to the fact that they were both born in Massachusetts. They were also different in many ways. They were different in the way they looked at life and wrote about their experiences from it. While it is obviousRead MoreAnalysis Of This Is My Letter To The World By Emily Dickinson1474 Words   |  6 Pagesfeeling as if she was not worthy. These insecurities are likely the reason why she never published her poems- she had a deeply rooted fear of rejection. Her mental illness consumed her and as said by literary analyst Seth Archer, â€Å"But the fact is, Emily Dickinson lived her life imprisoned by a mental illness no one could make sense of, let alone treat† (Archer 2). But what caused a depression to the extent of this severity? While there is deb ate over what spiraled her into her illness there were several