Learning the Ropes free essay sample

â€Å"I’ll do it† are three words I do not regret saying. I was offered the chance to be a coach for my schools select baseball team. This was an opportunity to do something that I enjoy, and also teach a group of talented kids teamwork, sportsmanship, and focus. On a cold January evening, I met my team, and I knew the season would be interesting—we had exactly enough players to form a team. The practice went on and I determined the positions each player wanted to play. With nine players, I knew that everybody would play in an unfamiliar position. When outdoor practice commenced, some of the players needed help learning their new positions. In an attempt to avoid repeating drills, I developed essentials of the positions. The outfield training consisted of random tosses with a warning of â€Å"Hey, catch!† in an effort to instill alertness. Infield training involved the players mirroring my movements to keep them light on their feet. We will write a custom essay sample on Learning the Ropes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The unpredictability required the players to remain attentive and focused, while learning them the fundamentals. As the season progressed, I found that there was another problem. No matter how hard I tried, the kids couldn’t hit. Instead of going into specifics, I simply told each kid to keep their eyes on the ball. And it worked—the kids who once struck out now crushed the ball into the outfield. Regardless of the aspect of the game, my intent was to coach in a manner that the players would respond to, and more importantly, enjoy. I was someone who the players could relate to, and I live my life like I coach my team. Most people don’t realize this, but I am dedicated and work through challenges to achieve success. Through my coaching, my team learned teamwork, sportsmanship, and focus—while also having a winning season.

Eurocentric Biases Within East Asian History essays

Eurocentric Biases Within East Asian History essays Before discussing Fukuzawa Yukichis's intellectual biases, several definitions must be made. For the purposes of this paper 'eurocentrism' is defined as the beliefs and methods of thought predominantly followed by european thinkers. This would include static notions of Orient and Occident where Oriental nations are naturally less developed than Occidental nations, notions of progress as being both linear and materialistic and; most importantly, the presence of empirical* systems of thought underlying philosophy and science. Any group of beliefs that does not include all of these characteristics falls outside the definition of eurocentric. There are two clauses in addition to the definition. Firstly, the assumption that an idea 'belongs' to one group or another is preposterous, the equation (A=B, B=C thus A=C) does not belong to Aristotle or Hellenistic culture even though he is its first known proponent. However a belief may be unique to, or have originated in one culture, like the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to the Chinese. The second clause within our definition adresses the subtle biase it assumes: if the notions of 'Orient' and 'Occident' are a uniquly western construct then by defining something as 'western' or 'european' we are tacitly agreeing that there are such distinctions. Since some frame of reference must be taken for the purposes of argument, the idea that Orient and Occident do exist, that uniquely western imperical science and notions of progress exist; and that the combination of these two beliefs constitutes a eurocentric bias is assumed. In light of this, Fukazawa Yukichi clearly falls within the definition of eurocentric with one catch: he does not view the Japanese people as being inferior to Europeans, he thinks they Much of Yukichi's thought can be deduced from the tone of the article in addition to his actual syntax. In his work "Japanese Enligh...