CIO Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CIO Case Analysis - Article Example Comprehensive IT/IRM frameworks ensure that the CIO has the responsibility of discerning development projects that align to the core business strategies of the agency and ensures IT investment on projects that provide the most positive impacts on the society. This work analyzes current and recommended governance approach of Federal CIO; and how the CIO should lead or manage IRM to meet the IT needs of the federal agencies. In his endeavors to ensuring strategic development, Federal CIO has a duty to ensure an efficient Federal IT Workforce (Federal CIO Roadmap, 2012). Federal CIO has the responsibility of assessing the Information Resource Management skills required for agency IT personnel. He has the responsibility of identifying, evaluating and rectifying deficiencies that may hinder the agency from meeting its strategic goals and business objectives. The federal CIO further has the duty of placing specific plans for hiring IT staff, training the IT workforce and ensuring the perso nnel of Information Technology Department have the requisite professional training. There are particularly emphases on providing regular appraisals and trainings on new concepts that develop every single day in IT (Federal CIO Roadmap, 2012). ... agency, through the CIO, has the core responsibility of signing qualifies project managers for all its projects and document and examine the qualifications of the project managers. Federal CIO Improvement of IT and IT Services through Enterprise Architecture Federal Laws and regulations have sections that guide Chief Executive Officers in their operations. The law directs Federal Laws direct federal CIOs to develop Enterprise Architectures (EAs) as blueprints for modernization of IT in support for maintaining agency missions (Federal CIO Roadmap, 2012). Agency develops and maintains Enterprise Architecture as a means of ensuring there is Performance Improvement Lifecycle (PIL) (Federal CIO Roadmap, 2012). The Performance Improvement Lifecycle has three distinct phases; Architect phase Invest phase and Implementation phase. This is linked to the agency’s development and budget submission process. Every September, the OMB issues Federal Enterprise Architecture guidance. The guid ance consists Enterprise Architecture Assessment framework for the fiscal year in question and any cross-agency initiatives. Upon receiving the Federal Enterprise Architecture guideline, an agency develops its own EA blueprint. The CIO works together with businesses within the agency sector to segment Enterprise Architecture in a bid to ensure the agency missions reach the grass roots and are met fully. In March every year, the federal government conducts an assessment that provides an immediate feedback on the performance of all the federal agencies. The CIO has the responsibility of fully cooperating with the assessors to ensure there is clear understanding the extent of success of the EA and Segment Architectures. An agency then uses the EA to inform and guide its capital investment

Why i am for the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT Assignment

Why i am for the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT - Assignment Example llars of accountability for results; an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research; expanded parental options; and expanded local control and flexibility. While all of this sounds positive, it is the accountability for results that most disturbs given the fact that test results equal federal funds, not a positive carrot in my opinion for the achievement of educational excellence. The statement by President Bush (2001) is at the heart of what I see as a very serious flaw in the mandate pertaining to its emphasis on testing which he calls. ...â€Å"the essence of excellence [and the means of judging that] in education....† (para 7).The U.S. Department of Education USDE insists No Child Left Behind puts a special emphasis on implementing educational programs and practices that have been clearly demonstrated to be effective through rigorous scientific research. While all of this sounds promising, other aspects of a test-oriented program by which the fate of districts rise or fall is a frightening one considering what is at stake—again, federal funding. While reps Becky Fleischauer from the National Education Association (NEA) (2002) claims that â€Å"we will begin to see testing and accountability and teacher quality† (para. 2), other experts have a very different take that does not instill the same confidence, especially when it comes to testing. Education expert James Pophan (2010) found the following: â€Å"An astonishing amount of cheating is taking place on the tests that measure progress†(para. 1), rendering psychometric guidelines touted as produced through â€Å"rigorous scientific research† by psychometric experts virtually worthless. Shockingly various instances of educator cheating range from teachers allowing students more than the allotted time, to the administration of pre-tests with actual final test questions. I find this quite disturbing given these tests are supposed to accurately predict student and district achievement. Other issues

Personal Development: Plans and Theories

Personal Development: Plans and Theories A person when chooses some specific job or field of work or engage him in particular activities such engagements are known as his profession. Every profession has its own requirements which the professional has to fulfill being to known as skilled professional of the same. Economic environment as well as business environment is changing dynamically therefore, it requires improvement in performing activities or skills of the professional to run with the age. New discoveries and inventions are being removing problems of business and economic environment and also are improving the standard of working and making the performance of work easy and more efficient but a professional can only take the advantage of those discoveries and inventions when he will improve or develop his skills according to the pace of changings. I started my career from the job of an accountant but I now found myself more improve than before, because when I started the job I had not adept in computer operating and relevant operating software prevailing at that time but then I observed that if I shall not effort to learn the prevailing computer software then my skill shall be remained undeveloped and I shall not be able to grow/develop with the pace of dynamic changes then I started for developing my professional skills through learning and getting help and assistance from my managers and now I have become the assistant accountant of the organization. Personal development means to improve the innate abilities or learned skills which a person possesses as God gifted or learned from some institution or his seniors or managers. Professional development is indeed personal development such as when I started my job I had lack of confidence that may be I could not be performed my job properly but when I learned the skills and effort to improve my professional skills then, on the other hand I found myself confident about my working because my hesitation has been abolished and my morale has been grown up. Therefore, in my view personal development entirely basis on professional development because hesitation and confusion are personal factors which become hindrance in the way of ones professional success and it only remove when ones professional skills develop and in this way the requirements of the profession are satisfied and it also improve the efficiency and performance of him. Organizational and Personal Goals Objectives Organizational goals and objectives belongs to goals and objectives of one group who are working for their mutual benefits because organizations progress is their progress, in other words every member of organization represent the goals and objectives of the organization because his progress and organization progress is interconnected. Organization itself is nothing but it is known with the group who is running and representing it. Personal goals and objectives are the ambitions and aims of one individual which he plans and achieves through his personal and professional skills. Just as every individual desires to be the best in every aspect as in his personal life and professional life but he can be if he plans for to achieve them. An organization expects good and efficient performance from each of its worker/member and every individual of the organization expects good remuneration as consideration of his professional skills which should be sufficient to satisfy his demands and desires and indeed the demands of an individual are the goals and objectives because he supposes that at a particular post or rank he shall be able to satisfy them therefore, goals and objectives of an organization and an individual are reciprocal because an individual meets with the expectations of an organization only when the organization satisfy his goals and objectives and in the same way an organization do the same when the individual returns the same as the organization expects from him, therefore, an individual can only achieve his, as well as of organizational goals and objectives if he improves his personal and professional skills. A better performer achieves more in short span and lazy one waste a lot and achieves less. Methods for Developing Personal and Professional Skills Different people possess different intellectual ability of understanding and performing and also have different innate and God gifted abilities therefore, when one teacher teaches one class together then it is impossible to say that all the students have understood the concepts which have been conveyed to them by the teacher although all the students have different problems in same lesson. It is therefore, important for every student or individual to realize the method through which he can learn easily and whether the method is compatible to his intellectual abilities. Therefore, different methods attract different person at one time due to the compatibility of their abilities with the method so adopted or supposed to be adopted because the efficiency/personal skills and professional skills of every individual are not equal to other. Following are the methods for developing personal and professional skills:- Development through Learning Learning is such a method which keeps one in touch with the inventions, changes and challenges which directly affect the performance and efficiency of organizations and of individuals and it also keeps in touch the learners with required solutions and techniques through which they can get them out from the problems. Learning basically reflects the ideas and practical works of the authors who share their experiences with other through books, notes and reports and also provide their conclusions of particular professions on the basis of material works which help the learners in solving their prevailing problems. In my view learning is such a method through which only theories and ideology of one or more authors could be observed or consulted but practical work is missing from such concepts. Business strategies and methods of doing business are different in different countries because different countries different factors affect the environment and there are no hard and fast rules of doing and running businesses and all the businesses have different problems in same economic environment because nature and size of all the businesses are different and the person doing the business and the strategies of executive management who is controlling the organizations activities are different, political atmosphere and government policies regarding the concern business are also different then how they could be considered and controlled according to one or more theories based methods which are also of different persons. In my view development through learning is not a comprehensive method but partially it is useful for learner to the extent of knowledge about dynamic changes and future challenges. Development through Apprenticeship Development is process in which a person struggles to maintain the quality what he knows and also struggles in the same time to improve or develop his skills more efficiently so that he could be able to achieve his personal goals and objectives by playing his effective role also in achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Apprenticeship a very useful method of development of personal and professional skills because in this method one can apply his knowledge what he learnt during his education under the supervision and support of managers and mentors and also can practically remove his hesitation about concerned working and can build confidence reliance on the feedback from the seniors. When I started my apprenticeship right after studies, I was thinking, how I shall do my duties, what would be behavior of the seniors towards juniors, shall I be able to be a good accountant and many more questions were in my mind and I was hesitating because I was joining a new environment in which I was totally unknown from every work and every person but during my apprenticeship my seniors played very positive role in removing my hesitations, building my confidence, facilitation me in my working, supporting me in all the way they can and aware me with the techniques to removing hindrances. They always answered my every question about my field. Now up to today I feels that many developments have been occurred in me because my confidence level has been grown more than my expectations because now I know almost all the techniques to work effectively even in pressure and I can plan and settle goals. This is all because of apprenticeship method of development. Self Managed Development It is such a method of development in which the individual arrange for learning and developing personally through any means which he considered useful for him. Individual takes all the initiative to learn, training and knowledge with the help of the organization because it is the organization that has to provide him time to its employee to improve his skills and sometimes the organization pays the fee to the courses and training of its employee. A skilled employee is asset of organization but dynamic changes required him to improve his skills to work with the pace of changes and this is possible only when the process of development of individual is in accordance to inventions and dynamic changes in the culture of economy and business. An organization plays very important role in the development of its skilled individual because to improve the skills of its best employees, it has to arrange training program, seminars, meetings for discussion and all the other possible ways through which it can help its employees for development because efficient employee perform good and also plays its effective role in the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. When an organization provide opportunities to its employees for development of his professional skills then it is indeed providing opportunity to develop his personal skills in the main time because when an individual knows all the ways to perform or face challenges connected to same task then he can work more confidently and his hesitation has been finished and i.e. is the basic factor through which the assessment of development could be measured. Development through Coaching Coaching is such a development method in which all the focus is kept only on specific work and all the skills required to perform that very work. Normally coaching method is used for short span of time in such a scenario when the senior employee is getting retired from the organization and such senior employee is held with the responsibility to coach his succession with the all skills and techniques required for effective performance and market culture and all the other connected ways. Senior has to coach the successor with all the prevailing techniques and inventions up to date and culture of the organization to face and work in external environment and he also has to convey the ways with which he can work under pressure and work load and also to defeat he rival acts of the competitors. Under the method of development through coaching the individual is getting advantage from the practical experience of his coach and the coach as culture of all the organizations is not same even if t hese are connected one industry or field therefore, for effective performance it is compulsory for every employee of the organization to know the culture of the organization. Coaching is the best way through which one can focus only on the techniques and modes for effective and considerable performance in one field and can save his time even to waste by spending in other activities which are general and irrelevant to the profession. It is such a method in which the individual can improve and develop his personal and professional skills under the supervision of practical experienced coach to the relevant profession who even teaches the individual all the aspects with which he can develop his skills more effectively and get the positive results by applying those skills in his personal and professional life. In my organization the senior manager account was on leave due to training course in abroad for six months and for such period I was recommended for additional charge and my senior was held with the responsibility to coach me as an alternative of senior manager accounts. During the coaching and practical working under the supervision of my seniors I foun d myself on such a stage where I could not be able to arrive after many years and my skills have been developed at such a stage that I have been promoted for such development. According to me coaching is the best way of development and now all the factors which hesitates me in performance of my duties have been removed from me and my personal skills have also been grown up. Development through Mentoring When one skilled individual offers guidance, support, help and facilitate other in performing their work is known as mentor and the method under which he offers help to others in developing their skills is mentoring. Mentoring is such a method in which an individual is allowed to make mistakes under the supervision of supervisor and to satisfy their questions by getting answers from him. Mentoring and coaching are similar to the extent that in both the methods the mentor and coach help the individuals in developing their skills but in coaching the focus is limited to the extent of job and in mentoring the focus is upon all the field and works being done in organization. Mentoring is a comprehensive method of development which gives knowledge about all the departments and fields of an organization and in this way it waste the time of the individual in such works to which he does not intend to perform or adopt in his future, on the other hand coaching is the best way through which the coach focus only to the extent of particular work and field and conveys all the best possible techniques and tips regarding the solution of problems so relevant and for effective performance which develop the personal and professional skills of the individual. Personal Development Plan Personal and professional skills are reciprocals of each other because without developing anyone other skills could never be developed. Development of professional skills are mainly under focus of mine because I concluded in my professional career that when I was just a raw handed person who had just knowledge about account but no practical experience I was hesitant and had lack of self confidence because I was of the opinion that accounts work is very much difficult but now after starting my professional career and practical working, now I think that accounts work is not a difficult one and I perform my work with confidence and this is all because I struggled to improve my professional skills because improvement of these skills is very much important for me to meet my own goals and objectives and I could not be able to meet my goals until and unless I shall not play my effective role in achieving the organizational goals and objectives and the management of the organization assesses my performance more effective than before. I planned for the achievement of my settled my goals and objectives that I shall mainly focused on my professional skills development and for this I planned that I shall keep myself prominent and dominant through coaching and leadership and shall not miss a single chance of training from organization and in this way I can develop my professional skills as well as my personal skills and also can keep myself prominent in organization. My short term settled goals and objectives are to be the best one in the organizations account department. My long term goals and objectives are to be the best in the company so that the executive management of the organization promotes me head of the account section/department. My future goals are to be the best one in accounts field in all over the world. Action Plan Now to achieve my own goals and objective through the achievement of organizational goals and objectives I arose a suggestion before the executive management of the organization that we should start a learning program in round the department of the organization through which we could develop the skills of the employees by encouraging and facilitating them with the new and latest thoughts and methods in their relevant fields and I account section I offered my services as a coach. If I shall be afforded this opportunity then I shall be able to develop my skills in all the ways and I shall be recommended for all trainings on behalf of the organization and this shall be the success of my plans first stage. Through coaching I shall coach number of employees and satisfy their queries with my practical experience which will improve my position in the organization and also strengthen my confidence and also keep me integer me with the organizations management and employees too. When I started my work on my plan then I had weaknesses such as I was over confident and emotional and my patience was shaky but now I am so calm and believe in practical work not in assumption and my main strength is, I do not afraid from the load of work because my work has become my habit and I feel more relaxed in working than to free time. Thats why my executive likes me a lot and they always want to know my suggestions about the problems solutions and about any new project which the intend to lay down. On the success of my this plan I think that in the short time I shall be able to achieve my own and organizational goals together because both are combined and without the achievement of organizational goals and objectives I could never achieve my owns therefore, my all efforts are for the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Preferred Learning Styles Learning styles are different of different peoples and it is the mentality of every person relying on which he assesses him that what are his weaknesses and strengths and what are his innate abilities and many other aspects of his professions. As different theorist have difference in their way of thinking and doing same job they present different styles of learning in different ways but indeed they all are presenting same styles there is just difference which is due to their knowledge and mode of explaining. Kolb and Honey and Mumford present different styles but in my view the styles of Honey and Mumford are compressive and therefore, are preferred. Honey and Mumfords Learning Styles According to Honey and Mumford there are four learning styles which are nearly around the Kolbs sequence. They classified they learner into four categories such as activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists relying on the preferences of each group that what are there preferences. Activists Activist learners preferences are towards practical working because such learners do not completely rely on theories and in other words theories are not sufficient to satisfy their thirst of queries and such learners do not possess patience. These learners are active and they want to sort result quickly on the basis of practical experience not only on the basis of theories. Generally a great number of such learner is around of us because such learners do not have patience and therefore, they are not consistently perform one work and different confused queries remained in them. Reflectors Reflectors are such learners who just take a concept from the phenomena and think about them and start working on the task. These learners are over confident learner who is anxious in nature and lack of patience. Such learners are not very much successful because they do not possess requisitive knowledge about the task and even dont know about the nature and diversification of work. Their works reflect their competence and skills and the concepts of such learners are not based on practical work but based on assumptions and hear say knowledge. Theorists Theorist are analytical learners who always seek to understand the underlying concepts and they only considers those approaches which are based on logical reasons and reflect logical solutions of problems because such learners remain in touch with the theories and studies and they have practical working experiences. They analyze the situations and scrutinize the factors affecting their work and then do work on the basis of logical and reasonable arguments. Such learners possess serious personality and so efforts for the sake of development of their skills relying on practical and acceptable reasons. Pragmatists These learners are called common sense learners because these learners do not study to improve their skills but the carry on research when the face a practical problem in their works and find the solution of the problems from theories. Pragmatists are best practical experienced employees or learners who are almost expert of their works which they are doing and are consistent worker but when the find any problem in their work or require any invention to improve the working conditions then the carry on study. As they have practical experience of working their basic concepts are very much clear and they learn quickly. According to me I am a pragmatist learner because I am working as accountant and as a coach in my organization therefore, I always doing practical work during my working hours and almost very well aware of the routine problems and therefore, I do not have need of so much learning but when any employee or trainee asked a unique or different question which I never observed then I effort to satisfy my concepts and to rightly answer the question so put to me. On the other hand I dont think that I have need of daily study just to repeat my work because account work is routine practice which is making me more conversant to my profession and also developing my both personal and professional skills. Affect of Learning Styles on Development and Personality It is very much important for everyone to know his weaknesses, strengths and special competitive abilities which make him special because if someone knows this then he not even can choose right profession for him but also can choose the right style of learning because both profession and learning styles last lasting affect on the personality and development of skills. A practical instance from my own life is that during my professional education I had a close friend who was interested to become a doctor but his father wanted him to be an accountant because he was an accountant in a well known organization and he got him admitted in my class but my friend neither be able to become a good accountant because his interests were in medical studies and he had abilities that he could become a doctor. Right from that time I got it considered that if a person chooses wrong profession and wrong learning style which is not compatible to his innate abilities then he could never be develop his skills ever his personal life adequately. Important Management Skills Management is a very difficult job because a manager is responsible for his work and as well as the work done by any employee under him therefore, a manager should possess the following personal and professional skills to perform his duties adequately and according to the requirement of work:- Personal Skills Manager is a person whom has been authorizes to supervise the employees under him and get positive results from them in shape of effective and considerable performance. In my view a manager should possess the abilities and skills of motivation, goals setting, leadership, hard working, loving, patience and many more. A manager is authorize by the authorities to direct the employee of his team for smooth and effective results from them to complete a task assigned to him within in the particular time and budget. Professional Skills Good professionals are selected as managers because they are supposed to lead and direct one team and also have to support, help out and facilitate the members of their teams. Therefore, in my view the managers should posses the skills of team management, task oriented, work in pressure, calm minded, controlling, briefing, debating and patience etc. Conclusion From the research, consultation, discussion and study on the above explained task it is concluded that organizational goals and personal goals and objectives are names of one thing because when one person is doing job in an organization then his goals and objectives are the success of the organization in which he is working because he knows that his effective working can make him able to meet with the expectations of the organization from him and which shall be return to him by the organization in shape of rewards and promotions which is actually his a positive part of his goals and objectives. It is further concluded that personal skills can be developed when ones professional skills are developed because if a person doesnt know any thing about the work he is suppose going to do then he will definitely hesitate and avoid from such work but when he shall know every aspect of the work then he shall perform his work more efficiently and effectively without hesitating because his possess the professional skills about such work. Therefore, development of professional skills is more compulsory for personal development.

The History of Cake Essay examples -- Food and Drink

The history of cake is a very long and complicated history and the origins of it are not known by many people. How did all of the traditions related to cake start? Why is cake round? What were the first cakes made of? Cakes have been discovered and recorded throughout history. To find the true ancestors of the cake as we know it, one would have to look back to before modern civilization to when people were still mostly traveling nomads. Their main source of sustenance had always been meat. However, people could not rely on meat alone to keep them alive since that depended upon always being surrounded by animals. When farming was started man began growing many different types of produce, one of which was wheat and grains. The most primitive people in the world began making cake shortly after learning how to make flour. In fact, the remains of their cakes have been found in the ruins of Neolithic villages. â€Å"The cakes found there were extremely simple and consisted of crushed grains that were moistened, compacted, and probably cooked on a hot stone.† (Stradley, 1) The cakes then were closer to crackers though than the cakes we know of now, but they were definitely the beginning of the id ea. The word cake is said to have been used as early as the 13th century and is derived from the word â€Å"kaka†, an old Norse word for a baked flour confection sweetened with sugar or honey. According to food historians, the first people to show modern baking skills were the Egyptians, who started the concept of filling their breads with nuts and fruits. (the History of Birthday Cake, 1) After the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans both started their concept of cake, which will be discussed later. After them the English and their neighbors began... ...chy and can never be known for certain due to their long history but they have definitely helped with many celebrations throughout the years. Works Cited "History of Birthday Cake." Birthday Gifts,Anniversary Gifts,Send Flowers to India,Rakhi Gifts, Diwali Gifts,Send Gifts to India. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. . Lynne, Oliver. "Cake History Notes." Food Timeline: Food History & Vintage Recipes. Foodtimeline. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. . Stradley, Linda. "Cakes-History of Cakes." What's Cooking America, Cooking Recipes, Food History, Dinner Party Menus and Recipes, Health and Beauty Articles, Culinary Dictionary, Baking Hints, Cooking Tips. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. . Krondl, Michael. "Let Them Eat Cake!" Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2011. Print.

The Host Chapter 26: Returned

Without ever actually agreeing to do it, I became the teacher Jeb wanted. My â€Å"class† was informal. I answered questions every night after dinner. I found that as long as I was willing to do this, Ian and Doc and Jeb would leave me alone during the day so that I could concentrate on my chores. We always convened in the kitchen; I liked to help with the baking while I spoke. It gave me an excuse to pause before answering a difficult question, and somewhere to look when I didn't want to meet anyone's eyes. In my head, it seemed fitting; my words were sometimes upsetting, but my actions were always for their good. I didn't want to admit that Jamie was right. Obviously, people didn't like me. They couldn't; I wasn't one of them. Jamie liked me, but that was just some strange chemical reaction that was far from rational. Jeb liked me, but Jeb was crazy. The rest of them didn't have either excuse. No, they didn't like me. But things changed when I started talking. The first time I noticed it was the morning after I answered Doc's questions at dinner; I was in the black bathing room, washing clothes with Trudy, Lily, and Jamie. â€Å"Could you hand me the soap, please, Wanda?† Trudy asked from my left. An electric current ran through my body at the sound of my name spoken by a female voice. Numbly, I passed her the soap and then rinsed the sting off my hand. â€Å"Thank you,† she added. â€Å"You're welcome,† I murmured. My voice cracked on the last syllable. I passed Lily in the hall a day later on my way to find Jamie before dinner. â€Å"Wanda,† she said, nodding. â€Å"Lily,† I answered, my throat dry. Soon it wasn't just Doc and Ian who asked questions at night. It surprised me who the most vocal were: exhausted Walter, his face a worrisome shade of gray, was endlessly interested in the Bats of the Singing World. Heath, usually silent, letting Trudy and Geoffrey talk for him, was outspoken during these evenings. He had some fascination with Fire World, and though it was one of my least favorite stories to tell, he peppered me with questions until he'd heard every detail I knew. Lily was concerned with the mechanics of things-she wanted to know about the ships that carried us from planet to planet, their pilots, their fuel. It was to Lily that I explained the cryotanks-something they had all seen but few understood the purpose of. Shy Wes, usually sitting close to Lily, asked not about other planets but about this one. How did it work? No money, no recompense for work-why did our souls' society not fall apart? I tried to explain that it was not so different from life in the caves. Did we not all work without money and share in the products of our labor equally? â€Å"Yes,† he interrupted me, shaking his head. â€Å"But it's different here-Jeb has a gun for the slackers.† Everyone looked at Jeb, who winked, and then they all laughed. Jeb was in attendance about every other night. He didn't participate; he just sat thoughtfully in the back of the room, occasionally grinning. He was right about the entertainment factor; oddly, for we all had legs, the situation reminded me of the See Weeds. There had been a special title for entertainers there, like Comforter or Healer or Seeker. I was one of the Storytellers, so the transition to a teacher here on Earth had not been such a change, profession-wise, at least. It was much the same in the kitchen after dark, with the smell of smoke and baking bread filling the room. Everyone was stuck here, as good as planted. My stories were something new, something to think about besides the usual-the same endlessly repeated sweaty chores, the same thirty-five faces, the same memories of other faces that brought the same grief with them, the same fear and the same despair that had long been familiar companions. And so the kitchen was always full for my casual lessons. Only Sharon and Maggie were conspicuously and consistently absent. I was in about my fourth week as an informal teacher when life in the caves changed again. The kitchen was crowded, as was usual. Jeb and Doc were the only ones missing besides the normal two. On the counter next to me was a metal tray of dark, doughy rolls, swollen to twice the size they'd started at. They were ready for the oven, as soon as the current tray was done. Trudy checked every few minutes to make sure nothing was burning. Often, I tried to get Jamie to talk for me when he knew the story well. I liked to watch the enthusiasm light up his face, and the way he used his hands to draw pictures in the air. Tonight, Heidi wanted to know more about the Dolphins, so I asked Jamie to answer her questions as well as he could. The humans always spoke with sadness when they asked about our newest acquisition. They saw the Dolphins as mirrors of themselves in the first years of the occupation. Heidi's dark eyes, disconcerting underneath her fringe of white-blond hair, were tight with sympathy as she asked her questions. â€Å"They look more like huge dragonflies than fish, right, Wanda?† Jamie almost always asked for corroboration, though he never waited for my answer. â€Å"They're all leathery, though, with three, four, or five sets of wings, depending on how old they are, right? So they kind of fly through the water-it's lighter than water here, less dense. They have five, seven, or nine legs, depending on which gender they are, right, Wanda? They have three different genders. They have really long hands with tough, strong fingers that can build all kinds of things. They make cities under the water out of hard plants that grow there, kind of like trees but not really. They aren't as far along as we are, right, Wanda? Because they've never made a spaceship or, like, telephones for communication. Humans were more advanced.† Trudy pulled out the tray of baked rolls, and I bent to shove the next tray of risen dough into the hot, smoking hole. It took a little jostling and balancing to get it in just right. As I sweated in front of the fire, I heard some kind of commotion outside the kitchen, echoing down the hall from somewhere else in the caves. It was hard, with all the random sound reverberations and strange acoustics, to judge distances here. â€Å"Hey!† Jamie shouted behind me, and I turned just in time to see the back of his head as he sprinted out the door. I straightened out of my crouch and took a step after him, my instinct to follow. â€Å"Wait,† Ian said. â€Å"He'll be back. Tell us more about the Dolphins.† Ian was sitting on the counter beside the oven-a hot seat that I wouldn't have chosen-which made him close enough to reach out and touch my wrist. My arm flinched away from the unexpected contact, but I stayed where I was. â€Å"What's going on out there?† I asked. I could still hear some kind of jabbering-I thought I could hear Jamie's excited voice in the mix. Ian shrugged. â€Å"Who knows? Maybe Jeb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged again, as if he wasn't interested enough to bother with figuring it out. Nonchalant, but there was a tension in his eyes I didn't understand. I was sure I would find out soon enough, so I shrugged, too, and started explaining the incredibly complex familial relationships of the Dolphins while I helped Trudy stack the warm bread in plastic containers. â€Å"Six of the nine†¦ grandparents, so to speak, traditionally stay with the larvae through their first stage of development while the three parents work with their six grandparents on a new wing of the family dwelling for the young to inhabit when they are mobile,† I was explaining, my eyes on the rolls in my hands rather than my audience, as usual, when I heard the gasp from the back of the room. I continued with my next sentence automatically as I scanned the crowd to see who I'd upset. â€Å"The remaining three grandparents are customarily involved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  No one was upset with me. Every head was turned in the same direction I was looking. My eyes skipped across the backs of their heads to the dark exit. The first thing I saw was Jamie's slight figure, clinging to someone's arm. Someone so dirty, head to toe, that he almost blended right in with the cave wall. Someone too tall to be Jeb, and anyway, there was Jeb just behind Jamie's shoulder. Even from this distance, I could see that Jeb's eyes were narrowed and his nose wrinkled, as if he were anxious-a rare emotion for Jeb. Just as I could see that Jamie's face was bright with sheer joy. â€Å"Here we go,† Ian muttered beside me, his voice barely audible above the crackle of the flames. The dirty man Jamie was still clinging to took a step forward. One of his hands rose slowly, like an involuntary reflex, and curled into a fist. From the dirty figure came Jared's voice-flat, perfectly devoid of any inflection. â€Å"What is the meaning of this, Jeb?† My throat closed. I tried to swallow and found the way blocked. I tried to breathe and was not successful. My heart drummed unevenly. Jared! Melanie's exultant voice was loud, a silent shriek of elation. She burst into radiant life inside my head. Jared is home! â€Å"Wanda is teaching us all about the universe,† Jamie babbled eagerly, somehow not catching on to Jared's fury-he was too excited to pay attention, maybe. â€Å"Wanda?† Jared repeated in a low voice that was almost a snarl. There were more dirty figures in the hall behind him. I only noticed them when they echoed his snarl with an outraged muttering. A blond head rose from the frozen audience. Paige lurched to her feet. â€Å"Andy!† she cried, and stumbled through the figures seated around her. One of the dirty men stepped around Jared and caught her as she nearly fell over Wes. â€Å"Oh, Andy!† she sobbed, the tone of her voice reminding me of Melanie's. Paige's outburst changed the atmosphere momentarily. The silent crowd began to murmur, most of them rising to their feet. The sound was one of welcome now, as the majority went to greet the returned travelers. I tried to read the strange expressions on their faces as they forced grins onto their lips and peeked furtively back at me. I realized after a long, slow second-time seemed to be congealing around me, freezing me into place-that the expression I wondered at was guilt. â€Å"It's going to be okay, Wanda,† Ian murmured under his breath. I glanced at him wildly, searching for that same guilt on his face. I didn't find it, only a defensive tightening around his vivid eyes as he stared at the newcomers. â€Å"What the hell, people?† a new voice boomed. Kyle-easily identifiable by his size despite the grime-was shoving his way around Jared and heading toward†¦ me. â€Å"You're letting it tell you its lies? Have you all gone crazy? Or did it lead the Seekers here? Are you all parasites now?† Many heads fell forward, ashamed. Only a few kept their chins stiffly in the air, their shoulders squared: Lily, Trudy, Heath, Wes†¦ and frail Walter, of all people. â€Å"Easy, Kyle,† Walter said in his feeble voice. Kyle ignored him. He walked with deliberate steps toward me, his eyes, the same vibrant cobalt as his brother's, glowing with rage. I couldn't keep my eyes on him, though-they kept returning to Jared's dark shape, trying to read his camouflaged face. Melanie's love flowed through me like a lake bursting through a dam, distracting me even more from the enraged barbarian closing the distance quickly. Ian slid into my view, moving to place himself in front of me. I strained my neck to the side to keep my view of Jared clear. â€Å"Things changed while you were gone, brother.† Kyle halted, face slack with disbelief. â€Å"Did the Seekers come, then, Ian?† â€Å"She's not a danger to us.† Kyle ground his teeth together, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for something in his pocket. This captured my attention at last. I cringed, expecting a weapon. The words stumbled off my tongue in a choked whisper. â€Å"Don't get in his way, Ian.† Ian didn't respond to my plea. I was surprised at the amount of anxiety this caused me, at how much I didn't want him hurt. It wasn't the instinctive protection, the bone-deep need to protect, that I felt for Jamie or even Jared. I just knew that Ian should not be harmed trying to protect me. Kyle's hand came back up, and a light shone out of it. He pointed it at Ian's face, held it there for a moment. Ian didn't flinch from the light. â€Å"So, what, then?† Kyle demanded, putting the flashlight back in his pocket. â€Å"You're not a parasite. How did it get to you?† â€Å"Calm down, and we'll tell you all about it.† â€Å"No.† The contradiction did not come from Kyle but from behind him. I watched Jared walk slowly toward us through the silent spectators. As he got closer, Jamie still clinging to his hand with a bewildered expression, I could read his face better under the mask of dirt. Even Melanie, all but delirious with happiness at his safe return, could not misunderstand the expression of loathing there. Jeb had wasted his efforts on the wrong people. It didn't matter that Trudy or Lily was speaking to me, that Ian would put himself between his brother and me, that Sharon and Maggie made no hostile move toward me. The only one who had to be convinced had now, finally, decided. â€Å"I don't think anyone needs to calm down,† Jared said through his teeth. â€Å"Jeb,† he continued, not looking to see if the old man had followed him forward, â€Å"give me the gun.† The silence that followed his words was so tense I could feel the pressure inside my ears. From the instant I could clearly see his face, I'd known it was over. I knew what I had to do now; Melanie was in agreement. As quietly as I could, I took a step to the side and slightly back, so that I would be clear of Ian. Then I closed my eyes. â€Å"Don't happen to have it on me,† Jeb drawled. I peeked through narrowed eyes as Jared whirled to assess the truth of Jeb's claim. Jared's breath whistled angrily through his nostrils. â€Å"Fine,† he muttered. He took another step toward me. â€Å"It will be slower this way, though. It would be more humane if you were to find that gun fast.† â€Å"Please, Jared, let's talk,† Ian said, planting his feet firmly as he spoke, already knowing the answer. â€Å"I think there's been too much talk,† Jared growled. â€Å"Jeb left this up to me, and I've made my decision.† Jeb cleared his throat noisily. Jared spun halfway around to look at him again. â€Å"What?† he demanded. â€Å"You made the rule, Jeb.† â€Å"Well, now, that's true.† Jared turned back toward me. â€Å"Ian, get out of my way.† â€Å"Well, well, hold on a sec,† Jeb went on. â€Å"If you recall, the rule was that whoever the body belonged to got to make the decision.† A vein in Jared's forehead pulsed visibly. â€Å"And?† â€Å"Seems to me like there's someone here with a claim just as strong as yours. Mebbe stronger.† Jared stared straight ahead, processing this. After a slow moment, understanding furrowed his brow. He looked down at the boy still hanging on his arm. All the joy had drained from Jamie's face, leaving it pale and horrorstruck. â€Å"You can't, Jared,† he choked. â€Å"You wouldn't. Wanda's good. She's my friend! And Mel! What about Mel? You can't kill Mel! Please! You have to -† He broke off, his expression agonized. I closed my eyes again, trying to block the picture of the suffering boy from my mind. It was already almost impossible not to go to him. I locked my muscles in place, promising myself that it wouldn't help him if I moved now. â€Å"So,† Jeb said, his tone far too conversational for the moment, â€Å"you can see that Jamie's not in agreement. I figure he's got as much say as you do.† There was no answer for so long that I had to open my eyes again. Jared was staring at Jamie's anguished, fearful face with his own kind of horror. â€Å"How could you let this happen, Jeb?† he whispered. â€Å"There is a need for some talk,† Jeb answered. â€Å"Why don't you take a breather first, though? Maybe you'll feel more up to conversation after a bath.† Jared glared balefully at the old man, his eyes full of the shock and pain of the betrayed. I had only human comparisons for such a look. Caesar and Brutus, Jesus and Judas. The unbearable tension lasted through another long minute, and then Jared shook Jamie's fingers off his arm. â€Å"Kyle,† Jared barked, turning and stalking out of the room. Kyle gave his brother a parting grimace and followed. The other dirty members of the expedition went after them silently, Paige tucked securely under Andy's arm. Most of the other humans, all those who had hung their heads in shame for admitting me into their society, shuffled out behind them. Only Jamie, Jeb, and Ian beside me, and Trudy, Geoffrey, Heath, Lily, Wes, and Walter stayed. No one spoke until the echoes of their footsteps faded away into silence. â€Å"Whew!† Ian breathed. â€Å"That was close. Nice thinking, Jeb.† â€Å"Inspiration in desperation. But we're not out of the woods yet,† Jeb answered. â€Å"Don't I know it! You didn't leave the gun anywhere obvious, did you?† â€Å"Nope. I figured this might be comin' on soon.† â€Å"That's something, at least.† Jamie was trembling, alone in the space left by the exodus. Surrounded by those I had to count as friends, I felt able to walk to his side. He threw his arms around my waist, and I patted his back with shaky hands. â€Å"It's okay,† I lied in a whisper. â€Å"It's okay.† I knew even a fool would hear the false note in my voice, and Jamie was not a fool. â€Å"He won't hurt you,† Jamie said thickly, struggling against the tears I could see in his eyes. â€Å"I won't let him.† â€Å"Shh,† I murmured. I was appalled-I could feel that my face was fixed in lines of horror. Jared was right-how could Jeb have let this happen? If they'd killed me the first day here, before Jamie had ever seen me†¦ Or that first week, while Jared kept me isolated from everyone, before Jamie and I had become friends†¦ Or if I had just kept my mouth shut about Melanie†¦ It was too late for all that. My arms tightened around the child. Melanie was just as aghast. My poor baby. I told you it was a bad idea to tell him everything, I reminded her. What will it do to him now, when we die? It's going to be terrible. He'll be traumatized and scarred and devastated – Melanie interrupted me. Enough. I know, I know. But what can we do? Not die, I suppose. Melanie and I thought about the likelihood of our survival and felt despair. Ian thumped Jamie on the back-I could feel the motion reverberate through both our bodies. â€Å"Don't agonize over it, kid,† he said. â€Å"You're not in this alone.† â€Å"They're just shocked, that's all.† I recognized Trudy's alto voice behind me. â€Å"Once we get a chance to explain, they'll see reason.† â€Å"See reason? Kyle?† someone hissed almost unintelligibly. â€Å"We knew this was coming,† Jeb muttered. â€Å"Just got to weather it. Storms pass.† â€Å"Maybe you ought to find that gun,† Lily suggested calmly. â€Å"Tonight might be a long one. Wanda can stay with Heidi and me -â€Å" â€Å"I think it might be better to keep her somewhere else,† Ian disagreed. â€Å"Maybe in the southern tunnels? I'll keep an eye on her. Jeb, wanna lend me a hand?† â€Å"They wouldn't look for her with me.† Walter's offer was just a whisper. Wes spoke over the last of Walter's words. â€Å"I'll tag along with you, Ian. There're six of them.† â€Å"No,† I finally managed to choke out. â€Å"No. That's not right. You shouldn't fight with each other. You all belong here. You belong together. Not fighting, not because of me.† I pulled Jamie's arms from around my waist, holding his wrists when he tried to stop me. â€Å"I just need a minute to myself,† I told him, ignoring all the stares I could feel on my face. â€Å"I need to be alone.† I turned my head to find Jeb. â€Å"And you should have a chance to discuss this without me listening. It's not fair-having to discuss strategy in front of the enemy.† â€Å"Now, don't be like that,† Jeb said. â€Å"Let me have some time to think, Jeb.† I stepped away from Jamie, dropping his hands. A hand fell on my shoulder, and I cringed. It was just Ian. â€Å"It's not a good idea for you to be wandering around by yourself.† I leaned toward him and tried to pitch my voice so low that Jamie wouldn't hear me clearly. â€Å"Why prolong the inevitable? Will it get easier or harder for him?† I thought I knew the answer to my last question. I ducked under Ian's hand and broke into a run, sprinting for the exit. â€Å"Wanda!† Jamie called after me. Someone quickly shushed him. There were no footsteps behind me. They must have seen the wisdom of letting me go. The hall was dark and deserted. If I was lucky, I'd be able to cut around the edge of the big garden plaza in the dark with no one the wiser. In all my time here, the one thing I'd never found was the way out. It seemed as if I'd been down every tunnel time and again, and I'd never seen an opening I hadn't eventually explored in search of one thing or another. I thought about it now as I crept through the deepest shadowed corners of the big cave. Where could the exit be? And I thought about this: if I could figure that puzzle out, would I be able to leave? I couldn't think of anything worth leaving for-certainly not the desert waiting outside, but also not the Seeker, not the Healer, not my Comforter, not my life before, which had left such a shallow impression on me. Everything that really mattered was with me here. Jamie. Though he would kill me, Jared. I couldn't imagine walking away from either of them. And Jeb. Ian. I had friends now. Doc, Trudy, Lily, Wes, Walter, Heath. Strange humans who could overlook what I was and see something they didn't have to kill. Maybe it was just curiosity, but regardless of that, they were willing to side with me against the rest of their tight-knit family of survivors. I shook my head in wonder as I traced the rough rock with my hands. I could hear others in the cavern, on the far side from me. I didn't pause; they could not see me here, and I'd just found the crevice I was looking for. After all, there was really only one place for me to go. Even if I could somehow have guessed the way to escape, I would still have gone this way. I crept into the blackest darkness imaginable and hurried along my way.

Family Therapy Essay

Family Therapy is very important in many families and homes for several reasons. Family therapy helps many families with communication issues and it helps to resolve major family conflicts. Family therapy also assists family members become able to relate to one another in a positive way. Family therapy also helps families going through traumatic events such deaths, divorces, and major illnesses. Family therapy can involve certain members of the family or the entire immediate family. Family therapy services are offered in several different settings. Introduction into Family Therapy After studying psychology for a semester, I’ve learned that there are many different types of psychology that physiologist use to diagnose, evaluate, and understand their patients. Family Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that concentrates on families and couples in close relations, in confidences of bringing positive change and growth. Family therapy has several goals, the most common goal is to help families understand how their family functions work. The second goal is to detect the strengths and weaknesses within the family unit. Another common goal is to improve communication skills within the family system and help everyone communicate and understand each individual’s emotions. Family therapy treats many different types of conditions and disorders that develop within the family. Martial problems are the most common conditions treated within the family unit. The effects of a family illness when a family member becomes sick with a disease. Many teenagers and parents go to family therapy for teenager-parent conflicts and solutions for rebellious teenagers. Family Therapy is also used to help families cope with difficult ordeals. Some of the difficult ordeal and situations families deal with in family therapy are sudden tragic deaths of a family member. Another reason people use family therapy is to help deal with family divorces and the after effects of families separating. Family therapy is also used to help cope with new the addition of family members such as newborn babies, stepfamilies and stepchildren, and difficulties that follow. Family Therapy is used with children very often for several different reasons, It helps families, teachers, and psychologist understand behavioral problems, determine if there are any mental illnesses, and to also help keep children on a healthy mental track. Family therapy sessions are held in many different locations such as in private practice, school counselors and licensed social workers involved in the school setting, as well as in local outreach community centers. Family therapy benefits children who have learning disabilities for several reasons; one reason is that it helps the children have another person for them to communicate and discuss their problems with. Another reason family therapy is good for children with learning disabilities is because it helps the parents and teachers understand what the child is going through academically, behaviorally and socially. Another reason family therapy benefits a child with learning disabilities is because it helps family members understand the environment needed to help the child be successful. Family Therapy helps to benefit children with mental illness for several reasons. Family therapy for children with depression helps because it allows the child to open up their emotions and it helps the family unit have an understanding of the patient’s mental status. Family therapy also helps children with depression think in a more rational manor and helps them with problem solving strategies. Finally, family therapy also helps with anger management as well as social skills training. ‘ Family therapy is used with couples very often, and typically is short term. Family therapy with couples helps to identify and solve major conflicts and improve their relationships. With the help of family therapy, people usually make positive decisions about rebuilding their marriage or about parting ways and divorcing. Family therapy in couples is generally attended to by both spouses and requires both parties participation. Occasionally, a session may be requested by just one spouse for individual counseling. Family therapy with couples is usually because of the many challenges couples face in marriage. The most common issue couples have is infidelity. Many spouses have trust issues and lack confidence in themselves as well as their relationship. Family therapy with couples also deals with issues such  as trust, sexual relation issues, anger issues, and the effects of illnesses. Family therapy with couples also seeks to help spouses deal with the loss of a child and to help with couples whom conceive children. Family therapy also helps couples deal with substance abuse and couples going through domestic violence. Family therapy with couples typically has about 10 sessions and each session is usually an hour. Couples must always be willing to cooperate with the psychologist and be willing to open and express their feelings to the psychologist. Both parties must also be willing to go the extra mile and participate in the activities the psychologist assigns for the couple to do at home. Family and Marriage therapist must go through many years of school, training sessions, and licensing seminars. Family and Marriage therapist have a great responsibility with keeping patients on a healthy mental track. In order to become a Family and Marriage therapist, a candidate must receive a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy before they are allowed to practice. Students attending graduate school will learn about marriage, families, and relationships. A supervised internship is generally part of earning this degree. A candidate one must have a bachelor’s degree, and it does not have to be in a particular area of study. In addition to a degree, a Family and Marriage therapist needs a license to practice marriage and family therapy. A Family and Marriage therapist must complete two years of a clinical experience under a licensed therapist’s supervision and pass a state administered exam. Marriage and family therapist licenses last for a two-year period. A Family and Marriage therapist must earn continuing education credits to practice in all states. Family and Marriage therapist have a professional association named American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to counseling families therapist must interact with insurance companies about compensation for treatment. A Family and Marriage therapist also refer clients to other therapy venues such as community agencies, support groups and inpatient facilities. A Family and Marriage therapist have flexible schedules and work evenings, weekends, and holidays. A Family and Marriage therapist occasionally make house calls and work in hospitals.