#any self-respecting writing and literature student could write a better one at 3 am when going onto hour 20 of sleep exhaustion

[anonthenullifier]

You think Tommy & Billy occasionally have to hear their parents get referenced or discussed in classes or school hallways?

I am so so sorry this took a long time. I hope you enjoy it! 

The echoes of the bell are still bouncing through the halls and the room is still teacherless. There are signs that Mr. Byrne, their physics teacher, is around – a coffee cup sitting on top of a pile of their ungraded papers (which is fine by Tommy, he’s tempted to just go knock the mug over and get everyone As) and also the word DENSITY scrawled on the board. “What is it - 3 minutes and we get to leave?”

“Fifteen,” Billy doesn’t even turn to acknowledge his twin, too focused on organizing his notes, “pretty sure that’s only for college and also not sure it’s even a real rule.”

Apparently today his brother is in one of his serious, academically focused moods. “No one asked you, nerd.”

Now Tommy’s earned a steely stare, “You did.”

“Whatever.” Fifteen minutes seems excessive anyway, if Tommy is going to lead a revolt to not have class, he’d rather only wait five minutes, max. Given the make-up of their classmates, he’s reasonably confident he could get at least three-fourths of the back two rows on his side. Definitely not going to garner any sort of sympathy or fealty from the front rows, where they sit, because Billy says he hears better up here. Tommy only sits with him because they are near the door for an easy escape. “Do you think he’s dressing up again?” 

Billy writes Density at the top of a new page before looking at Tommy with disdain finally aimed at someone other than him. “God, I hope not.” 

“Who do you think it’ll be this time?” 

“Probably Carol.” Tommy snorts and then gags at the mental image, also a sliver proud of Billy’s emotionless delivery.  You see, Mr. Byrne is one of those…”cool” teachers, self-described, not student labeled like their kickass literature teacher next period. He’s “up” on memes, pop culture, and slang, though usually only on an academic surface level, the way old people try desperately to relate to the “youths” of the time. Why he tries, Tommy doesn’t know, the man has to be at least in his mid-thirties.* His choice of cultural relevance this semester? Superheroes. It’s awful, every week they have to watch him fanboy about someone else they know. It’s bad enough being the children of Avengers and dealing with other students who either have unoriginal questions (“Why do Hulk’s pants not rip apart?”), want autographs (particularly from Tony), want to prove they can win a fight without super powers (they can’t and Tommy’s detentions prove this), or, his favorite is when they ask sexually explicit things about his parents. That is a topic he never ever ever ever wants to think about ever again. 

Tommy checks the clock – four minutes. One more and then Živjela revolucija!** 

“Good morning class!” Dammit. “Today we will be…,” Mr. Byrne’s entrance is drowned out by sniggering, everyone murmuring around them and Tommy swears he can feel at least fifteen people looking at him.  

“Oh no.” It’s Billy’s voice that worries him the most. 

Tommy finally looks up,”Oh fuck no.” 

“That’s right,” it was bound to happen, they should have seen this coming, should have dropped this class when the whole superhero examples and costumes started. But they didn’t, they had just a bit too much faith in humanity. “Today we will be learning about density from the expert himself,” Mr. Byrne, face painted a too bright red and a plastic gem that he probably stole from a troll’s stomach stuck to his forehead, tries to swipe his Halloween costume store quality cape dramatically, “The Vision.”

A swift kick to the left gets Billy to tear his eyes away from the abomination at the front of the room, “Fuck this shit, I’m out.”

Except a thin blue strand traps Tommy in his seat,, “It’s one day,” Billy’s mouth doesn’t move but Tommy can hear his damn placating voice in his head, “we need this class to graduate and you can’t go to the principal again, so just stay and suffer.” The last part is almost gleeful. 

“Nope, I’ll just get a G.E.D.” Tommy throws his brother and teacher the middle finger as he vibrates his molecules and phases the hell away. 

Dad’s face is not pleased and mom’s eyes are glowing. “I swear this one is justified.”

“Yes,” his dad’s voice matches the tone he’s used on villains begging for freedom, who try to explain that the death ray was just meant to exterminate the rats in the city not, you know, the group of people tied up, “I am certain your detention will be justified this time.”

Well, he’s a lost cause, so Tommy shifts to the more rebellious parent, “Mom, I promise, that man is a lunatic and I had no choice but to skip.”

The Scarlet Witch, feared and revered for her reality warping, is about to tear a hole in reality and kick him out of this existence. “I’m sure.” 

Jody, the secretary, in all her villainess cardigan wearing glory shushes them sternly, “You know the rules.” The reprimand is replaced by a mannequin-esque smile, “The teacher is on his way and then Dr. Bennett will sort this all out.” 

Five minutes of agonizing silence pass, dad on one side in his unassuming and gaudy sweater vest and mom on the other, flicking arcs of scarlet between her fingers, before an out-of-breath Mr. Byrne arrives. He’s changed, now in khakis and a polo and face clean other than a slight tinge of red that looks like a sunburn. The conniving bastard. “The Vis-, I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Maximoff, what a pleasure to meet you.” 

Mom provides a taut, yet polite smile, “It’s too bad we didn’t meet under better circumstances.” 

“I agree,” Mr. Byrne’s voice conveys the same feeling that a patronizingly placed hand on the shoulder would, “Tommy is such a bright boy.” The if only is left silent, thankfully, a phrase he is so sick of hearing. 

This is all bullshit. Mr. Byrne knows exactly why Tommy left and yet, as the way it usually goes, the adults will all believe the adult. Actually, as it usually goes, he’s going to be left out here and not be allowed to speak his piece. 

The door to the principal’s office opens with a, “Mr. and Mrs. Maximoff, Mr. Byrne, please come inside.” 

His fate is sealed now, at least one more detention and maybe, if he’s lucky, an expulsion, though honestly that wouldn’t be luck because then he’d probably be forced to do some community service thing or, worse, have dad homeschool him.  But then, like an Avenger that’s been gone for a way too damn long time during the battle, salvation comes in the form of Billy rushing through a portal in the office wall. “Wait, I have evidence!”

“William,” the principal’s voice is almost the same cadence as dad’s when he’s disappointed, “this is unprecedented.”

Billy is way better at playing along with superiors, his body folding in just enough to show he is ashamed at the breach of protocol, but he remains steadfast against the admonishment. “I know Dr. Bennett, but I have pictures of what happened in class today.”

Curiosity is the prime emotion in the office, but it is not the loudest, that would be the absolute blissful terror draining the last of the color from Mr. Byrne’s face. “Let us see it.” Billy hands his phone over to the Principal who squints with a “Huh,” and then hands the phone to mom who immediately starts laughing while dad, well, it’s hard to read his reaction, but Tommy knows that anytime he stands that still and that impassive it means he has come across something so horrendous, so lacking in social respectability that he is doing everything in his power to not phase through the floor. “Mr. Byrne, I believe you and I need to have a conversation. Thomas?”

“Yes, ma’am?” Whatever kindness may have been on her face is gone. “Um, yes, Dr. Bennett?”

“You should go back to class.”

He salutes her. “Will do.”

Tommy waits just a moment longer to watch the slouched form of his teacher go into the principal’s office before joining his family in the hallway. “That was amazing! You should save me every time…” he’s really confused right now why everyone isn’t celebrating with him. “What?”

“You should get back to class,” mom doesn’t sound mad, in fact, she seems entertained by the whole thing and is only putting on the parental facade because it’s what she has to do as his mom, “we can discuss some better ways to handle these types of situations later,” something he expected, “once your poor father here isn’t so traumatized.” Ah, he sees it now, dad’s still a bit stiff and hasn’t blinked in awhile, it would be rude to rub this in any more, that’ll be for dinner tonight. 

“Sounds good. Won’t skip class again.”

“I’m sure…” 

Billy tugs Tommy away as he counters back, “Have faith, mom,” and he walks away a free man.

*30, according to my own students, is the equivalent of being elderly and about to die. 

**Long live the revolution!

[christoe]

Reflection 7: Meta-Reflection

Podcasts

• What did you learn about your own teaching practice after creating and listening to your classmate’s podcasts? How did the content of the podcasts relate to or inform your teaching practice? How could you use SoTL literature to inform your teaching practice? How comfortable do you feel evaluating SoTL literature and understanding its relevance to your own teaching practice?

I learned that my teaching practice has a long way to go in order to be fully inclusive, engaging, and active. The more we learn about SoTL, the more we learn how much more we have to learn! And I’m excited for that journey. From the podcasts, Anna and Kim presented on Indigenous Pedagogy and I liked the term “Settler teachers.” Sometimes I forget my privilege and the land in which I’m seated, and I will work that brain muscle constantly to remember the incredibly important lands in which I safely reside, and those my ancestors stole it from. It’s so important to cherish and acknowledge, not only indigenous culture, but all cultures. We must embrace the uncomfortable process of decolonizing teaching. Anna said, “that process of not needing to be right feels like an important part of decolonizing oneself,” and I absolutely agree. Kim went on to explain that this decolonizing growth is created, and that space is made when we admit that we’re wrong, and also that there isn’t necessarily a right and wrong. There is always room for the otherwise and space for learning and growing. Anna and Kim expressed Indigenous Pedagogy by connecting the curriculum to the land; “what does this lesson teach you about your land and your culture?” Education must support access to culture and access to elders, which is typically stripped away from academic environments. “This makes us think we are so separate,” explains Anna. What I thought was so important was that during education admission cycles, we must be more cautious of our processing that determine the students who are selected to attend the institution, and especially honouring the indigenous.

From Madison and Todd’s podcast on Universal Design & Inclusive Practice, I liked the note on removing barriers to learning, regardless of ability. As a teacher, to support students by providing accommodation without them needing to ask for it, because it’s not traditionally built in to the learning experience. There should be multiple means of presentation efforts. I loved the note about mind-tap; that there should be different modes of textbook available (print, electronic, audio); this allows the students to choose how, when, and where they complete the course material. I love this! I do this anyways, cycle between different modes of reading, and it’s such a strenuous effort finding all 3 versions – if only they were all provided from the start! I also liked the note on close captioning the presentation; it should be an ON/OFF option for students so they’re not forced to see them and thus distracted in class. Giving the flexible choice to students if they want to see captions and having it ready and prepared for if they do.

From Felten’s “Principles of Good Practice in SoTL,” teachers must provide inquiry-focused efforts on student learning, conducted in partnership with students. This relates to my own field in theatre because there is this creative ensemble; encouraging random people to work together toward a final goal of collectively understanding.

Learning Goals

• Did you meet the goals you set out in your initial learning plan or any modifications you made to it? If so, how? If not, why not? How can you achieve these goals moving forward, if you feel your initial/modified plan is still applicable? If your plan no longer applicable, how has it changed and why did you change it?

As per Reflection 5 (Progress Towards Learning Goals) I have met my goals. Again, they are:

1. Build skills that encourage student motivation, specifically support student engagement.

2. How to create a safe learning environment and build positive teacher-student relationships.

3. Build transferable skills into the curriculum, specifically risk-taking, critical thinking, and reflection.

“My article on student motivation actually allowed me to meet all of my goals listed above. In the article, The Rehearsal Room Practice (RRP) encourages transferable skills of risk-taking, critical thinking, and reflection through reading and embodying Shakespeare in a group setting. The collaboration and sense of community encourage students to be brave and honest and analytical.”

Previously I said, “It’s important to bring ‘yourself’ to the students, to dismantle the power hierarchy between teacher student, but you must also not trend on being OVERLY friendly or personal.” From feedback, Jessie made a great point on identifying those exact strategies that will continue my growth of authentic self while also ensuring that I’m not overly friendly. There can absolutely be a level of mutual respect between students and professors without a power dynamic; I’ve experienced those instances first hand and I’m excited to exhibit similar mannerisms. These include being personable and fun and friendly, without relaying your personal life stresses. Of course, support and empathy are vital traits for teachers, but oversharing personal issues with students treads on unprofessionalism.

Additionally, in regard to my micro-teaching, said “It was hard to allow volunteer readings because that always adds more time than you just reading the slide yourself, as an instructor.” In regard to Jessie’s feedback, I decided to incorporate class reading because I realized the importance of participation and active learning. Students absorb so much more if they are involved, rather than just being read to. The engagement of audience in both the classroom and the theatre is incredibly important in my teaching methods, so I will always strive to be the most participatory as the lesson will allow me to be!

Micro-Teaching Lesson

• What changes, if any, did you notice in your teaching between your first session and second micro-teaching session? What steps will you take to ensure you will you continue to improve your teaching practice? What lessons have your learned in this course that you will take into your future teaching practice?

I definitely learned the importance of class participation. Unless I am giving a lecture (or even if I am) I shouldn’t just speedily list off facts and information – it’s too much to process for most learners, unless they’re able to take notes as fast as I speak, but what’s the point in that when I could just submit my lecture notes without actually giving it. My point is, it’s so important in the process of absorbing new information to give your students time to digest; time to participate; time to collaborate with each other; time to reflect. My first teaching session was heavily lecture based, which was okay, but definitely a tad stale for my audience. So, the next round I boosted the participation efforts of my class to encourage active participation, confidence, and collaboration. There’s a fine line in participation where we, as teachers, don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable by sharing out loud to the class (because public speaking is scary) but it’s an extremely important life lesson to build those skills, especially at a young age. Not necessarily to be outspoken, but to have the confidence to share your own opinions. This is the difference between creating a safe learning space (which was one of my original learning goals), and a BRAVE learning space. We must push each other, our peers and our students, to be active and participatory, even if a bit uncomfortable, it’s important to build comfort, respect, independent, and collaboration in the classroom.

The biggest takeaway from this class, especially in terms of my 3rd learning goal, Arao & Clemens write in “From Safe to Brave Spaces” to not take things personally! “The affected people are in this way doubly affected—first by the event that triggered their emotions and then again by the responsibility for managing them.” (p. 145)

I absolutely love...

“own your intentions and your impact […] the impact of our actions is not always congruent with our intentions and that positive or neutral intentions do not trump negative impact." (145-6)

In any classroom, teachers are unable to remove risk so we must encourage bravery over safety. “We propose revising our language, shifting away from the concept of safety and emphasizing the importance of bravery instead, to help students better understand—and rise to—the challenges of genuine dialogue on diversity and social justice issues.” (136)

[ajokeformur-ray]

For the matchup thing

I want to request for Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, Hannibal and Sherlock, if it’s not too much of a trouble. I just started following your blog and I am absolutely smitten. I’ve already read all of your imagines, and I can’t wait for more to come.

Anyway, I identity as female, I’m pansexual and I’m a Gemini ENTP Slytherclaw.

Appearance: Well, my icon is actually me. I’m Asian, around 5’ (153 cm), I’m pretty thin(ish), but athletically built with some muscle. I have really dark brown eyes (near black), and black hair. I look very intimidating when I’m not smiling, I also smirk a lot.

Interests: Reading, mostly science or historical fiction, also a few classic literature and philosophy books. I love to draw too, I’m better at pattern stuff than realistic sketches. I also write, mostly fanfc for my friends, but I enjoy writing essays and poetry about topics that I’m interested in. Likes: Making people laugh, crying over videos of dogs, dogs, cats, animals in general. Intellectually stimulating conversation, late night talks about philosophy, physics, space, debates. Aesthetically pleasing stuff, making people happy, feminism, spreading love. Sassing people, punching Nazis, surprise people by my strength.

Dislikes: Nazis, racists, homophobes, sexist etc. Random people touching me (friends are totally fine), mean and rude people (especially those who shout at servers in restaurant). People who say things that are contradictory, people who bully others. Look for in a relationship: cuddles, people who feel strong, solid, and steadfast. Reliability and trustworthiness are pretty important to me. Preferably older than me, because I like feeling safe and having protection. Someone I could go on adventures with, or teach me new things. Also a bit of possessiveness and jealousy.

A little more about me: I speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English fluently. I have been learning French and self teaching Latin. I’m going to start German classes soon. I love singing, I’ve been in many choirs, for around 8 years. I’m a first soprano, and going to a choir festival/competition in Germany last month was the best time of my life. I have been fencing semi professionally for around 10 years. I fence epee and foil. When I get angry, I sometimes cry. Like that time in primary school I saw some guys bullying a lower grade boy, and I got into a fight with them, and I was so pissed I started tearing up.

Sorry if it’s too long, I tend to start babbling on and on. Thanks for doing this!!! 😻😻😻

Thank you for such kind words! :) I saw you in my notifications and I was a bit surprised by how much you read, but flattered. Also - ohmygoodness thank you so much for the tip! It was incredibly generous of you! <3

Edit: You asked me to make your matchups longer. Pieces I’ve added on are in italics, to make it easier to see where I’ve gone from. Hope you like this length! :)

Hannibal - Alana Bloom

- You’re a bibliophile who reads a lot of different genres of books. You’re artistic and your hobbies are relaxing but self-expressive. Alana would likely want to read some of the essays you write, though she wouldn’t go behind your back to read them if you said no, and she’d encourage any academic interests you have. If you ever got curious about the field that she works in, she’d probably pull a few strings with Jack to be able to take you to her workplace and show you around, though it would be on a day when it’s relatively quiet and they don’t have any immediate cases or paperwork to attend to. If there are any book/cafe fusion places near you, it’d be your most popular place for a lunch date, even if there’s a drive to get there.

- After a day working, I think Alana would enjoy coming home to you, a bottle of wine and any pets the two of you would have. You’d curl up on the couch together, knees touching, and talk about the subjects you’re both interested in or even anything and nothing all at once, and just bond over the deep conversations you have. She would want to hear your views on everything, even taboo subjects that some people don’t like to talk about, such as Death Row (this is also linked into her field so she can gauge how much you agree with or disagree with her profession). Anything you disagreed with would become a lightly-heated debate, both of you respecting the others’ point of view. If you couldn’t at least calm the debate then you’d agree to disagree and leave it as it is.

- She’s compassionate, strong, and sometimes stubborn in her opinion when she thinks she’s right. She’s perceptive so I think to begin with, she’d ask you if she can touch you but as you get closer, she’d stop asking and go off of body language. Alana is a fast learner and the two of you would quickly and easily fall into a pattern of touching each other casually - a hand on the shoulder when you walk past, a hand on the small of the back as you pass through a door to a shop or restaurant... It’d be very relaxed and low-key, especially in public.

- Alana is so strong and she’s more than capable of looking out for herself and others. She’s fiercely protective of those she loves, like you, and she goes kinda cold when she’s angry, a contrast to your tears. She’s incredibly trustworthy and would be willing to teach you things, if you asked her to, though it’d depend on the subject and how much you want to know. But either way, she would do her best to teach you or show you whatever it is that you wanted to learn. She would also be really good at encouraging you to stick to a goal or deadline, either for educational or personal matters.

- You can speak some of the hardest languages to learn and that’s pretty damn impressive and shows only a sliver of your intellect. During the competition in Germany last month, Alana would have been one of your biggest supporters. You probably bond over how the both of you will defend those who are vulnerable. There’s no way that Alana would ever allow anyone to hurt you. The two of you would be invited to every one of Hannibal’s dinner parties and he’d come to see you as a respected friend, like Alana. When things went down and the truth came out, she’d flee the country with you if she had to, going anywhere at all to guarantee your mutual safety. Either way, her home is with you.

Phantom - The Phantom/Erik

- Your vast intellect makes a refreshing change from “those fools who run my theatre” and he’s only too happy to supply you with books from his expansive library. You both draw so Erik ends up putting more string along the walls to accommodate your drawings as well as his. When you’re writing, he tends to go off composing so his home would be filled with the sounds of chords, mutterings, and two sets of quills scribbling furiously on expensive parchment. You’re both quite peaceful, quiet souls and this would show in your home, too. You would have your own room and Erik would have his, though they’re connected by a door that he has the key to.

- You definitely have intellectually stimulating conversations - when Erik is in the right mood. He doesn’t have a bedtime per se so tbh neither do you; you both just run off naps (Erik) or sleep when you’re tired (you). Rarely are you sleeping at the same time but wait for the right moment and you might be able to persuade a so-tired-he’s-swaying-on-his-feet Erik to come cuddle with you! Despite his own lack of bedtime, Erik does try to get you to go to bed at a set time, just because he doesn’t want you to become too much like him (this is an inside joke in your relationship but to him, it’s a real worry). You’re both very sassy and would probably let off steam in this way. Most of your conversations, serious or not, are filled with sarcastic comments, dry quips, sly smirks and chuckles. On the occasions when Nadir comes over, he leaves thoroughly entertained by how the two of you talk to each other, his heart lighter at the sight and realisaton that his dear Erik is - at last - truly happy.

- Erik would treat you with the highest of respect, as you’re his long-time friend and eventual s/o. His actions are never excusable but they’re explainable and going off on a chance here, but I think your love for him would make him want to be the kind of man you think he is so he would tone down the bullying he does towards others when he’s after something, though if they attack you or his loved ones then it’s no holds barred, I’m afraid. He would quite literally kill for you and this isn’t something you’d ever be able to stop him from doing - it’s too ingrained in him, too much a part of who he is. Everything he does used to be to protect hinself, but now he has you - even if you don’t live with him, he considers you in every decision he makes - and so he’s a little less reckless and a lot more careful, though he still takes calculated risks when he has to.

- Cuddles would take time to develop in the relationship but they’d definitely be there, usually after you practically plead for him to break away from his music for just five minutes. Once he’s lying down with you, no worries - he’s not moving, having decided he quite likes the way you hold him. He’s strong, independent and answers to no one (apart from Nadir from time to time). He’s a lot older than you (I think he’s meant to be in his forties, maybe fifties) and would be able to protect you, physically and otherwise. He’d be happy to teach you things you’re interested in and is definitely quite possessive - enough to kill, as in canon. When you sing, he calls you his “little songbird”. He doesn’t mean it to be derogatory or offensive, but you sing and you’re shorter than he is so in his head it makes sense. Sometimes he’s worried that you being with him means that you’re caged and he wonders if he should set you free. One day he brought this up and your reaction was enough to steel his resolve - you weren’t caged. In being with him, you were free. He became a little more confident in the relationship after that discussion.

- You know so many languages that it’s admirable tbh, and you sing. I daresay it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to want to become your teacher. If you agreed, at set times each day he wouldn’t be your partner, he’d be your teacher and he wouldn’t go easy on you. Then when the lesson is over, Erik takes the Phantom’s place and he becomes your partner again. An easy, smooth transition. He might even teach you how to properly swordfight or at the very least, use a proper dagger. He appreciates how angry you get over social injustices and how fiercely you defend those who cannot defend themselves. I think your protective fierceness would show him that the world, or, his world, can show compassion - you’re his world and you’re full of compassion, towards him and others who are vulnerable.

HP - Lily Potter

- Lily is an exceptionally-gifted witch with Muggle parents, so I think she’d know your favourite authors and would be able to discuss them with you. Overhearing your conversation would be Remus; he tried not to listen but you’re talking about books so really, what did you expect? Sometimes though, Lily wants to be alone with you so she’d ask the Marauders to buzz off. She likes to sit there and watch you draw patterns on the sides of your parchments when you’re in class and Lily would likely charm a few of them to move around and make you giggle in the middle of class. You’d be very close with the Marauders but Lily would always be sure to get time away from them so that she can spend quality time with you. It’d never feel like a juggling act, though. That’s the last thing ever of them would ever want to put you through.

- You spread happiness like it’s going out of fashion and it’s one of the many things that Lily loves about you. The two of you would almost pull people in with how much you’re laughing and joking together - put in the same room as the Marauders, and it’s practically a party! Late at night, if you’re in the same dorm room, you lay cuddled up on one of your beds, gazing up at the canopy where Lily has made it look like the night sky, talking about anything that comes to mind. If you’re in different dorm rooms - you gotta sneak around for a bit but with James’ invisibility cloak, anything’s possible! You’d steal away little moments during the day together, sneaking into corridor alcoves for quick kisses, notes pressed into palms as you pass each other in the corridor on the way to class, hand holding under the desk when you have a class together and have managed to snag a seat next to each other... It’d be safe, secure, with each other. The closer war looms over your heads, the closer the two of you get.

- You share a lot of the same dislikes so if anyone offends either of you or anyone in your vicinity, they better watch out because they’ll be sassed by two different people at the same time. You’d spend most of your time together in the library, surrounded by books. I think for a lot of the younger students, you’d become some kind of after-class tutor club where they’d come and ask questions or even study with you. You’d definitely become some kind of role model couple for the younger students, and even some of the students in your year have a betting pool going for what time the two of you will get engaged etc. Sirius started that betting pool but ssssh xD

- Lily would probably be a few months or even a year older than you and she’d definitely look after you and protect you. If you trimmed your hair by even a millimetre, she’d notice and comment on it, elbowing one of the Marauders so they’d chirp in with compliments, too. She’d be more than happy to teach you things and you could easily go off with the Marauders on nightly adventures, dragging Lily along with you. You’d be a more relaxed influence on Lily, getting her to loosen up a little and break out some of those mischievous thoughts she has, betrayed only by that glint in her eye, and she’d be a more disciplined influence on you as far as academics go, not that you need it.

- I headcanon that Lily angry-cries too so when you’re both angry, it’s dangerous to be near either of you. You would easily defend anyone who looks like they need it, even from themselves if that was the case. You’d be each other’s best friend, comfort place, and would be sources of laughter and happiness for those lucky enough to be around you. You’d become a source of strength for others, particularly those in your inner circles, as the War looms closer. Just by being yourselves, you’d remind others that love is right there if one only looks, just like Dumbledore said.

Sherlock - John Watson

- John blogs and you draw and write so the two of you could easily spend an entire day doing your own things in each other’s company, occasionally getting up to make tea or get takeaway if John is too lazy to cook. He would be the type of s/o to come home with a new book every time he leaves the flat, just to see you smile. He would ask to read the poems or essays you write but wouldn’t be mad if you said no - just curious. If he was kept up late with a case and couldn’t make it home to you, when he did come back he’d have flowers, chocolates, a book... He’d curl up on the couch beside you with an arm slung over your shoulder, holding you close as you snuggle in while watching a crapy TV re-run bothh of you have seen ten times or more but are too lazy to change it over, much to Sherlock’s chagrin.

- You’re also the couple to cuddle up in bed and watch cat videos for about six hours even though you boh have things to do. You talk about anything, from Sherlock to the latest case, to your childhoods and your futures. Anything and everything would be spoken about and one of you would fall asleep, the other to follow soon after. John always wakes up first and is usually pretty content to let you sleep in, but when you need to be awake early for whatever reason or if John just wants you to get up, he’d sit on the side of your be, with a hot cup of tea on your bedside table and lull you awake with forehead kisses and maybe wandering hands if you’re into that.

- You dislike the same type of people and as far as rudeness goes, Sherlock sometimes goes over or close to the mark but John just glares at him or says, “Bit not good” and Sherlock would apologise to you, even if you hadn’t been spoken to by him directly but were affronted by what he’d said to someone else. You’re both very protective so those who know you, yourselves and each other are always well looked after, even if there isn’t much time for love in your lives. You’d make time, for certain, because there’s no-one more important than you in John’s life, though Sherlock comes in close at second. 

- Cuddles are a must with John, especially when he’s having a nightmare. On those nights, he’ll curl into your back and sob quietly for all those he couldn’t save… Including himself. He would protect you with his life and each case provides several adventures so you’d get all the adrenaline rushes you need! John doesn’t really get jealous but if anyone tried to make a move towards you, he’d stalk across the room and kiss you soundly, telling the other person in no uncertain terms that you’re taken. He’s not really possessive, though, he’s more... Set in his relationship with you and he wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in the way of that. If you ever wanted to break up, he’d have a hard time letting you go, for sure.

- He’s impressed by the sheer number of languages that you speak and loves your singing voice, going to every performance if you do those. If you ever got angry at him, the sight of your tears would kill any anger he has and he’d have to come over and pull you into a hug. His resolve is strong but his love for you is even stronger and he’s never really mad at you. He’s just worried, I suppose. He’s very forgiving, after a time, but don’t push him. He’d treat you with so much respect and love and you’d have such a tight, strong relationship with him.

[courteliza]

I forgot school is a thing

The first week of classes at Korea University ended up being much more stressful than I originally thought - this wasn’t due to the KU registration process but rather my home university and my own overconfidence. The add/drop period at KU is only for four days, which didn’t bother me at first since I had gotten into the classes I wanted to take on registration day. Some things had changed, so I submitted the course approval form for my home university about 1.5 weeks before leaving for South Korea (around Feb 10). The only class I need to graduate is a literature general education course, which I thought could be fulfilled through one of the media classes I registered for, since they both required a lot of reading and writing. Turns out, I was stretching this too much, and about a day into the first week of classes, the form from my home university returned only to be denied. Needless to say I was extremely annoyed, and long story short I am now taking a teaching literature in EFL class, (which requires an individual presentation, much to my delight) that I missed the first week of because I could not find the classroom. Like I said, first impressions aren’t my strong suit. The big shout out here goes my home university, who almost screwed up my graduation status (did all that money mean nothing?) and then said that my EFL class was an exception for my special case (I think not after what I went through).

At least at this point I now I have everything sorted out, although I am a bit sad that I am now taking 4 classes instead of 3. I really liked my empty schedule. 

I really like my media classes, they are more centered on film than I thought but they will give me some great practice in writing and learning more about cinema in general. Some things are mostly overview from classes I already took at my home university, but it will be fascinating to see how the opinions and contexts change in a different country. People don’t really talk to one another in class, so I haven’t met any of my classmates. I hope this changes as the semester goes on.

My favorite class will probably be Introduction to Media Criticism, as the professor is hilarious and actually called out a Korean student for being too nerdy when he asked alot of questions about the syllabus and homework. He also told us to call him the class manager instead of professor, which I thought really funny.

I had kind of forgotten what it was like to go to class and have textbooks and things, so I was kinda thrown off the first couple of days. Thankfully, there was no homework the first week aside from some simple readings, so I spent Friday trying to find an art exhibit with my friend, which after two hours turned out to be a solo work of art in a sketchy construction supply mall called the Sewoon Plaza, which sounds much fancier than it actually was. Afterwards I got a reusable BT21 mug (with Koya on it, of course) at the Dunkin’ Donuts nearby since they were running a special where you got the mug for free if you ordered at least 8,000KW of food.

(ta-da! not my photo)

I needed one, and it was the cheapest BTS-related merch I could find. Now I can start making my own tea and buying instant coffee. (peasant for life)

Aside from walking an insane amount and stressing out about my graduation status, this week was better for me mentally than the previous one. When I first came to Korea, I felt a bit lost and overwhelmed by the difference of life at Korea University compared to back home. I was longing for people who thought more similarly to me, not in the US cultural sense, but with similar values and beliefs. I felt like most of the people around me cared more about dating and spending a ton of money partying, and I felt really lonely. One of the things that stuck out to me the most was the individuality that people in Seoul seem to love. As an introvert, I tend to process things inwardly and often keep to myself, but I am constantly watching those around me and tuning myself in to the feelings of others, to better understand them and for my own learning. I feel as though here, the average person does not really care what anyone else is doing, and while I felt self conscious coming to a new place not knowing many things or the language, I noticed that it doesn’t matter to others. I don’t think I see this as a negative thing, rather it was just very different to experience. Another thing I noticed early on was the care and respect for places. There is no trash laying around anywhere, and the streets and metro are very clean and no one is leaving any personal items behind. I thought alot about this, comparing it to back home and wondered why people where I live don’t value the space they are living in, and how a city so full of people can be cleaner than my small town. The third thing that stuck out to me was the way of dating: it seems like everyone is dating and couples are always together. I don’t remember seeing as many couples everywhere back home as here, and it almost seems like here people are more obvious about it. As it is back home, being single is seen as something negative, but I imagine it would be harder to be content with yourself living here and being surrounded by couples all of the time.

Now that I have gotten into more of a routine, I have more time to process these things, and at the moment feel more at peace with them. I realized that despite feeling lonely, I am quite resilient when it comes to standing up to what I believe in. While I might have experienced the fear of missing out at times, I still never did anything I didn’t want to do or that I felt violated my beliefs and even though this is simple, it encouraged me alot.

Another thing that helped alot was getting involved with a campus ministry called Emmaus. A friend and I started going to dinners with them and getting to know other Christians, and last Sunday we went to the affiliated church. I really enjoyed it and realized how much I was missing fellowship and welcoming people. I am looking forward to the other ways in which I can get involved with the church, as one of my goals while studying abroad was to get fully involved in a church congregation and making lasting relationships. 

There aren’t alot of pictures in this post, I apologize - none of the ones I took this week seemed relevant. I hope to get out another post about this week in a couple days. 

[ryan1garret-blog]

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

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     CHAPTER ONE

 Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

  OBJECTIVES

  STUDY OF THIS CHAPTER WILL ENABLE STUDENTS TO:

 1.                  Define cultures and subcultures, and describe various types of subcultures.

 2.                  Examine characteristics of a culture and determine how they affect the people under your care.

 3.                  Evaluate values, and discuss how they influence clients, families, and health care workers.

 4.                  Consider ways to identify diverse groups in Canada.

 5.                  Defend the importance of nurses providing cultural care to Canadians.

 6.                  Examine several health trends occurring in Canada.

 7.                  Compare and contrast attitudes toward health and illness.

 8.                  Analyze the influences of socioeconomic levels on the health status of people and groups.

 9.                  Identify key concepts of health promotion.

 10.              Determine how knowledge of cultural and socioeconomic levels can contribute to the effectiveness of health promotion.

 11.              Evaluate ways to meet the needs of a person with cultural values and a socioeconomic level different from your own.

 12.              Apply knowledge about the teaching–learning process to a health promotion education program.

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 TEACHING–LEARNING STRATEGIES

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 1. Construct the meaning of culture and subculture in Canada. Have students who represent various cultures or subcultures present a seminar to explore the values and customs of each of their cultural backgrounds as each perceives it. After the seminar, discuss how a person’s cultural background might influence his or her disposition toward the care of patients/clients.

 Have students compare themselves to what the research literature says about their culture/subculture.

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 2. Discuss the importance of cultural and family rituals to child development. Encourage students to give personal examples of each of the above.

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 3. Discuss components, patterns, and values found in every culture. Share examples of components and traditional and emerging values of Canadian culture. With the students, identify how this knowledge is essential in assessing, planning, and implementing the promotion of health.

 Have students differentiate between Generation X and Generation Y on the basis of diverse values. Encourage them to speculate on how each affects Canadian society.

 Teaching–Learning Strategies 4–7. Communication is basic to any culture. Help students learn the preferred health care terminology of the culture of the clients they will be working with.

 Have students listen carefully to their words. When speaking to or about others, regardless of culture or situation, certain words or phrases convey more dignity, while others convey a stereotype.

 Emphasize to students that when they are speaking to someone with a disability, they should speak directly to the person, not through a companion. Health care providers should reinforce individual qualities, achievements, and abilities. They should remember to make reference to the person first, then to the disability. Have the person with the disability tell how the professional may assist movement or function.

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 Assign students to write a personal values paper, relating the values held in their particular cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Include family and environmental influences, socioeconomic level, and other influences.

 Have students participate in a culture/ethnic awareness exercise by answering the following questions. Then divide the class into groups of four so that students can share their perceptions with each other.

 a.                   What is your ethnic or racial background? What has it meant to you to belong to your ethnic or racial group?

 b.                  What other ethnic or racial groups reside where you grew up?

 c.                   What was your first experience with feeling different? What was/were the contributing factor(s)?

 d.                  What are your earliest memories of, and related feelings about, being a member of your race/ethnicity (Caucasian, French-Canadian, English-Canadian, Italian, German, First Nations, Ukrainian, etc)?

 e.                   How do you think others perceive your ethnicity or racial identity?

 Encourage students to share information and examples from their personal or work experiences, or from other references. Assign each group to summarize attitudes toward health and illness typical for each group. Identify specific nursing approaches or intervention measures that could be used to help persons from each culture promote health and cope with illness, hospitalization, and treatments. Have each group recorder report back to the entire class.

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 8. Assign each student to interview someone from a culture/subculture different from his or her own. From the data obtained, the student is to describe: (a) a verbatim account of the interview, and (b) implications from the data obtained for client care.

 Topics or issues the student could ask about include: role of the family; main occupations for men and women; choice of occupation or mate; regard for marriage; special marriage customs;

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 pre- and postnatal care; rate of infant mortality; role of children; attitudes and methods of child-rearing; common political or religious practices that affect the health and well-being of citizens; weather or environmental factors significant to health; foods commonly eaten and how they compare to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide; special eating or cooking customs; general nutritional status of people; attitudes toward time, privacy, society in general, work, leisure, education, and change; common health problems; availability of physical exams and dental care; daily living practices affecting health, which should be known by health care providers from another culture; average life span; and special celebration of life or mourning customs.

 Contact a local homeless shelter or transitional residential facility to learn about people who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. If permissible, assign students to talk with individuals at these sites about their needs and experiences, prior lifestyle, health problems, and what would be the most helpful health promotion measure(s).

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 9. Have students complete the following exercises about values.

 Values Clarification

 Values are our own priorities, which we live by on a regular basis. Values are a set of personal beliefs and attitudes about the truth, beauty, or worth of any thought, object, or behaviour.

 Values are always in the process of changing. Values change as new information is gathered and examined for its worth.

 Values are personal guidelines from which judgments are made and action is taken.

 Values are individual, and are different for each person. Values influence the choices we make.

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

  Below are some examples of values. Circle the 10 that are the most important to you:

 Learning (education)                                                   Life

 Entertainment                                                                 Sex

 Money                                                                                 Religion and morals

 Relaxing                                                                             Having fun

 Work                                                                                    Family

 Beauty                                                                                Financial security

 Freedom                                                                             Friendship

 Goodness                                                                          Education

 Health                                                                                 Independence

 Love                                                                                     Security (personal)

 Security (job)                                                                   Respect for others

 Peace                                                                                   Salvation

 Success                                                                               Wisdom

 Controlling expenses                                                   Trust

 Car                                                                                        Clothing

 Sobriety                                                                              Sharing

 Children                                                                             Reliability

 Honesty                                                                              Integrity

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 What Are My Values?

 Below is a list of 12 values arranged in alphabetical order.

 Study the list carefully. Place the number 1 next to the value that is most important to you, 2 next to the one that is next most important, and so on. The value that is least important to you relative to the others should be ranked 12. Reflect on how your personal values affect your nursing practice.

 Please take the time you need to think about this, so that the end result is a true representation of your values.

 ___        A COMFORTABLE LIFE (a pleasurable, successful life)

 ___        EQUALITY (brotherhood, equal opportunity for all)

 ___        NATIONAL DEFENCE (protection from attack)

 ___        FREEDOM (independence, free choice)

 ___        FRIENDSHIP (close relationship with another)

 ___        PERSONAL SECURITY (safe, free from worry)

 ___        RESPECT FROM OTHERS (looked up to, admired by others)

 ___        SALVATION (saved, eternal life)

 ___        SELF-FULFILLMENT (developing myself fully)

 ___        A WORLD AT PEACE (a world free of war and conflict)

 ___        A WORLD OF BEAUTY (beauty of nature and the arts)

 ___        WISDOM (mature understanding of life)

 1.                  Share with the other members of the group the two values most important to you and the two values least important to you, and then explain the basis for your choice.

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 2.                  Share your reactions and feelings about your choices with others.

 3.                  Does holding certain values, as opposed to other values, make one person better than the next? How so?

 Present Life Values

 Read the list of present life values below.

 Rank in order the five values most important to you—1, 2, 3, 4, 5

 Rank in order the five values least important to you—24, 23, 22, 21, 20

 ___        Make a new discovery

 ___        Complete my education

 ___        Achieve the goals of my religion (salvation, nirvana)

 ___        Be at peace with myself

 ___        Learn to resolve conflicts I have with others

 ___        Have a close relationship with another adult

 ___        Have and rear children

 ___        Be accepted by my parents for the person I am

 ___        Accept my parents for the people they are

 ___        Be in excellent health

 ___        Change my appearance to the beautiful person I want to be

 ___        Live in a world of peace

 ___        Understand human behaviour

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 ___        Know myself

 ___        Be aware of my own feelings

 ___        Express my own feelings

 ___        Develop close friendships

 ___        Live a peaceful life

 ___        Work/study part-time so I have time for other important activities

 ___        Have a challenging job even if it takes more than 40 hours a week

 ___        Gain recognition, be an expert and authority in my chosen field

 ___        Develop an active life

 ___        Feel I have contributed to the well-being of mankind

 ___        Travel at will, be free of commitments and responsibilities

 Values Study Sheet

 Write the names of three people you dislike or avoid. Without censoring your thoughts, make a list of five descriptive words that come to mind when you think of each person.

 N  _________________

N  _________________

N  _________________

1

_________________

1

_________________

1

_________________

2

_________________

2

_________________

2

_________________

3

_________________

3

_________________

3

_________________

4

_________________

4

_________________

4

_________________

5

_________________

5

_________________

5

_________________

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 Now compare these lists:

 a.                   What similarity of adjectives exists? Identify these similarities.

 b.                  Are there any similarities in the persons selected? Identify these similarities.

 c.                   How do the qualities listed compare to your own behaviour?

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 10. Consider the following when teaching and leading class

 discussions.

 Words to Avoid

 1.                  cripple; handicapped invalid (not valid)

 2.                  victims; afflicted by; afflicted with; stricken with

 3.                  restricted; confined to a wheelchair; wheelchair-bound

 4.                  normal (for non-disabled—it conveys disabled are abnormal)

 5.                  deaf mute; deaf and dumb

 6.                  birth defect; deformed; maimed; disfigured

 7.                  crazy; insane

   8.                  slow; stupid; moron; imbecile

   9.                  fits; spastic; palsied

   10.              poor; pitiful; pathetic

  11.              unfortunate; pathetic

 12.              differently abled (conveys abnormality)

 13.              abnormal (conveys illness, dysfunction, poor health)

 Preferred Words

 1.                  Person who is challenged; person with a disability

 2.                  Person who has experienced

   3.                  Person who uses a wheelchair

   4.                  Non-disabled individual

   5.                  Individual who cannot hear or speak

 6.                  Person was born with; person was disabled at birth

 7.                  Person who has mental illness or emotional disorder

  8.                  Person who has a developmental delay

 9.                  Individual with seizures; seizure disorder

 10.              Individual has experienced

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

   12.              Individual is able to

 13.              Person has a disability, is not necessarily chronically ill or unhealthy

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 11. In a class discussion, have students summarize pertinent information from a client they have cared for in either a hospital or a community setting. Relate their information to influences of culture and social determinants of health. Discuss specific ways to meet the needs of persons from a different culture. Similarly, discuss ways to meet the needs of persons from various socioeconomic levels.

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 12. Have each student prepare a written teaching plan about a specific topic, such as a special diet, for a client previously cared for.

 Have the students role-play their teaching plans. Alternate the roles of teacher and the person from another culture or social class. Have different members of the class role-play the person from another sociocultural setting. Have that person react to the teaching method used.

 Have students discuss the health status of Aboriginal clients in Canada. Alternatively, have students discuss the health status of immigrants to Canada.

 Teaching–Learning Strategy 13. Guide the student in the clinical setting to assess, care for, and teach a patient or family who presents a different socioeconomic level or culture.

 The assessment and care plan should include the following:

 a.                   Language or communication patterns

 b.                  Physiological and anatomical differences related to ethnicity or race (i.e., skin, body build, resistance or susceptibility to certain diseases).

 c.                   Diet (food preferences, cooking practices)

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 d.                  Family beliefs, rituals, or customs that are used to prevent illness or promote health

 e.                   Alternative therapies used for this condition/illness

 f.                   People or other resources that will be of assistance during or after the illness

 g.                  Special modifications in the home that will be necessary after discharge, related to usual cultural practices

 Guide the student in evaluating whether or not the care plan, and the care given, were acceptable to the person.

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  Novels or books can be helpful in understanding people from various sociocultural backgrounds, especially when they are ethnically authentic. These books could be read by different students and the main points reported in class discussions.

 Several articles, books, and websites would be useful to incorporate into class discussion. Included here are a few examples. Challenge the students to obtain and share with the class other good reference examples they have found.

 1.                  Srivastava, R. “Understanding Cultural Competence in Health Care.” In R. Srivastava (ed.), The Healthcare Professional’s Guide to Clinical Cultural Competence, 3, 140. Toronto: Elsevier, 2007.

 2.                  Canada. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Vol. 1—Looking Forward Looking Back. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1996.

 3.                  Macionis, J., and L. Gerber. Sociology, 6th Canadian ed. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

 4.                  Foster, C. H. “What Nurses Should Know when Working in Aboriginal Communities,” Canadian Nurse, 102(4), (2006), 28–31.

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 5.                  Statistics Canada. Population Projections of Visible Minority Groups, Canada, Provinces and Regions, 2001–2017 (Catalogue no. 91–541–XIE). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2005.

 6.                  Soroka, S. N. Canadian Perceptions of the Health Care System: A Report to the Health Council of Canada. Toronto: Health Council of Canada, 2007.

 7.                  Kikuchi, J. F. “Cultural Theories of Nursing Responsive to Human Needs and Values,”

 Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 37(4) (2005), 302–307.

 8.                  Curtis, L. J., and M. Pennock. “Social Assistance, Lone Parents, and Health: What do We Know, Where do We Go?” Canadian Journal of Public Health, 97, Supplement 3 (2006), S4–S10.

 9.                  Labonte, R. Health Promotion and Empowerment: Practice and Framework. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1993.

 10.              Hannah, K. J. “The State of Nursing Informatics in Canada,” Canadian Nurse, 103(5) (2007), 18–22.

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

    CHAPTER 1 TEST QUESTIONS

  The correct answer to each test question is filled in or indicated by an asterisk (*).

 Matching: Place the letter from Column B to the left of the appropriate term in Column A.

 Column A                                                                                    Column B

 D

1.

Culture

B

2.

Culture  shock

A

3.

Cultural relativity

C

4.

Ethnocentrism

H

5.

Subculture

E

6.

Ethnic

J

7.

Regional  culture

 I                      8. Socioeconomic level

 G

9.

Religious culture

F

10.

Family  culture

K

11.

Health

 M                  12. Health promotion

 L             13. Holistic health

 O                   14. Primary prevention

 N             15. Caring

A.   Behaviour that is normal for one culture may not be for another culture.

 B.   Feelings of confusion or inability to adapt to differences in customs that are a part of a new culture.

 C.   Personal behaviour is based on the belief that the customs of one’s group are superior.

 D.   Sum total of learned ways of doing, feeling, and thinking of a social group.

 E.   Group of people with same cultural and national background.

 F.   Cultural heritage is transmitted through a family’s way of living.

 G.   Religion provides the basic way of living for a group.

 H.   Group of persons within the larger culture that has its own identity.

 I.   Group of people that have similar financial position or social status.

J.   Geographical area, climate, and local resources influence variations in cultural lifestyles.

 K.    State of well-being in which the person is able to use purposeful, adaptive responses to stressors.

 L.    View of health that includes the unity of body, mind, and spirit, and the person’s interrelatedness with others and the environment.

 M.   Activities that increase the level of well-being and maximize the health potential of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society.

 N.   Assistive, supportive, or facilitative activities to improve a human condition.

 O.   Activities that decrease the probability of occurrence of a specific illness or dysfunction.

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

  Multiple Choice: Select the best answer. The asterisk (*) indicates the best answer.

 1.                  Which one of the following characteristics is most pertinent to all cultures?

 *A.        adaptation is maintained through language and tradition

 B.                 adherence to norms in a subculture may introduce change into the culture gradually

 C.                 religious influences promote the socialization process of understanding culture

 D.                culture is uninfluenced by geographical region or natural resources

 2.                  Components of all cultures include:

 A.                communication and transportation

 B.                 ways to provide for physical survival

 C.                 social controls and customs

 D.                knowledge and belief systems

 a.  A and D       b.  B and C       c.     A, B, and C             *d.     A, B, C, and D

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 3.                  You move to a rural area to do nursing practice. A review and study of cultural concepts is essential because you are informed that:

 A.                as a nurse, you can teach people to do things your way

 B.                 health practices you introduce will be effective whether or not they threaten established values

 C.                 the health programs you devise and that are acceptable to leaders in the community will be followed by everyone

 *D.        you will find a need to live with the people to learn of their culture from their viewpoint prior to instituting new health care practices

 4.                  Understanding socioeconomic class lifestyle is important in health care because:

 A.                a person’s behaviour is primarily influenced by social class background

 B.                 assessment should be based on social class background

 *C.        intervention can be individualized according to socioeconomic class differences

 D.                expectations of health care are the same for the members of any socioeconomic class level

 5.                  Whether or not a person seeks medical help when he or she feels ill (and, if he/she does seek help, how quickly he/she does so) depends on:

 A.                socioeconomic level

 B.                 attitude of family toward health care system

 C.                 attitude toward spending money for health care

 D.                self-concept and roles of the person

 a.     A and B     b.     C, D, and E             c.     A, B, and C             *d.     A, B, C, and D

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 6.                  In caring for a patient, the health care provider needs to recognize that:

 A.                the client’s behaviour is a manifestation of cultural identity

 B.                 when a person is ill, he or she behaves in a culturally defined way

 C.                 one’s own ways of behaving are most appropriate

 D.                new health habits are easily learned without regard for previous cultural training

 *a.     A and B b.      C and D    c.     A, B, and C             d.     A, B, C, and D

 7.                  Which one of the following may be a problem area for post-industrial society or post-modern society?

 *A.   increased life expectancy

 B.                 cultural lag in society

 C.                 global migration by older adults

 D.                abundance of possessions and opportunities for baby boomers

 8.                  Vulnerable populations include people:

 A.                in any age, economic, or ethnic/racial group

 B.                 who lack power in social and political relationships

 C.                 who are discriminated against or are in subordinate positions

 D.                who have unusual diseases that reduce quality of life

 a.     A and B     b.     C and D    *c.     A, B, and C           d.     B, C, and D

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 9.                  Characteristics of migrant labourers and families that make it difficult for them to receive health care include:

 A.                geographic mobility

 B.                 poverty-level earning

 C.                 employment conditions

 D.                health care facility regulations

 a.     A and B     b.     C and D    c.     A, B, and C             *d.     A, B, C, and D

 10.              Simon, an older First Nations man whom you see at a northern community nursing station, complains of often being thirsty and of frequent urination. These symptoms may indicate that Simon is predisposed to:

 *A.   Type 2 diabetes

 B.                 anxiety disorders

 C.                 electrolyte imbalance

 D.                substance abuse

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 11.              You are caring for Mr. H., an elderly gentleman who is upper-class and lives in an exclusive part of town. Based on your understanding of culture, you would expect which combination of the following?

 A.                You listen attentively as he talks about his personal achievements.

 B.                 You are aware that his attitudes of ancestry and family regarding health care might have an effect on his response to you.

 C.                 You should provide minimal care since he is likely to be self-sufficient.

 D.                You should avoid talking down as you explain or teach procedures.

 a.      C                  *b.     A, B, and D              c.     B and D      d.     A, C, and D

 e.  A, B, C, and D

 12.              Health interventions of the poor and homeless person who is ill include all of the following except:

 A.                frequent use of cultural remedies

 B.                 advice from friends and neighbours for treatment of an ailment or condition

 C.                 medical treatment frequently sought at a relatively late stage of illness

 *D.        inclusion of the latest scientific methods is a priority

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 13.              Which of the following statements, concerning usual health practices of the people in various socioeconomic levels, are true?

 A.                Poor persons are likely to have less access to accurate health information than members of middle or upper economic levels.

 B.                 Poor persons are more likely than members of the middle or upper economic levels to take preventive measures and to participate in community health programs.

 C.                 “Health” and “illness” may be defined differently by people in each economic level.

 D.                The poor person defines him- or herself as ill only when unable to fulfill daily responsibilities.

 a.     A and C     b.     B and D    *c.     A, C, and D          d.     A, B, C, and D

 14.              People from various racial/ethnic groups react differently to pain and illness. Research studies indicate that:

 A.                a person of Italian heritage is likely to complain of pain to obtain relief

 B.                 a person of Jewish heritage complains of pain and demands relief because of concerns about the effects of the illness

 C.                 a person of Anglo-Saxon heritage complains little about pain

 D.                a person of Oriental heritage complains considerably about pain

 a.     C b.        D *c.      A and B d.      A, B, and C             e.     B, C, and D

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 15.              In some cultures, individuals are less assertive in their interactions with others. Which of the following statements will be pertinent to the helper while caring for these individuals:

 A.Passive behaviour indicates that they are not interested in what you are teaching.

 *B.        The person is likely to be listening carefully even though they are asking few questions.

 C.                 Passive behaviour indicates that the person probably does not like you and is not likely to follow your suggestions.

 D.                The person actually desires an aggressive treatment response from the helper.

 16.              Your knowledge of language as a culturally acquired behaviour can assist you in communication with a client from another culture. Which of the following is true culturally about the use of language?

 A.                It is a stabilizing element of a culture, and it allows members to reinforce their identities as members of a group.

 B.                 It has verbal and nonverbal aspects.

 C.                 Identical words and gestures may have different meanings for individuals from different cultures.

 D.                Touch is a universal language and may be used with an individual from any culture to convey acceptance.

 a.     A and C     b.     B and D    *c.     A, B, and C               d.     A, B, C, and D

Instructor’s Manual—Health Promotion Strategies Across the Lifespan

 17.              To utilize a language interpreter or translator effectively during health care, you should:

 A.                prepare the interpreter with essential background information

 B.                 focus your conversation and the interview toward the translator

 *C.        recognize that the translator may be unwilling to convey all statements of the patient or family

 D.                interject questions as the translator speaks to the patient or family to get as much information as possible

 18.              Most people consider their needs, problems, lifestyles, and solutions to problems to be unique and useful to others. This attitude is known as:

 A.                egalitarianism

 B.                 animism

 *C.        ethnocentrism

 D.                dominance

 19.              Which of the following cultural values held by a person may influence the manner in which you communicate with or teach that person as a client?

 A.                Their value of privacy.

 B.                 Their value of education.

 C.                 Their values related to child-rearing.

 D.                Their values related to family relationships.

 a.     A                   b.     B                   c.     C and D     *d.     A, B, C, and D

CHAPTER 1—Sociocultural Influences on the Person and Family

 20.              According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), the key responsibility for nurses who wish to provide culturally appropriate care is:

 A.                to conduct an appraisal of the hospital’s mission statement

 B.                 to utilize appropriate facilitative techniques, such as interactive empathy, when working with clients and their families

 C.                 to implement standard nursing care measures to optimize health outcomes for all involved

 *D.        to take the time to examine one’s own personal attitudes and values about health and nursing care

[yeswesaythings]

An Honor(s) and a Privilege

Questions:

1. What was the goal of your research and how successful do you think it went?

2. What were the biggest hurdles in implementing this project, and which were the easiest steps?

3. Would you recommend that someone do a follow-up experiment to yours in the future? How far into the future? Should it be a regular process occurring every few years?

4. What advice would you tell students interested in performing research related to sociology and psychology?

5. What is your degree in and why did you decide upon it? What do you plan to study for your doctorate?

6. As president of ASG, you were tasked with countless responsibilities. What process did you use to manage your time?

7. How did you manage to overcome disagreements with faculty leadership, and did this ever make you feel as though your decisions were reluctantly commandeered?

8. How confident are you with the leadership of the upcoming Steering committee?

9. Having gone through the process, is graduating with Honors worth it? What would you change?

10. Do you feel that Tech will be able to handle the transition from Honors program to Honors college smoothly, or will it be a long drawn out ordeal?

11. What advice would you give to incoming freshman for the 2017-18 year?

Responses:

1. I will try to answer this question as succinctly as possible; it's going to be more than you wanted, but I think this stuff is really cool.

My research has focused for the last year or so on Honors students and more specifically the aspects of their social lives that may or may not be contributing to their superior academic performance relative to equally gifted non-Honors students.  The qualifier is phrased carefully, as the literature already existing on Honors students has established that Honors students are not inherently more intelligent or innately more adept in the retention of information than their equally gifted peers who did not join an Honors program. That finding carries weighty implications, as it suggests that Honors students' academic success is not, perhaps, rooted in ability, but in some part(s) of their social world. In the case of Honors students, the major difference is their participation in an Honors program.

Now, when I refer the "social world" I do not refer to socializing in our culturally diluted sense of the word. Rather, social life in a very small nutshell is the massive and infinitely complicated network of interactions that occur, which utilize the exchange of symbols - the basic unit of all interaction.  To offer a brief backstory, we are all born into a world that has already been interpreted by others, and most of our early life is spent doing nothing but absorbing the meanings of symbols. Language is a collection of symbols, stop signs are symbols, but incredibly, even people are symbols. In fact, we are all social objects. A reputation is evidence of that claim. Just as we have come to ascribe meaning to a stop sign and we have developed a set of behaviors that are expected of us when presented with one, we are at least tacitly aware that we ascribe meaning to people based on what he have learned about them, and we develop a set of behaviors for acting toward them. In this sense, we are objects to others in the social world.  Furthermore, we are even social objects to ourselves. We are keenly tuned in to the meanings that we believe others are ascribing to us, and those meanings are made apparent by others' interactions with us. In being able to see ourselves the way we believe others see us, we actually come to perceive ourselves as social objects as well. Thus, the self is a social object which is the sum total of all of the symbols we have acquired and all of the complex meanings we have learned to attach to those symbols via interaction with others. That is symbolic interactionism in a paragraph.

So, if Honors students aren't more intelligent, what's driving their academic success?  I conducted two studies, one qualitative/exploratory and one quantitative/deductive. The first study led me to develop five hypotheses for the second study:  As sense of community in Honors increases, as group identity with Honors increases, as self-esteem increases, and as positive experience with professors increases, academic performance increases. I also hypothesized that those who had spent time living in the Honors residence hall would have higher academic performance than those who did not.

Overall, I believe it certainly was a success. Group Identity, self-esteem, and positive experience with professors were each strongly positively correlated with academic performance at the Alpha .05 and .01 levels. The linear regression model ended up explaining just under 50% of the variance in academic performance with just the cumulative effect of  independent variables that I hypothesized. So I think I am on to something big. My discussion section focuses largely on Group ID. It is my theoretical conclusion, based on the data, that the superior academic performance of Honors students is rooted in the extent to which Honors students actually identify as an Honors student. That is, as Group ID increased, academic performance increased, and vice versa. There are a well-known and widely agreed upon set of behaviors that accompany the status of "Honors student" and, depending on how much one internalizes that role, this will determine to what extent an individual adopts behaviors consistent with that role. Quite simply, it is not being an Honors student that makes the difference, it is acting like one. I am confident I will be able to publish the manuscript and I plan to present at any conferences I can find!

2. One of the toughest parts of the project was the theory involved. Not really things like "Smith's Theory of Blank," but really the process of conceptualizing and operationalizing exactly what it was I intended to study, how I would study it, and making sure that the results I got would actually be reliable. Things like, "how the hell am I going to measure sense of community?" (spoiler: an index).  But really, this is hands down the hardest part.  Data analysis is a breeze, getting people to participate isn't really even that bad, and writing it up isn't bad either if you've built a logical foundation. It's what lies in the abstract that can make or break your entire study.

3. I do think someone should follow up on my study, in two different ways. First, I think it should be replicated at other Honors programs, not at the same one. There is no need to perform the study again at Tech. The purpose for replication would be to capture variation in the structure and dynamics in other Honors programs, of which there is much. However, I am confident the findings would remain the same. The perceived role of an Honors student has permeated our culture to a degree that the behaviors associated with being an Honors student are well known. Secondly, a follow-up is needed to delve deeper into that notion of identity as it pertains to Honors. Are there other sets of behaviors associated with being an Honors student that were not captured in my study? Probably. I imagine that as one internalizes the role of an Honors student, one may be more likely to seek opportunities to lead, or to get involved with research, or to volunteer, because "that's what Honors students do."

4. I would say that you had better think this is the coolest stuff ever or you may want to steer clear. Research of any kind is highly demanding and often tedious at times, and research in this field is no different. It is really only the fervor of your own fascination that sees you through to the end product. There is also this sensation of feeling like you know less when you're done about your topic than when you started. Do not despair, for this is a good thing. It means you probably actually contributed, and that our previous understanding of the topic will be momentarily jarred in order to accommodate the new information. New findings are always going to be vexing while they are worked out.

5. My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. I originally began in psychology and actually did not make the change until the end of my second year. Sociology really caught my eye in a class called Social Deviance. One of the biggest points that was repeatedly driven home in the textbook was the relative nature of deviance across time and space. It's embarrassing to say this now that the concept is so central to the way I see the world, but that was very novel to me when I really started to grasp it, and especially when I began to apply it to other phenomena outside of deviance.  All that which is social is quite relative to time and place. It was then that I really began to appreciate how vast the realm of sociology really is, which encompasses the full spectrum of interaction all the way from two people in conversation to warring nations.  I will continue studying sociology as I pursue the Doctor of Sociology at the University of Georgia for the foreseeable future.

6. I had a number of strategies for managing my time, particularly in those latter two years when I had the most going on. There was one that makes by far the greatest difference, though. In the first month of each semester I would essentially cut myself off from the world and do nothing but focus intently on schoolwork and only keep up with ASG enough so that it wouldn't take any steps backward. In doing so, I was investing my time in exceptional grades early on in the semester, thereby building up a respectable cushion for anything that might go south later. I was also learning the content inside and out, which made grasping new concepts as the semester went on much easier because they would be couched in a framework of concepts I had already mastered. Once that month was over, I could relax a bit on school work and really pour myself into ASG. Going hard in the early game pretty much guarantees success in the end. It's all about that principal investment.

7. Honestly, I saw myself as somewhat of a pioneer of ASG in the sense that I often resisted the status quo as well the pressures applied by those who would see it maintained. I frequently refused to accept tradition as an explanation for the state of things, and I think that was really what convinced others to let me lead at the start. I spent a lot of time while I was president just brainstorming ways to improve ASG and many of those ideas were not popular with faculty when they were introduced. Whenever I arrived at an impasse between a decision of mine and the faculty support it received, I would always remind myself that ASG is a student organization and it belongs to the students. So when I felt strongly that I was in the right on something or that I/ASG was not being dealt with fairly, I would simply put it to the students. Spread the word. "Here's what I want to do; do you want it too?" In hindsight I probably rocked the boat a bit too much at times, and I have a lot of reason to believe I lost favor from some parties as a result. The end product, though, is one that I think the students deserve and appreciate.

8. I am very confident in the leadership of the new steering committee. That's really all I have to say on that!

9. This is a difficult question to answer definitely, as everyone who comes into Honors finds themselves in their own unique situation with its own set of challenges. Some have it far worse than others. Having said that, if it looks like you can make it through the program without losing yourself to the minutiae along the way, it's definitely worth it. I would say that I don't feel like my degree is heavier, shinier, or any more powerful because I graduated with Honors, so if you're just to scrape the surface, get your hours, and leave, I would say it's not worth your trouble. But if you get involved, particularly in ASG, you can really make a home for yourself that will see to your growth as both a student and a person.  

If I could change something about Honors, I would not hesitate to change the way that contract proposals are evaluated. Currently, one person is the sole judge of all contract proposals, and as we are all aware, contracts are the life-saving elixir of many Honors students. They are important, yes, and they should be reviewed shrewdly. I do not believe they are being reviewed shrewdly now. I think that the decisions I have seen passed down regarding contract proposals have been wildly inconsistent and have frequently demonstrated a lack of understanding of the subject matter discussed in them. I have also seen certain individuals have particularly poor fortune with their proposals and cannot help but think there is some bias involved.

I would not expect one person to have a passing knowledge of all things, and that is precisely why one person cannot effectively determine what is Honors-worthy and what is not in all fields. I believe the assessment of contract proposals should be handled by either department liaisons or by the Honors council.

10. My guess is that, through no fault of the Honors Program, Tech will probably screw this one up. Having been quite involved with the discussion of this decision, it became more and more apparent throughout the process that the university was interested in having an Honors College in name only. It does not appear that they are presently prepared to invest what is necessary for the transition to yield anything of real substance, at least not for quite some time. They have approached the conversation with a mentality not conducive to progress. They would like to see results before investment. Show me anything comparable that succeeds in this manner! We do not have the resources to show them the kind of results they are asking for, which is why I say the change will be in name only. It will likely turn off other university Honors programs for some time, as it is my fear that TTU Honors will join a community of Honors colleges known as "fake" Honors colleges.

11. Don't be a people-pleaser. You're here to learn, but you have the distinct privilege while you're at college of "finding yourself." Surround yourself with people who don't want or need anything from you other than your company, and spend your free time doing what brings you joy.