Property Taxes and School Funding essays

Property Taxes and School Funding essays Most public schools in the United States depend on local property taxes for their initial funding. Admittedly, the wide disparity between schools in the poorest and wealthiest communities is due largely in part to the unequal funding created by unequal property values in said communities. Critics of this system, however, often overlook the fact that this phenomenon is a necessary part of the capitalist system. In order for any of us to succeed, some of us must get left behind. Residents of inner cities claim that they tax themselves at higher rates than residents of suburban areas in order to raise money for their public schools, but it is a known fact that their tax revenues must be diverted to meet non-school costs that wealthy suburbs do not face, or only on a far more modest scale. Police expenditures are higher in crime-ridden cities than in most suburban towns. It is important to note, though, that the thugs responsible for much of the crime in these cities and the students in these public schools are one and the same. If the students are out on the streets committing crimes rather than attending school, why should the taxpaying citizens even bother to continue pouring money into their schools? Most of these children will drop out before they graduate from high school anyway. The question that we must ask ourselves is this: whats the point? In my opinion, how the schools are funded is only a small part of the problem. There is no point in trying to reform these schools without first addressing the societal problems that plague these communities. If statistics continue to show that these children are more than likely to throw their lives away whether they have the benefit of an education or not, it is undeniably an effort in futility to continue funding their schools. Besides, the public school system works the way it does for a reason: to recreate the social divisions of labor and to preserve t...

7 tips for dealing with a psycho boss

7 tips for dealing with a psycho boss Even the best boss can seem like a tyrant sometimes. But did you know that some bosses are actually psychopaths? According to an Australian study, 1 out of 5 corporate executives exhibited clinically psychopathic traits. (For reference, the rate of psychopaths, in general, is 1 out of every 100 people.) Whether your difficult boss is psychotically inclined or not, here are 7 strategies you can use to deflate potential bad boss situations. 1. Determine what you’re dealing with.Is your boss just having a bad day, or is he like this all the time? Is she dealing with other factors (pressure from above, employees flaking out, etc.) that are making her be extra hard on you? Or are you being too hard on her? Think about what may be causing the behavior. It might not justify it, or make the behavior any more pleasant to deal with, but everyone has a bad day. It’s important to consider whether this is truly your boss’s default way of working, or if it’s just a one- off problem.2. Get everything in writing.If your boss is a chaos-producer by asking for something, then claiming later that you were asked for something entirely different, it’s your word against theirs. Write down what you can- for example, if you were given verbal instructions, confirm in a quick email just so everyone has a written record of what was discussed/asked.3. Stop and take a breath.If you’re having a conflict with your boss, jumping right in with a heated reaction could be something you’ll regret later. Take a minute, breathe, and think about your reaction. Again, thinking about the â€Å"why† behind your boss’s behavior can also help prevent you from reacting from a place of pure stress.4. Know and avoid the triggers.Does your boss always fly off the handle when someone is late? Be extra mindful of your arrival time. Rant about typos in an email? Proofread twice before you hit â€Å"send.† If there’s a pattern to Angry B oss’s behavior, it’s definitely in your best interest to know what that pattern is and learn how to counteract those triggers before they happen.5. Use communication strategies.This is a common therapeutic method for improving communication. Use active listening by repeating back what was said, and asking for clarification if necessary. Many conflicts are due to people not feeling listened to or understood, so if your boss thinks you’re not listening, it can escalate a conflict.6. Don’t let it derail you.You have a job to do, and if you let a toxic relationship with your boss affect your work and your behavior, that’s not going to help you. Try not to take it personally or let it affect the quality of your work. If you find yourself blowing things off out of frustration with your boss, that can make your professional rep suffer.7. Escalate if necessary.If your company has ways to confidentially air your concerns to HR (or a similar employee resourc e) and you feel like things are reaching a breaking point, consider taking your issues to them. If you dread going to work every day because of the misery that awaits you for the next eight hours, that’s not a situation that’s good for you or your company- consider finding an internal (and neutral) way to bring up the situation.We’ve all had a toxic boss at some point in our careers. Sometimes it gets better, and sometimes you just have to move on. Either way, don’t let it ruin your professional life in the meantime.