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Break in the Staffroom
Break in the Staffroom
Name
Institution
Date
The third-period break bell chimes and all the students bang their locker doors and rush out to the school fields. They seemed unbothered with the weak state of their twenty-year-old lockers and the likelihood of it falling apart just by a bang. Girls in their red shirts beneath their purple tunics grouped themselves around the school swings. On the other end, boys run towards the football field with their purple knee-length shorts and red t-shirts. Students on the unmowed playing field look so colorful from the headmistress office window. This is how Headmistress Winger monitored her students in the field. One could see how unimpressed she looked. According to her, the break after the third period was unnecessary since only one period would follow before lunch. Mrs. Winger stood right beside the window, with a cup of chamomile tea in her hands freshly prepared by the school caterer. She peeped through the broken glass in one of her window panels, just staring at the student’s play.
On the playing ground, girls ran around chasing each other, blindfolded with their navy-blue sweaters in an attempt to make as many contacts as possible. Some group of much older fifth-graders stood at the spectator side of the pitch, which had been termed the ‘cool corner,’ staring at the boys play and showcasing their weak muscles. They enjoyed watching the boys admire them. The school termed them the pretty girls, and they were untouchable. Not even the school could touch them. Word spread on the faded blue walls of the school that their parents made up the school committee and were donors to major school projects. Boys admired them and fantasized about a chance with them. All the girls in school wanted to be like them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Paco swung the brown, old wooden staffroom door and fled in with a one-meter ruler, a blockboard pen, and a math textbook, as if students were chasing after him. He dropped them at his untidy and disorganized, full of books table and sank into his seat. Mr. Paco put on his old black-framed glasses and started browsing through his outdated dial phone. Hardly had he settled down when Mrs., Floddle walked in majestically in her red ankle-length dress and black three-inch heels. As she walked in, she seemed so proud of herself. All the male teachers in the staffroom stared at her, and she loved the attention. She had finished her English lesson with her fifth-grade students.
“I don’t understand my students anymore. They hardly try to show commitment in their work! Look at this assignment I gave them yesterday” she leaned towards Mr. Paco as their desks were right next to each other. Mr. Paco burst into laughter as soon as he saw the student’s composition Mrs. Floddle was holding in her hand. His laughter drew the attention of other teachers in the staffroom. They all rushed to her white, quite organized table and tried to find the amusement behind the paper. “You need to use a different approach Mr. Floddle. Your students don’t take you seriously based on this assignment.” Mr. Ogler, the science teacher, commented as he tapped the floor with his sharp-shooters and walked towards his desk. His desk was next to the staff room door hence the nickname ‘usher’ by his colleagues.
The staffroom seemed very busy. The tea flask, together with the bread tray, was making rounds in the teacher’s desks. Teachers were conversing, mocking students they termed as stubborn, and laughing so loudly. The wooden board was full with all sorts of papers pinned on it. The wall was full of writings and peeled brown wallpapers that looked like they had been installed decades ago. They didn’t seem to care. On the higher walls, names of best-performing students hang on a plank of brown wall-mounted wood. On it was the sign, Best Behavior Students In school. Below the heading was ten vague names engraved with what looked like a screwdriver.
Mrs. Felicity stepped into the staffroom with his lab coat on and a pile of books in her left hand. She looked exhausted. “I could use a cup of tea, my fellow teachers!” she claimed. Mrs. Felicity sat at her almost falling desk and requested Mr. Paco to pass her a cup. The look on her face was priceless when she realized the teachers had drunk all the tea, and her eyes got teary. Lucky enough, the staffroom window was very high such that students would not witness their teachers scramble for food like uncivilized human beings. Teachers talked about sex and their love for marijuana based on the ‘High Road Valley’ show, aired on cable. They didn’t care for the information they were exposing their students to.
At the end of break time, the bell rang, the facial expression on their faces screamed disappointment. “They should give us ten more minutes! I barely touched my bread!” Mrs. Felicity cursed. Each teacher got busy at their desk preparing for the next period, and students rushed into their various classes to avoid punishment for being late.
Maldoror and the Complete Works of the Comte de Lautreamont was written by Comte de Lautreamont
Reading Response
Student’s Name
Institution
Book Report
Question 1
Maldoror and the Complete Works of the Comte de Lautreamont was written by Comte de Lautreamont. It is a text which portrays a clear distinction between humanity and animality. These concepts clearly come out as a result of the influences of Maldoror. As he explains, Maldoror is a devil figure which presents a scaring personality who mysteriously conducts him throughout the novel. He is in opposition of the concept of humanity. He seeks for fulfillment in his life. However, he does not show any regard to the super natural being who is more powerful as compared to him. In fact, he is an example of the defiant devil that rebelled with the creator after establishing an alternative competing force. He is ready to face the reality of life. His revelation cannot be easily comprehended by a benevolent human being. In his struggles, he seeks for a soul which resembles him. However, he fails to achieve this desire possibly because of the failure of the intervention of a holy other. When he came across a beautiful lady, he was relieved and believed that he eventually found the beauty which he had been looking for all along. This explanation indicates the important role of humanity in man’s daily life.
Meanwhile, animality is represented by the author when Maldoror compares the distinguishing traits of human beings to animals. He explains that animals are different from human since they lack benevolence. He says ‘Wolves and lambs look not one another with gentle eyes.’ Meaning, they do not possess the qualities of humanity which calls for goodness. Therefore, animality is not linked to goodness and justice which constitute the pillars of humanity. Maldoror and the Complete Works of the Comte de Lautreamont must be fully interpreted by an open mind. It is quite surrealist creation and may be challenging to comprehend and understand. Despite this, concept of animality and humanity clearly come out.
Question 2
The Black Boy is an autobiography which was written by Richard Wright. It gives the life history of his life. As a child, he was born and raised in a poor family. On the example of hunger which I can give is hunger for food. This family was very poor; thus, they did not have enough food to eat. It happened because of the misfortunes the family was confronted with. First, his biological father decided to dissert the home and leave them under the care of his ailing mother. However, his mother could not provide for him. Apart from being single, she was ailing. The condition of his mother compelled him to be under the care of his grandmother and other uncles.
Still, he did not get the satisfaction he needed. His desire for a happy life made him to engage in immoral practices. At one time, just before relocating to the North, he stole money. It was the only solution he had in order to get food. Otherwise, he would not survive. Later, his desire for providing for his family compelled him to move to Chicago. He thought that there were a lot of opportunities that would guarantee him a job. He was convinced that it would help him redeem his family from starving to death. Unfortunately, this never came to be true since he never got the job he was hoping for. Still he was a victim of racism which had already driven him out of his motherland. Eventually, he landed only into menial jobs which would not provide him with the required resources to support his hungry family.
Question 3
The way in which Unplugging Philco was written presents it as a post 9/11 novel. The reaction of the government of the United States of America after the occurrence of the historical Horribleness explosion is symbolic of what happened after the infamous 9/11 terrorist attack. After shaming the government, it was obliged to come up with stern measures in order to ensure the safety of its citizens and prevent the nation from experiencing the same ordeal. Security was beefed up at the major entry points- air and sea ports. Immigrants were vigorously grilled to ensure that they were not in a position of infringing the safety of the Americans. In short, the government declared war on terrorism.
This is the same scenario depicted in Unplugging Philco. It is a futuristic novel which gives a clear picture of what happened after the New York attack. Everything which was experienced by Wally Phililco foreshadows of the post 9/11 attacks. Just the same way security became prioritized. People in Wally’s neighborhood had to be ready to carry the newly introduced Single Universal Citizen Identification Card (SUCKIE). This is an identical card which had to be produced by any person whenever needed. At the same time, there was an introduction of a National Information Collection Network (SNITCH) which was an instrument used to gather intelligence report to the security agencies. Lastly, there was the introduction of surveillance mechanism which was used to monitor suspects. Wally was one of the people who were put on a full time electronic surveillance. All these initiatives are similar to what happened after the 9/1 attack. The government took the safety of its population very seriously.
MHA-614-Week-5-Discussion-1-1
MHA 614 Policy Formation & Leadership in Health Organizations
Discussion 1: World Health Situations
Discuss and analyze the world health situation. What is the greatest problem facing the world population? What strategies (at least three) would you utilize to alleviate this problem?
ANSWER:
The world health situation is a precarious situation as the demand for health care services increases exponentially and the pool of qualified medical staff is sparse. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are 57 countries facing a critical health workforce crisis, each of these countries has fewer than 23 health workers per 10,000 people (“Health Workforce”, n.d., p. 1). This lack of qualified workers makes treatment and access to health care services almost unattainable for the poor majority of these various countries. One region in particular is in the worst position; the Sub-Saharan Africa has 11% of the world’s population and 25% of the global disease burden but only has 3% of the global workforce (“Health Workforce”, n.d., p. 1).
Several solutions to this problem have been analyzed and discussed over the past few decades. An assignment we had several weeks ago discussed the impact of shortages of qualified nursing staff and the impact on the health care industry and patients. A solution I’m sure many offered to this problem that can apply to the global crisis is education. Education on a global scale would solve many countries staffing shortage and simultaneously allow families to rise above poverty levels with an advanced education. Also, centralization of a health curriculum would allow health care workers to travel to any country and work without having to take additional coursework or go through a lot of red-tape in order to work.
A second solution would be government backed tax incentives for health care staff to volunteer their time and services. As a single male nursing student, I know that when I enter the workforce, my income will be heavily taxed due to increased salary and no dependents. I would definitely volunteer my time in exchange for a tax break.
Finally, I would heavily invest in medical technology and research. In a time of great technological advancement, the internet and the emergence of biotechnology, there is room for virtual care and diagnosis. System could be developed wherein vitals, symptoms and signs were collected by a staff that did not have to be trained to the level of a medical doctor and this information could then be reviewed by an MD to assess and diagnose. This would allow physicians to treat and lot more patients then the current requirement to visually inspect each patient. While this might seem outside the realm of acceptance in developed countries like the US and France, countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa would benefit from whatever care was available.
References
Health Workforce. (n.d.). WHO | World Health Organization. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from http://www.who.int/gho/health_workforce/en/index.html