Assignment:
Respond to these student posts
Part 1
Tobacco and alcohol use are a personal choice, but they have a foundation in the societal aspect as well. Social norms are what contribute to every persons eventual choices and behavior based on what others have set out for a pattern of acceptability in society. Therefore, if we are to change these habits, we must first look at how our society plays a roll and re-create the narrative for the future. The Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths states that standards set by society define the boundaries of behavior. (Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths, 1994). If a person at a young age is seeing alcohol consumption and/or smoking as something that is accepted by friends and family, or movies are portraying actors as heroes that smoke it's certainly noticed and accepted. Just encouraging smoking cessation or helping to stop others from drinking is only part of the solution. There is an underlying pervasiveness to these addictions that needs to be uprooted. It is not just the addiction itself that is a problem because a lot of the time one will replace another.
The cultural acceptance and advocacy for such behavior needs to be stopped. The public funding of these issues is largely where the problem is based. Lobbying and other special interests that want to control and manipulate individual behaviors are at the center of this issue. If you are looking at alcohol consumption for example, it is glorified in the media and set forth in mass-marketing droves. Children and adults alike view it as something used to celebrate and have fun. Smoking and alcohol consumption is something that goes hand in hand when some people are socializing.
Shiffmans study reveals that 19% of cigarettes were smoked when drinking alcohol and 29% when participants were socializing. (Schiffman, 2009). In order to lessen the effects of alcohol consumption and smoking in our society, we must first stop allowing big tobacco companies and alcohol producers to target our children and people from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds. Even though there has been campaigns to stop children and others from smoking or drinking, it has not been enough. We must all take part in these responsibilities so that we can create a healthier more productive society for each other.
Part 2
When it comes to smoking and excessive drinking, the effects can be seen all throughout society, so shouldn't society play a part in helping end these horrible addictions. I will agree in saying that the end result of quitting is the individual and only the individuals responsibility. Society cannot force a person to quit, but it can help lead the individual to that decision.
Several communities, in accordance to state laws, have now banned smoking in all public places including bars and restaurants. In the article How Society Treats Smoking, Gregory N Connolly provides qualitative studies and information on the process taken to promote public support in such bans. Smoking can have long term affects on the individual, the community, the wildlife and air pollution. These are not problems an individual can fix. It will take the support from society as a whole. Along with smoking bans in public places, there are products made available to help individuals quit smoking such as nicotine gum and patches. These products can be found at any county health department and are usually free to the public. In Illinois this past year, legislation was passed to raise the legal age of smoking to 21. All these steps together can help limit the amount of people smoking in society.
As far as drinking goes, alcoholism is a deadly disease that is responsible for more than 88,000 deaths per year according the CDC. Financial loss due to alcoholism is no small number either. Heavy drinking has caused the US taxpayers up to 249 billion per year (T, B. 2019). Some of these expenses include unemployment and social security expenses due to a person losing their job or being unable to hold down a job due to excessive drinking. Healthcare expenses take up a large portion with emergency room visits and treatments relating to liver disease to name just a few examples. With these expenses coming out of societies pocket, maybe society should pick up a little bit of the responsibility in trying to fix the problem. More affordable and easily accessible treatment facilities and tools should become available to the public along with stricter laws pertaining to public intoxication and drinking. It may seem unfair to those who know how to drink responsibly but it could end up saving lives and money.
Part 3
A way I would focus on early childhood administrator communication with families that are effective would be through family newsletters and a handbook for families. This is a way to conveniently communicate a basic program information that is distributed to all families at some point during the enrollment procedure. " As a director, you will have to decide what information parents need to know and the best way to convey it to them"(Jones, 1996). The parent handbook would include a brief statement about the program, an outline of the day as well as an explanation of how it fits into the program philosophy, fees and arrangements for payments, expected arrival and pickup times and procedures etc. The goal is to work with every parent and what works with each and every parent, If a parent is unable to attend school activities or parent teacher conferences a phone call or face time might work better for them.
The steps an administrator should take when working with referral agencies is by collecting a list of services that are available in the community. Having a plan fit or booklet that contains names of all social services agencies, their addresses, telephone numbers, websites, hours, charges etc. Some potential benefits and challenges involving families and the community is the effective use of the interpersonal skills that are particularly appropriate when working with the community. Along with the appearance and maintenance of the buildings and grounds that can influence the relationship with the community.
Part 4
When trying to keep all the parents involved in upcoming events, what's new at the program, and all the different changes that are happening I will do a weekly update on what new is going on and what is up and coming. Challenges could arise by this by me missing something or not letting the parents know soon enough on what is happening at the program. I will take all the advice possible from the parents and teachers to be able to make sure I am doing everything possible to keep the parent sin the loop of all the things going on at the program. The people that work at the program are the best ones to know when a child may need a little extra help, we are the ones that are teaching them and watching them learn. Some may need a little extra help, and this is when different agencies will come into play. If we see the family need a little extra help at home, we will visit the different agencies to see what they offer and then come to that family and give them the information they need to use this agency.
In different communities the agencies differ. Some may need a little extra help with groceries, and some may need need personal help with their medical issues. We can help them by offering them pamphlets of all the different agencies that we have contact with that may help the family. The director should make time to visit and make appointments with all the different agencies to see what they offer. So, when the time arises when a family needs help the program has all the information on hand to give to the family. When families are involved in their child's program the attend helps the child become more involved themselves. When they see their parents wanting to become more involved in their life it should encourage the child to do more as well. "When the director has done a good job of understanding the community, and when all the pertinent information is conveyed to the staff, everyone at the center gains a greater appreciation of the community, and a strong working relationship can emerge" (Sciarra, D. J., Lynch, E. M., Adams, S. M., & Dorsey, A. G. (2016) Community involvement is huge when it comes to a program with children. If you have the communities trust with their children and money big things could happen for the program.
Part 5
When people talk about heroes we think about the good guys and when people refer to villains we always associate them to the bad guys from the story. These roles should be exclusive, but it have been certain situations where heroes commit villainous act, for example when peter pan steal the rich to feed the poor, even though he did it with good intentions robbing someone is still a bad act and vice-verse villains can become good guys, for example in the game of throne when the character Theon Greyjoy's the son of Lord Balon, he was ruthless and monstrous but when suffered greatly, he became a good guy in the story.
In my opinion tricksters can not be heroes because these characters are mischievous they lie, cheat, and steal to accomplish their goal.
Celebrities are view in different way by the people who fallow and praise them. Celebrities are usually picture as good guys. in the actuality the media have a lot of influence on their lives, so one day they can be an hero and another day a trickster. A great example is Angelina Jolie, she is knowing as a great actress and humanitarian person but due to circumstances in life, now she seem like one of the worse person even though she had done so many good things.
Part 6
History has shown the world from many aspects of literture that villians and heros pretty much stay on their own side of the track. However, in today`s modern era, seeing villians turn good and heros turn heel, becomes more exciting, because its the unexpected. Although pro wrestling is a form of entertainment more than a sport, this transition is often used to catch the crowd off guard. Another example is in the movie X-Men when Magneto who has always carried the status of villian asssited in saving the mutants from the world who wants to destoy what he is too. The biggest lesson I`ve always learn is to keep your friends close and enemies even closer to get educated on their every move to deceive you. Celebrities are viewed based on perception, because as a child I thought Superman was a hero, but in reality he is a trickster, because he really didn`t exist. The difference between a real person and their image is either the immortality or the creation developed in the story their in. One example is that I couldn`t hold a bolt of lightening in my hand like Zeus or live in the bottom of the sea like Poseidon.