Prepubescent Strength Training Essay -- essays research papers fc

STRENGTH TRAINING AND PREPUBESCENT YOUTH The value placed on the importance of winning in professional sports has hit an all-time high. The astronomical amount of money being spent in the entertainment field of athletics has dictated a win-at-all-costs mentality that has trickled all the way down to negatively affect our youngest athletes - the prepubescent. The athletic world has forever been exploiting our youth as a source of athletic potential, sacrificing the health, safety and welfare of these child-athletes to satiate the intense nationalistic pride of the country and more dishearteningly in the name of the Almighty Dollar. This has caused coaches and athletes to take drastic measures which are sometimes illegal and usually unethical in order to improve performance levels. One of the most controversial training practices center around the impact of strength training in prepubescent children. There has recently been increasing scrutiny debating the merits of strength training in our youth and more importantly the unsafe and unethical training practices that tend to be utilized in implementing strength training programs in all levels of amateur athletics. These controversies have enabled many people associated in medical and exercise sciences to take a further look at the field of prepubescent athletics and their impact on the developmental patterns of the children involved. The research in the field has provided feedback regarding the physiological, mental and social effects - negative and/or positive - that strength training influences over prepubescent growth and development. American society has entered into an era in which strength training has become the standard and most popular method of keeping the musculature of the body in aesthetic shape. Fitness centers and personal home gyms have emerged as important catalysts for people, providing everyone with equal opportunity and incentive to exercise and strength train in safe and instructional settings. This fitness boom along with the growing concerns and questions regarding the safety of prepubescent exercise has spurred several gatherings of pediatricians, fitness center owners, exercise physiologists and other related exercise scientists. Together, these groups are involved in active research studies, discussion of the methods, safety issues and effects of strength-training on prepubescent chil... ...ubescent strength training procedures. BIBLIOGRAPHY Butursis, Duane. Prepubescent Strength Training. National Strength and Conditioning Association. 1-7. 1994. Cahill, Bernard R. Proceedings of the Conference on Strength Training and the Prepubescent. American Orthopeadic Society for Sports Medicine. 1-11. 1995. Dunn, George et al. National Strength and Conditioning Association. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 7. 27-29. 1985. Faigenbaum, Avery D. Psychological Benefits of Prepubescent Strength Training.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strength and Conditioning. 28-31. April, 1995. Metcalf, James A. and Scott O. Roberts. Strength Training and the Immature Athlete:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An Overview. Pediatric Nursing. Vol. 19. 325-332. August, 1993. Michli, L.J. Strength Training in the Young Athlete. Competitive Sports for Children   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Youth. 96-97. 1988. Rians, C.B., et al. Strength Training for Prepubescent Males. American Journal of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sports Medicine 15:483-489. 1987. Sewall, R., et al. Strength Development in Children. (abstract). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 16:158. 1984.

Charles Dickens – Pip’s problems come from arrogance

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is the tale of one character's troubled journey of self delusion in the pursuit of false ideals. Pip, the book's protagonist, is a morally good and honest boy corrupted by the glitz and glamour of nineteenth century bourgeois society. Although Pip's arrogance and pretentiousness ultimately creates a great deal of problems for him, it would be inaccurate to claim that they are the central causes of Pip's troubles. Instead it is the lack of affirmation and self-worth he experiences in his early childhood that instigates his downward spiral of morality and must be blamed for the cause of his problems. Fortunately, Pip is able to eventually realize the nobility of humble characters such as Joe and understand the importance of values such as compassion in gaining true gentility. Primarily, Pip's lack of self-confidence and lowly impression of himself are the most notable aspects of his early childhood. Under the tyranny of Mrs Joe, Pip is constantly made to feel inferior and has his self-esteem destroyed with snipes such as â€Å"in a low reproachful voice (she said) â€Å"Do you hear that? Be grateful. â€Å". Not only is he physically abused in the household having been â€Å"brought up by hand† but also there is clearly a lack of adequate love and affirmation in his childhood years, reinforced with the absence of a mother and father. Though Pip is able to find some refuge in his friend and father figure Joe, it seems hardly enough to build his self-worth. As well as this, he must contend with the obnoxious and overtly pretentious Mr Pumblechook. The Christmas dinner scene in which Pip is constantly patronized by the mean-spirited adults in his life is almost a parody of disparagement. Harbouring this sense of inferiority, Pip's visit to Satis House evokes in him the fantasy of reinvention that ultimately brings about his downfall. The supercilious Estella, encouraged by Miss Havisham, mocks Pip's â€Å"coarse and common† ways, further playing on his lack of self-worth and eating away at his self-confidence. The highly impressionable young boy, fuelled by this inferiority, sees the glamour of Satis House as his only chance of ‘bettering' himself. It is here he forms the illusion that becoming a gentleman consists of merely assuming the outward trappings of gentility – an illusion that will ultimately create a great deal of trouble for him. He is caught up in the allure of Estella's beauty and her lifestyle, yet fails to see that beneath this exterior lies a loveless and heartless world. Therefore it is Pip's dissatisfaction with himself combined with the influence of his visit to Satis House that is the fundamental source of his problems. This being said, once he is given the financial means to live out this fantasy his priggish arrogance further distances him from his true and honest childhood values. Debt, bad company and a wasteful lifestyle are the troubles that come with his obsession to uphold the gentlemanly faiade he has created. Most notably, his pretentious treatment of Joe, â€Å"If I could have paid money to keep him away I would have paid it,† denize him association with this noble character and in turn denize him the ability to realize the importance of the values he stands for. Likewise there is the manner in which he patronizes Biddy â€Å"You never had a chance before you came here, and see how improved you are! † The rejection of these noble characters prevents him from being able to gaining true ‘gentility'. As Pip himself incredulously states after helping Herbert â€Å"to think, that my expectations had done some good to somebody,† for his expectations combined with his arrogance had succeeded only in creating problems for him. While Pip's ability to learn the importance of humility is vital to his redemption, it is his return to compassion and good heartedness that rescues him and allows him to become a better person. Although initially Pip's motives for protecting Magwitch are entirely selfish, attempting to maintain his own credibility in London, he begins to develop a sense of concern for the old man, as his childhood value of compassion is gradually reinstated. This compassion becomes the first step towards obtaining true gentility. From there the loss of his fortune and his symbolic illness in which Joe appears selflessly nursing him back to health and paying off his debts provides Pip with a vital lesson in fellow feeling. Pip can finally understand the nobility of characters such as Joe, Biddy, Clara and Wemmick (Walworth). He embraces the simple lives of these characters and also learns humility, by leaving to work for Herbert in Egypt, living an earnest and hardworking life. After years of such a humble lifestyle, Dickens rewards his protagonist with the love of Estella, who has likewise come to understand the importance of â€Å"a good Christian Heart. Therefore, the central cause of Pip's problems was clearly the result of years of self dissatisfaction caused by a lack of love and affirmation. This self-worth was dealt a mortal blow upon his arrival at Satis House, the consequence being Pip's fantasy of re-invention that ultimately leads him to much of the troubles in his life. His boorish arrogance mana ges to create further problems for him and it is not until his rediscovery of the importance of compassion and fellow feeling that he is able to become a true gentlemen.

Multisensory Teaching Method to Reading

The multisensory teaching approach to reading is based upon the idea that some students learn best when the material that they are given is presented to them in a variety of modalities. This method uses movement (kinesthetic) and touch (tactile), along with what we see (visual) and what we hear (auditory) to help students learn to read, write and spell. Who Benefits From This Approach? All students can benefit from multisensory learning, not just special education students. Every child processes information differently, and this teaching method allows for each child to use a variety of their senses to understand and process information. Teachers that provide classroom activities that utilize various senses, will notice that their students learning attention will increase, and it will make for an optimal learning environment. Age Range: K-3 Multisensory Activities All of the following activities use a multisensory approach to help students learn to read, write and spell using a variety of their senses. These activities feature hearing, seeing, tracing and writing which are referred to as VAKT ( visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile). Clay Letters Have the student create words out of letters made of clay. The student should say the name and sound of each letter and after the word is created, he/she should read the word aloud. Magnetic Letters Give the student a bag full of plastic magnetic letters and a chalkboard. Then have the student use the magnetic letters to practice making words. To practice segmenting have the student say each letter sound as he/she selects the letter. Then to practice blending, have the student say the sound of the letter faster. Sandpaper Words For this multisensory activity have the student place a strip of paper over a piece of sandpaper, and using a crayon, have him/her write a word onto the paper. After the word is written, have the student trace the word while spelling the word aloud. Sand Writing Place a handful of sand onto a cookie sheet and have the student write a word with his/her finger in the sand. While the student is writing the word have them say the letter, its sound, and then read the whole word aloud. Once the student completed the task he/she can erase by wiping the sand away. This activity also works well with shaving cream, finger paint, and rice. Wikki Sticks Provide the student with a few Wikki Sticks. These colorful acrylic yarn sticks are perfect for children to practice forming their letters. For this activity have the student form a word with the sticks. While they are forming each letter have them say the letter, its sound, and then read the whole word aloud. Letter/Sound Tiles Use letter tiles to help students develop their reading skills and establish phonological processing. For this activity, you can use Scrabble letters or any other letter tiles you may have. Like the activities above, have the student create a word using the tiles. Again, have them say the letter, followed by its sound, and then finally read the word aloud. Pipe Cleaner Letters For students who are having trouble grasping how letters should be formed, have them place pipe cleaners around a flashcard of each letter in the alphabet. After they place the pipe cleaner around the letter, have them say the name of the letter and its sound. Edible Letters Mini marshmallows, MMs, Jelly Beans or Skittles are great for having children practice learning how to form and read the alphabet. Provide the child with an alphabet flashcard, and a bowl of their favorite treat. Then have them place the food around the letter while they say the letter name and sound. Source: Orton Gillingham Approach