Transitions to U.S. Private Schools: Perceptions of Six Immigrant Elementary School Boys

The United States is faced with the privilege and challenge of educating immigrant children, not only in a second language and other skills, but also in the many and varied dimensions of life in this country (London, 1990; p. 287). Whether these children have fled rigid dictatorial regimes or wars, whether they came to the U.S. directly or spent time in refugee camps or detention centers, whether they have little more than what they are wearing at the time, or their families have planned the migration carefully, leaving their countries of origin legally and peacefully, bringing currency and the promise of jobs with them, they have been uprooted and will surely experience some difficulty and emotional discomfort adjusting to their new surroundings (Mills, 1994). Many immigrants actually come to the U.S. not realizing that there are many differences between their culture of origin and that of the host country. They continue to speak their languages, observe customs and conventions, follow traditions, and maintain certain norms. By doing so, they often discover that they are ostracized by members of the dominant culture (London, 1990; p. 289). The problem examined in this study is the independent elementary school\u27s regard for the culture and language as well as the socioeconomic reality of the immigrant male and its effect on his emotional well being. The researcher believes that cultural differences, when mistakenly or improperly perceived by children or schools, may be particularly distressing and problematic for male students. Their entire concept of what it is to become men in relationship to themselves and the world may be weakened, trivialized, or even destroyed through ignorance or cruel regard for their cultural traditions and values. Even if those charged with conveying the dominant culture to these boys believe that a change in outlook might be healthy and beneficial for their students, the boys must be empowered to make changes in their lives which are compatible with family and community standards and beliefs. Schools must help immigrant males cherish and continue to participate in the culture which is theirs, and, at the same time, help them to meet the basic requirements of their new land in order to enjoy the success and happiness which their families want them to attain. The researcher has chosen to study the emotional well being of elementary school aged males in independent schools in the U.S. There is no doubt that females deserve a similar study, but since the researcher has taught in a private boys\u27 school, he has had the opportunity to observe the differences in masculine behavior between male immigrant students and those male students born in the United States. He believes that the differences in perception of what it means to be a man are often quite dissimilar between one culture and another and that difficulties in adjusting to the demands of the host culture can cause the immigrant male considerable discomfort as he makes this transition. The role of the male differs according to a number of factors. For example, while women have traditionally been viewed as being subordinate in China, Chinese men have for some time had the reputation of being henpecked. In the United States, it is not uncommon for men to appear to head the family unit while the women often make most of the major family decisions (Sung, 1967). Japanese males are respected for their health, character and willingness to work (Petersen, 1978; p. 66). Historically, they possessed honest and authentic values and self-discipline, yet they allowed their families to choose their wives. They have always valued learning, and their literacy has been associated with economic progress and social characteristics and their hopes for the future. Like the Chinese and other Asian groups, the Japanese believe more in values related to the family than to the rugged individualism so highly prized in the U.S. (Petersen, 1978). Boys from Hispanic communities may be preoccupied with the concept of \u27machismo\u27. In these cultures, this concept may include bold and risky behavior - from games of chance to an acute sense of personal pride to a general disregard for rules and regulations. It views manhood as possessing short lived daring and \u27bravado\u27 rather than a long term appropriation of knowledge, skills, or discipline. Within an urban setting, \u27machismo\u27 may find its natural outlet in negative behavior in school or trouble with others in the street. Depending on the specific culture, the Hispanic child may have little regard for school or intellectual tradition. These traits, along with a fatalistic view of the future, may cause considerable disruption to schooling in the U.S. (Santoli, 1988). Each individual culture has its own male role. Each immigrant student will need to balance this role with the expectations placed on him by the host culture and the school he attends. This will be especially difficult if there are few if any children or adults from his culture of origin with whom to relate and confide in the new school setting (Handlin, 1962). This study, therefore, investigates how a male immigrant child\u27s culture (including his language and his instinctive sense of his own masculinity) and socioeconomic circumstances are acknowledged and accepted in independent elementary school settings, and how this reality affects his emotional well being as he transitions from home to school

Bulletin No. 15: The Flora of Connecticut Arboretum

Included annotated checklist of over 850 species and also article on vegetation of the Arboretum. 64 pp

Weatherization and Energy Security: a Review of Recent Events in ERCOT

Purpose of Review This review addresses the question of energy security. With the transition of energy generation fleet to cleaner, more sustainable electricity production, energy security is a topic of increasing importance. Recent Findings Recent events in Texas brought the concept of energy security to the fore. In this review, we examine the makeup of electricity generation and the causes of the February 2021 blackout of Texas. We will investigate the cost/benefit of winterization in Texas and ask why this was not undertaken subsequent to a similar event in 2011. Summary We investigate the case of Texas blackout of February 2021 and estimate the cost of prevention of this undesirable outcome. We suggest that market mechanisms need to be in place to incentivize electricity producers to ensure energy security going forward

CFD Modeling of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine using Actuator Cylinder Theory

This paper studies the flow field and power generation from a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) by extending the Actuator Cylinder Model to include the viscous effects. Turbulent flow effects in the actuator cylinder model are modeled by solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) turbulence model in ANSYS FLUENT. A study is performed to establish mesh independence of the solutions. Numerical solutions on a fine mesh are compared to existing theoretical results based on inviscid theory for a series of flow conditions and turbine sizes. Similar trends in the present turbulent flow results are found as in the inviscid results for downstream velocity and pressure profiles. The Betz limit is found not to be applicable to the Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. To consider wake interactions, the Actuator Cylinder Model is extended to two turbine cases. Differences between the present numerical results and inviscid theory are discussed

Temperature-Induced Changes in the Oxygen Equilibrium Curve of the Blood of the Brown Bullhead, Ictalurus Nebulosus

The affinity of blood for oxygen is dependent on temperature, which would seem to present a disadvantage to those fishes which encounter large seasonal temperature changes. Considering the well-known acclimatory abilities of many fishes, it would seem reasonable to propose the occurrence of seasonal modification of blood oxygen equilibria to compensate for changes in temperature. 2. In Ictalurus nebulosus, blood from one group of fish acclimated at 24 degrees C showed a consistently higher oxygen affinity compared with a group acclimated at 9 degrees C, when measured at the same temperature. This shift, accompanying thermal metabolic acclimation, minimizes the effect of temperature on oxygen affinity. 3. The shift did not persist when dilute solutions of hemoglobin were studied. 4. No changes with acclimation were seen in the multiple hemoglobin pattern nor in blood pH. 5. The erythrocyte, rather than the plasma, appears to be the site of modification. 6. Some large changes in erythrocyte potassium accompanied thermal acclimation, but the relation of this to the shift in oxygen affinity is unknown

Opposition to the Eighteenth Amendment in the House of Representatives

The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution forbade the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the Nation. The National Government was to enforce Prohibition in every state of the union. Before there was consideration of the Amendment, the Temperance Movement in the United States was a constant factor in American life. From Colonial times on, there were groups promoting temperance and abstinence from alcohol. By the beginning of the Twentieth Century two important groups had formed to promote the Temperance Movement- The Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. In period prior to the First World War, there developed a movement toward national Prohibition. Prior to that point Temperance groups focused on individuals abstaining from alcohol or on local communities banning its manufacture and sale. By 1917, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was being debated in Congress. The Senate passed it with very little discussion, and the House of Representatives took up the matter in December, 1917. While debate was fairly short, several points were advanced that presaged the ultimate failure of the Amendment. These are its unenforceability, the lack of state control over the alcohol industry and the impossibility of legislating sober living. These points were also prominent in the ratification debates in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Amendment ultimately failed and was repealed in 1933. Those who have studied the process for the Amendment and its failure indicate that it failed because it was imposed by the government. The vast majority of the population did not want it. This thesis validates those points. Examination of the votes against the Amendment showed that many congressmen cited its ultimate unenforceable nature and the lack of popular support for the Amendment as problems. These very elements were the causative factors in the Amendment’s failure. Congress was forced into passage of the Amendment by the efforts of the Anti-Saloon League which controlled a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives. However, when the opposition is studied, the majority of those opposing the Amendment were from the larger states. Thus, the smaller states ultimately forced the majority of the population into accepting bad public policy