Student Motivation and Retention Essays -- Education Mathematics Essay

Student Motivation and Retention I decided to write most of paper about motivation because motivation is something that is lacking in several of my students in Junction City. I want to help students develop the motivation to learn math instead of hearing the bad attitude they have developed for mathematics. It is so frustrating to hear a student say that they do not care. Also in my paper, I plan to intertwine the topic of retention. My paper will lean more towards retaining students in math at the middle school level rather than college like the articles we read in class. I know that students can not switch out of math in the middle school, but they can choose to take many math classes in high school and choose a major in college for math. In other words, I want to find out ways for students to be interested in math field so they continue in the math field all the way up through college graduation. I have developed several great relationships with my students and care deeply about what the future holds for the m. My goal is to make a difference in their life by motivating them to like math and school so they do not drop out of high school. II. Background As I researched for articles dealing with motivation, the most common information that I found was strategies for increasing motivation. Some of the articles showed actual studies where certain strategies helped the student want to learn. The â€Å"Intrigue Model† by Lewkowicz is one strategy example that I will be writing about. Another article I found explained different types of motivation, which motivation is the best to have, and factors that influences the development of student motivation. Robert Case wrote a paper about a study he did in an India high school wat... ... OR, 1994. Malcolm, Shirley, and Treisman, Uri. â€Å"Calculus Success for All Students.† Calculus for a New Century: A Pump not a Filter, Steen, Lynn (ed.). Mathematical Association of America: Washington, DC, 1987. McNeal, Ralph. â€Å"Extracurricular Activities and High School Dropouts.† Sociology of Education v68n1: Jan 1995, 62-80. Renchler, Ron. â€Å"School Leadership and Student Motivation.† ERIC Digest No. 71. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management: Eugene, OR, 1992. Seymour, Elaine, and Hewitt, Nancy. Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences. Westview Press: Boulder, CO: 1997. Treisman, Phillip Uri. â€Å"A Study of the Mathematics Performance of Black Students at the University of California, Berkeley.† Mathematicians and Education Reform: Proceedings of the July 6-8. 1988 Workshop, American Mathematical Society: Providence, RI, 1990.

Research Methods in Nursing and Social Work

Research methods in Nursing and Social Work: Critical appraisal paper. The aim of this assignment is to look at two written research papers and carry out a critical assessment on them. I will present the assignment in two parts, Appendix 1 which is the first research paper called, â€Å"What professionals think about offenders with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system†. This article conducts a research and its aim is to find out whether people with learning disabilities are being treated differently with the justice system, it focuses on the ideas of different professionals that work in the system and their view on the subject matter. Appendix 2 which is the second paper is called, â€Å"The prevalence of intellectual disability in a major UK prison†. This paper the first steps to undertake when critiquing a research paper is, to explain the piece by summarising its main aims and outcomes that have been gained through the research. One of the first tasks of critiquing a research article is to try to explain the performance and tasks that have taken place. Critiquing research involves a careful examination of all aspects of a study in order to judge its strengths, limitations, meaning and significance† (Hek, 1996). Appendix 1: Participants: The study was structured in a interview in order to collect the data. The Participants that were used all came from different professional background this meant that there was a good multidisciplinary team of respondents. Title: The title was very clear and to the point, it successfully reflects the purpose of the study and its findings. Abstract/Summary: This was written in a clear manner, which was very easy to understand and therefore was not complicated. The purpose, method and findings were comprehensibly outlined in a brief summary. Materials: The interview was Semi-structured, the advantages of using this method were that, the audience is specifically targeted it is also the best way to capture how a person thinks or feels on a particular topic, it can let the interviewee speak with more than just their words but with facial and bodily xpression too. Also, it allows the interviewee to go into as much depth as they feel they want to, whereas other interview types wouldn’t allow this type of freedom. It can also be a good method as it can lead to further questions that haven’t been written down but might be appropriate, so as to get a better perspective. The method is really suitable to sensitive issues as this one. However, there are draw-backs to the method, the main being that it is so time-consuming. Not just the collecting of the data, but the transcribing and analysis of the data. Also, it is very easy to digress and become sidetracked with anecdotes and generally inappropriate information. The preparation and time must be put into the organisation of this type of interview, to make sure that the questions that are asked are relevant to the subject matter and that they are neither confusing nor leading. Data collection: The data collection used Semi-structured interviews which were conducted in a face to face manner. The timings on the collection of data varied so that they suited the respondents, this was good as it allowed the respondents to do the interview when they were available this showed that the researchers where flexible. The duration of the actual interview where between, 0. 5 hr and 2. 5 hr, which was approximately 1 hr each, this was a weakness because it was important that each respondent had the equal and same amount of duration within the interview, and that by varying the times allowed some respondents to produce more information or answer questions in more depth as others. The interviews were recorded on tape this was good method of recording because sometimes when the information is written it can be translated different by the person who is recording the answers as they may interpret it differently. The other drawback that occurred in this study is that the exact design of the questions been asked to the respondents varied, this can affect the results as one person may elaborate more than someone else and therefore has the opportunity to be asked further questions. The exact format of each individual was determined by the participant, as the individual questions presented to each person varied according to earlier individual responses. † (Appendix 1) Results: The results obtained where accurate and well organised into three themes. They where clear to understand and very straightforward. The themes that emerged allowed the aim of the study to be acknowledged through its results, this was the most important part of any study. Discussion:  The idea of training for the Medical teams and professionals within the justice system is an excellent way to improve the awareness of learning disabilities and so that within the justice system it van be recognised and therefore allows a better awareness of it. The resolution to not change laws but however to accommodate them so that they reflect the needs of people with learning disabilities is also a very positive result. The fact that all participants had an interest in the study of people with learning disabilities which is why they accepted to be a part of the study. However the results varied in ethical values and opinions on that subject matter by the participants. Ethical: The research produced an ethical approval to proceed with the study from the research ethics committee at the University of Nottingham, this showed that the study was carefully thought of and recognised before it was conducted. The confidentiality of all the participants was kept, as all the respondents names were not identified anywhere in the study. Even though the details of the participants background and profession where mentioned this was carefully demonstrated as to not be able to identify any of the individuals. References http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/critique-mental-health http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/2981/1/Developing_a_framework_for_critiquing_health_research.pdf

The internal stakeholders refer to the employees

The current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry and as a result businesses have to constantly reengineer their internal operations in order to build and maintain a competitive advantage.In this respect, a business organization has three strategies at its disposal: differentiation, cost minimization and focus. However the effectiveness of these strategies depends on effective communications between the internal stakeholders and the external stakeholders.The internal stakeholders refer to the employees and the top management while the external stakeholders are the channel members such as the customers, the distribution intermediaries and the suppliers. The top management in a business organization has to coordinate between the different stakeholder groups in order to maximize operational efficiency.This is particularly relevant in the case of international business which is characterized by differing customer tastes and preferences acros s political boundaries. As a result, integrated marketing communications are the critical success factors in building and maintaining a competitive advantage.A business organization has three strategies at its disposal: differentiation, cost minimization and focus (cited in Chanaron & Jolly, 1999).In order to make these strategies effective, the management of a business organization has to conduct marketing programs on a periodic basis so that customer tastes and preferences can be tracked. For this reason, marketing is essential to improving business performance.In this respect, the high state of competitive rivalry means that achieving sustainability in competitive advantages is no longer simple. For this reason, organizational structures have to be maintained flexible (cited in Culpan, 1989).This allows the organization to adapt to changing circumstance in the market. However the management must have information about market dynamics in the first place. For this reason marketing metrics must be developed and according to these metrics performance measures must be developed.Marketing shapes consumer needs and wants through efficient application of the 4Ps of marketing. The four Ps are price, product, place and promotion (cited in Hitt, 2007). Marketing managers can make use of the 4 Ps to manipulate consumer needs and wants because consumers are not always aware of their own needs.Therefore it is left to the marketing manager to determine what needs are hidden and then to develop the products that would satisfy those needs (cited in Greenley, 1989). In this manner, the marketing manager creates both fresh needs and wants.For example, computer users did not know that they needed a graphical user interface until Microsoft introduced the concept (cited in Kotler & Armstrong, 2005). In this case the need was user-friendliness in operating computer applications. By identifying this need, Microsoft created Windows which created the consumer want. Consumers wanted Windows to satisfy their need for user-friendly computing experience.This example serves to illustrate that the marketing manager can certainly shape consumer needs and wants. He can do so by collecting information about the market and by forecasting future market demands based on this information.Collecting information about the market takes place through market research. This information enables the marketing manager to conduct market segmentation effectively. Market segmentation facilitates target marketing.The marketing manager shapes consumer needs and wants through the process of target marketing. The four Ps serve as the tools with which to conduct target marketing. In Microsoft’s example, the product was given the features of a graphical user interface in order to enhance user-friendliness of the product.The pricing method followed was the value-in-use pricing. Considerable expenditures were made in promotion in order to illustrate to the consumers how they could bene fit from using the product.Finally, place was attended to in the form of product bundling in which IBM personal computers were packaged with a version of Windows, thus facilitating product availability. The strategy at the heart of Windows’ campaign was product differentiation and through this strategy Microsoft shaped the needs and wants of the IT market.The marketing manager has to monitor the stage of the product lifecycle. He has to maintain the product in the growth stage because either in the maturity or the decline stage, the product will have to be discontinued (cited in Dess, 2007).However the threat of competitive rivalry means that the marketing manager will have to constantly introduce new features into the product in order to maintain it in the growth stage. In this respect, the marketing manager is shaping consumer needs and wants by differentiating product features in line with his reading of unstated needs in the market. However with effective market research, the market manager can also create wants unaccompanied by any needs.This is the phenomenon of consumerism which leads to purchases for the purpose of personal satisfaction and not to satisfy any actual needs (cited in Martin, 1985). Consumerism is an example of the way in which marketing shapes consumer needs and wants.Because of the high state of competitive rivalry, businesses must conduct the continuous improvement program. This means that managing change on a continuous basis becomes a critical success factor (cited in Zineldin, 2000).However, as mentioned before, the challenge in making change work is to maintain alignment with the strategic focus of the company. This alignment cannot be maintained unless employees are involved in the process.Most change management projects fail because of employee resistance (cited in Aaker, 2004). Employees are unwilling to give up traditional practices in which they had built up a considerable level of experience and expertise.For this reas on the top management must involve the employees when it comes to implementing change. However involvement of the employees must depend on external market conditions which will set the direction of change. In other words, the perspectives of learning and growth and internal business processes must be aligned to the customer perspective (cited in Bank, 1993). This illustrates the importance of marketing to the rest of the organization.Because of the fast change in the current business environment, businesses can no longer continue to conduct their operations as before. For this reason they need a forward-looking performance management system which creates an evolving framework of metrics for performance measurement. That is why the balanced scorecard is valuable management tool.However the effectiveness of this tool can only be maintained with marketing because marketing enables the management to assess the future direction of demand patterns according to which internal processes can be reengineered. Even though employees are the most important assets of an organization, they are only relevant to the extent that they are able to satisfy market needs. So marketing is critical to improving business performance.As mentioned before, the current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry. This means that businesses have to constantly reengineer their internal operations in order to build and maintain a competitive advantage (cited in Grover & Kettinger, 2008). Therefore the process of managing change becomes a critical success factor.When it comes to managing change involving a techno-structural intervention, the strategic alignment process becomes relevant. This alignment process takes place between four areas: IT strategy, business strategy, organizational issues and information systems issues (cited in Stair & Reynolds, 2007). IT strategy is the process of selecting the best software and hardware platform while business s trategy refers to the financing strategy.Organizational issues refer to the employees’ skills sets while the information systems issues refer to the knowledge management system. In this respect, the alignment process cannot be achieved effectively unless there is an efficient and effective communications structure.Employees are the most important assets of an organization and therefore the top management has to focus on creating the best possible working conditions (cited in Armstrong, 2005). In this respect, the critical consideration is to create an efficient and effective performance management system. This is so because the strategic focus of an organization should be to align employee interests to organizational interests.Therefore the management has to build a communications structure which will indicate to the employees as to which behavioral aspects are desired by the top management. In this respect, the learning contract becomes relevant. The learning contract is a d ocument which specifies the activities that will be taken in order to attain a learning goal.The learning contract is an example of integrated marketing communications because it represents an agreement between different stakeholder groups such as the employees, their immediate managers and the external stakeholders (cited in Ross & Perry, 2002). The advantage of this learning process is that the learning goals are aligned to the strategic focus of the organization.Organizations in the current business environment have to maintain a continuous improvement program. As mentioned before, this refers to the process of managing change.However when it comes to managing change, integrated marketing communications become more important than ever because employee resistance is the main reason behind the failures of most change management projects (cited in Hoyle, 2007).Therefore the most important aspect when it comes to managing change is that the top management has to stay in constant comm unications with the employees in order to promote the cause of change. In this respect, the management must determine how the change is aligned to enhancing the strategic focus of the company.Once this alignment has been facilitated, the management can communicate with the employees to promote the potential of higher productivity as a result of the change. The main reason behind employee resistance to change is that the employees will have to learn news ways of conducting the operational processes.Integrated marketing communications are critical when it comes to building a culture based on ownership, responsibility and accountability (cited in Besterfield, 2002). As mentioned before, organizations have the three strategies of differentiation, cost minimization and focus.The problem with implementing these three strategies is that they create competitive advantages that are not sustainable. As mentioned before, the current business environment is characterized by a fast pace of chang e driven by both technological sophistication and managerial developments. Therefore achieving sustainability is the critical success factor (cited in Shannon, 1999).However that objective cannot be met with the aforementioned three strategies because the competitor organizations can copy these strategies quickly in order to create similar operational improvements and thus the competitive advantage is gone quickly.As a result, the management must create an organizational structure which can be the source of a sustainable competitive advantage (cited in Higgins, 1972).This organizational structure is based on a specific cultural orientation which can be built through integrated marketing communications.Integrated marketing communications are critical to building a culture based on innovation and learning. In order to maintain innovations, the management of the company has to conduct training and development programs on a periodic basis.However the problem with formal training and dev elopment programs is that they cannot anticipate all the issues that are likely to arise in the actual business environment. An additional problem is to create a framework which can assess the return on investment in these training and development programs.These problems are avoided with the learning contracts. This is because in the learning contract the learning outcomes are individually negotiated between the learner and the teacher.Therefore the learning outcomes are directly tied to the strategic focus of the organization. In this respect the learner, the employee, is in the best position to determine the training needs while the teacher, the manager, is in the best position to determine whether these needs can be aligned to the strategic focus of the organization.Integrated marketing communications also involve external channel members. This can be illustrated with the case of Dell Inc (cited in Leseure & Brookes, 2004). The computer hardware manufacturer implements the e-comm erce business model.This facilitates the direct distribution model which enables the company to eliminate distribution intermediaries from the value chain. In this manner, the company has managed to implement the cost minimization strategy effectively. However in order to maintain this effectiveness, the company has to coordinate closely with the suppliers in order to ensure that the needed components are delivered timely to the factory floor.In this respect, the integrated marketing communications take place in the form of information sharing. The information sharing network enables the company to share demand forecasts with the suppliers so that they can maintain their own inventory accordingly (cited in Fred, 2006).Implementing this system has enabled Dell to achieve the highest level of inventory turnover in the industry. The success that Dell has had in creating a market leadership position would not have been possible without integrated marketing communications.Integrated mark eting communications become even more important when it comes to international business. When it comes to globalizing operations, a business organization has three strategies at its disposal: acquisitions, joint ventures and Greenfield projects.Depending on the level of cultural differentiation, the international business can select one of these strategies when it comes to globalization. However those companies which focus on maintaining a particular cultural orientation adopt the strategy of Greenfield projects because it allows them to recreate the same organizational structure as there is in the home country.In this respect delegation of authority becomes a critical consideration because companies must customize their strategies to align with the local cultural attributes. In this respect, the issues of standardization and customization become important. However in order to address these issues effectively, integrated marketing communications become critical. In this respect, the management must communicate with different stakeholders.For both public and private sector organizations, adopting the strategy of integrated marketing communications is a vital component of improving operational effectiveness in terms of maximizing the value of each dollar spent. According to the traditional framework, different marketing activities are conducted in separate silos.However there is no need to maintain separate silos as the different marketing programs are communicating with the same target market (cited in Raffee & Kreutzer, 1989). Therefore the result is duplication of efforts and the waste of resources.In order to make the communications process effective, the separate silos have to conduct market research activities. As a result the activities are being duplicated across the organization. In this framework, the strategy of spending is not in alignment with the strategic focus of the organization.In order to create this alignment, the management in both public an d private sector organizations must conduct integrated marketing communications. This means that different departments across the organization are coordinating their marketing efforts and therefore expenditures are not being duplicatedIn conducting integrated marketing communications, the process of internal benchmarking becomes effective (cited in Chandra, 1993).According to the process of internal benchmarking, the different departments within an organization compare internal processes to identify those which are producing the best results. In this respect, a database of best practices is developed and these best practices are implemented throughout the organization, thus organizational effectiveness is maximized.The process is relevant when it comes to conducting integrated marketing communications. In this respect, different departments can compare their success rates in terms of communicating with the public via different promotional media and thus consolidate the operations in terms of focusing only on those media which have been producing the best results.This maximizes operational effectiveness not only in terms of minimizing costs but also in terms of maximizing the effectiveness of promotional messages that are sent to the target market.In order to make the process of integrated marketing communications effective, the management has to conduct market research in order to facilitate the process of market segmentation (cited in Omachonu & Ross, 2004). The process of market segmentation enables a business organization to determine the stakeholders in terms of their demographics and psychographics so that specific needs can be addressed in the communications process.However as the case of Dell Inc. illustrates, the advent of the Internet has changed the communications process fundamentally. The advent of the Internet means that the consumers are inundated with information. Therefore both private and public sector organizations have to work harder in orde r to grip the consumers’ minds.In addressing this difficulty, integrated marketing communications are the critical success factors. This is because the modern business organization has a knowledge management system which maintains information on the different promotional media that are being applied. Integrated marketing communications enable the management to capitalize on this knowledge management system.In order to maximize the effectiveness of integrated marketing communications, both private and public sector organizations have to develop unique positioning strategies. This means identifying the needs of the target market because an effective positioning strategy must address these needs. However because the consumers are inundated with information from all kinds of media, it is difficult for an organization to get their attention.Therefore the organization must broadcast its message in such a manner that it will grab the audience’s attention immediately. This obj ective can only be met through integrated marketing communications because under this framework, the different departments are coordinating their activities so that a variety of promotional strategies can be synergistically combined (cited in George & Weimerskirch, 1998).This maximizes the efficiency of the communications process. Therefore the process has to start with identifying the needs of the audience. Once these needs have been identified, the management can create an effective positioning strategy (cited in Goetsch & Davis, 2003).The effectiveness of integrated marketing communications lies in the fact that consumers are indifferent as to which source of information the message is coming from. They certainly do not discriminate between different promotional media. Yet it is only through broadcasting through different promotional media that a private or a public sector organization can get the message across to its audience (cited in Pearlson & Saunders, 2007).Therefore the d ifferent departments in an organization must coordinate in order to send a consistent message using different promotional media. Therefore the process of integrated marketing communications also ensures that a consistent message is delivered to the audience.This strengthens the positioning strategy of the company. This is a critical consideration in the current business environment which is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry which drowns the market in information in the form of promotional campaigns. This creates a challenge for public sector organizations which must engineer an integrated marketing communication process to cut through the staticFor both private and public sector organizations, marketing communications are the vitals tools of ensuring the viability of their operations. This has been long recognized. Therefore all organizations are conducting the communications process in one form or another. However particularly in public sector organizatio ns the communications process is highly fragmented across different departments.As a result, the same organization may be transmitting different messages to its target audience. These inconsistencies can be eliminated through the integrated marketing communications process which is essentially a process of addressing the needs of the stakeholders by targeting them with the same message across a number of different promotional media. Therefore the process has to be driven by the needs of the audience.Depending on the needs and the segmentation characteristics of the audience, the private or public sector organization has to develop the message and select the right promotional media.ReferencesAaker, David A. (2004). Strategic Market Management. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Armstrong, Michael. (2005). Strategic Human Resource Management. Prentice Hall.Bank, John. (1993). The Essence of Total Quality Management. McGraw Hill.Besterfield, Dale H., et al. (2002). Total Quality Management. McGraw Hill /Irwin.Chanaron, Jean-Jacques & Dominique Jolly 1999, ‘Technological management: expanding the perspective of management of technology ’, Management Decision, 37, pp 23-43.Chandra, Mahesh 1993, ‘Total quality management in management development’, Journal of management development, 12, pp 12-15.Culpan, Refik 1989, ‘Leadership styles and human resource management: a content analysis of popular management writings’ Management Decision, 27, pp 43-54.Dess, Gregory G., et al. (2007). Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantage.McGraw Hill/Irwin.Fred, David. (2006). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. Prentice Hall.George, Stephen, and Arnold Weimerskirch. (1998). Total quality management:Strategies and Techniques Proven at Today’s Most Successful Companies. South western college pub.Goetsch, David L. and Stanley B. Davis. (2003). Quality Management: Introduction to Total Quality Management for Production, Processing and Service s. Wiley.Greenley, Gordon E 1989, ‘An understanding of marketing strategy’ European Journal of Marketing, 19, pp 12-16.Grover, Varun and William J. Kettinger. (2008). Business Process Change:Reengineering Concepts, Methods and Technologies. Prentice Hall.Higgins, J. C. 1972, ‘Management information systems and the management scientist’,Management Decision, 10, pp 32-35.Hitt, Michael A., et al. (2007). Strategic Management Concepts. Wiley.Hoyle, David. (2007). Quality Management Essentials. Prentice Hall.Kotler, Philip., and Gary Armstrong. (2005). Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall.Leseure, Michel J & Naomi J Brookes 2004, ‘Knowledge management benchmarks for project management ’, Journal of knowledge management, 8, pp 10-14.Martin, Charles L 1985, ‘Delineating the boundaries of marketing’ European Journal of Marketing, 19, pp 12-16.Omachonu, Vincent K. and Joel E. Ross. (2004). Principles of Total Quality. Prentice Hall.Pearls on, Keri E., and Carol S. Saunders. (2007). Managing & Using Information Systems.South western college pub.Raffee, Hans & Ralf T. Kreutzer 1989, ‘Organizational dimensions of global marketing’, Journal of knowledge management, 23, pp 6-14.Ross, Joel E. and Susan Perry. (2002). Total Quality Management: Text, Cases, Readings. Wiley.Shannon, J Richard 1999, ‘Sports marketing: an examination of academic marketing publication’ Journal of Services Marketing, 13, pp 19-23.Stair, Ralph., and George Reynolds. (2007). Fundamentals of Information Systems.McGraw Hill/Irwin.Zineldin, Mosad 2000, ‘Beyond relationship marketing: technologicalship marketing’Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 18, pp 32-34. Â  

7 Reasons Why Teaching is Challenging and Hard

7 Reasons Why Teaching is Challenging and Hard Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions in that it gives you an opportunity to make an impact on a future generation.  It is also extremely difficult and draining- no one with actual teaching experience would tell you otherwise. Being a teacher takes patience, dedication, passion, and the ability to do more with less. It is a treacherous journey often filled with just as many valleys as there are mountains.  Those committed to the profession do so simply because they want to be difference makers.  The following seven factors are some broader issues that make teaching challenging and hard. Disruptive Environment Disruptions occur in many external and internal forms.  Students and teachers have lives outside the walls of the school. Situations commonly occur that serve as a distraction.  These external obstacles are often difficult and sometimes nearly impossible to ignore and overcome.  Internally, issues such as student discipline problems, student assemblies, extra-curricular activities, and even announcements interrupt the flow of the school day.   These are only some of the many issues that serve as a disruption for teachers and students. The fact is that any disruption will take away valuable instructional time and negatively impact student learning in some form.  Teachers must be adept at handling disruptions quickly and getting their students back on task as soon as possible. Expectations In Flux The rules of teaching are constantly changing.  In some aspects, this is good while occasionally it may also be bad.  Teaching is not immune to fads.  The next great thing will be introduced tomorrow and obsolete by weeks’ end.  It is an ever revolving door for teachers.  When things are always changing, you leave very little room for any stability. This lack of stability creates nervousness, uncertainty, and an assurance that our students are being cheated in some aspect of their education.  Education requires stability to maximize effectiveness. Our teachers and our students would benefit from it greatly.  Sadly, we live in a time of flux. Teachers must find a way to bring some stability to the classroom to give their students an opportunity to be successful. Finding Balance There is a perception that teachers only work from 8-3 each day.  This is the time they actually spend with their students. Any teacher will tell you that this only represents a portion of what is required of them.  Teachers often arrive early and stay late. They must grade and record papers, collaborate with other teachers, plan and prepare for the next day’s activities or lessons, attend faculty or committee meetings, clean and organize their classrooms, and communicate with family members. Many teachers continue to work on these things even after they go home.  It can be difficult to find a balance between their personal life and their professional life. Great teachers invest a tremendous amount of time outside of the time spent with their students. They understand that all these things have a significant impact on student learning. However, teachers must commit to stepping away from their teaching responsibilities from time to time so that their personal life does not suffer in some aspect. Individuality of Students Every student is different. They have their own unique personalities, interests, abilities, and needs. Gauging these differences can be extremely difficult.  In the past, teachers have taught to the middle of their class. This practice did a disservice to those students with higher and lower abilities.  Most teachers now find a way to differentiate and accommodate every student according to their own individual needs. Doing so benefits the students, but it comes at a price for the teacher.  It is a difficult and time-consuming task.  Teachers must be adept at utilizing data and observations, finding the appropriate resources, and meeting every student where they are. Lack of Resources School funding impacts students learning in several areas. Underfunded schools have overcrowded classrooms and outdated technology and textbooks.  They are understaffed with many administrators and teachers taking on dual roles to save money.  Programs that may benefit students, but are not required are the first to be cut.  Students lose out on opportunities when schools are underfunded. Teachers must become adept at doing more with less. Most teachers unselfishly spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets to purchase supplies and materials for their classrooms.  A teacher’s effectiveness cannot help but be limited when they are not afforded the necessary resources to do their job effectively. Time Is Limited A teacher’s time is precious.  As alluded to above, there is a difference between the time we spend with the students and the time we spend preparing for our students. Neither is sufficient.  Teachers must maximize the time they have with their students.  Every minute with them should matter.  One of the hardest aspects of teaching is that you only have them for a short period of time to prepare them for the next level.  You do the best you can when you have them, but in the scope of things, you have only a small amount to give them what they need.  No teacher feels like they ever have enough time to accomplish everything that they needed or wanted to. Varying Levels of Parental Involvement Parental involvement is one of the greatest indicators of academic success for students. Those students whose parents teach their children from an early age that learning is valuable and stay involved throughout school give their children a greater opportunity to be successful.  Most parents want what is best for their children, but they may not know how to be involved with their child’s education. This is another obstacle that teachers must hurdle.  Teachers must take an active role in giving parents the opportunity to be involved. They must be direct with parents and engage them in discussions about the role they play in their child’s education.  Furthermore, they must give them the opportunity to be involved on a regular basis.

Parental Substance Abuse And Safeguarding Children Social Work Essay Essay Example

Parental Substance Abuse And Safeguarding Children Social Work Essay Essay Example Parental Substance Abuse And Safeguarding Children Social Work Essay Essay Parental Substance Abuse And Safeguarding Children Social Work Essay Essay Substance abuse causes considerable injury and is soon an huge planetary issue of public concern. It is a wide-ranging job, damaging persons, households and full communities. In general, substance abuse is non merely turning well within the United Kingdom, but besides worldwide. Simultaneously, the figure of kids involved in the barbarous circle of drug pickings and job imbibing by their parents is besides increasing. Although authoritiess, policy shapers and practicians are acknowledging the job and taking stairss towards undertaking the effects of substance maltreatment within households ; the issue in general seems far from being solved. Alcohol is lawfully available and easy accessible throughout England. It is positively associated with socialization, loosen uping and observing. Although jobs linked to inordinate intoxicant ingestion are widespread and good established, it seems that intoxicant abuse is someway more socially accepted and does non hold the same stigma as utilizing drugs. Consequently, the issue of intoxicant maltreatment, particularly in households with kids, frequently remains undiscovered, and the negative impact and effects of the inordinate imbibing behavior of parents on kids remain under-recognized and ignored. Estimates by the Prime Minister s Strategy Unit ( 2004 ) are that between 780,000 and 1,3 million kids in England are ( in ) straight affected by an intoxicant job of at least one parent in other words: 1 in 11 kids live in a family where intoxicant abuse is present. While intoxicant and the negative effects associated with its uncontrolled usage have been around and good documented for centuries, the drug industry has merely been developing and turning quickly over the last few old ages. Concordant with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ( 2003 ) up to 300,000 kids or 3 % of all kids under 16 presently belong to a household where one or two of their parents struggle with a unsafe drug issue. Parental substance abuse is besides non unheard of in societal services caseloads with one one-fourth to one tierce of households known to societal services as being involved with misapplying drugs or intoxicant ( Cleaver et al. , 1999 ; Kearney et al. , 2003 ) . Many of these kids do at least temporarily non unrecorded with their addicted parents. Puting these figures together, more than 10 % of all kids in England are exposed to endure under the effects of their parental drug or intoxicant abuse and it is highly likely that these Numberss will go on to turn over the undermentioned old ages. It seems besides sensible to believe that the official figures of affected kids may be under-estimating the true graduated table of the job as it is highly hard to cipher how many households have to get by with some signifier or the other of substance maltreatment ( Templeton, 2006 ) . First, non all drug and intoxicant services take proper attention to set up whether or non their clients are besides parents and 2nd, non all clients are willing to supply information about the being of ain kids. Third, some establishments do non unwrap figures, collect informations decently or be given to under-report ; and 4th, cipher knows how many substance misuser are non seeking intervention and, hence do non look on any official statistics ( Keen et a l. , 2001 ; ACMD, 2003 ) . Consequently, losing informations and a clear underestimation of the entire figure of affected kids by parental substance abuse seem obvious. Substance maltreatment can include negative physical ( such as wellness hazards and disregard ) , psychological ( such as fond regard upsets and depression ) every bit good as societal ( such as poorness and offense ) influences on both parents and their kids ( Kroll et al. , 2000 ) . Parental intoxicant and drug maltreatment can impact kids s wellness and development in the long term from every bit early as construct and frequently into maturity, taking to changing signifiers of strong, inauspicious and complex effects ( Turning Point, 2006 ) . Additionally, all imaginable types of kid ill-treatment have repeatedly been associated and clarified in assorted surveies with parental substance abuse including carelessness ( as the most common type of maltreatment ) , sexual, emotional and physical maltreatment ( Cleaver et al. , 1999 ; Alison, 2000 ; Forrester et al. , 2006 ) . The impact of intoxicant and/or drugs may besides significantly affect the parent s capacity of equal parentin g ( Alison, 2000 ) . The negative impact of a dependence on the substance misuser himself can take to helter-skelter life styles, perplexing and forestalling parents to back up and care for their ain kids, run intoing their basic demands and supplying a safe and encouraging place environment ( Keen et al. , 2001 ; Home Office, 2008 ) . With the cognition that parental abuse of certain substances can hold a earnestly negative impact on kids s physical, psychological and emotional wellness and development, it is indispensable that these kids potentially at hazard are identified every bit early as possible in order to set up for appropriate protection and safeguard their public assistance ( Nottingham City, 2004 ) . This is the duty of all professionals in different scopes of services ; they all must be able to place and handle substance abuse related jobs by grownups, and besides concentrate on the jobs of affected kids ( Keen and Alison, 2001 ) . Therefore, progressively more research is being done, policy enterprises started and family-supporting services and undertakings have developed quickly ( Templeton et al. , 2006 ) . Although considerable advancement has been made in acknowledging and undertaking the job of substance maltreatment and the issue has won much public consciousness in the last old ages, unhappily , the decease of kids through the custodies of their parents recalls that the system still fails to safeguard kids at hazard. Professionals face a assortment of frequently complex issues and battle with working unimpeded. The most common jobs are a deficiency of apprehension, deriving entree to the substance misuser and their kids, resiliency, quandary about confidentiality and information sharing, inter-agency tensenesss, appraisal, deficiency of preparation and the ability to concentrate on both, grownups and kids s demands ( Kroll and Taylor, 2000 ; Taylor and Kroll, 2004 ) . Without a uncertainty, alterations and new attacks are needed, and through joint appraisal, better information sharing and inter-agency cooperation, the focal point should be on effectual intercession and intervention for the substance misuser every bit good as of the so far frequently unseeable and neglected kids ( Kroll and Talyor, 2000 ; Head of Safeguarding Children, 2008 ) . The first subdivision of this essay describes effects and causes associated with parental substance maltreatment. It highlights the impact of drug and intoxicant abuse on the fetus during gestation and subsequently on the kid from newborn to adulthood, every bit good as resiliency and protective factors for affected kids. Part two focal points on professionals: their duties sing kids s safeguarding and the challenges they face when confronted with substance abuse. The 3rd subdivision covers the legal model of safeguarding kids and other related political steps. The 4th subdivision examines the advancement made so far by looking at different undertakings, intercessions implemented and recent developments. In contrast, subdivision five gives an penetration into world, indicating out some of the most obvious jobs and recent incidents. It touches exhaustively discussed issues such as information sharing, inter-agency cooperation and preparation. The last subdivision considers purposes an d ends, their execution and suggests recommendations for a more effectual scheme in the hereafter. Throughout this article substance misuse/abuse refers to the usage either dependent usage or associated with inauspicious effects of prescribed ( such as tranquillizers, kiping pills, pain-killers, sedatives ) and illicit ( such as opioids, cocaine, rapture, hemp ) drugs every bit good as intoxicant ( Newcastle Child Protection, 2002 ) with critical societal, interpersonal, fiscal, physical and psychological negative effects for both the users and those around them ( ACMD, 2003 ) . 78 SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND EFFECTS ON PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN There is sensible footing in research to propose that a kid whose parent is misapplying substances is at increased hazard. Substance abuse can demand a important proportion of a parent s clip, money and energy, which will inescapably cut down resources available to the kid. Substance abuse may besides set the kid at an increased hazard of disregard and emotional, physical or sexual maltreatment, either by the parent or because the kid becomes more vulnerable to mistreat by others ( Lewis, 1997 ) Parental substance maltreatment does non needfully intend that kids are at hazard of injury or in demand or have hapless rearing in some instances they would non even be affected in a negative manner ( Newcastle Child Protection, 2002 ) . However, merely a few kids will non hold to cover with multiple, mounting and changing negative effects and survive such a complex issue wholly unharmed. While a concrete form of effects can neer be clearly determined due to the complexness of the issue, many of the kids may be for good affected in an inauspicious mode, either emotionally, physically, socially, intellectually or developmentally ( ACPC, 2004 ) . Problems include a assortment of wellness and developmental issues, uneffective parenting, condemnable activity, poorness, helter-skelter life styles and educational attainment, and have long been underestimated and an abandoned research field ( Keen and Alison, 2001 ; HM Government, 2008 ) . The Children Act ( 1989, s17 ( 10 ) ) defines a kid in demand as improbable to accomplish or keep, or to hold the chance of accomplishing or keeping, a sensible criterion of wellness or development without the proviso for him of services by a local authorization ; his wellness or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or farther impaired, without the proviso for him of such services ; or he is handicapped . In this context injury means ill-treatment ( sexual maltreatment and signifiers of maltreatment which are non physical ) or damage of wellness ( physical or mental wellness ) or development ( physical, rational, emotional, societal or behavioral development ) ( The Children Act 1989, s31 ( 9 ) ) . Among 100s of other prescribable substances, intoxicant and opiates should be reduced or avoided at all during gestation. Although it is non possible to measure all the effects of drugs and intoxicant to a full extend on a foetus, it is known that it can be damaging at any clip during gestation ( from construct onwards up to deliver, with the first 3 months being peculiarly vulnerable ) , doing a assortment of wellness and development jobs. Babies whose female parents were dependent on opiates or intoxicant during their gestation are more likely to be smaller, of lower birth weight, premature and at higher hazard of the sudden baby decease ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Additionally the addicted female parents affected wellness and her perchance hapless nutrition ( high degrees of sugar, non adequate Ca, proteins, fruits and veggies ) frequently have an extra negative impact on the foetus physical and psychical development and the babe s wellness. If an unborn is exposed to maternal intoxicant maltreatment, this can non merely take to the familiar serious damages related to substance maltreatment mentioned before, but besides to a unusually common developmental job known as Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome includes a series of possible effects on kids such as larning disablements, bosom defects, lower organic structure weight, decreased tallness, facial malformations, vision and hearing troubles, ADD ( Attention Deficit Disorder ) , ADHD ( Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ) , behavior upset and inappropriate behavior ( Dore et al. , 1995 ) . Expecting adult females sharing injection equipment or working as cocottes to finance their drug usage, live with the changeless menace of being infected with HIV or hepatitis B ; for kids born to drug dependent female parents who are infected with HIV, hepatitis C or hepatitis B, there is besides a unusually elevated hazard to be besides infected during gestation, birth or while being breastfed ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Heavy and prolonged maternal substance maltreatment, both opiates and intoxicant, will really probably expose the kid to the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, which is a term for a scope of jobs a newborn may meet when retreating from exposure to narcotics. Typical symptoms include high-pitched and overly long periods of weeping, shuddering, sneezing, sudating and temperature, purging and diarrhoea, feeding troubles, disturbed kiping forms, paroxysms, , crossness and hyperactivity, high sensitiveness to touch, wild suction, rapid external respiration and cardiac action ( Marcory and Harbin, 2000 ) . Despite the opportunity that appropriate prenatal attention from the beginning would increase the possibility of a healthy and normal gestation and satisfactory development of the foetus, female parents involved with substance dependance frequently do non seek antenatal attention, peculiarly due to their fright of being stigmatized. ( Newcastle Child Protection, 2002 ) . As a babe grows older, the likeliness of sing some negative effects due to its parents substance maltreatment is non diminished in any manner and the impact will change well, depending on several factors such as the kid s age and phase of development. The constitution of a decent, confident and unafraid relationship to at least one health professional in the early months has widely been recognized as the foundation of a kid s normal development. However, kids of substance misapplying parents frequently experience parental inaccessibility, inconsistent attention and conflictual relationships ( ACMD, 2003 ) . A wont frequently lets a parent focal point more on geting and utilizing his drugs or intoxicant instead than its kids s demands. Poisoning and get bying with backdowns symptoms lead to limited clip, attending and emotional inaccessibility ( Kroll and Taylor, 2000 ) . Further, kids of drug and intoxicant maltreaters frequently have to see an implemented impermanent or lasting separation or loss of a parent due to abandonment, hospitalization, imprisonment, intervention, remotion or other exigencies ( ACMD, 2003 ) . All these points contribute to life-long complicated and insecure fond regard. The above-specified jobs normally besides affect the nature and quality of parenting, which in bend frequently of course consequences in farther troubles in a kid s development ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Research proves that many substance mistreating parents lack model theoretical accounts for rearing as they have received hapless parenting and ill-treatment themselves ( Keen and Alison, 2001 ) . As dependance on a substance becomes cardinal, parents are more likely to pretermit their kids which bears assorted hazards and dangers them, irrespective of their age group. Children may be inadequately supervised or left entirely at place, exposed to preventable accidents and/or hurts ( Kroll and Taylor, 2000 ) . But non merely kids are at hazard of accidents, besides drugged or bibulous grownups are exposed to a higher degree of self-induced incidents such as falls, burying nutrient on the goblin or falling asleep with still glowing coffin nails. Parents with an dependence repeatedly besides tend to be unable to carry through their kids s ain basic demands so day-to-day hygiene, a balanced diet and general wellness may endure every bit good as stableness, modus operandis ( such as bedtimes, acquiring up and out for school ) and boundaries ( Alison, 2000 ) . Further wellness hazards may be provoked non taking kids s everyday wellness assignments or jobs earnestly plenty or careless disposal and hence easy entree to drugs, bottles, panpipes and acerate leafs ( Kroll and Taylor, 2000 ; Alison, 2000 ) . There is besides noteworthy danger for kids that have observed their parents utilizing substances, copying them ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Girl, 2, dies imbibing her female parent s dolophine hydrochloride ( 2002 ) Boy, 2, died after taking parents dolophine hydrochloride ( 2006 ) Boy, 14, dies after imbibing dolophine hydrochloride at his aunt s level ( 2008 ) Another effect of parental inaccessibility is that kids are frequently left entirely with day-to-day adult/parental duties such as caring for their younger siblings, run intoing their parents demands, managing fundss and family jobs ( Kroll, 2004 ) . Such extra and unequal duties may in bend consequence in the loss of societal chances and hapless academic public presentation of child- some research gives grounds that kids miss school ( on a regular basis ) by being kept at place due to caring duties and left with small clip to socialise. Social isolation becomes more terrible as the kid grows older and starts to be careful about exposing household life to foreigners and lives in a circle of denial and secrecy due to dishonor and fear ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Misapplying drugs or intoxicant does non merely lend to negligence but frequently goes manus and manus with other signifiers of kid maltreatment and force at place. The possibility of maltreatment and child ill-treatment is enforced by the likeliness that kids may be exposed to a figure of possible unsafe aliens or inappropriate carers within their ain place ( Newcastle Child Protection, 2002 ) . Research besides reveals a lower tolerance degree and moderate loss of pique associated with substance maltreatment, doing aggressive behavior and ensuing in force to look often ( Kroll, 2004 ) . Emotional disregard and maltreatment is besides an issue within a parental substance misapplying environment. Children frequently either experience rejected and unloved by their parents as they concentrate and spend well more clip on their destructive wont than with them, or embarrassed and frequently besides guilty ( Kroll, 2004 ) . Keeping an dependence is a fiscal load, non merely doing it hard to finish family costs, but besides on a regular basis taking to condemnable activity to purchase drugs or intoxicant. Children of addicted parents are besides more likely to be exposed to early condemnable behavior and/or its effects non infrequently because they have been with a parent while they had been perpetrating a offense ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Although parents try and tend to conceal their wont from their kids, kids sooner or subsequently detect it and typically have to cover with it by themselves which normally adds to a assortment of already existing behavioural jobs due to the mentioned effects of parental substance abuse kids tend to be more aggressive, experience disquieted or dying and demo anti-social behavior ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Negative parental illustrations and function theoretical accounts such as drug pickings, intoxicant maltreatment, offense, hapless life conditions and inappropriate behavior necessarily can take a kid to see their parents actions as being normal and approved so that substance maltreatment and hideous behavior by themselves becomes more likely as they enter into their teens and maturity ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Research into kid resiliency has shown that cardinal protective factors can hold an tremendous impact on forestalling kids from being damaged by parental substance abuse. The field of factors includes holding a parent non misapplying substances, a strong bond with a lovingness grownup and support from extended household ( Templeton and Velleman, 2007 ) . Further to advert are a violence-free place, sufficient fiscal resources and an solid support system every bit good as educational success and engagement in different activities ( 19? ) . Working towards personal ends and dreams, taking instruction or calling chances or even go forthing the parental place are besides common schemes to cover with sing substance maltreatment at place ( Templeton and Velleman, 2007 ) . Parents by and large are cognizant of the negative effects and influence on their kids, and they frequently experience a scope of impacts as a consequence of their failing which furthermore will hold follow-on affects for their kids, for illustration in their parenting capacity. Many of them have experienced hard childhoods and were ill parented themselves in this instances drugs or intoxicant are frequently used to cover with a scope of injury and tenseness associated ( Alison, 2000 ) . Professionals It is the dependability and map of all genres of professionals and bureaus including general practicians, wellness visitants, physicians, accoucheuse, baby doctors, mental wellness services, household support services, intervention establishments, societal services, constabularies, educational scenes and voluntary sectors to safeguard and protect kids. Safeguarding is equal to maintain kids safe from injury and maltreatment both calculated maltreatment every bit good as accidents, strong-arming and offense and to advance their well-being and development in a healthy and safe environment ( HM Government, 2006 ) . Everyone holding contact with kids must be cognizant that it is non acceptable to stay sidelined if a kid is in demand or hazard of injury ( Lord Laming, 2003 ) . However, it is notable that each professional recognizes and accepts the restrictions of his ain functions and values the indispensable portion of others ( Keen and Alison, 2001 ) otherwise everyone s responsib ility and the mission to set a kid s public assistance foremost shortly gets lost and remains no 1 s duty ( Inter-Agency Guidelines, ( 2008 ) . Challenges When meeting parental substance maltreatment, all professionals face a series of quandary, struggles and tensenesss in their work with kids and grownups. They frequently merely experience unprepared and miss the expertness, accomplishments and developing to concentrate and work efficaciously with grownups and kids to the same intent, and even if they do hold the proper preparation, professionals frequently merely do non see their function in prosecuting with kids or substance misusing parents ( Templeton and Velleman, 2007 ) . Professionals interviewed by Taylor and Kroll ( 2004 ) stated one after another that they lack developing which covers kid safeguarding and protection procedures and experience inexperient to work with kids of drug and intoxicant users, kids in demand or hazard of injury. Additionally, there seems to be a common confusion among different bureaus sing their single functions and therefore allotment of clear duties. A big portion of these issues lay in the person and independent development of substance abuse services and kid public assistance approaches over the last old ages. While grownup intervention services place the substance maltreaters foremost and frequently do non affect bing kids, the primary intent of kid protection bureaus are entirely the kids, by and large non taking into history parents demands ( Colby and Murrell, 1998 in Taylor and Kroll, 2004 ) . But bureaus working with kids must besides take into history the state of affairs and the jobs of the several parents, being cognizant of the impact parents behaviors have on kids. At the same clip, services for grownups must non disregard bing kids, so a great cooperation between bureaus and services is needed ( Templeton and Velleman, 2007 ) . Professionals and bureaus have to cover with parents who may bot be easy to prosecute with, who may non desire to collaborate with them, are loath to open up, state the truth or fix to alter ( Nottingham City ACPC, 2004 ) . Therefore it can be a challenge to obtain, set up and keep swearing relationships with either the parents or the accomplished kids ( Inter-Agency Guidelines, 2008 ) . On the other manus, households with a drug and/or intoxicant job fear a scope of effects and rejection by opening themselves to professionals, which normally keeps them in a turn of silence and secretiveness, therefore forestalling them entree to back up and assist for themselves or their kids ( Nottingham City ACPC, 2004 ) . Parents are frequently loath to near services and seek intervention, have jobs to confide in others and uncover their drug and/or intoxicant job as they peculiarly fear that any revelation could take to losing their kids and that their household might be treated otherwise, stigmatized or denied by others ( Nottingham City ACPC, 2004 ) . Although confidentiality is a cardinal rule for such bureaus, no organisation can vouch it and in some instances, professionals have to portion information, particularly when a kid s public assistance is at hazard ( The Stella Project, 2002 ) . SAFEGUARDING AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK As mentioned earlier in this article, bureaus, services and professionals in touch with kids or/and grownups who are parents have a assortment of duties to safeguard kids, assess their demands and advance their public assistance. In the United Kingdom, considerable legislative model exists for this intent, with the Children Act 1989 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the simple and reforming pieces of kid jurisprudence. In general, the Children Act ( 1989 ) focuses on bettering kids s lives and demands comprehensive services to all kids every bit good as tailored 1s for those with extra demands. It besides clarifies that if a local authorization has sensible cause to surmise that a kid who lives, or is found, in their country is enduring, or is likely to endure, important injury, the authorization shall do, or do to be made, such questions as they consider necessary to enable them to make up ones mind whether they should take any action to safeguard or a dvance that kid s public assistance ( The Children Act 1989, s47 ( 1 ) ) . The Children Act besides provides the legal evidences for the five Every Child Matters ( 2003 ) outcomes in jurisprudence be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, do a positive part, achieve economic wellbeing. Subsequently the Children Act ( 2004 ) implemented a demand for local governments and a scope of bureaus prosecuting with substance mistreating parents to rank foremost the public assistance and safety of their kids. Local governments and bureaus are made responsible to find if a kid is in demand and/or hazard and so to take appropriate stairss to protect him from ( farther ) important injury ( ACMD, 2003 ) . Further The Children Act ( 2004 ) focuses on co-operation to better and procure the wellbeing of kids. Early consciousness and intercession is critical to cut down the Numberss of kid protection instances but appraisal is an vastly complex procedure. When measuring the public assistance of a kid, practicians must work sensitively and child-centred, analyzing the parental substance abuse from the kid s place to better understand the impact upon his development and life ( Lord Laming, 2003 ) . For a more standardised, coordinated, early and practical manner to measure kids s single demands, the Common Assessment Framework ( CAF ) was designed and signifiers portion of the Every Child Matters ( Lord Lamming, 2003 ) . The Department of Health besides provides the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, which is based on a more ecological attack. Further, all local governments are required to hold an Area Child Protection Committee to form and oversee kid protection steps. When finding that a kid is at hazard of important injury, kid protection processs should instantly be initiated to guarantee that the necessary referral is made to the societal services ( ACMD, 2003 ) . It is important that appraisal is ongoing and alterations are carefully monitored when a parent is in intervention or free from drugs or intoxicant dependance it does non needfully intend that kids do non longer suffer from any inauspicious effects ( Nottingham City ACPC, 2004 ) . Further, if no concerns sing the wellbeing of a kid are established, professionals should stay in connexion with the household and carefully detect them as harmless state of affairss frequently rapidly alter into an unpredictable environment for the kid ( Newcastle Child Protection, 2002 ) . Advancement Over the last old ages, there has been a broad scope of Government enterprises, programmes, schemes and policies aimed at undertaking ( parental ) substance abuse. The Updated Drug Strategy for England 2002, Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers, the Green Paper on Children at Risk, Extended Schools, the Children s National Service Framework, Sure Start and Early Excellence Centres, mentioned above, are merely some illustrations of cardinal enterprises ( ACMD, 2003 ; The Stella Project, 2002 ) : The Updated Drug Strategy for England in general specifies a assortment of actions undertaken by the Government to undertake drug usage and curtail the entree to Classify A ( diacetylmorphine, cocaine ) drugs. Further it acknowledges that there is non adequate attending given to kids of drug dependant grownups and therefore more focal point on assisting them every bit good as addicted female parents is needed. The Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers first attempt is to place, work towards and minimise negative effects of intoxicant maltreatment on kids. In peculiar, this scheme besides addresses maltreatment and domestic force as the chief associated jobs with alcohol dependance. The Green Paper on Children at Risk is a scheme turn toing a series of cardinal recommendations of the Laming Report and taking to implement policies to better the life opportunities of kids. The construct behind the Extended Schools undertaking, initiated by the Department for Education and Skills, is that schools could make stronger relationships parents and kids, motivate their students and so raise criterions by offering a wider service such as grownup instruction, wellness services and child care. The Children s National Service Framework chief end is to cut down inequalities in wellness and societal services every bit good as upgrading the overall criterion of such services. The strategy specifically concentrates on the demands of kids of drug and intoxicant maltreaters. Certain Start provides different services and support of all sort to all households in more deprived countries and in instances of parental substance abuse, the Sure Start squad will seek advice, refer to and work closely with the relevant practicians and bureaus. Early Excellence Centres were established to raise kids s public assistance and development by working coordinated with other community bureaus and offering advice, support, child care, wellness services and early acquisition. With a comprehensive legislative model already established in the United Kingdom and several enterprises and programmes running, it does non look particularly needed to modify bing statute laws or implement new 1s or get down more undertakings to protect kids efficaciously. Nevertheless, those already bing must be to the full understood and applied by practicians in all countries, and everyone must clearly understand his duties and those of the others ( Lord Lamming, 2003 ) . However, the decease of the kids Baby P and Victoria Climbie are tragic illustrations of the weaknesss in the kid protection system. Despite considerable committedness and advancement made so far, challenges remain in the protection of kids and their safeguarding every bit good as in the day-to-day world of practicians. The issues chiefly surround preparation, equal degrees of staffing, betterment of informations systems and information sharing and better coordination and cooperation problematically ( Lord Lamming, 2003 ) . World The exact figure of bush leagues enduring under parental substance maltreatment known to societal services is non clearly determined. In 1999, Cleaver et Al. estimated that about 25 to 60 per centum of all kids in kid protection proceedings were populating with a parent holding a drug or intoxicant job. A more recent survey of 290 kid detention instances in four different London boroughs revealed that 34 % ( 100 households ) where affected by substance maltreatment, ensuing in more than 50 % of all kids in attention proceedings and over a 3rd of all kids on the kid protection files being topics of parental substance maltreatment ( Forrester and Harwin, 2006 ) . Both research workers besides found that most affected kids were under the age of five old ages. Information sharing Although the authorities set clear guidelines on sharing information with the publication of Information sharing: Guidance for practicians and directors in 2008, transgressing confidentiality, information sharing and information protection still remain some of the first concerns among professionals working with kids and substance maltreaters ( Lord Lamming, 2009 ) . While the Data Protection Act 1998 preserves unauthorised revelation of personal information, it should non function as an obstruction or alibi to indispensable information exchange between bureaus and professionals ( Scots Executive, 2003 ) . There are some exclusions set out in the Data Protection Act ( 1998 ) in which information can be shared legitimately, most significantly if there is sensible concern of a kid being at hazard of injury. In order to better the safeguarding of kids of drug and intoxicant mistreating parents it is of import to guarantee that everyone involved understands the state of affairss in whic h they can and should go through on information to other bureaus and organisations and that they use the new governmental recommendations for information sharing in order to supply better support to kids, or to forestall or halt injury ( Cleaver et al. , 2008 ) . Training Appropriate preparation is necessary across all bureaus and for every professional ( such as a societal worker, wellness visitant, school teacher, GP ) working with kids. To advance effectual intercession, it is important that they all clearly understand kid development and are able to early diagnose and place the marks of kid maltreatment and disregard and therefore do the necessary agreements to protect the kid from go oning injury and continue his wellbeing. Lord Lamming ( 2009 ) besides suggests multi-agency preparation to back up a assortment of professionals to better understand non merely their ain functions and responsibilities but besides those of other practicians. This may increase joint appraisal and better determinations. Inter-agency working Lord Lamming ( 2003 in the Victoria Climbie Report ) already ascertained The support and protection of kids can non be achieved by a individual bureau. Every service has to play its portion. All employees must hold placed upon them the clear outlook that the primary map is to the kid . It is indispensable that practicians and services collaborate in a co-ordinated manner to supply better support at the right clip, transporting out joint appraisal or organisation. As many grownup services lack the accomplishments to cover the demands of their clients kids, they have to seek advice from and work closely with other, more child-focused services otherwise their energy and development with the parents is useless ( Turning Point, 2006 ) . The same applies to child-centered establishments who disregard parents. It is assumed that inter-agency working among professionals would convey needful services more co-ordinated and timely, and the results would hence likely to be more effectual ( Cleaver et al. , 2008 ) . Working together to Safeguard Children ( 2006 ) focuses on and represents different rules for collaborative working ; acknowledging that a kid can merely be protected efficaciously if professionals work together and coordinated.. Decision In the United Kingdom, the debatable drug and intoxicant usage is a major societal and public wellness concern and many kids and their households struggle undetected. In the recent old ages, an huge attempt has been undertaken around the issue of parental substance abuse. The impact of and hazards associated with it have been extensively analyzed and there is turning grounds for a series of undertakings, services and intercessions for kids and their parents. As clearly stated in this article, dependence to different substances has the possible and ability to interfere with all facets of a kid s normal development and general wellness, taking to considerable life-long inauspicious effects for them and their households. Further, heavy uncontrolled imbibing and debatable drug usage frequently have an alarming negative impact on rearing accomplishments and parental attention of their kids ensuing in fond regard upsets and a assortment of other jobs. The study highlights the higher hazard to kids of all signifiers of maltreatment where a parent is problematically utilizing substances. Substance abuse by grownups who are besides parents seldom occurs in isolation or is entirely responsible for increasing hazard for kids. Environmental factors such as unemployment, poorness and societal isolation addition both the hazard of parental substance abuse and negative impacts on kids. Particular hazards associated with gestation and parents with substance jobs who frequently had histories themselves of kid maltreatment and disregard have been emphasized. The coexistence of parental substance abuse brings more challenges for professionals who work with kids and households. With respects to professionals and bureaus, it was recognized that services working with substance misusers frequently have no tradition of working with kids, and other services concentrating on kids are non equipped to react to substance abuse. As divided services form unsafe spreads into which kids can fall and stay concealed within the expert web, there is an obvious demand to better the cooperation between bureaus and services working with parents and kids. The writer besides emphasizes the visual aspect of anxiousnesss and insecurities in child-centered professionals and grownup focused practicians about their ain degrees of cognition and the degree of expertness they felt equipped to measure such a complex issue as parental substance abuse. Therefore, preparation and counsel on the consequence of drugs and intoxicant abuse on kids seems appropriate to mobilise professionals assurance in their ability to measure kids at hazard of injury and offer effectual intervention. Training is besides needed for those instances where parents deny jobs and/or resist intervention, fearing a combination of revelation, stigmatisation and hasty action, which could take to serious jobs sing engagement and enquiry. Further, there shall be a focal point on how to collaborate with other professionals, inter-agency communicating and information sharing. This is utile to interrupt down inter-professional barriers, so bureaus can more efficaciously program and present shared services every bit good as evaluate and procedure attention programs with households. It is besides wise to retrieve Lord Lamming s kid protection counsel although parental substance usage per Se was non addressed by him. It is clear that diverse and flexible attacks of working with households affected by substance maltreatment are needed, delivered by bureaus and professional who are non merely exhaustively trained but besides able to place the demands of those they work with. While there is considerable capacity for betterment in information sharing, patient appraisal, staff preparation, service proviso and interagency working, the biggest challenge seems to be that households with a substance maltreatment job are non overlooked.

Biography of Joseph Stalin, Dictator of Soviet Union

Biography of Joseph Stalin, Dictator of Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (December 18, 1878–March 5, 1953) was an important leader in the Russian Revolution who became the head of the Communist Party and Dictator of the Soviet state known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics  (USSR). During World War II he maintained an uneasy alliance with the United States and Great Britain to fight Nazi Germany, but dropped any illusions of friendship after the war. As Stalin sought to expand Communism throughout Eastern Europe and around the world, he helped spark the Cold War and the subsequent arms race. Fast Facts: Joseph Stalin Known For: Bolshevik leader, Russian revolutionary, Head of the Communist Party in Russia and Dictator of the USSR (1927–1953)Born: December 18, 1878 (official date: December 21, 1879) in Gori, Georgia  Parents: Vissarion Dzhugasvhil and Ekaterina Georgievna GeadzeDied:  March 5, 1953 in Kuntsevo Dacha, RussiaEducation: Gori Church School (1888–1894), Tiflis Theological Seminary (1894–1899)Publications:  Collected WorksSpouse(s): Ekaterina Svanidze (1885–1907, married 1904–1907), Nadezhda Sergeevna Allilueva (1901–1932, m. 1919–1932)  Children: with Ekaterina: Yakov Iosifovich Dzhugashvili (1907–1943), with Nadezhda: Vasily (1921–1962) Svetlana Iosefovna Allilueva (1926–2011)Notable Quote: â€Å"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.†Ã‚   Early Life Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) at the time when he entered Tiflis seminary. (1894). (Photo by Apic/Getty Images) Joseph Stalin was born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in Gori, Georgia (a region annexed by Russia in 1801) on December 6, 1878 by theJulian calendar then in use; using the modern calendar, that converts to December 18, 1878). He later claimed his official birthdate as December 21, 1879). He was the third son of four children born to Ekaterina Georgievna Geadze (Keke) and Vissarion (Beso) Djugashvili, but he was the only one to survive past infancy. Stalin’s parents had a turbulent marriage, with Beso often beating his wife and son. Part of their marital strife came from their very different ambition for their son. Keke recognized that Soso, as Joseph Stalin was known as a child, was highly intelligent and wanted him to become a Russian Orthodox priest; thus, she made every effort to get him an education. On the other hand, Beso, who was a cobbler, felt that working-class life was good enough for his son. Education The argument came to a head when Stalin was 12 years old. Beso, who had moved to Tiflis (the capital of Georgia) to find work, came back and took Stalin to the factory where he worked so that Stalin could become an apprentice cobbler. This was the last time Beso would assert his vision for Stalins future. With help from friends and teachers, Keke got Stalin back and once again got him on the path to attend seminary. After this incident, Beso refused to support either Keke or his son, effectively ending the marriage. Keke supported Stalin by working as a laundress, though she later secured more respectable employment at a womens clothing shop. Keke was right to note Stalins intellect, which soon became apparent to his teachers. Stalin excelled in school and earned a scholarship to the Tiflis Theological Seminary in 1894. However, there were signs that Stalin was not destined for the priesthood. Prior to entering the seminary, Stalin was not only a choirboy, but also the ruthless leader of a street gang. Notorious for his cruelty and use of unfair tactics, Stalin’s gang dominated the rough streets of Gori. Stalin as a Young Revolutionary A card from the register of the St. Petersburg imperial police on Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. (1912). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) While at the seminary, Stalin discovered the works of Karl Marx. He joined the local socialist party and soon his interest in overthrowing Czar Nicholas II and the monarchical system outstripped any desire he might have had to be a priest. Stalin dropped out of school just a few months shy of graduating to become a revolutionary, giving his first public speech in 1900. The Life of a Revolutionary After having joined the revolutionary underground, Stalin went into hiding using the alias â€Å"Koba.† Nevertheless, the police captured Stalin in 1902 and exiled him to Siberia for the first time in 1903. When free from prison, Stalin continued to support the revolution and helped organize peasants in the 1905 Russian Revolution against Czar Nicholas II. Stalin would be arrested and exiled seven times and escape six between 1902 and 1913. In between arrests, Stalin married Ekaterina Svanidze, a sister of a classmate from seminary, in 1904. They had one son, Yacov, before Yekaterina died of typhus in 1907. Yacov was raised by his mothers parents until he was reunited with Stalin in 1921 in Moscow, though the two were never close. Yacov would be among the millions of Russian casualties of World War II. Vladimir Lenin Stalins commitment to the party intensified when he met Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, head of the Bolsheviks in 1905. Lenin recognized Stalins potential and encouraged him. After that, Stalin held the Bolsheviks in any way he could, including committing several robberies to raise funds. Because Lenin was in exile, Stalin took over as editor of Pravda, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, in 1912. That same year, Stalin was appointed to the Bolsheviks Central Committee, cementing his role as a key figure in the Communist movement. The Name Stalin Also in 1912, Stalin, while writing for the revolution while still in exile, first signed an article Stalin, meaning steel man, for the power it connotes. This would continue to be a frequent pen name and, after the successful Russian Revolution in October 1917, his surname. (Stalin would continue to use aliases throughout the rest of his life, though the world would know him as Joseph Stalin.) 1917 Russian Revolution Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin address the proletariat during the Russian Revolution. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Stalin missed much of the activity leading up to the Russian Revolution in 1917, because he was exiled to Siberia from 1913–1917. Upon his release in March of 1917, Stalin resumed his role as a Bolshevik leader. By the time he was reunited with Lenin, who also returned to Russia a few weeks after Stalin, Czar Nicholas II had already abdicated as part of the February Russian Revolution. With the czar deposed, the Provisional Government was in charge. The October 1917 Russian Revolution Lenin and Stalin, however, wanted to topple the Provisional Government and install a Communist one, controlled by the Bolsheviks. Feeling that the country was ready for another revolution, Lenin and the Bolsheviks began a nearly bloodless coup on October 25, 1917. In just two days, the Bolsheviks had taken over Petrograd, the capital of Russia, and thus became the leaders of the country. Not everyone was happy with the Bolsheviks ruling the country, thus Russia was thrust immediately into civil war as the Red Army (the Bolshevik forces) battled the White Army (made up of various anti-Bolshevik factions). The Russian Civil War lasted until 1921. Russian revolutionaries and leaders Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, and Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin at the Congress of the Russian Communist Party. (March 23, 1919). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) In 1921, the White Army was defeated, leaving Lenin, Stalin and Leon Trotsky as the dominant figures in the new Bolshevik government. Although Stalin and Trotsky were rivals, Lenin appreciated their distinct abilities and promoted both. Trotsky vs. Stalin Trotsky was far more popular than Stalin, so Stalin was given the less public role of General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922. Trotsky, who was a persuasive orator, maintained a visible presence in foreign affairs and was perceived by many as the heir apparent. However, what neither Lenin nor Trotsky foresaw was that Stalins position allowed him to build loyalty within the Communist Party, as an essential factor in his eventual takeover. Head of the Communist Party Tensions between Stalin and Trotsky increased when Lenins health began to fail in 1922 with the first of several strokes, raising the difficult question of who would be Lenin’s successor. From his sickbed, Lenin had advocated for shared power and maintained this vision until his death on January 21, 1924. Ultimately, Trotsky was no match for Stalin because Stalin had spent his years in the party building loyalty and support. By 1927, Stalin had effectively eliminated all of his political rivals (and exiled Trotsky) to emerge as the head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Stalins Five Year Plans Soviet Communist dictator Joseph Stalin. (circa 1935). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Stalins willingness to use brutality to achieve political aims was well established by the time he took power; nevertheless, the Soviet Union (as it was known after 1922) was unprepared for the extreme violence and oppression that Stalin unleashed in 1928. This was the first year of Stalins Five Year Plan, a radical attempt to bring the Soviet Union into the industrial age. Famine In the name of Communism, Stalin seized assets, including farms and factories, and reorganized the economy. However, these efforts often led to less efficient production, ensuring that mass starvation swept the countryside. To mask the disastrous results of the plan, Stalin maintained export levels, shipping food out of the country even as rural residents died by the hundreds of thousands. Any protest of his policies resulted in immediate death or relocation to a gulag (a prison camp in the remote regions of the nation). The Disastrous Effects Kept Secret The first Five Year Plan (1928-1932) was declared completed a year early and the second Five Year Plan (1933-1937) was launched with equally disastrous results. A third Five Year began in 1938, but was interrupted by World War II in 1941. While all of these plans were unmitigated disasters, Stalin’s policy forbidding any negative publicity led the full consequences of these upheavals to remain hidden for decades. To many who were not directly impacted, the Five Year Plans appeared to exemplify Stalins proactive leadership. Stalins Cult of Personality Soviet Communist leader Joseph Stalin (1879-1953), with Galia Markifova, at a reception for the elite of the workers of the Biviato autonomous socialist republic. In later life, Galia was sent to a labor camp by Stalin. (1935). (Photo by Henry Guttmann/Getty Images) Stalin is also known for building an unprecedented cult of personality. Presenting himself as a paternal figure watching over his people, Stalins image and actions could not have been more distinct. While paintings and statues of Stalin kept him in the public eye, Stalin also promoted himself by aggrandizing his past through tales of his childhood and his role in the revolution. However, with millions of people dying, statues and tales of heroics could only go so far. Thus, Stalin made it a policy that showing anything less than complete devotion was punishable by exile or death. Going beyond that, Stalin eradicated any form of dissent or competition. No Outside Influences; No Free Press Not only did Stalin readily arrest anyone remotely suspected of having a different view, he also closed religious institutions and confiscated church lands in his reorganization of the Soviet Union. Books and music that were not to Stalins standards were banned as well, virtually eliminating the possibility of outside influences. No one was allowed to say a negative thing against Stalin, especially the press. No news of the death and devastation in the countryside was leaked to the public; only news and images that presented Stalin in a flattering light were allowed. Stalin also famously changed the name of the city of Tsaritsyn to Stalingrad in 1925 to honor the city for its role in the Russian civil war. Second Wife and Family Nadezhda Alliluyeva Stalin (1901-1932), the second wife of Joseph Stalin and mother of his children, Vassily and Svetlana. They married in 1919 and she killed herself on November 8th, 1932. (circa 1925). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) In 1919, Stalin married Nadezhda (Nadya) Alliluyeva, his secretary and fellow Bolshevik. Stalin had become close with Nadyas family, many of whom were active in the revolution and would go on to hold important positions under Stalin’s government. The young revolutionary captivated Nadya and together they would have two children, a son, Vasily, in 1921, and a daughter, Svetlana, in 1926. As carefully as Stalin controlled his public image, he could not escape the criticism of his wife, Nadya, one of the few bold enough to stand up to him. Nadya often protested his deadly policies and found herself at the receiving end of Stalins verbal and physical abuse. While their marriage began with mutual affection, Stalins temperament and alleged affairs contributed greatly to Nadyas depression. After Stalin berated her particularly harshly at a dinner party, Nadya committed suicide on November 9, 1932. The Great Terror Soviet leader Joseph Stalin after the completion of a series of governmental purges in which most of the Communist Party old guard were dismissed or executed. (1938). (Photo by Ivan Shagin/Slava Katamidze Collection/Getty Images) Despite Stalin’s attempts to eradicate all dissent, some opposition emerged, particularly among party leaders who understood the devastating nature of Stalin’s policies. Nevertheless, Stalin was reelected in 1934. This election made Stalin keenly aware of his critics and he soon began to eliminate anyone he perceived as opposition, including his most substantial political rival, Sergi Kerov. Sergi Kerov was assassinated in 1934 and Stalin, who most believe was responsible, used Kerovs death to extol the dangers of the anti-Communist movement and tighten his grip on Soviet politics. Thus began the period known as the Great Terror. Few leaders have culled their ranks as dramatically as Stalin did in during the Great Terror of the 1930s. He targeted members of his cabinet and government, soldiers, clergy, intellectuals, or anyone else he deemed suspect. Those seized by his secret police would be tortured, imprisoned, or killed (or a combination of these experiences). Stalin was indiscriminate in his targets, and top government and military officials were not immune from prosecution. In fact, the Great Terror eliminated many key figures in government. Widespread Paranoia During the Great Terror, widespread paranoia reigned. Citizens were encourages to turn each other in and those captured often pointed figures at neighbors or coworkers in hopes of saving their own lives. Farcical show trials publicly confirmed the guilt of the accused and ensured that family members of those accused would remain socially ostracized - if they managed to evade arrest. The military was particularly decimated by the Great Terror since Stalin perceived a military coup as the greatest threat. With World War II on the horizon, this purging of the military leadership would later prove a severe detriment to the Soviet Union’s military effectiveness. Death Toll While the estimates of death tolls vary greatly, the lowest numbers credit Stalin with killing 20 million during the Great Terror alone. Beyond being one of the greatest examples of state-sponsored murder in history, the Great Terror demonstrated Stalins obsessive paranoia and willingness to prioritize it over national interests. Stalin and Nazi Germany Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov checks over the plan for the Demarcation of Poland, while Nazi Foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop stands in the background with Joseph Stalin. (August 23, 1939). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Stalin and Hitler Sign a Non-Aggression Pact By 1939, Adolf Hitler was a powerful threat to Europe and Stalin could not help but be concerned. While Hitler was opposed to Communism and had little regard for Eastern Europeans, he appreciated that Stalin represented a formidable force and the two signed a non-aggression pact in 1939. Operation Barbarossa After Hitler drew the rest of Europe into war in 1939, Stalin pursued his own territorial ambition in the Baltic region and Finland. Although many warned Stalin that Hitler intended to break the pact (as he had with other European powers), Stalin was surprised when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, a full-scale invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Stalin Joins the Allies The Big Three met in person for the first time in Teheran to discuss the co-ordination of allied war efforts. Left to right: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, U.S President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (1943). (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin joined the Allied powers, which included Great Britain (led by Sir Winston Churchill) and later the United States (led by Franklin D. Roosevelt). Although they shared a joint enemy, the communist/capitalist rift ensured that mistrust characterized the relationship. However, before the Allies could come help, the German army swept eastward through the Soviet Union. Initially, some Soviet residents were relieved when the German army invaded, thinking that German rule had to be an improvement over Stalinism. Unfortunately, the Germans were merciless in their occupation and ravaged the territory they conquered. Scorched Earth Policy Stalin, who was determined to stop the German army’s invasion at any cost, employed a scorched earth policy. This entailed burning all farms fields and villages in the path of the advancing Germany army to prevent German soldiers from living off the land. Stalin hoped that, without the ability to pillage, the German army’s supply line would run so thin that the invasion would be forced to stop. Unfortunately, this scorched earth policy also meant the destruction of the homes and livelihoods of Russian people, creating massive numbers of homeless refugees. It was the harsh Soviet winter that really slowed down the advancing Germany army, leading to some of the bloodiest battles of World War II. However, to force a German retreat, Stalin needed greater assistance. Although Stalin began to receive American equipment in 1942, what he really wanted was Allied troops deployed to the Eastern Front. The fact that this never happened infuriated Stalin and increased the resentment between Stalin and his allies. The Atomic Bomb Another rift in the relationship between Stalin and the Allies came when the United States secretly developed the nuclear bomb. The mistrust between the Soviet Union and the United States was obvious when the U.S. refused to share the technology with the Soviet Union, causing Stalin to launch his own nuclear weapons program. The Soviets Turn the Nazis Back With supplies provided by the Allies, Stalin was able to turn the tide at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943 and forced the retreat of the German army. With the tide turned, the Soviet army continued to push the Germans all the way back to Berlin, ending World War II in Europe in May of 1945. Stalin and the Cold War Soviet Communist leader Joseph Stalin (1950). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Once World War II ended, the task of rebuilding Europe remained. While the United States and the United Kingdom sought stability, Stalin had no desire to cede the territory he had conquered during the war. Therefore, Stalin claimed the territory he had liberated from Germany as part of the Soviet empire. Under Stalin’s tutelage, Communist parties took control of each country’s government, cut off all communication with the West, and became official Soviet satellite states. The Truman Doctrine While the Allies were unwilling to launch a full-scale war against Stalin, U.S. President Harry Truman recognized that Stalin could not go unchecked. In response to Stalins domination of Eastern Europe, Truman issued the Truman Doctrine in 1947, in which the United States pledged to help nations at risk of a being overtaken by Communists. It was immediately enacted to thwart Stalin in Greece and Turkey, which would ultimately remain independent throughout the Cold War. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift Stalin again challenged the Allies in 1948 when he attempted to seize control of Berlin, a city that had been divided among the victors of World War II. Stalin had already seized East Germany and severed it from the West as part of his post-war conquest. Hoping to claim the entire capital, which was located entirely within East Germany, Stalin blockaded the city in an attempt to force the other Allies to abandon their sectors of Berlin. However, determined to not give in to Stalin, the U.S. organized a nearly year-long airlift that flew massive amounts of supplies into West Berlin. These efforts rendered the blockade ineffective and Stalin finally ended the blockade on May 12, 1949. Berlin (and the rest of Germany) remained divided. This division ultimately manifested in the creation of the Berlin Wall in 1961 during the height of the Cold War. The Cold War Continues While the Berlin Blockade was the last major military confrontation between Stalin and the West, Stalin’s policies and attitude toward the West would continue as Soviet policy even after Stalin’s death. This competition between the Soviet Union and the United States escalated during the Cold War to the point where nuclear war seemed imminent. The Cold War ended only with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Death Soviet Communist leader Joseph Stalin lying in state in the hall of Trade Union House, Moscow. (March 12, 1953). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) In his final years, Stalin tried to reshape his image to that of a man of peace. He turned his attention to rebuilding the Soviet Union and invested in many domestic projects, such as bridges and canals – most were never completed. While he was writing his Collected Works in an attempt to define his legacy as an innovative leader, evidence suggests that Stalin was also working on his next purge, an attempt to eliminate the Jewish population that remained in Soviet territory. This never came to pass since Stalin suffered a stroke on March 1, 1953 and died four days later. Stalin maintained his cult of personality even after his death. Like Lenin before him, Stalin’s body was embalmed and put on public display. In spite of the death and destruction he inflicted upon those he ruled, Stalin’s death devastated the nation. The cult-like loyalty he inspired remained, although it would dissipate in time. Legacy A crowd of people surround the demolished head of a statue of Joseph Stalin, including Daniel Sego, the man who cut off the head, during the Hungarian Revolt, Budapest, Hungary. Sego is spitting on the statue. (December 1956). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) It took several years for the Communist party to replace Stalin; in 1956, Nikita Khrushchev took over. Khrushchev broke the secrecy regarding Stalin’s atrocities and led the Soviet Union in a period of de-Stalinization, which included beginning to account for the catastrophic deaths under Stalin and acknowledging the flaws in his policies. It wasn’t an easy process for the Soviet people to break through Stalin’s cult of personality to see the real truths of his reign. The estimated numbers of dead are staggering. The secrecy regarding those â€Å"purged† has left millions of Soviet citizens wondering the exact fate of their loved ones. No Longer Idolize Stalin With these new-found truths about Stalin’s reign, it was time to stop revering the man who had murdered millions. Pictures and statues of Stalin were gradually removed and in 1961, the city of Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd. In October of 1961, Stalins body, which had lain next to Lenin’s for nearly eight years, was removed from the mausoleum. Stalin’s body was buried nearby, surrounded by concrete so that he could not be moved again. Sources Rappaport, Helen. Joseph Stalin: A Biographical Companion. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1999.Radzinsky, Edvard. Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russias Secret Archives. New York: Doubleday, 1996.Service, Robert. Stalin: A Biography. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 2005.