A REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A REPORT - Essay Example he present study discusses about the multinational firm and FMCG giant Nestle which has been among the pioneers in its product category and has a large number of Billion dollar worth brands under its umbrella. The present study would discuss the strategies that have been adopted by the firm to maintain its profitability in the industry. The study would also analyse the cross business strategies that have been employed at the firm. According to Knoll, Synergy is defined as â€Å"the effect that the combined return of the whole is greater than the sum of the returns from the individual parts†. In corporate world cross business synergy is achieved when the net returns of the combined entity formed by aggregating the different departments and units exceeds the net returns that is generated by a single entity taken as a standalone unit within the organization (Knoll, p.14, 18). The most important strategy of Nestle with regards to corporate synergy was its strategy of integrating the different departments across the organization. This strategy was named as GLOBE (Global Business Excellence) in which the different departments and the suppliers were brought together on a single common platform. This enabled real time information sharing among the different departments as well as the stakeholders that helped in generating greater efficiencies which has resulted in competitive advantage for the firm. All the 23 Research and development (popularly referred as Product Technology Centres) centres of the world were brought together on a single common platform which helped in generating greater innovations in the product line of the firm. The top management of the firm was of the strong belief that in order to sustain profitability the firm needed to continuously innovate its products line and would have to expand much beyond their borders considering the fact that Switzerland offered little potential of being a good market for the firm in terms of market size. Under their

My opinion on private letter ruling from the IRS Essay Example for Free

My opinion on private letter ruling from the IRS Essay According to my opinion on the IRS private letter ruling, it is very essential for the organization to decide and look for ways on which they can request for the IRS private letter ruling. An IRS private letter ruling does not contain laws but it contains guideline to the taxpayer on tax issues. Therefore it can be defined as a disclosed statement that is issued to the tax payer by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in which some guidance are defined on how to deal with financial assessment that have prospective tax cost. Many of the organization have limited knowledge about the IRS private letter ruling and that is why they tend to run away from the IRS especially when they have to deal with issue regarding taxes. It is the responsibity of the organizational leaders to look upon the anticipated changes in the organization and compare the importance of the IRS private letter ruling to the company (IRS. gov 2010). The taxpayer is able to rely on what the private letter states regarding its measurement. IRS reduces risk when dealing with paying a large amount of tax; it gives the task payer a surety of safety that will occur when dealing with paying large amount of tax. On a contemplated transaction the private letter of ruling gives advancement to the taxpayer on the tax treatment expectation from the IRS. The IRS can become negative to companies. Therefore for the IRS private letter ruling to have a meaning the transactions are supposed to be completed accompanied by the tax returns. There after the IRS officials discuss and come to an agreement after they have evaluated the transactions and the tax returns.

Foster Parents And Solution Focused Brief Therapy Social Work Essay

Foster Parents And Solution Focused Brief Therapy Social Work Essay Abstract Approximately sixty percent of children living in therapeutic foster care, enter the system with a diagnosis of moderate to severe mental health issues. These children, placed in therapeutic foster homes, can present disruptive behaviors. Maladaptive coping skills on the part of the child or stress inducing behaviors on the part of the caregiver can cause a crises leading to potential removal from the home. Solution focused brief therapy, could increase the quality of the relationship between foster parent and child. Foster children and parents can have a disparity between the perception of a situation and improper communication of opposing views may lead to crisis. Using tools and tenants of solution focused brief therapy could decrease placement disruptions. The purpose of this article is to identify common issues and challenges facing foster parents and children, and examples of interventions using solution based therapy. The strength-based interventions, coupled with the current evidenced-based training, will decrease placement disruptions, and increase the potential of successful transitions from foster care. The article will discuss current evidenced-based interventions, and solution focused therapy as an additional therapeutic approach. In this article, common issues and challenges facing foster parents and children are discussed; and strengths and limitations of implementing solution focused therapy techniques are explored. Keywords: Therapeutic Foster Care, Foster Parents, Foster Children, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Training Foster Parents and Solution Focused Brief Therapy: An estimated 541,000 children in America live in the foster care system today (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Residential treatment facilities, psychiatric group homes, and foster/ kinship care comprise most of these out of home placements. Therapeutic Foster Care, (TFC) is an additional type of out of home placement and is a specialized service designed to serve children with special needs (Berika, 1999). These special needs range from emotional, cognitive, and physical/medical and can serve as a step down between a residential treatment center and foster care (Strijker, Oijen, Dickscheit, 2010). Each specific type of out of home placement offers differences in the goals and functions of foster care and therapeutic foster care are numerous. Maltreated children are placed in foster care primarily to receive protection, and stability. If the child exhibits the need for mental health or substance abuse therapy, the service is provided outside of the home (Farmer, Mustillo, Burns, Holden, 2008). Transitioning statement from fc 2 tfc (on the other hand ) Therapeutic foster care combines the structure of a residential treatment facility with the care and protection of the home environment. Fifty nine percent of children entering therapeutic foster care address serious levels of emotional behavioral issues; and need rehabilitation (Hochstadt, Jaudes, Zimo, Schacter, 1987). Therapeutic interventions take place within the home, with the goal of integrating newly acquired interpersonal skills into the home environment, which are necessary for future family reunification. Multiple reasons exist facilitating the need to place a child outside of the home for treatment. High-risk family factors include poverty, divorce within the immediate family, (Williams at all, 1990), biological parental mental illness, witnessing domestic violence, and prior incarcerations within the immediate family (Johnson, 1989). The inability or unwillingness of the primary caregiver to care for the child is additional reasons for biological parental rights termination (Pecora, White, Jackson, Wiggins, 2009). Alternatively, the child may have been removed from the home due to neglect or poor parenting. Substance abuse by the biological parents, or even the young person themselves, are additional factors in the decision to remove the child from the biological home. Thus, due to numerous reasons, the youth may have difficulty acclimating to new living situations. Children placed in therapeutic foster care tend to exhibit poor coping skills, low frustration tolerance, and externalizing disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Fiegelman Harrington, 1993). The behaviors that accompany such externalizing disorders may cause foster parents to experience empathy fatigue (Lipscome, Moyers, Farmer, 2004). Empathy fatigue is a leading cause for which a foster parent decides to surrender the foster child (Parker, 2009). This is known as a placement disruption or the childs unscheduled removal from the foster home permanently. Numerous publications report findings, that placement disruption has a detrimental effect on foster children. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported placement disruption, Hinders the development and healing process of children (American Academy of pediatrics 2000). Placement disruption jeopardizes the opportunity for children to develop trusting and secure relationships with adults (Robertson, 1989). The act of separating a child from biological families induces feelings of rejection, guilt, abandonment, and shame, (Garland et al., 2000, Simm at el 2000) regardless of the reason. Multiple placements before the age of 14 are associated with higher rates of delinquency in youths. Recent studies show a relationship between foster child placement disruption and the increase of foster care alumni homelessness, incarceration, and victimization. (Courtney, Dworsky, Lee, Raap, 2009). According to the Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, Far too many foster youth are not acquiring the life skills or developing the interpersonal connections they need if they are to become productive young adults (Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, 2010). Foster parents are to provide a safe and nurturing home, which will instill interpersonal communication and effective life skills to youth. The establishment of the connection between the foster parent and the foster child needs is critical due to beliefs that foster parents would benefit from the use of solution focused based therapeutic techniques with the foster child as these techniques provide____________________________________. Multiple training programs have attempted to incorporate these skills within the juveniles daily routine (Price, Chamberlain, Landsverk, Reid, Leve, Laurent, 2008). LIST PREVIOUS MODLES Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care is a strengths-based intervention promoting child and adolescent resiliency in youth exposed to early adversity. Application of MTFC within a treatment foster care home employs a point and level privilege system. Multiple studies show the effectiveness of using a reward level program (Fisher Chamberlain Leve 2009). A second intervention model, which is a modified version of the multidimensional treatment foster care intervention designed for younger children is called keeping foster parents trained and supported (Price, Chamberlain, Landsverk Reid, 2009). Other models of worth mentioning. When a child faces the instability of placement disruption, they do not have a consistent environment where they feel safe to mature; instead, they must re-adapt the new living situation. We suggest following the tenants and techniques of solution focused brief therapy in addition to the aforementioned foster parent training will increase placement stability. Training the foster parents in solution focused therapy techniques we believe they will assist the youth in becoming solution oriented. This new set of skills taught to the child, by the foster parent has the potential to increase the foster childs quality of life by decreasing placement disruptions. Solution focused therapy lends itself well as an additional element training of foster parents. Through a question and answer conversation, it enables the foster parent to see the perspective of a given situation through the eyes of the child. Solution focused brief therapy is strengths-based and future oriented, while still validating the persons experience (Littrell, 2006). Major tenants of this theory are (a.) change is constant (b.) there is always an exception to the problem (c.) there are many ways of looking at a situation, all equally important (Bannink, 2006/2010). It brings small successes to the child or foster parents awareness, and assists them in becoming solution oriented. This article will discuss several solutions focused based therapy techniques with examples of their application. Scaling questions, including what identifies and increase or decrease of one point and the application will be discussed. Coping questions, which illuminates the caregivers and foster childs strengths, will be investigated. The use of language tool statements, such as You must have had a reason to, will be explored. The identification of the childs resources both internal and external will also be examined with examples illustrating the application. The implementation of solution-focused therapy to increase foster care placement stability has been used in residential therapeutic treatment facilities. In a recent study it was found during the first year of treatment, the youth were counseled using the techniques of Cognitive behavioral therapy. In the second year they were counseled using solution focused brief therapy. It was discovered, the number of disruptions from these youth decreased from mean equaling 6.29 (standard deviation equaling 3.6) to mean equals 1.45 (standard deviation .68), P In this article, we will discuss various emotional health rehabilitation needs of foster children referred to therapeutic foster care. A concise exploration of current evidence-based therapeutic foster parent training models highlighting their strengths and weaknesses will take place. The core tenants of solution focused brief therapy will be explored with the intent purpose of identifying specific interventions for use with this population. Furthermore, examples of the preferred intervention techniques of solution focused brief therapy will be provided. Finally, the strengths and limitations of using solution focused brief therapy with this population will be discussed with suggestions for further research. I. Socioeconomic ramifications of child maltreatment. Neglecting the therapeutic foster care populations has a debilitating effect on the economy. Homelessness (check tense and safe assign) In studies focused on homelessness in adulthood, placement in foster care in childhood or adolescence frequently emerges as a risk factor. {{57 Fowler,P.J. 2009;}} For example a study conducted by the Casey Institute showed within a two year period shows homelessness for foster alumni exceeded 12.%, which is the rate for a single episode of homelessness amid US adults. One fifth of the adolescents taking part in the study experienced chronic homelessness. {{86 Anonymous ;}} Homelessness in adolescence and young adulthood has been shown to be associated with elevated risks of a number of negative outcomes. {{57 Fowler,P.J. 2009;}} These services need to begin earlier, to be extended to all eligible children in foster care, and to remain available until former foster care youth have attained stability as young adults (Kushel et al., 2007; Pecora et al., 2006). Research findings indicate that services need to begin early when a family first arrives at a shelter or the child first enters foster care, particularly since early intervention for young children can reduce the magnitude of trauma and subsequent problems later in life {{80 Dozier M Higley E Albus, K Nutter A. (2002);}} Housing instability was related to emotional and behavioral problems, physical and sexual victimization, criminal conviction, and high school dropout. From this information Fowler concluded adolescents transitioning from foster care are at considerably higher risk of homelessness {{57 Fowler,P.J. 2009;}} A.1 Maltreatment leading to out of home placement Sixty four percent of cases involved in the child welfare system are due to parental neglect. Failure to attend to the childs physical, emotional, or educational needs may cause severe, long term psychological challenges. Domestic violence in the childs presence; familial substance use that interferes with parenting abilities, Physical abuse (16%), sexual abuse (9%), and psychological maltreatment (7%) are other reasons children are reported to child welfare.({{72 Leve, L.D. 2009;}} b. Needs of Those in Therapeutic Foster Care Characteristics of Those in Foster Care Social and Academic Health Children involved in the foster care system are at a higher risk of low academic performance and school failure. Children facing challenges, usually present with psychosocial problems at a substantially increased rate than the general population. These range from impulse control, to Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to conduct disorders which maturate during young adult hood and beyond. Children who fail to develop successful peer relations during school entry are at increased risk for conduct problems, peer rejection, and academic failure throughout childhood and adolescence {{91 Anonymous 2001;24 Egelund, Tine 2009;}} emotional and behavioral problems, exposure to physical and sexual abuse, adolescent pregnancy, incarceration and high school dropout. {{57 Fowler,P.J. 2009;}} A preponderance of children in the welfare system have been identified as experiencing cognitive delays as evidenced by the Denver Developmental Screening Test II {{91 Anonymous 2001;}}. This is the most widely used psychometric test utilized for this young population. Early behavior problems among children placed in foster care have predicted delinquency, substance use, and sexual behavior 6 years later {{62 Linares,L.O. 2006}} Medical and Physical health The gravity and extent of the health care problems facing abused and neglected children are truly alarming.   Specified underlying neurobiological systems are influenced by types of adversity witnessed by children in the system increase risk for negative outcomes. These include common childhood diagnosis are at uncommon levels such as ADHD, disruptive behavior, anxiety, and affective disorders.{{72 Leve,L.D. 2009}} Studies observed increased shifts in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal HPA Axis, a hormone affected by cortisol imbalances. This hormone controls reactions to stress and has been discovered among children experiencing stress in foster care. Increased atypical diurnal cortisol levels{{74 Pears, K.C. 2008;}} are known to be higher especially among young female children who have experienced biological caregiver neglect {{70 Fisher,P.A. 2007;}}. Similar to the HPA axis studies, problems with executive functioning are more common in foster children than in the general population {{74 Pears, K.C. 2008;}}. However therapeutic interventions designed for foster children may positively affect the HPA axis activity as it has been noted decreasing stress decreases the levels of cortisol{{70 Fisher,P.A. 2007;}}. (More research needs done) Fisher Suggests interventions which decrease stress levels of younger juveniles in out of home placements may produce increased outcomes on the social cognitive level and increase the functioning of an neurobiological systems. {{95 Fisher,P.A. 2008;}}{{72 Leve,L.D. 2009}} d. REHABILITATION NEEDS OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE: EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS Evidence-based interventions were formed and assessed to supervise the psychological and physical welfare of children in foster care. Stress inducing behavior on the part of the parent can cause disruptive behavior in the foster child which leads to early termination from the home. Maladaptive coping skills of the child that havent been rectified affect the childs relationship with their caregiver and over time start to give negative connotations to authority figures. Implementing the interventions has shown a decrease in the need for extraneous mental and physical health care by increasing the probability of attaining placement stability. Interventions must target young people while they are still in foster care, before the age of 17 years, to ensure connection to services such as tuition assistance, employment training, and health insurance. {{57 Fowler,P.J. 2009;}} Models MTFC The MTFC model acknowledges and identifies the affect of emotional hardships on the physical and psychological missing word of the foster care population. It originated in 1983 in response to an Oregon State request for proposals from the juvenile justice system to develop community-based alternatives to incarceration for adolescent placements in residential/group care. (Leve,2009) This model gives an evidence based solution to strengthen the self-esteem of the foster children and teach them resiliency to improve behavioral problems. Additionally, consistent with research on resiliency, the model now incorporates key positive individual and interpersonal relationships, adaptive neurobiological functioning, and adaptive social behavior. (Leve, 2009) How it works The MTFC intervention teaches caregivers how to give positive mentoring, improve parental skills and the importance of consistency through training, supervision and the endorsement of a skills coach. MTFC was selected by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Elliott, 1998) as 1 of 10 evidence-based National Blueprints Programs; was selected as 1 of 9 National Exemplary Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools model programs; was highlighted in 2 U.S. Surgeon General reports (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000a, 2000b) (Leve,2009) These reports recorded government savings, showed improvement of behavior in child, and helped stress level of caregiver. State Public Policy group reported a $32,915 cost savings in 2006 to taxpayers for each (Leve,2009) In order for the intervention to be effective, the foster child needs positive reinforcement, individual and family therapy, along with social skills and academic mentoring. The team The skills coach is conditioned to focus on beneficial skills and actions rather than past behaviors or problematic situations. The foster parents and program supervisor work together to carefully monitor youth adjustment in the classroom. (Leve,2009) Classroom observations and evaluations allow the caregiver to evaluate behavioral changes without excessive amounts of external influences in a neutral setting. These caregivers are taught to use the same incentives or point systems employed in the foster home to provide positive feedback and brief, non-emotional consequences for problem behavior. (Leve,2009)The consistency from one environment to another eases the transition process for the foster child. Positive outcomes, including the likelihood of achieving permanency ( this effect is particularly marked for children who have had multiple prior foster placement failures), childrens attachment to caregivers, foster-parent stress levels, older childrens delinquency and antisocial beha vior, participation in school and subsequent time incarcerated. (Fisher P.A. 2009)

Bill Cosby :: essays research papers

Bill Cosby was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1937. He was the oldest of four boys. He had three brothers, and their names were: James, Russell, and Robert. His father ran away near Christmas time when he was very young and he had to get a job to help support the family. In school he was the class clown and was sent to a special school for rowdy boys. In his new school his teacher was Mary Forchic. She saw that he was a great comedian and she put that into her lessons to make them more understandable for Bill. She made the lessons fun for him and made it easier to learn. He said that she made him what he is today. After a couple years he went back to his old school and even though his grades were dropping he still kept it together. Bill was starting to look up to comedians on the radio and the TV. They were comedians like Sam Levenson, Sid Caesar, and Carl Reiner. Even though his grades were poor in junior high, when he took the standardized tests he was accepted to Central High School, which was a school for all the gifted children in Pennsylvania. Now being six feet, he was on the high school football team. But in the first week of football he broke his arm. Since there were few blacks in the school and he was slightly a target of biggotous remarks he went back to getting attention by clowning around in class again. He was later sent to Germantown Highschool where all his neighborhood friends went. He was back with his friends but his grades started to drop. He was left back twice. He was also too old to participate in the city track meets (which he could easily win). Bill dropped out of high school. He went to be a shoemaker=s helper, but the shoemaker didn=t like it when he nailed the ladies heels onto the mens shoes!Then Bill decided to join the Navy. There he found discipline and no room to joke around. He spent four long years in the Navy but he says that it made him more mature and able to control himself better. He was trained as a physical therapist. Helping men who lost their legs and arms, he finally realized how lucky he was. While in the Navy

Analysis of “Pleasantville” Essay

The film ‘Pleasantville’ is about two modern teenagers, David and his sister Jennifer, somehow being transported into the television, ending up in Pleasantville – a 1950s black and white sitcoms. David knows that they have to act like the ‘real’ characters as he definitely knows the world well, but soon he realises that it is impossible – that change is inevitable, which is the main theme of the movie. The two characters from the modern world have the role of bringing ‘evil’ knowledge to the citizen of Pleasantville. They brought changes to the town, adding colours to it. Change is an important element in this film. It shows that change is inevitable by introducing two characters into a never-changing world. Both are uneasy when they arrive. However, Jennifer threatens to rebel and states that â€Å"no one is happy in a poodle skirt and sweater set†. The citizen of Pleasantville have only learned about the geography of two streets, the firemen have never seen a fire, and sex and double beds do not even exist. They live their lives according to their routines. â€Å"Where is my dinner?† Mr Parker asks when he is surprised that the dinner is not ready for in at quarter to six. Though, the curiosities of the people living in Pleasantville lead them to change. â€Å"What is outside Pleasantville?† some ask. The people of Pleasantville are no longer innocent, and they are ready to change. This is shown by the shifting of people from black and white to colour. The people can only gain colours when they break their barriers, discovering the missing element in their lives. Some gain colour from having sex, Mary-Sue gains colour from reading books and Bud gains colour from getting into a fight. Pleasantville is no longer Pleasantville. The basketball team starts missing shots, and colours can be seen everywhere. Bud is horrified when he sees the changes, but soon realises that it is hardly life when all people do is to follow the robotic routines. Not all people react pleasantly with the changes. A committee is set up to limit the use of colours, kinds of music and books, and shutting down Lover’s Lane. The film comments on censorship and the social discriminations  base on racial background. The plot of Pleasantville is relatively simple – two real people being sucked into an unreal world. However, it makes allusion to the real world, such as segregation and censorship. It also deliver its message successfully, that change is inevitable. The scenes where the black and white tree bursting into bright orange flame, and the Lover’s Lane as Eden, have strong visual impact on the audience, and allows the audience to re-evaluate our society.

Fundamentals of rhythm Essay

What is dance? Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music. It is performed in many cultures as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, or exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story. Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans or other animals, as in bee dances and behavior patterns such as mating dances. Definitions of what constitutes dance can depend on social and cultural norms and aesthetic, artistic and moral sensibilities. Definitions may range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Martial arts kata are often compared to dances, and sports such as gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are generally thought to incorporate dance. What is rhythm? Rhythm from Greek —rhythmos, â€Å"any regular recurring motion, symmetry† generally means a â€Å"movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions. This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time can apply to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or frequency of anything from microseconds to millions of years. In the performance arts rhythm is the timing of events on a human scale; of musical sounds and silences, of the steps of a dance, or the meter of spoken language and poetry. Rhythm may also refer to visual presentation, as â€Å"timed movement through space and a common language of pattern unites rhythm with geometry. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, Godfried Toussaint, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. What is dancing? Dancing is the music played with the body. Dancing is done for pleasure of the dancer. Dancing can be defined as: a series of movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music. Dancing is also a particular sequence of steps and movements constituting a particular form of movements. Visual effects of dancing are secondary. Movement to the beat expressed in sounds has the  magical effect on us: we come to the euphoria, trance. Dancing in a group we experience the powerful drive to unity. Unity of free people united in free formations. No wonder dancing for millennia was main spiritual or entertaining activity for all religious, social, political, and even military activities. Dancing is a means of expressing one’s emotions through movement disciplined by rhythm. It is an art of moving rhythmically and expressively to an accompaniment. The term â€Å"Dancing† came from an old German word â€Å"danson† which means â€Å"to stretch†.

Public vs Private Schooling

As American support for the public education system dwindles, many parents find the only place for their children to receive a quality education is in a private school. The areas that are most important to a private school are also the ones that seem to be lacking in public schools. These include safety, order, teaching the basics and challenging young minds. Across the nation, public education systems continue to fail students, therefore many have chosen, like myself, to attend private Catholic high schools to receive an education that will better prepare them for college. Overcrowded public high schools have been dealt with the problems of insufficient funding, large class sizes, students who simply refuse to learn and are disruptive. Due to an increase in violent acts committed, many public high schools have instituted low level security measures to ensure the safety of students. The types of security found in these schools include closed campuses, controlled access to the school building and grounds, random drug and metal detector, banning certain types of clothing, and either full or part time security guards have been assigned. How can students be expected to learn and teachers educate in an environment like this Through personal experience I have found out that it is almost impossible to focus on learning in an atmosphere that is forced to emphasize personal safety rather than education. My first eight years of education were spent at area public schools in and around Chicago, IL. During this time I witnessed approximately 100 fights, 3 teachers being assaulted by students and numerous drug and weapons arrests. Many of these acts were merely boyish fights and left no lasting impression. One incident that has scarred me for life was when a student came to school with a five-inch knife and proceeded to stab an administrator in front of approximately seventy students, myself included. I simply stood there not knowing what to do, too shocked to blink, too terrified to move. The victim recovered fully and the perpetrator, who at the time was fifteen, is now in jail. Is this the atmosphere that children should be placed in to receive the fundamental elements of education that will prepare them for high school and eventually college There is enough concern about the quality of education in public schools that many private schools have been bombarded with applications in recent years. This is the case with my alma mater, Saint Marys High School. Run by the Archdiocese of Chicago, it is a small, coeducational, Catholic school located in downtown Chicago, IL. With a graduating class of less than 150, Saint Marys fosters a college curriculum with small controlled classes and an emphasis on personal, intellectual and religious growth all in a morally sound environment unlike anything found in public schools. The problems facing many public schools are non-existent at most private schools. They have no need to institute security measures because discipline is not a problem. Students know that the school board can expel anyone that hinders learning in the classroom. Disruptive and violent actions are taken seriously and are not tolerated under any circumstance. At Saint Marys there are various types of honors courses designed for students that have specific interest in a particular subject. There is also a program set up for students to receive not only tutoring but instruction from Midshipmen attending the United States Naval Academy, located only a few blocks from the high school. This type of program not found in any public or private school is one that places Saint Marys on a far superior level. For those who choose not to take any honors courses there is a challenging curriculum that places students in small classes therefore making learning a very personal experience between teacher and student. I found the most intriguing part of attending Saint Marys was the emphasis they placed on religion. From the classroom to the athletic field students know that they are representing not only there family but Saint Marys High School and the whole Archdiocese of Chicago. The mandatory religion classes taught were not focused on right and wrong but how to improve your own personal view of life. They challenged us to Walk in the shadow of God and learn from His teachings. Students at Saint Marys are committed to serving the community and those in need, not to enhance a resume but because they truly want to. Private schools across the nation have fewer disciplinary problems than public schools because they can be selective in whom they choose to accept into there institute. Those who apply truly want to learn and are willing to spend thousands of dollars a year to ensure that they receive the best education possible. With that money they dont expect to have to fear for their safety, or fear that they will not learn anything in class because one person is disruptive. Altogether receiving a private Catholic education not only prepared me for college but also ensured that I will be a more mature and well-rounded individual throughout my life.