National Identity of Arab Citizens in Israel: A Socio-Educational Study of the Palestinian Minority in the “Hand in Hand” Bilingual Schools

Wydział Studiów EdukacyjnychNiniejsze studium badawcze ukazuje kształtowanie się tożsamości narodowej ucznia arabskiego w szkołach dwujęzycznych w Izraelu. Badania kontynuują twierdzenia większości badaczy, przedstawione w przeglądzie literatury, dotyczące sytuacji i jakości arabskiego systemu edukacji w Izraelu, w zakresie kształcenia, osiągnięć oraz rozwoju osobowości i tożsamości arabskiego ucznia. Stwierdzono, że podręczniki i ich treść oraz cele państwowej edukacji w Izraelu całkowicie ignorują potrzeby arabskiego ucznia w państwowych publicznych szkołach arabskich w Izraelu, w wymiarze osobistym, społecznym, kulturowym i narodowym. W wyniku rozczarowania intelektualnego społeczeństwa arabskiego sytuacją i jakością nauczania w szkołach arabskich we wszystkich dziedzinach, zaczął się ostatnio rozwijać trend "edukacji alternatywnej". Arabscy rodzice zaczynają szukać, a nawet zakładać prywatne szkoły jako alternatywę dla szkół publicznych. Ponieważ w publicznych szkołach arabskich nie ma edukacji narodowej, ani formalnej, ani nieformalnej, pole badawcze dotyczyło rozwoju tożsamości narodowej w szkołach dwujęzycznych należących do Stowarzyszenia Hand in Hand. W badaniach własnych autorka przyjęła strategię badań o charakterze jakościowym. W badaniach wykorzystano wywiady półstrukturalne, a populacja badawcza składała się z dwunastu arabskich nauczycieli, dwunastu arabskich absolwentów, dwunastu arabskich rodziców i trzech arabskich dyrektorów. Wszyscy badani pochodzili ze szkół dwujęzycznych. Wyniki badań wskazują na rozwój trendu alternatywnej edukacji prywatnej w społeczeństwie arabskim. Ponadto stwierdzono, że szkoły dwujęzyczne, będące szkołami dwunarodowymi, odniosły sukces w realizacji swojej roli w zakresie jakości kształcenia, w aspekcie pedagogicznym, społecznym i kulturowym oraz w kształtowaniu i wzmacnianiu osobistej i narodowej tożsamości arabskiego ucznia w większym stopniu, niż jednonarodowe publiczne szkoły arabskie. Tajemnicą tego sukcesu jest "jakość" rodziców, którzy posyłają swoje dzieci do tych szkół. Dotyczy to zarówno rodziców izraelskich, jak i arabskich, z których większość należy do wyższej klasy społeczno-ekonomicznej i którzy uznają znaczenie dobrej edukacji dla swoich dzieci. Edukacja ta uwzględnia kształtowanie osobowości ucznia i dostrzega jego podmiotowość. Równie ważne są wartości edukacji humanistycznej oraz efektywne nauczanie.This research study shows the formation of the national identity of the Arab student in the bilingual schools in Israel. This research study continues the assertion of most researchers, as presented in the review of the literature, about the situations and quality of the Arab education system in Israel, in terms of teaching-pedagogy, achievements, and the development of the personality and the identity of the Arab student. It was found that the “core” studies, the textbooks and their contents, and the goals of state education in Israel ignore completely the needs of the Arab student in the state public Arab schools in Israel, in personal, social, cultural, and national terms. As a result of the disappointment of intellectual Arab society with the situation and quality of teaching in the Arab schools with all the areas, there began to develop recently the trend of “alternative education”, in which the Arab parents begin to search for and even to establish themselves private schools as an alternative to the public schools. Since in the public Arab schools there is no national education, whether formal or informal, the research field addressed the development of the national identity in the bilingual schools that belong to the Hand in Hand Association. The research method is qualitative. The research instruments were semi-structured interviews, when the research population consisted of twelve Arab teachers, twelve Arab graduates, twelve Arab parents, and three Arab principals, all from the bilingual schools. The research result is the development of a trend of alternative private education in Arab society. In addition, it was found that the bilingual schools, which are binational schools, succeeded in implementing their role in terms of the quality of education, in the pedagogical, social, and cultural aspects in general and in the formation and reinforcement of the Arab student’s personal and national identity in particular, more than did the single-national public Arab schools. The secret of this success is the “quality” of the parents who send their children to these schools, both Jews and Arabs, most of whom belong to the upper class in social-economic terms and who recognize the importance of a good education for their children in the aspects of the formation of the student’s personality, the student at the center, the values of a humanist education, as well as good instruction

Ka“Posing” a Problem in an Already Problematic Situation: A Case of Kaposi’s Sarcoma in HIV

The progression of HIV to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is characterized by a CD4 cell-count below 200, and/or the development of an AIDS-defining illness. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a malignant tumor that manifests as violaceous skin lesions, occurring predominately in immunosuppressed patients. Patient is a 37-year-old male with no past medical history who presented with a 4-month history of rapid, unintentional 60lbs weight loss and worsening dysphagia. He further noted multiple dark purple, raised skin lesions on his back and extremities appearing 9 months ago. Patient was uninsured and without a primary care physician. Labs revealed elevated monocytes and a dangerously low WBC count of 1.4. Additional workup revealed the patient to be HIV+ with a CD4 count of 2 (ref:359-1519). The patient’s labs continued to downtrend developing a critically low neutrophil, hemoglobin, and WBC counts. Neutropenic precautions were started to limit contact and treatment was initiated. Biopsy of the skin lesions revealed a diagnosis of Kaposi\u27s sarcoma. While Texas ranks 7th in the country for new diagnoses of HIV, the CDC estimates up to 17% of HIV+ individuals (in Texas) still remain unaware of their status. South Texas is home to the nation’s largest population of uninsured persons, of which over 30% live below the federal poverty level. These social circumstances pose significant barriers to accessing health care, resulting in an increasing rate of late-stage HIV/AIDS diagnoses and related deaths. Proper education about HIV prevention/transmission, high-risk behaviors, and the impact of testing will ultimately serve to decrease fatal outcomes

Building the “Crypt” Through Non-Compliance: A Case of Cryptococcal Meningitis in an AIDS patient

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 10-25% of hospital admissions result from patient noncompliance. This is a complex issue that has vast ripple effects as it not only worsens outcomes for patients but places a strain on the healthcare system entirely. In patients with HIV/AIDS, compliance with Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is necessary to prevent a host of potentially lethal infections. A 33-year-old female with AIDS, presented to the ED complaining of nausea and vomiting for seven days. Throughout her hospital stay, the patient was regarded as medically noncompliant with daily episodes of refusing medications, hiding pills in her bed or under her tongue, or simply throwing them in the trash. Numerous physicians explored the reasoning behind her non-compliance, to which she was evasive, making attempts to leave against medical advice. The patient in this case was diagnosed with HIV 8 years prior, and was admittedly nonadherent to her prescribed ART therapy. Her HIV ultimately progressed to AIDS with a low CD4 count, leaving her vulnerable to a variety of opportunistic infections, such as cryptococcal meningitis. Presumably, the solution to this problem begins in understanding the person beneath the diagnosis. With boundaries to patient compliance such as patient-physician miscommunication and treatment fatigue, clinicians are tasked with the responsibility of recognizing these obstacles and beginning an open discussion about potential solutions. As a medical community, we must not be pigeonholed into thinking noncompliance is an unavoidable consequence of patient lack of self-investment or the public\u27s\u27 misunderstanding

The Unusual Opportunistic Pathogen with Superbug Potential: A Case of Morganella morganii bacteremia

Morganella. morganii is considered a rare and unusual cause of infection despite its vast presence worldwide. Recently there has been increasing documentation of its opportunistic ability to infect immunocompromised patients, most notably in intensive care units. The patient is a 55-year-old female with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus(II), end-stage renal disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and a left above-knee amputation. She presented with shortness of breath, hypotension, and difficulties staying awake. Blood pressure on admission was 92/48 with an oxygen saturation of 82%. On physical exam, a 3cm linear non-purulent wound was found on the dorsum of her right foot. Blood cultures drawn grew Morganella morganii, prompting subsequent treatment for the bacteremia. Concerns for Osteomyelitis arose, though later dispelled. CTA of her right lower extremity revealed cellulitis and advanced calcified atherosclerotic vascular disease. On day 5, the patient\u27s condition soon stabilized, and repeat blood cultures showed no growth. The patient was subsequently discharged with instructions to follow up with Podiatry and Infectious disease for her wound. Morganella. morganii is often forgotten as a potential multidrug-resistant organism that can cause serious illness, especially in critically ill patients. Reports of bacteremia, urinary tract, skin, and soft-tissue infections due to invasive procedures and prolonged hospital stays have been documented. Stemming from to its increased rates of occurrence and its ability to acquire drug-resistant genes. M. morganii can complicate treatment regimens and increase morbidity and mortality in patients. Clinicians should be aware and recognize this pathogen as a potentially clinically significant cause of infection

The Rare often Violet Sarcoma: A Case of Kaposi Sarcoma in HIV/AIDS

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare malignancy derived from the cells that line lymph and blood vessels. KS is caused by the human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and is an AIDS-defining illness that manifests as violaceous skin and mucosal lesions. The patient is a 37-year-old previously healthy male who presented with a 4-month history of rapid, unintentional weight loss totaling 60lbs. The patient reported having a low WBC count at a free health fair 1 year prior but was uninsured, without access to follow-up care. Additionally, he noted the appearance of several dark purple, raised lesions on his skin about 9 months prior. Initial workup in the ED revealed elevated monocytes and a dangerously low WBC count of 1.4 (ref 4.5-11x109). He was found to be HIV+ with a CD4 T cell count of 2 (ref:359-1519) The patient was subsequentially hospitalized where his labs continued to downtrend. Neutropenic precautions were placed to limit contact and while treatment was initiated. A biopsy of the skin lesions later revealed a diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma. South Texas is home to the nation’s largest uninsured population of which over 30% live below the federal poverty level. Texas also ranks 7th in the country for new diagnoses of HIV. These social circumstances pose significant barriers to health care, resulting in an increasing rate of late-stage HIV/AIDS diagnoses/deaths. While there is no vaccine against the HHV-8, proper education and increased testing would ultimately carry the largest impact in the reduction of Kaposi sarcoma cases

The Dysphagia Causing Cancer: A Case of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) occur in approximately 123,000 cases of oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis worldwide and with about 79,000 deaths yearly. OPSCC stems from the soft palate, pharyngeal wall, tonsils, vallecula, and base of the tongue. Patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer have a generally poor prognosis noting a median survival of 6 to 15 months. Treatment with systemic therapy is used for most patients and is dependent on their clinical factors, comorbidities, previous treatments, and pathologic features. Case Presentation: The patient is a 52-year-old male with a past medical history of liver cirrhosis, hepatitis C, and neurofibromatosis type 1 who was admitted for a 4-month history of dysphagia with unintentional weight loss of 50 pounds, severe neck pain, and worsening cough. Patient was found to have an obstructive supraglottic tumor. He underwent an emergent tracheostomy due to airway obstruction, and PEG tube placement due to oropharyngeal dysphagia/malnutrition. Tumor biopsy revealed invasive moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base and larynx, followed by oncology diagnosis of Stage IV SCC. The patient was affected by multiple social determinants of health as he was uninsured, did not have transportation, and lacked access to a PCP. Conclusions: While late-diagnosed Oropharyngeal carcinomas carry a poor prognosis, early-stage tumors can be effectively treated with radiation or surgery. The unique population of South Texas often faces detrimental social circumstances from being uninsured, increasing poverty, and language differences. These factors often cultivate significant barriers to accessing health care thus, resulting in late-stage disease diagnoses