The Perspective of a Child in William Faulkner’s The Unvanquished :: Faulkner’s The Unvanquished

The Perspective of a Child in William Faulkner’s The Unvanquished In the novel The Unvanquished, by William Faulkner, the story of a child’s journey from boyhood to manhood is told through the perspective of an adult reflecting upon the past. Faulkner uses the narrator of the novel, Bayard Sartoris, to recall numerous experiences and portray intricate details that involve time, place, and setting through several techniques of writing. Language, empirical knowledge, and tone play a major role in the readers understanding of the perspective of which the story is told. Faulkner is a master of using language as a means of giving the reader clues to what is going on in the story: subliminally and in the perspective of a child. Many times throughout the novel, he uses a tone of voice in which the reader understands that the narrator is a naive boy who is oblivious to his surroundings and what is going on in â€Å"reality.† At an early age Bayard and his playmate, a black lad named Ringo, see the world as an adventure and often bring these characteristics of imagination into real life situations. For example, the boys shoot a â€Å"Yank† (literally) in an almost playful way, which is quite similar to the way in which they play in their living quarters daily. The way in which Faulkner describes these events through the narrator tells the reader that Bayard is unaware of the consequences of his action and that he is being compelled to do things such as shooting a â€Å"Yank† based on the influence of his Father and Grandmother rather than on his own accord. The manner in which Bayard goes about his actions is very childlike and Faulkner uses naivety and the ability for the child not to think for himself to portray age. On the other hand, the reader is also aware that someone with a great deal of empirical knowledge narrates the story. Many times Faulkner uses subtle asides that give the reader more clues of the narrator’s demeanor and understanding of his surroundings. Faulkner uses phrases like, â€Å"to a twelve years old,† that tell the reader that someone with understanding and experience is speaking to directly to the reader. Within the same breath the reader is reminded that a child is actually telling the story. Faulkner chooses to make these two voices coalesce in a way to show more than one perspective and not be limited in the mind of a child.

Child Marriage in India

To be defined at length in a later section, child marriage is most simply, for our purposes, a marriage in which the wife is below the age of eighteen at the time of consummation. The practice of child marriage in rural India is deeply rooted in cultural values and grounded in social structures. And despite laws that prohibit child marriage, the practice is still extremely prevalent in many regions. Though the statistics are contentious, it is estimated that in some parts of India, like the state of Rajasthan, nearly 80 percent of the marriages are among girls under the age of fifteen† (Gupta, 2005, p. ). In India overall, roughly 47. 6 percent of girls are married by the age of eighteen (The implications of early marriage, 2004). Despite international human rights efforts, the eradication of child marriage is greatly hindered by the intertwined social issues that often lead to and are then in turn reinforced by the practice. Various underlying social factors inform why child marriage exists, including: traditional gender norms; the value of virginity and parental concerns surrounding premarital sex; pressure of marriage transactions (or dowries); and poverty (Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). The social outcomes of child marriage are also significant, and often devastate communities in which these practices take place. Societies in which child marriage takes place have higher rates of early childbearing, unwanted pregnancies, maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS) and unsafe abortions. Additionally, adolescent girls placed in child marriages are often deprived of basic health care and health information, and achieve extremely low educational attainment (Mathur, Greene, & Malhotra, 2003, p. – 11; Bruce, 2007; Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). Apart from these health and societal consequences, such marriages also affect girls’ individual experience as social actors. Early marriage negatively affects girls’ social networks, decision-making power, and ability to negotiate with partners—all of which do influence the health and well being of the individual (Bruce, 2007). In many ways, the social issues that emerge from the practice of child marriage also serve to reinforce it—creating a vicious cycle. This cyclical pattern is just one reason why the practice has yet to be eradicated despite international pressure and legal interventions. Each of the problems that informs child marriage intersects in complex ways and the result is an incessant and engrossing problem that impacts all aspects of the social worlds in which it takes place, from the well-being of the individual girls to the economic, political, and cultural structures of general Indian society. What is most urgent about child marriages in India, however, is the relationship between child marriage and the increasingly severe Indian HIV epidemic. The rates of HIV in India are a topic of great debate between the Indian government and both Indian and International NGOs. Yet, there is a consensus that HIV, once an urban phenomenon in India that was primarily transmitted within high-risk populations is now gaining momentum in rural areas (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). These trends are alarming and suggest that the cultural contexts in which these HIV rates are climbing need to be addressed. Additionally, recent research has found links between HIV and early marriage in communities across the globe. †¦[T]he majority of sexually active girls age 15-19 in developing countries are married, and married adolescent girls tend to have higher rates of HIV infection than their sexually active, unmarried peers† (The implications of early marriage, 2004, p. 1; Clark, Bruce, & Dude, 2006, p. 79). HIV/AIDS in India The Indian HIV/AIDS epidemic is relatively new, and, once limited to high-risk urban populations, HIV is rapidly emerging as a problem for general communities within Indian society (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). HIV/AIDS is becoming widespread, and as it reaches new populations, it poses new problems. As child marriage is fundamentally a rural phenomenon in India, the particular plight of HIV in rural areas must be discussed. Issues like how to educate and provide treatment for people in poor, rural areas are emerging, and new cultural pockets of Indian society must be understood in order to more effectively implement these programs. Though contentious, recent figures estimate that roughly 2-3. 6 million people in India are infected with HIV. This places India third worldwide for the number of HIV cases within a country. â€Å"Overall, 0. 36% of India’s population is living with HIV. † While this may seem low, given the vast population of India, the actual number of people who are HIV-positive is remarkably high (Overview of HIV/AIDS, 2008). And in Rajasthan, the largely rural state in which the project will be conducted, it is believed that there is a prevalence of nearly 5%–extremely high for India (â€Å"AIDS in India,† n/d). Many who work in the health sector claim that they are witnessing a rapid rise in infections to new populations. Sujatha Rao, director-general of the government’s National AIDS Control Organisation, says doctors are increasingly seeing women infected by their husbands,† a population typically not targeted by reproductive health programs (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008; Santhya & Jejeebhoy, â€Å"Early Marriage,† 2007). There is also evidence that knowledge of HIV is extremely low in the rural areas where the study will be conducted, particularly among women. The National Family Health Survey reports that only 19% of ever-married rural Rajasthani women aged 15-49 had ever heard of AIDS, compared to 65% of their male counterpart. Aside from the gender discrepancy of knowledge across India, however, a rural/urban dichotomy was especially pronounced among women (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). This lack of knowledge unsurprisingly also appears to influence behavior. Among currently married rural women, aged 15-49, only 38% used any â€Å"modern method† of family planning, compared to 55. 8% of their urban counterparts. More importantly, only 3. 1% of married rural women have used a condom (the only method in the analysis that would protect against HIV), compared to 13. 3% of urban married women. Furthermore, only 14. % of ever-married rural women (ages 15-49) knew that consistent condom use can reduce the changes of HIV/AIDS, in comparison to 61. 6% of their urban counterparts (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). A recent New York Times article reports that the rural problem of HIV is made more pronounced by the difficulties that HIV-positive people in rural communities face when attempting to get tested and treated. Many patients travel long distances each month to receive government-sponsored antiretrovirals, but the cost and time required for such a journey is difficult for many to achieve. In consequence, many patients simply give up on treatment, â€Å"an anathema in HIV therapy as it gives rise to drug resistance. † One doctor notes, â€Å"Travel can affect drug compliance. Patients who don’t get family support, women who may not like to travel along will just give up† (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008). Child Marriage For the purposes of our discussion, child marriage is identified as a marriage that takes place before â€Å"exact age 18†Ã¢â‚¬â€a definition adhered to by UNICEF and other international organizations (Bruce, 2007). This definition is at odds with the definition provided by India’s recent Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, which states that a â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢child’ [is] a person who, if a male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not complete eighteen years of age† (The Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, 2004). While this discrepancy will be analyzed further below, given that eighteen is largely considered the age of consent, it is this standard to which our definition will be held. It should be noted that the betrothal of a marriage can happen at any time, and often will occur at birth. But that marriage is not defined as a child marriage unless the wife is given to her spousal family, and the marriage is consummated, before she reaches the age of eighteen. Furthermore, as most child marriages take place among girls who are minors, with male partners who are of age, whenever the term â€Å"child marriage† is used in this project, it is referring to a marriage that involves a female child. Child marriage has not been ignored by Indian or international policymakers, yet enforcement of these laws has been virtually impossible. The Indian government is often portrayed as uncomfortable when dealing with personal laws within distinct communities that are not derived from grassroots movements (Burns, 1998; Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Despite this, laws have been on the books for over a decade. In 1994, a Marriage Bill was introduced which â€Å"recommended†¦the enactment of a uniform law relating to marriages and [provided] for the compulsory registration of marriages, with the aim of preventing child marriages and also polygamy in society. † Yet, this law did not pass and in Rajasthan, to this day, there is no compulsory marriage registration (Yadav, 2006, p. 0). This legislation has been preceded by various attempts to limit the practice and legislate the age at which girls are married. In the 1880s, discussions of the first Age of Consent Bill began, and finally, in 1927, it was declared that marriages with a girl under twelve would be invalid. In 1929, India began to prohibit the practice of all child marriage by instituting the Child Marriage Restraint Act. In 1978, the Child Marriage Restraint Act was amended to â€Å"prescribe eighteen and twenty-one years as the age of marriage for a girl and boy respectively† (Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Due to the illegality of child marriage, the number of girls who are put into child marriage in Rajasthan is extremely difficult to know. And particularly due to differing definition employed by researches, no consensus yet exists among those who have tried to obtain a number. Researchers claim that, in Rajasthan, the number of girls married off before age eighteen is somewhere between 55. 5% and 80% and other researchers estimate that roughly 56% of Rajasthani marriages occur with girls under the age of fifteen (Yadav, 2006, pl. 10; Burns, 1998). Therefore, there is overwhelming evidence that child marriage is occurring in Rajasthan in large numbers, despite the laws against it. Why is child marriage occurring? What social, cultural, and economic contexts inform the persistence of this practice? Some assert that Rajasthani people either do not understand the law or simply ignore it (Yadav, 2006, p. 37). In a New York Times article outlining the practice of child marriage in Rajasthan, it was stated that â€Å"Each year, formal warnings are posted outside state government offices stating that child marriages are illegal, but they have little impact. In a discussion with a village elder in Rajasthan, the elder stated, â€Å"Of course, we know that marrying children is against the law, but it’s only a paper law† (Burns, 1998). Therefore, he suggests that the law is perceived as unimportant, allowing families to simply ignore it, and often without penalty. Additionally, cultural and social contexts still highly value this practice and Indian families often turn to child marriage to help cope with social conditions in disrepair. To approach this, I will first discuss the gender norms in India. How are women perceived? What are the practical implications of these norms? Secondly, I will discuss the value placed on virginity and understandings of premarital sex. Thirdly, I will discuss the economic factors that continue to promote the practice. And finally, I will briefly discuss the major consequences of child marriage, which will move us into a discussion of the links between child marriage and HIV. Child marriage is deeply embedded in ideals about the role of women and the status of girls in Indian culture (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). Understandings of the Indian family and a wife’s role more generally give huge amounts of insight to the status of women. Within the context of a patrilocal family ideology, girls are â€Å"reared to be obedient, selfsacrificing, modest, nurturant, hardworking and home loving. † In an interview with Seymour in the 1960s, â€Å"†¦one Indian gentleman expressed†¦, ‘American girls are given too much independence. A girl should marry young, before she has the chance to develop independent ideals. † By marrying girls young (and enhancing the disparity between her and her husband’s age), the male-based hierarchy is best preserved (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). Males are quite simply valued more in Indian families. They act as the head of the household, the breadwinners and the decision makers. These values are imbued from an early age and as the transition to adulthood is marked with marriage, these gender norms become particularly pronounced (Segal, 1999, p. 216; Gupta, 2005, p. 1; Yadav, 2006, p. 1; Seymour, 1999, p. 97). A woman’s primary role in the home is to produce sons, as this will bring honor to her family, and an heir for her husband. â€Å"In a society that stresses patrilineal descent, to bear children, especially sons, is critical, and girls learn from an early age that this is their responsibility† (Seymour, 1999, p. 7). Motherhood is additionally critical in order to establish the wife as a member of her husband’s family. As Indian families take collective care of children, producing a new family member is heavily prized and brings the newlywed status (Seymour, 1999, p. 99). How do women feel about their status and role in society? Seymour writes that, â€Å"Women are the moving pieces in an exchange system that creates extensive webs of kinship. Is this a hardship for them? Yes, for they must leave the security of their own family and join a different family. Do they find it oppressive? Sometimes, but not generally† (Seymour, 1999, p. xvi). Though others argue that â€Å"cultural dictation of female role and lack of continued financial and emotional support, predominantly from spouses and other family members, were influential factors in [high rates of depression among women]† (Jambunathan, 1992). The low value of girls is also reflected in traditions of female infanticide and abortions of female children and research that shows that women are by and large â€Å"neglected† by Indian society, resulting in poor health care and a high number of preventable deaths (Miller, 1981, p. 8; Segal, 1999, p. 218-220). In one survey, 52% of Indians said that they would get a prenatal diagnosis to select a male, as opposed to 30% who would in Brazil, 29% in Greece and 20% in Turkey (Segal, 1999, p. 219). These patterns have resulted in a worsening sex ratio in Rajasthan. It is estimated that between 750 to 850 girls are born per 1000 boys, a problem that not only reinforces these negative ideals about gender, but also could potentially be devastating to the longevity of Indian communities (Indian Census, 2001; Kristof, 1991). An Indian obstetrician interviewed for The Hindu stated that these days, it is extremely rare to see a family with two daughters, and some families do not even have one. In communities like Rajasthan, â€Å"people want to pretend they are modern and that they do not discriminate between a girl and a boy. Yet, they will not hesitate to quietly go to the next village and get an ultrasound done† (Thapar, 2007). And in a statement by UNICEF, the organization â€Å"†¦[says] that for most of the female fetuses that survive, ‘birth is the only equal opportunity they will ever get’† (Segal, 1999, p. 20). Additionally, child marriage is greatly informed by ideals of virginity—a cultural notion that has huge impacts on the intersections between HIV/AIDS and child marriage. â€Å"An unmarried, chaste girl symbolizes family honor and purity and is considered a sacred gift to bestow upon another family† (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). To exacerbate the outcome of these ideals, myths supposedly abound that men can be cured of various diseases, including gonorrhea, mental illness, syphilis and HIV by having sex with a â€Å"fresh† girl, a virgin. Bhat, Send, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 17; Burns, 1998) But as much as cultural ideals are echoed in the practice, â€Å"tradition has been reinforced by necessity† (Burns, 1998). Poverty is often cited as one of the major factors contributing to child marriage (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 15). â€Å"Child marriage is more prevalent in poor household and in poor communities. Almost all countries in which more than 50 percent of gir ls are married before the age of 18 have GDP per capita under $2000 per year† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). For families in poverty, marrying a daughter early can mean lower dowry payments and one less mouth to feed (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 16). â€Å"An investment in girls is seen as a lost investment because the girl leaves to join another home and her economic contributions are to that home—so the earlier she is married, the less of a loss the investment† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). What is devastating about the child marriage problem, beyond the human rights abuses, is the way in which it impacts both the individual and the community and the manner in which the practice reinforces itself. Impoverished parents often believe that child marriage will protect their daughters. In fact, however, it results in lost development opportunities, limited life options, and poor health† (Child marriage fact sheet, 2005). Child marriage continues to be immersed in a vicious cycle of poverty, low educational attainment, high incidences of disease, poor sex ratios, the subordination of women, â€Å"and most significantly, the inter-generational cycles of all of these† (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 21; Gupta, p. 1-2).

Polarization in Congress A Dichotomy of Unity and...

Polarization in Congress: A Dichotomy of Unity and Division within the Legislative Branch POLARIZATION OVERVIEW: Polarization occurs when members of both political parties consistently vote along ideological lines. Ideological differences in Congress today are quite staggering. Congressmen have increasingly been moving away from moderate stances and adhering more to party ideologies. The issue with polarization arises when there are two incredibly differing ideologies where both sides feel so strongly about their view that compromise is unfeasible. Some Congressmen able to adhere to a coherent personal ideological beliefs, but there is a growing number of Congressmen that vote based on the party issue positions or on how their†¦show more content†¦With polarization, people vote for clear ideologies where they don’t necessarily agree with all of the party’s stances. Thus, they are picking the lesser of two evils. â€Å"has been branded a ‘do-nothing’ institution, fraught with political conflict and weakened by partisan gridlock† p. 140 Failure to demand action on pieces of legislation through scheduling debates and vote unwillingness to compromise Legislation will be passed in the House with a Republican majority but then will be

A Controversial Issue For Australian Education - 1664 Words

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NAPLAN tests individual students achievement of key capacities in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (Thomp son, 2013). It is standardised tests that mean to quantify students fundamental aptitudes in literacy and numeracy. NAPLAN also known as high-stakes testing has shifted its focus from inputs and processes to outputs and outcomes on an international educational level where the government is now more interested in the end results rather than the meaning of the test (Lingard, 2010). 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Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 992 Words

It is unfortunate that many people tend to dismiss Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, as simply a romantic love story, even labeling it a â€Å"chick flick.† Upon a shallow reading, it may appear to be such, but a closer look at the novel reveals so much more embedded in the story. In addition to describing the entertaining relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the novel serves to forward Austen s personal values and ideas. Furthermore, there is one issue of her era that she particularly responds to, that is, the inferior position of women. At the time this book was written, women never amounted to much of anything unless they married well, and they often had to be beautiful, accomplished, and from a family of good fortune to do so. Austen uses Pride and Prejudice to argue against this subordinate conception of women by demonstrating what truly gives a woman value. 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Leadership A Critical Perspective Management Functions

Question: Describe about the Leadership A Critical Perspective for Management Functions. Answer: Introduction Leadership is an important function of management that provides direction to the organization and helps in achieving organizational goals and objectives. The importance of leaders in an organization cannot be debated as it forms the backbone of any organization and all the important decisions are taken by them. Moreover, there are different leadership styles being practices by different leaders that depends on their personality and organizational objectives. However, there are certain qualities or personal traits that are inherent to leaders and distinguish the leaders from any other ordinary person (DuBois et al., 2015). This assignment, therefore, analyses some of the most important qualities that makes a successful leader. Leadership Qualities One of the most important qualities of an effective leader is communication skills. It is the responsibility of the leaders to develop strategies for the organization. However, these strategies need to be communicated to the employees for their incorporation and effective execution. Good communication skills are a perquisite of an effective leader, as they always have to work among and with people within and outside of the organization. Communication skills are important to build one on one relationship with all the stakeholders of the organization. Furthermore, important management functions such as communicating organizational objectives, motivating employees, gaining feedback and the like requires effective communication from the leaders. Therefore, it is important that leaders develop directive and assertative communication style as well as positive body language to express their ideas or perceptive effectively to the target audiences. In addition, the leaders must be able to gen erate the desired responses from the employees through strong and effective communication (Northouse, 2015). Another important characteristic that a leader must possess is the ability to motivate others. Motivation is important for employees in order to enhance job satisfaction and thereby increasing the efficiency of the human resource within the organization. Motivation plays an important role in organizational success and it is the responsibility of leaders to continually motivate and encourage their subordinates (Goethals et al., 2014). An effective leader is considered to be the one who is able to motivate employees at all times and is able to align individual objectives of employees, teams, or departments with organizational objectives. Further, in order to motivate employees leaders must be able to eliminate any job related conflict, must take quick decisions to resolve any conflict situation and treat their employees with due respect. There are many tools made available at the disposal of leaders that can be employed to motivate subordinates. The leaders must be able to identify the gap and reasons in performance and accordingly employ monetary and/or non-monetary means to motivate employees. Leaders must reward employees and gain periodic feedbacks in order to keep them motivated and to better understood their motivation needs (Avolio Yammarino, 2013). Further, honesty and trustworthiness is another important quality that a successful leader possesses. Leaders are seen as a brand ambassador for their organization and employees regard them as individuals of high professional and personal calibre. Therefore, it is important for leaders to exhibit high moral and ethical traits and set an example for the employees to follow. Leaders provide direction to the employees to achieve organizational goals. A leader that indulges in immoral or unethical business practices to achieve success and personal gains is least likely to command respect from sub-ordinates. Therefore, a leader should have superior moral calibre, values, and personal and professional integrity. An effective leader treats their subordinates with adequate respect, integrity and practices the philosophy of equity and fairness. A leader is the role model for their employees and should exude the importance of enterprise, persistence to excel, dedication and high moral standard s in all aspects of life (DuBrin, 2015). Decision making skills is another important aspect that greatly influences leaders effectiveness. Business organizations are highly dynamic and evolving entity; therefore, it is important for the leader to have a holistic view of the current issues as well as future challenges that organization would have to face. In this context, leaders must be pragmatic and analytical in their approach and must be capable enough to make difficult decisions in times of crisis. Further, no organization can succeed if their leaders do not understand the cause and effect of decisions taken by them. Foresightedness, determination and clarity of objectives plays an important role in making effective decisions and a good leader exhibits these qualities while making a decision. It is the responsibility of leaders to provide direction and guidance to the employees; therefore, it is important for leaders to take right decision at the right time. Moreover, leaders effectiveness is judged by their ability to take quick decisions when encountered with challenging problems in adverse conditions (Shapiro Stefkovich, 2016).Therefore, it can be said that decision-making is an important quality that characterizes a leader. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that successful leaders have certain qualities and skill sets that distinguishes them from other people. Some of the traits that enable a leader to be successful are communication skills, motivation, honesty and integrity, and decision-making capabilities. A good leader exhibits assertive communication style, is always motivated, follows honesty and integrity in all walks of life and have exceptional decision-making skills. References Avolio, B. J., Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2013).Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Group Publishing. DuBois, M., Hanlon, J., Koch, J., Nyatuga, B., Kerr, N. (2015). Leadership Styles of Effective Project Managers: Techniques and Traits to Lead High Performance Teams.Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing,7(1), 30. DuBrin, A. J. (2015).Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education. Goethals, G., Allison, S., Kramer, R., Messick, D. (Eds.). (2014).Conceptions of leadership: Enduring ideas and emerging insights. Springer. Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications. Shapiro, J. P., Stefkovich, J. A. (2016).Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge.

Values and Principles of the Early Years Sector Essay Example

Values and Principles of the Early Years Sector Essay Values and principles of early years sector. 1)The five basic tenets of good practice are; Equality and Diversity Rights and responsibilities Confidentiality Promote anti discrimination Effective communication The three principles are; The welfare of the child is paramount Practitioners contribute to children’s care learning and development and safeguarding is reflected in every aspect if practice Practitioners work in partnership with parent’s families, as they are the child’s first and most enduring carers and educators The eight values are; The needs, rights and views of the child are at the centre of all practice Individuality, difference and diversity are valued and celebrated Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice are actively promoted Children’s health and well-being are actively promoted Children’s personal and physical safety is safeguarded, whilst allowing risk and challenge as appropriate to the capabilities of the child Self-esteem and resilience are recognised as essential to every child’s development Confidentiality and agreements about confidential information are respected as appropriate, unless a child’s protection and well-being are at risk Professional knowledge, skills and values are shared appropriately in order to enrich the experiences of children more widely. ) The values and principles are displayed in my role on a daily basis. I implement the Early years foundation stage framework into my practice which the values and principles are embedded in. I ensure the welfare of the children in my care is paramount through working in partnership with the parents/carers of the children in my key group and sharing information about their child’s progress. Through carrying out observations, assessments and planning on my key children I am contributing to the children’s care and earning and development as well as ensuring their welfare is paramount. I make sure children are safeguarded through putting my settings safeguarding procedure into place and following my settings confidentiality procedure. As well as carrying out risk assessments I support and encourage the children to manage risk safely this provides the children with basic skills to safeguard themselves. I work in partnership with parents/carers and families as it is beneficial to the children as they are their child’s first and most enduring carers and educators. We will write a custom essay sample on Values and Principles of the Early Years Sector specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Values and Principles of the Early Years Sector specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Values and Principles of the Early Years Sector specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Ways in which I work in partnership with families are; day to day transitions communicating with families sharing and passing on information about their child, providing learning stories on the children for families to share at home and comment on, providing new families with â€Å"getting to know me† packs as well as being on hand during their child’s settling in period. Through implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage framework I am meeting the four Themes which the framework is based around; A Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments and Learning and Development. Through meeting the four Themes in my daily practice I can ensure the values are being put into practice. 3 4) A time I have witnessed an example of poor principles and values was when a new manager Pauline had been at the setting for a couple of days. I was asked to support the children in Mighty Oaks, children aged 3 5, with Pauline as Julie the room leader was off. At focus time Pauline insisted on taking the lead although she had not yet sat in on the children focus time before and did not know their routine. Pauline started the focus time by picking out the children’s registration name cards and asking them to identify their name before putting it on the registration board. She insisted on each child to be sat on their bottom with the legs crossed silently to wait for their name. One of the quieter children James who is also a nervous and shy child, was messing with the straps on his shoes. Pauline asked him to leave his shoe alone and to sit nicely with his legs crossed and wait for his name to be shown. James stopped then continued again to play with the straps on his shoes. Pauline reached over to James and took the shoe off his foot and threw it to the side of the group. When reaching James’ name card he put his hand up and said that it was his name, Pauline then replied to him with â€Å"James it says on this card, I thought your name was Cinderella because I had to take your shoe off you† then handing him his card and continuing on with the focus time whilst James sat with no shoe on his foot. Through out the focus session she was impatient with the children and when they did not answer her question on what day it was today she referred to the group of children â€Å"Take it we are all brain dead today. Through this focus time there was more than one value and principle which was displayed in Pauline’s poor practice as well as no signs of implementation of our settings behaviour policy and procedure. The children’s welfare was certainly not paramount to Pauline during the focus time and that the children listened and foll owed her instructions was more paramount to her. Pauline’s communication skills with the children were poor and did not meet the needs of a majority of the children in the group. James was embarrassed and humiliated in front of the other children in the group and his self-esteem was effected. Through targeting James Pauline did not actively promote the children’s health and well being by not respecting his needs and displaying it in front of the other children, who she was meant to be setting an example to. She did not contribute to the children’s care, learning and development and safeguarding and when referring to the children as â€Å"brain dead† she showed poor practice of equal opportunities as well disregarding the settings policy and procedure regarding behaviour which states all staff should â€Å"treat all children fairly and with respect, recognising that each is an individual and being aware of their particular needs. To raise children’s self esteem and provide opportunities for them to develop to their potential. † I waited for the children to be sat down at dinner time before I arranged to speak to Pauline in private, as it was a time the children would be settled and I could arrange for other staff members could support the children. When up in the office I firstly explained to Pauline that I did not agree with the way she carried out the children’s morning focus time and that it was not in accordance of the routine the children are use to. I gave reasons to why it would have been more appropriate for myself to take the lead during focus time as I am aware of the routine and structure and I know what the abilities and needs are for each child. Pauline disagreed with the points I raised and said she had observed briefly the focus time over the few days she had been here and from what she had seen, the children had fidgeted through out and she wanted it to change. I justified the structure that was already in place for the focus time identifying that it meets every child’s needs within that group and that today it did anything but meet the needs of the children. I brought up the way she had spoken to the children and that it was not professional nor appropriate and that she had targeted and humiliated James. Pauline tried to justify her actions explaining that she had already told James not to mess with his shoe in which I replied to by asking what harm was he doing by pulling the straps on his own shoes. I explained that James is a very nervous child and that it had taken a long time for him to settle in to the setting and that Julie had spent a lot of time bonding with him and supporting him whilst he made friendships with the children and helped build up his self-esteem and confidence. When she carried out the focus time I reflected back on her practice and explained to her that she never once made James feel valued which would not help his self-esteem or confidence and by referring to him as â€Å"Cinderella† she humiliated him in front of his friends. I then brought how she had referred to the whole group of children as â€Å"brain dead† and that was far from a professional and appropriate term to use towards the children as well as in the setting environment. We discussed what she had said and Pauline could not see a identify any faults with her practice during the focus time today. Wanting her to be able to put her self in my position I asked Pauline how would she like to know that her Grandson was being referred to as â€Å"brain dead† in his nursery by someone who is meant to ensuring that his welfare and wellbeing is paramount. I was replied to with a negative attitude and Pauline began to inform me of her history in the early years sector and that she had never had a complaint made against her practice before. Continuing to try and get Pauline to see how she was wrong I tried to explain that the children in the setting could have relatives who are seriously ill with brain injuries but Pauline continued to disregard what I had to say. Seeing that she was not willing to admit she was wrong or show any interest in what I had to say I brought the conversation to an end. At the end of my shift I contacted the owner of the nursery, John, and arranged for him to come in so I could discuss the incident with him before my shift the next day. When I got home I recorded what had happened accurately in a note book and recorded Pauline‘s response. The next day I explained to John what had happened and that when I discussed the incident with Pauline she was not willing to identify her poor practice nor willing to listen to what I had to say. John wrote down what I had told him and I showed him my own written record of the incident, before arranging a meeting with Pauline and himself. John gave me feedback of the meeting keeping to confidentiality explaining that the meeting had gone in accordance and should I have any other concerns not to hesitate in contacting him. 5) Meeting the individual needs of all children lies at the heart of the EYFS. Practitioners should deliver personalised learning, development and care to help children to get the best possible start in life (Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage). Through implementing the values and principles in day to day practice, practitioners can ensure the key purpose of the every child matters outcomes, being promoted in the early years sector. Through settings providing an effective key person system for children and their families, all of the principles and values can be met. What matters most in ‘achieving quality’ is carers who are ‘attentive, responsive, stimulating and affectionate’. Most practitioners try to be this for all the children they work with. However, being realistic, it is very difficult to offer all these things to all children and this makes huge emotional demands on practitioners. But the key person approach makes such relationships with children more possible and manageable to achieve for each child (The Early Years Foundation Stage Effective practice; Key Person). The key person system ensures that each child’s needs are met and supported through continuous observations, assessments and planning as well through forming good relationships with families. This helps practitioners contribute to each child’s care and learning. It is important practitioners understand the benefits of working in partnership with parents and families, as they are their child’s first and most enduring carers and educators. Working in partnership with parents and families can be carried out through meeting the needs of all families accessing the setting and sharing, providing and requesting information through the day to day transitions effectively respecting each family as an individual unit. Including families in their child’s observation, assessment and planning cycle will ensure each child’s needs are met to the highest standard. Appropriate and adequate policies and procedures should be in place for all practitioners, volunteers, visitors and families to follow and put into practice. Settings should have in place risk assessments on the environment and equipment with practitioners encouraging and supporting children to manage risk safely providing age appropriate toys and equipment. It is important that settings provide a welcoming, enabling and safe environment providing enhanced CRB disclosures for all staff to complete in order to ensure the welfare of each child is paramount and to ensure safeguarding is reflected in every aspect of a settings practice. In addition to carrying out risk assessments, providing correct staff ratios and encouraging children to carry out self risks under suitable supervision settings must complying with data protection and the welfare requirements children’s personal safety is safeguarded, whilst allowing for risk and challenge as appropriate to the capabilities of the child. Settings with confidentiality and safeguarding procedures and policies in place allows practitioners to implement and respect ,as appropriate, confidentiality and agreements about confidential information, identifying information must be shared when a child’s protection and well-being are at risk. All staff and children’s information should be locked securely away with no un-authorised access and information shared on a need to know terms. The needs, rights and views of each child should be at the centre of all practice and by ensuring all practitioners comply with the UN convention and value, respect, support, listen to and acknowledge each child within the setting, settings can promote it. Settings should aim to support and identify every child’s needs and abilities in order to promote the key purpose in the early years sector, every child matters. It is important to promote each child’s sense of identity and belonging through the option of choice, acknowledgement, praise, encouragement and reassurance given and displaying each child’s work and achievements, in order to recognise the importance of self-esteem and resilience to every child’s development. Every child should be able to celebrate their own birthday and respect should be given to those who do not with consideration taken to each child’s religion, culture and background. Individuality, difference and diversity should be positively valued and celebrated ensuring each child feels welcomed and valued providing them with their own personal area to keep their belongings. A variety of cultural and religious festivals should be celebrated taking in to consideration of the cultures and religions within the settings. Through providing multi cultural meals and snacks for the settings menu’s, providing a wide variety of equipment to help support the needs of the children within the setting, allowing children and families to share items and stories from their home life and displaying positive images will allow children using settings to be introduced to the wide variety ways of life and actively supports each child as a unique child. Having equal opportunity and anti-discriminatory policies and procedures in place and implemented allows settings to actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. Settings can put policies into practice by ensuring the environment is accessible and welcoming with practitioners respecting, valuing and greet all families. Using posters, pictures, photographs and diagrams on notice, menu and welcoming boards and news letters, as well as text in different languages and practitioners verbally relaying information to families in a way which meets their individual needs allows settings to work in partnership with families and ensures equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory for all families accessing settings. Using key words in selected languages when English is not a child’s first language, implementing makaton, displaying vision cards and picture time lines and providing for children’s additional needs appropriately promotes the key purpose of the early years sector, as the needs of each child are being met and supported. Children’s health and well-being can be actively promoted through healthy eating policies and health and hygiene policy in place as well as regular staff training. Communicating with families, practitioners being aware of children’s needs and effective sharing of appropriate information ensure each child’s needs are being met. Informing children about the importance of health, hygiene and exercise, and encouraging children to take control of their own personal hygiene and respecting and considering the needs of others introduces children to managing and contributing to their own health and well-being. In order to enrich the experiences of children more widely professional knowledge, skills and values are shared appropriately through working in partnership with families and multi agency working. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework document makes it clear that multi-agency working is a key part of the framework that is designed to deliver improved outcomes for all children in their learning and development. Multi-agency working and the integration of services for children and families is central to government policy across the disciplines including Health (White Paper Saving Lives: our healthier nation, 1999); Social Services (White Paper Modernising Social Services, 1998; Modernising Health and Social Services: national priorities guidance, DoH, 1999; the National Service Framework, DoH, 2004); and the Childcare Act 2006. A common thread running through all government documents is that services and agencies need to work together to make the delivery of services more effectiveâ€Å"(EYFS Agency work benefits). Through attending courses and providing further training for staff settings can ensure they are up to date and effectively implementing the overall outcome of every child matters. Word count ; 2926