The Common Assessment Framework

The Common Assessment Framework The Common Assessment Framework is used by various professionals and agencies to use one process of sharing information and integrate working on a young person (revise re-word more info) The CAF process is seen as a core element in integrated working and promotes more effective use of time used to assess young people, seen by many as a universal and neutral system used by all agencies. The CAF emerged from the 2003 Green Paper Every Child Matters which marked a policy of the integration of practitioners and services. (Wise, C, Harrison, R, 2005) Requirements before starting the CAF As undertaken the role of a youth worker I chose Candi (my 16 year old daughter who lives with her mother from a previous marriage) as the young person I would like to help fill in the CAF form. In the case of the assessment undertaken for the assignment, it was explained to Candi the purpose and outcome of the assessment and she was not being formally assessed, and that the process was to critically evaluate the CAF and set out the module guide and shown to Candi, although unsure at first, Candi was happy to proceed. I choose Candi as the candidate because of the fact of the young people who I practice with are young offenders and because of their court orders, they identities need to be guarded and a majority of the young people flatly refused to take part. The question is asked of what led to the assessment of the young person which has to clear and an agreed statement by all involved and if any other agencies that are involved with the young person including the young person and families/carers. Key areas of the CAF is to try and engage the young person with families in the process and try and develop a better understanding of the process and indentify the young persons needs at the earliest perceivable stage, however, with most agencies and services, a majority of families are reluctant and wary of sharing information especially if persons have been involved with any agencies and services in the past. This reluctance is why the young person and family must have the full understanding of the whole process and the benefits so the training of the practitioner must be full and up-to-date (revise) however as a youth worker and assessing the young person, the practitioner has to keep own values and standards apart if Im talking to a particular person, it is not a question of trying to lead to my values, but often to try express some different values (Smith, M, 1994) Candi has never been involved with any agencies before or assessed officially by any services before, when asked how she would feel about being formally assessed she said she would feel frightened and very nervous of the process and even with her mother present she would be frightened to say the wrong thing in case of herself or parents into trouble. If there is two or more services involved with the young person, a team would be arranged around the child meeting and then the lead professional would be identified, (reword) however there is a reluctance to become the lead practitioner in the CAF process as that practitioner becomes the bench mark for any further action taken by future agencys or professionals, the reluctance is out of fear of making mistakes from the pressure of lead practitioner. (revise) Current family and home situation While filling this section, Candi felt unsure how to answer the question and looked towards her mother for approval, before giving any personal details about family. This section can difficult for the young person if under 16 and a parent or carer is present, before the assessment is carried out, there are no details of the present family situation whether problems are evident or not, Candi lives as part of a one parent family with her younger sister who is 11 years old and times can difficult with looking after her while her mother works, however some young children come from broken homes with various amount of difficulties or living in childrens home, or with friends which only can build as the young persons anxiety. Agency involvement with young person The assessment process used when carrying out can be very intimidating and very personal, however family or carer support is crucial throughout as personal and private information is obtain, plus information of any agency involvement, doctors, health visitors, connexions and any educational provision and so-forth can to hard to ascertain at the time of the assessment with the young person. Candi found personal details The process of the CAF tries to consider a Varity of ethical issues with over 30 answers to the question of ethnicity which can be a personal and confusing question to ask to ask a young person. So it is preferred to ask the family or young person to self define their ethnicity and no assumptions should be made by the practitioner. (revise) Development of the young person To try and ascertain the development of the young person with worries/needs and strengths/resources a variety of information (revise) involving health, emotional and self esteem with among others which can be difficult to try and collect information about unless if in close contact through personal contact through different circumstances with a more impersonal atmosphere to get to know the young person has a more trusting surrounding. Candi found this section hard to explain, especially about her emotions. Candi did not understand why these questions needed to be asked and their purpose. It was explained emotion needs are important part of a young persons development and any worries or needs had to be ascertained in order to help the young person and not (revise) A majority of young people when asked about the Common Assessment framework and what the process was used for would be unsure unless the young person has been explained what the process can be used to try improve areas of life improvement (revise) and improve personal development, however if explained how it may involve a child protection or safeguarding procedures if certain aspects should arise during the assessment process, which could cause concern to the young person, the young person could not be as forth-coming with personal information about family life in general, and especially if the parent or carer is involved in the process. However, the whole process is for the positive aspiration welfare of the young person. (revise) Parents and carers Information gathered in the section entitled Parents and carers involving information including basic care, emotion warm and boundaries for example can be very personal to the young person and the parent/carer could interfere with any question asked. As with most young people, personal information including emotions can be quite hard to divulge especially if the young person is experiencing life stages including puberty and adolescence. (revise) Family and environmental Family and environmental functions including the well-being of the young person plus resources including education but financial consideration can a delicate subject however can give a valuable insight to family matters. Financial difficulty can cause an array of problems which influence social and personal development of the young person either by not enrolling into further education or by ascendance of parents/carers working unsociable and unpractical hours causing family disruption in the family home.(revise) Candi found this part difficult to fill in considering the relationship with ourselves and her mother being there during the assessment. I felt Candi did not answer the questions totally honestly and to her fullest (revise) Well-being scale Well-being scale of the child/person by the assessor and the well-being scale 0-10 given by the parent/carer is also used too which can regarded as a redundant tool as a number of different factors can influence the scale however a general indication by the parent/carer on their opinion of the young persons well-being however it can never give a true reflection (revise) Improvement and review Improvement and review which includes the views of the parent/carer/young person (revise) Young persons goals Young persons personal goals and general view of assessment (revise) Practitioners goals Practitioners goals and view of assessment (revise) Conclusions, solutions and actions Conclusions, solutions and actions is the table or a chance to indentify key areas for change with recommended actions by the whom and estimated time of action which should have all those involved working towards the same agenda and encourage families to what is happening as easier progress is to be made. Specific goals are to be made either short or long term but still be specific in the review time. The view and thoughts of the young person should be evident throughout the process and capture any comments which are relevant and helpful, adolescence is therefore seen, as youth workers, as a moment of questioning a moment in which young people reflect critically in their sense of self, their beliefs and values (Young, K, 1999 p.28) The CAF process can help identify needs at an early stage and help education authorities achieve better engagement with young person and with school attendance; future academic aspiration and help the young person improve health and family relationships with siblings and parents/carers. Noted on bottom of CAF form is a note of exceptional circumstances and significant harm to the young person which asks the question of following safeguard procedures if at any time the practitioner feels that there is an issue. Those who work with young people have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare (C. Wise Harrison. R, 2005 p33), this is an important issue for any practitioner or person who works with a young and is an important responsibility and requires vigilance (reword) and attention to the young person who may not be fulfilling the needs and development potential. (C. Wise Harrison, R, 2005)

The Effect Of Anxiety On An Athletes Performance Psychology Essay

The Effect Of Anxiety On An Athletes Performance Psychology Essay Competitive state anxiety is defined as a tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension and tension.(Martens, Vealey Burton, 1990). Competitive state anxiety can be split into cognitive and somatic components, cognitive being negative mental thoughts and concerns about ability and performance for instance indecision and loss of confidence, with somatic being the physiological responses to anxiety such as increased heart rate and muscle tension. It is important to measure both intensity and direction to determine the effect of anxiety on an athletes performance as it allows interpretation of results and can subsequently be used to assist the athlete to alter their thoughts before a competition and to improve performance. The intensity component indicates the levels of competitive anxiety in relation to factors such as situational antecedents (Woodman Hardy, 2001), and direction allows interpretation of results as facilitative or debilitative to performance (Jones, 1995). The athlete in this study is an 18 year old female triathlete. The study was conducted before and after a British Universities Colleges Sport (BUCS) national duathlon championship. The event involved a 3.2km run followed by a 16km bike ride and another 3.2km run in which she came 12th in a time of 54 minutes 52.747 seconds, which was similar to her previous best performances. Results The results for cognitive A-state and somatic A-state anxiety from the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) are indicated in the table and graph below. The scores can range from 9 (low) to 36 (high) for intensity, and from -27 (very debilitative) to 27 (very facilitative) for direction. Cognitive Anxiety Somatic Anxiety Intensity 19 14 Direction -8 0 The CSAI-2 indicated that she had low to medium intensity cognitive anxiety and that this would be slightly debilitative to her performance. In contrast, she suffered from low somatic anxiety but had a direction score of 0 signifying that the somatic symptoms she felt would affect her performance neither positively nor negatively. In the interview it was discovered that she felt that the competition was quite important but was not a main race for her although there were a lot of elite competitors in the race. She also added that as it was a BUCS race she felt pressure from her coach as well as herself to do well for the university. The pressure helped her motivation to keep going through the middle of the race, which turned out to be similar to her previous performances. Prior to the race she felt worried but as the race started she kept setting aims to keep up with people and overtake other competitors. The race started early which gave her less time to warm up after a hard training week leading up to the race. Despite the amount of training in the week before the race, she said she had high energy which was helpful to her performance. Discussion The multidimensional theory of anxiety (Martens et al., 1990) indicates that as cognitive anxiety increases, performance will drop. This theory only considered intensity, however later research led to the direction aspect (Jones, 1995) being added and anxiety considered as debilitative or facilitative. Before the race, the athlete was feeling low-medium intensity cognitive anxiety, which should result in a medium to high performance. However, the CSAI-2 results indicated that the cognitive anxiety she was feeling would have a detrimental effect on her performance. Neither somatic or cognitive anxiety were seen as facilitative to performance and research has found that males consistently report higher facilitative perceptions than females (Wiggins, 1998). If cognitive anxiety levels increase too high then, combined with elevated physiological arousal, could lead to a dramatic decline in performance as explained by the catastrophe theory (Hardy Fazey, 1987). Wiggins (1998) also discovered that cognitive intensity was higher than somatic intensity but somatic direction was higher (more facilitative) than cognitive direction. This was evident with the athlete but neither component of anxiety was considered to be facilitative. Studies have shown that athletes intensity of cognitive anxiety is highest before competition and then declines significantly from pregame to postgame (Butt, Weinberg, Horn, 2003). This was evident for the athlete as anxiety eased as the race started. Prior to the race, she was experiencing low-medium cognitive anxiety and felt moderately nervous. The main symptoms of cognitive anxiety suffered by the athlete were concern about the competition, the race result and self-doubt as well as concern that others would be disappointed with her performance. This intensity and pressure helped her feel motivated and stay strong, and any nerves disappeared once she started the race and positive thoughts helped channel her focus on the task in hand. Somatic anxiety intensity has been found to fluctuate over time but direction remains stable (Butt et al., 2003). Intensity was found to be highest before the game and declined during competition. The athlete in this study suffered from low intensity somatic anxiety before the competition but this was not facilitative or debilitative. The main symptoms of somatic anxiety were nervousness, jitteriness and increased heart rate. It was evident that the intensity decreased when the competition started as the nerves eased and she felt energetic. A study of athletes (Hanton, Wadey, and Connaughton, 2005) found that many of the debilitating symptoms remained prevalent after years of many competitions, were reported to fluctuate closer to the event and particularly at higher levels of competition. The event that the data for this study was collected from was for the triathletes first BUCS competition. This shows that even after competing in many previous events as well as internationally, anxiety was still found to be a debilitating factor towards performance. Another discovery made by Hanton et al. (2005) was that an athletes main routine before a competition is to be physically prepared over mentally prepared. Physical readiness, such as warming up and training in the build up weeks, was found to allow the athletes to compete at an elite level despite debilitating anxiety symptoms. However, when comparing athletes who mentally prepared and those who did not, performance was higher in those who had mentally prepared. A problem for the athlete in this study was that due to the race start time being moved forward, she did not have sufficient time to physically warm up let alone to mentally prepare. Failing to warm up properly may have had a detrimental effect on her performance as a warm up can increase the speed of muscle contraction and relaxation, increases heart rate and blood flow to working muscles, in addition to mentally focusing on the task in hand. The coherence between the CSAI-2 questionnaire before the event and the interview afterwards was strong. The athlete felt low-medium cognitive anxiety from the CSAI-2 including self-doubts and concern about the result, and this was backed up afterwards in the interview when she said that she was worried and feeling pressure before the race. She also stated that she was suffering from nerves before the race in both the CSAI-2 and the interview. Conclusions and Recommendations From the CSAI-2 questionnaire and interview I can construe that the anxiety suffered by the athlete did not affect her performance negatively. The intensity of cognitive anxiety was low-medium and somatic anxiety was low intensity before the race. Too much anxiety would have a detrimental effect on performance due to high pressure, negative thoughts and attentional narrowing. Too little anxiety could lead to lack of concentration, focusing on unimportant cues from the environment, external distraction. I establish that the athlete had moderate levels of anxiety which can increase effort as the athlete is not overcome by pressure. In the interview after the race she said that any pressure and negativity was focused onto a positive attitude and setting goals to improve her position. Although I consider the athlete was unaffected by her anxiety levels, if the direction aspect of cognitive and somatic anxiety can be made facilitative, it may have a beneficial impact on performance. To do this there are a number of techniques that sports psychologists can use to manipulate an individuals judgment of a competitive situation, including self talk and imagery. A consistent finding across studies is that sport performers have a stronger preference for problem-focused strategies for overcoming anxiety, and perceptions of cognitive anxiety as debilitative are associated with behavioural disengagement and venting of emotions (Ntoumanis and Biddle, 2000). Self talk can be used to help anxiety responses such as self-doubt. This can be positive, having the ability to win, or negative, not being able to lose. Self-talk can help to increase concentration on the task at hand. Imagery can be used to improve self-confidence and overcome nerves. It involves mental picturing a perfect performance or remembering a previous performance that the athlete would like to repeat. It can be used with mental rehearsal, planning the events and tactics of the event or in the case of the triathlete, the race. She had positive thoughts during the race, but if these can begin before the race then her start may improve, as the pressure and worry may be relieved.

Graduation Speech: Dont Forget Where You Came From -- Graduation Spee

Good afternoon, I would like to begin by thanking the staff for the privilege of speaking before you on this bittersweet day. It seems like this past year has been a jumble of excitement, reminiscence of the past and uncertainty for the future. After dreaming about graduating since we jumped off the bus on the first day of kindergarten, it's finally here. With the years of number two pencils, group projects and final bells behind us, we find ourselves on the threshold of our future. Yet, it's difficult not to timidly glance back at our past and wonder if we are prepared for what lies ahead. Are we ready to face that thing called reality which our parents and teachers have constantly warned us about? I was unsure if I would be prepared to face this world which exists beyond the doors of high school until a recent incident changed my mind. It forced me to put all of my accumulated knowledge from high school to the test in order to survive. I wish I could say this experience happened to me when I was a silly freshman; unfortunately it was only a few months ago. It began with a routine trip to the high school to pick up my brother from a basketball game one cold, January evening. I arrived to find the game was long over, although at the time I didn't know that he had already gotten a ride home. I went looking for him, taking a shortcut fr om the gym through the courtyard. As I stepped into the frigid air, the door quickly clicked shut behind me. I strode briskly across the courtyard to the double doors in the old commons, only to find they wouldn't budge. Remaining calm, I tried the doors next to them and the gym doors; they were also locked. My heart began to race as I tried every door and gate in that courtyard, only to find I wa... ...e world, but also the memories and lessons from each other. Every time we lent our shoulder for somebody to cry on, laughed even when the joke wasn't funny or cheered loudly whether our team was ahead or not, we were teaching each other important lessons. This type of knowledge is just as necessary as math, science and history to carry with you in the future. So, when you step onto your college campus, begin your first day of work or travel the world this fall, be confident in your abilities and intelligence. However, as you drive into your future, remember to check your rearview mirror every so often so you don't forget where you came from. Laugh aloud when you mess up or lock yourself in a dark courtyard, for these experiences will become the lessons and memories which you pack into the trunk of your car to strengthen you as you drive down the road of life.

Computers and Health :: Technology Papers

For my I-Search topic I chose to research health related issues due to increased computer usage both in the work and home settings. Computer technology is becoming commonplace in the work field. As a teacher, I use the computer to present topics to my students, enter grades, send email to co-workers and parents, and to post homework assignments on the Internet. Ten years ago, teachers and other professionals used computers on a limited basis. I became interested in the side effects caused by prolonged usage of computers since several family members complain of wrist soreness as well as eyestrain due to the effects of monitor radiation. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the first term that comes to mind when thinking of problems that people experience with computer use regarding their hands. Based on my limited knowledge of this topic, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs due to a persons prolonged usage of a computer keyboard. Problems of this sort occur more often due to poor ergonomics and posture. Computer office furniture that does not allow one to adjust the height of the chair or keyboard, so that the arms form a write angle at the elbow, cause strain on the wrist, which may result in carpal tunnel syndrome. People who use computers for long periods of time without giving themselves a break and flexing their wrist have a higher propensity of developing problems. Monitor radiation has been discussed throughout computer journals for years. I have learned that different monitors have higher or lower radiation levels. Monitors made overseas are generally considered to have a lower radiation level than those built in the United States. For example, as an engineer the Management Information Services (MIS) unit told us that NEC monitors had much lower radiation levels than IBM monitors. After sitting at a computer during my eleven-year career as a Civil Engineer with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, I often found that headaches at the end of the day were common. My eyes felt strained due to the looking at a monitor for an extended period of time. Over the years as an engineer I bought various types of glare screens for my computer monitor. Even though I doubt the glare screens help with the reduction of radiation given off by the monitors, they do seem to help with eyestrain. Throughout this paper, I hope to discover ways to minimize or prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and the negative effects of monitor radiation on ones health.

History Of Islam Essay -- essays research papers fc

When Charles Martel defeated the Muslims in Spain and stopped their advance into greater Europe (Ahmed 67)0, he most likely did not know just how much of an effect his victory had on the history of not only Europe, but of the known world. The fact that Islam may have overtaken the rest of the world had it not been for that crucial battle attests to the strength of this relatively new religion. If the strength of the religion is dependent upon those who start it, then it is important to analyze the life of the one key character in history who began it all. That key character is Muhammad, the man that is known as the first and last true prophet of Islam. Muhammad, the great prophet and founder of Islam, was born in 570 AD, and was soon an orphan without parents. He was raised by a family of modest means and was forced to work to support himself at an early age. He worked with a travelling caravan as a driver and at the age of twenty-five, married his employer, a woman by the name of Khadija, by which he had four daughters and no sons. In Mecca, the Ka'ba had long been a pagan pilgrimage site. A black stone, which had fallen to the earth, was kept in the cube that also held 360 idols representing different gods and prophets, one for each degree of the earth. The environment in which Muhammad was raised was a polytheistic society that had a strong emphasis on religion but not religious purity. This clear lack of religious dedication upset Muhammad greatly, and he began to speak out against the practice of idolatry. By this time Muhammad had gained a large following. By the age of forty, Muhammad began to receive visits from the angel Gabriel, who recited God's word to him at irregular intervals. These recitations, known as the Qur'an, were compiled by Muhammad's followers around 650 or 651. The basic message Muhammad received was that of submission. The very word Islam means "surrender" or "submission". The submission is to the will of Allah, the one and only true God. Muslims are those who have submitted themselves. The basic theme of Islam is very simple and clear: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah (Denny 67-70). Islam teaches that there is one God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Muhammad taught his followers that this God, Allah, is compassionate and just. Further, he taught them that becaus... ...lly ignored by Christians for many years. The fact that these prophets had very little success was repeated in many of Muhammad's own experiences, while he preached the oneness of God to the Arabs in Mecca. The main point of his message was that he was the last in the series of prophets, the last person that would reveal the divine truth. Muhammad changed the religious world a great deal with a his only twenty-two years of leadership and service. He is considered the last and greatest prophet of God by more than a few Muslim believers, and it has been predicted that by the year 2000, one-fourth of the world's by then six billion people will call themselves Muslims (Braswell 207). Works Cited Ahmed, Akbar S. From Samarkand to Stornoway Living Islam. Great Britain: BBC Books, 1994 Braswell, George W., Jr, Islam: Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power. United States of America: Broadman & Holman, 1996 Denny, Frederick Mathewson. An Introduction to Islam. New Jersey: Macmillan, 1985 Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Mayer, Ann Elizabeth. Islam Tradition and Politics Human Rights. Colorado: Westview Press, 1995 History Of Islam Essay -- essays research papers fc When Charles Martel defeated the Muslims in Spain and stopped their advance into greater Europe (Ahmed 67)0, he most likely did not know just how much of an effect his victory had on the history of not only Europe, but of the known world. The fact that Islam may have overtaken the rest of the world had it not been for that crucial battle attests to the strength of this relatively new religion. If the strength of the religion is dependent upon those who start it, then it is important to analyze the life of the one key character in history who began it all. That key character is Muhammad, the man that is known as the first and last true prophet of Islam. Muhammad, the great prophet and founder of Islam, was born in 570 AD, and was soon an orphan without parents. He was raised by a family of modest means and was forced to work to support himself at an early age. He worked with a travelling caravan as a driver and at the age of twenty-five, married his employer, a woman by the name of Khadija, by which he had four daughters and no sons. In Mecca, the Ka'ba had long been a pagan pilgrimage site. A black stone, which had fallen to the earth, was kept in the cube that also held 360 idols representing different gods and prophets, one for each degree of the earth. The environment in which Muhammad was raised was a polytheistic society that had a strong emphasis on religion but not religious purity. This clear lack of religious dedication upset Muhammad greatly, and he began to speak out against the practice of idolatry. By this time Muhammad had gained a large following. By the age of forty, Muhammad began to receive visits from the angel Gabriel, who recited God's word to him at irregular intervals. These recitations, known as the Qur'an, were compiled by Muhammad's followers around 650 or 651. The basic message Muhammad received was that of submission. The very word Islam means "surrender" or "submission". The submission is to the will of Allah, the one and only true God. Muslims are those who have submitted themselves. The basic theme of Islam is very simple and clear: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah (Denny 67-70). Islam teaches that there is one God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Muhammad taught his followers that this God, Allah, is compassionate and just. Further, he taught them that becaus... ...lly ignored by Christians for many years. The fact that these prophets had very little success was repeated in many of Muhammad's own experiences, while he preached the oneness of God to the Arabs in Mecca. The main point of his message was that he was the last in the series of prophets, the last person that would reveal the divine truth. Muhammad changed the religious world a great deal with a his only twenty-two years of leadership and service. He is considered the last and greatest prophet of God by more than a few Muslim believers, and it has been predicted that by the year 2000, one-fourth of the world's by then six billion people will call themselves Muslims (Braswell 207). Works Cited Ahmed, Akbar S. From Samarkand to Stornoway Living Islam. Great Britain: BBC Books, 1994 Braswell, George W., Jr, Islam: Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power. United States of America: Broadman & Holman, 1996 Denny, Frederick Mathewson. An Introduction to Islam. New Jersey: Macmillan, 1985 Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Mayer, Ann Elizabeth. Islam Tradition and Politics Human Rights. Colorado: Westview Press, 1995

How the Food We Eat Reflects our Culture and Identity Essay

Ntozake Shange in her essay, What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here? had taught her readers a very important lesson that is very vital in understanding one’s culture and one’s family. It is the simple truth that food is more than food. It was clearly communicated in Ntozake Shange’s essay that food is not just an arbitrary or random thing that arises from one’s culture or family. Rather, the local food of one’s culture and family is a reflection of his or her environment and his way of living. The food that we eat is a mirror to what the nature provided to us outside of our houses. At the same time, food is also the mirror of our own creativity and taste. Whether we prefer sweetness over spiciness, such preferences appear and manifest on how we prepare and how we cook our foods. Summing it up, food is a very important element that we must take a look (and taste) to have a good grasp or understanding of one’s culture or one’s family. The essay What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here? can be regarded as a very important and significant piece of literature in proving the significance of food in understanding ones’ culture. In the essay of Shange, she told the story of numerous local delicacies that will convince us to the point that we are establishing. Take for example the Shange’s example of sweet potatoes. In the essay, she made a very good way of instructing his readers on how to grow quality sweet potatoes. Growing sweet potatoes require much dedication, patience and knowledge. As seen in Shange’s instruction on how to grow a sweet potato, it was seen clearly how one must work hard to be able to produce a good quality potato. In fact, as stated in the essay, â€Å"[one must ]Get your soil ready at least two weeks before planting. . . (Shange 111)† The entire procedure is difficult. As stated again, â€Å"The easiest thing to do with a sweet potato is to bake it† (112). These lines clearly showed that growing sweet potatoes is a tough job. This difficult method of growing such crops mirrors the characters of the people or group of people who happened to eat those crops. As growing a potato requires dedication and patience, we can also argue that the people that grow this crops are dedicated and patient. This is our first way of proving the point that we established above – that food is viable factor to see in understanding one’s culture or one’s family. Another notable proof of the relationship of food and culture is the case of the Carolina Rice. As discussed in Shange’s essay, rice, more particularly the Carolina rice reached a great demand in the 1700s. Because of this, the slaves who came from West Africa are priced better than their other counter parts. This is because of a more complex knowledge and skill that is required in growing rice. The slaves who grew from rice countries are priced better. As stated in the essay, â€Å"Plantation owners were perfectly aware of the superiority of African slaves from rice country† (114). Despite the complexity of growing rice, its cooking is much simpler than its cultivation. Again, this can be related to the simplicity of the lives of the people who adapt this kind of food. Rather than undergoing some complex process of cooking, rice are just simply boiled in water (116). Once again, this showed how rice that is very complicated to grow yet very simple to cook mirror its African cultivators who have a rich culture and tradition, yet living a simple life. The way we cook our own food tells a lot on our preferences and fondness. In the essay, it was written in the later part of it that North Americans does not prefer burnt rice at the bottom of the casserole. In fact, they find it scary. However for the people other people, rice, at least the bottom of it are preferred to be burnt. This burning made possible the cooking of very dry rice (116). In my opinion, these burnt rice preferences of the colored people remind them the colored of their skins. Sidestepping a bit from the literature to my own experience, being Hispanic also mirrored on my food tastes. My taste for a good food is determined by my background as someone who has a Hispanic descent. Coming from this particular background, I prefer foods that possess a great deal of flavor and variety. As common to all Hispanics, we prefer rice meals, chilies, spices and tomatoes. This in respect to our cultivation of these crops and fruits in the earlier times and of course to our rich cultural and historical past. Shange had successfully proved to us the important relationship of food and our cultural and familial identity. As we said in the beginning of this essay, food is not a random and arbitrary thing that just popped in our households. Rather, food is product of our experiences, our appeals, our desires that were smoothened by time. What we grow is who we are. What we buy is who we are. What we eat is who we are. Food is truly a mirror to our cultures and most importantly, a reflection of our humanity. Works Cited Shange, Ntozake. What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here. p. 109-117

Goal Setting Worksheet

University of Phoenix Material Goal Setting Worksheet Review this week’s resources (for example SMART criteria, and the Career Plan Building Activities). Respond to the following in 50 to 100 words each: 1. Describe one academic goal that you have created using the SMART criteria. How do SMART criteria contribute to your academic goals?. Well I would have to say a individual goal is what I set for my self and that would be to get my associates degree and to get a better job then what I have right now.Cause right now im making minimum wage and its hard to make bills. 2. Describe one professional/career goal you have created using the SMART criteria and Career Plan Building Activities results. How did the results of the Career Interest Profiler and Career Plan Building Activity on Competencies contribute to your professional goal development? Career Goal for me is for me to finish college and get my degree that is the main goal for me right now and that’s the only thing i m really thinking about as of this moment. . Describe the stress and time-management strategies you have learned this week that will help you achieve your goals. Well I must say I have been stressed out a lot trying to get caught up on school work cause I have been so tired after work but I try to make time after I get off and also after my little girl goes to bed. 4. Describe how you will balance academic expectations and your personal and professional responsibilities. Im not really sure how I will balance my academic expectations and my erson and professional responsibilities cause right now I have a lot going on so im trying to keep up with every thing. 5. How can understanding the importance of SMART criteria and your career interests and competencies help you move towards your career and academic goals? I really don’t understand the whole smart criteria right now to be honest but I will try and learn a little more about it cause im sure I will need to know more about it ,