Graduation Speech: Carry On! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I will open with a quote, "a failure is not someone who tries and fails, but rather someone who fails and gives up." I started my freshmen year of high school at East High. From the start I struggled to complete my school work. Low motivation was the major factor that eventually led to me failing english, math, science, physical education, you name it I failed it. As I began to lose more credits and fail more courses my self esteem plummeted along with my motivation. By my sophomore year I felt like a major failure and as such I wanted desperately to drop out of high school. With the little motivation I had left and tremendous support from my mother I continued school for another year. As my junior year wore on however it became apparent that I was falling in short in my courses once again. My failures seemed have stacked up all through high school and I was now left to face a pile of failings a mile high. In a last ditch effort I consulted my high school councilor and discussed what options I had to finished school. After careful consideration I decided that Winema was the option for me. I was wrong if I thought that Winema was just a means of getting my diploma. It goes fare beyond academic instruction only. Winema, I learned, is a place where you form friendships that contribute to your educational learning as well as to the development of your identity. Through the use of traditional and alternative teaching styles the school brings communication, art, and critical thinking into what could be the dry facts of curriculum. When I arrived for my first day at the high school I realized how very diverse we are as a student body. Even at a glance it is obvious that we come from all walks of life, all ages, and all colors. We each have different beliefs and religious affiliations, but we all have one thing in common. We are not failures. In spite of our disappointment at times or just the need to make a change we trudged on in order to get our high school diplomas. We relied on our friends and family and on each other to get through the tough times at Winema. When life was just not going well, and getting to school seemed like a monumental task, we persisted by continuing to attend and plowing the road that led to our diploma.

Leaders and Followers: The roles we each play Essay

Introduction Throughout nursing history there have been great leaders. In every nurses career there are leaders we work with that we come to admire and may even attempt to emulate. As I continue my journey to becoming a Masters prepared nurse I will need to step up as a leader. It is a role that The Nurse Leader: New Perspectives on the Profession is providing the information and understanding of how I will need to progress. The question â€Å"Are you a leader or are you a follower?† is one I will now be able to answer. Followership Style Am I a leader or a follower? If I am a follower what type of follower am I? Followership is a term I had not heard before beginning this leadership class. Taking the Followership Style Test provided by Grossman & Valiga (2009, pg. 56-57) was interesting. Scoring a 3.7, my personal followership style is described as moderately participative or Independent worker; does not need close supervision just a bit of feedback. I actually was not surprised by the results of the test. I am an experienced nurse with more than 20 years working in and around surgical services. At this point in my career I am expected to function independently and work as a leader and resource for my peers. The * With information from the Learning Resources in mind, what implications does this score have for your role as a leader? I am independent of management in my daily work ethic†¦ * Were you surprised by the outcome of the test? If yes, explain how. If the results were consistent with your expectations, offer evidence to support that assertion. * How can information gained in this survey help you become a more effective follower? Role of a Follower * Describe a role in your professional life in which you would portray yourself as a follower. As a member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) I am a follower. I utilize the standards established by AORN in my daily practice. My work ethic is an example to other staff members and peers. †¦. Based on what you know now about attributes of leadership, what are some things you might want to focus on in terms of developing more effective leadership skills? Grossman & Valiga (2009) describe nurse leaders as self-confident with a high degree of self esteem, and are visionary. Experienced nurses are looked to as resource nurses and mentors. Moving forward toward my goal of becoming a nurse educator I need to step forward into a leadership role more often than I do now. I need to develop a better sense of my leadership style and practice. ANA Bill of Rights and Leadership * Briefly, explain how the ANA Bill of Rights might be of value to you as follower or as a leader. The ANA Bill of Rights provides a frame work for nursing practice. A frame work of what is expected of us as professionals and what we can expect from employers, facilities and patients. Conclusion The answer to the question â€Å"Am I a leader or a follower†, is I am both. At this juncture of my career I tend to be a follower. As a future educator and mentor I am expected to be a leader. Lead by example and inspire those I work with to achieve more than they believed possible. was never one I considered before I began. know where I fall into each of these two distinct categories. Where do my strengths lie? What are the areas of improvement I need to examine so that I can become a leader and follower . References Grossman, S. C., & Valiga, T. M. (2009). Followership and empowerment. In S. C. Grossman & T. M. Valiga (Eds.), The new leadership challenge: creating the future of nursing (pp. 35-59). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.

Special Education - 1164 Words

From the first day a child is born, parents are there to nurture their child, to support them as they grow and develop. There is a lot to learn about raising a child under normal circumstances, but when a child has special needs parents must learn this whole new language of medical and special education terms (Overton, 2005). Parents enter this new world where navigating for the best interest of their child is riddled with challenges and obstacles that they need to somehow overcome. This is especially true when parents are dealing with the special education program in their child’s school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities (Smith, Hilton,†¦show more content†¦What are these special needs, which qualify a student to be considered for special education? Firstly, students with challenges in learning have to be considered. In a normal class, there could students who find it hard to learn because of some reasons. Such students need specialized attention so that they are not disadvantaged in the learning process. When writing special education essays, it is also important to address the issue of communication challenges. These challenges occurs because of poor proficiency in the language being used, thus causing a communication barrier. The commonest factor is physical disabilities. Students with disabilities require specialized education for them to gain knowledge and become productive in the society. These disabilities may include hearing and sight problems. They may also have deformed limbs, as a result of natural birth or accidents. Additionally, students with emotional, behavioral, and developmental disorders require special education. Are you looking for competitive essay writing help? Are you in need of essay writers online? Do you want to buy research papers? We have excellent homework help to meet your needs. Our custom essays focus on your instructions. We provide you with high quality online homework help and best essay writing service to guarantee you A+ grades.Show MoreRelatedSpecial Needs For Special Education1028 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction/Purpose Fitzgerald, Ryan Fitzgerald (2015) reported that it has been an increase of children identified with special education needs in different countries in Europe. One of the explanation for this influx is the definition of special needs recently changed, which caused more children to fall under that category. Since more children qualify for special education, professionals and parents need training and guidance on meeting the needs of those students. 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