FINAL REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

FINAL REPORT - Essay Example The researcher was appointed as an accounting clerk and placed at Almajal security firm where the individual’s fundamental responsibility was to support accounting operations which mainly involved filling up of documents. In addition to that the researcher was also responsible for settlement of financial statements as well as run a simulation package. This reflective report has primarily been segmented into two sections. The first segment involves an exploration of different learning curves attained during the placement program. Alongside that, a thorough analysis of learning outcomes will be done via a self reflective report with the help of theoretical models that emulate the overall mechanism of learning. Thereafter is the second segment where the research topic will be addressed. In this segment the researcher will basically conduct an in-depth research by means of an investigative study over the implications of automating the process of accounting followed within an organization. This analysis will be presented in context of the organization where the researcher was placed. One of the major issues witnessed in contemporary accounting organizations is accounting error, manipulation or fraud. On one hand where accounting regulators such as the Internal Accounting Standards Board is trying their level best to unify accounting principles in order to enhance the transparency and understandability of financial statements, accounting officials are either committing huge errors or indulging in fraudulent activities which in turn is increasing the cost borne by the company. This is where the relevance of an automated accounting process lies, that strives to minimize the probability of error and in turn enhance efficiency of the organization under concern. This in turn would enable the company to increase its profit margin while bringing down the cost. As conclusion, it was stated that incorporating technologically enabled

The Effect of Salt Concentration on Grass Growth Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Salt Concentration on Grass Growth Essay Our aim was to test the effect of different salinities on the growth of plants which what we did was measured different amounts of salt dissolved into 2 litres of water, watered the plant once with the salt water then for 9 days with pure ware. I found with my investigation that the less the salt, the more the growth of the plant. My aim was achieved by measuring the 5 fastest geminating (out of 20) and to measure the differences in growth of the plant. I also had a few difficulties in the duration of this experiment which were the sunlight on the plants direct which made the plants to begin to die and also the highest salinity plant was not growing. Introduction High salinity in the root zone effects the growth of many plant species (stunted growth), low salinity in the root zone affects the growth of this type of plant (higher growth) and/or no effect on both. Total growth and leaf area are affected. Different plant species may have different tolerances to salinity; in this case we are geminating mung beans, Still the high amounts of salt concentration that are present can cause the Mung beans germination rate to grow poorly and cause it to die at a faster rate. Having salt water in the roots can have an effect of less water being absorbed in which causes the plant to dry out. (1) Mung bean plants grow up to 18 to 36 inches this investigation will show if different amounts of salt (Nacl) will affect the growth of the average Mung Bean. 2)The average mung bean growth without any salt concentrations is 2 to 3 feet long. (3) This Experiment was carried out to see if Saltwater had affects to Mung beans and their growth. The Main aim of this experimental Investigation is to test the theory that Mung Bean growth is affected if there are High amounts of Salt in the water present in the plant. The 5 different parts to this experiment will be to set up 5 Groups of Mung Beans and in each one a different Salt concentration. (No salt, 1. 25g, 2. 5g, 5g, 7. g) Over a period of time they will be measured and referred back to the hypothesis to compare its relevance. It was Hypothesized that if the Salt Concentration in the water is increased then the Growth of The Mung bean will be effected and decrease from its normal growth rate. Materials and Method Five circular sheets of cotton wool was cut and put into styrafoam cups. 20 mung bean seeds were added to each cup then marked with a permanent marker â€Å"group 1-5† with amount of salt watered with. Place in a safe/dry place where sun is not directly pointing on. Next you are to make up salt solutions and measure each plant with correct salt solutions of 40ml each. For group (1) will have no salt in the water, group (2) will be watered with water that has 1. 25g salt dissolved in 2L (0. 06% NaCI w/v), group (3) will be watered with water that has 2. 5 g salt dissolved in 2L water (0. 123% NaCI w/v), group (4) will be watered with water that has 5 g salt dissolved in 2L water (0. 25% NaCI) and group (5) will be watered with water that has 7. 5 g salt dissolved in 2L water(0. 375% NaCI w/v) all of which of the same temperature. Be sure to keep a sample of the water in case your plant dies and you need to begin the experiment again. Ensure all conditions (same position with same sunlight kept on for the whole ten days, the correct level of salt is measured and correct amount of water is measured for the salt to dissolve, keep the temperature of the water the same every time you water, use the same amount of water to each which hydrates the plants, use same size containers for each group, ensure you use the same measuring equipment and measure at the same time of the day, every day). I observed the germinating seeds twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I used a ruler to measure the height at 7:30pm for the whole ten days, recorded my results in a results table (a table to record the dater you collect in the experiment). Results Over the 10 days of this experiment, notes were made on the observations. For the first few days, the measurements and physical appearance remained average/ almost the same. Afterwards for the following measurements and remaining days, the plants started to show discoloration and group’s number, 1, 4 and 5 showed browning in the leaves and stem. For the remaining groups everything stayed the same and the measurements increased by a fair amount each day. As the last days approached, the last two groups were showing wrinkling and shrinking in the stem and leaves. The roots had died out and the plant started to bend down and eventually was laying on the bed of cotton wool in a brown color. (Measurements shown in figure 1) Discussion The final results of the experiment on the 10th day were, group 1 (0g of salt) 100mm, group 2 (1. 25g of salt) 108. 5mm, group 3 (2. g of salt) 100. 5mm, group 4 (5g of salt) 51mm and group 5 (7. 5g of salt) 46mm. The average results showing that by having more salt in the water have a chance of the plants to dry out faster is high. Having salt in the soil doesn’t always make the plants die, this is shown in the results above that the high salinity helps the growth of the plants but only by a small amount. (2) The last two groups had the least growth, showing that having high amounts of salt affects the plants ability to absorb water into the roots. 1) It has also supported that high amounts of salt can cause the plants to shrink in a small amount of time, which in the experiment the last two groups show that. Problems with the placing of the plants might have had too much sunlight coming through to maybe improve the growth of the beans, the plants didn’t have enough time to grow properly and have more further and specific results. Other days in the process it would rain but others it would be really sunny which didn’t make it very accurate because some days the plants didn’t even get to grow at all or they would die out because of the sun. The experiment could go for longer, to improve the results as they would have been different with just 10 ten days of growth, even less. The placing of the mung beans could have been chosen better, a place where there is less sunlight and less interference. The surface could have been better than just cotton wool, we could of used soil rather than wool which the beans may have grown better; or the groups could have had half soil and half cotton wool on the plate to compare which is the better choice.

Leadership Styles of Middle School Principals

Leadership Styles of Middle School Principals PART 1 Introduction of the Problem The main aim of Professional Development is influencing the students’ results. From the thesaurus of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database, professional development involves the activities tha enhance the growth of a career professionally.This is effected by impacting the teachers level of practice and their level of knowledge (Robinson and Carrington, 2002). With its implications on learning skills, professional development is beyond teacher training since it encompases formal and informal means of assisting teachers in their development of new insights into their own as well as in the exploration of new and advanced resources that aid them in improving students performance. From the above statement it is clear that professional development requires the principals to support the teachers as they deal with the challenges that come along with new needs of their work. This support help the teachers to continually grow in their understanding of their nature of work as well as professional skills. According to Fullan (1991), it has been observed that in the last decade, the role of a principal has been increasingly involving, become more complicated and the roles are not clearly defined. He also noted that the principles roles have been through a kind of metamorphosis. Initially, the roles of the principle were limited and involved instruction leadership or a master teacher. With time these roles changed to transactional leadership and, most recently, to transformational leadership. This brings out the importance of examining the way principles deal with professional development of teachers, being one of the most pressing issues. The extent to which the quality of professional development of middle school teacher is influenced by their administrators’ leadership styles is not known.   According to Jackson and Davis (2000), one of the most important components in accomplishing great achievements in schools and ensuring high quality teachers is instructional leadership. For a high achieving school, an administrator should be able to supply instructional leadership. To make this possible, the administrator should have specific leadership characteristics which ensure effectiveness in professional development of teachers and also heip in sustaining an educational environment that fosters high achievement   vision in students (Jackson Davis, 2000). In the past few years, middle schools have become more and more all-encompassing (Hoy et al, 1996). In the American education systems, the notes being appear to be a replacement of the traditional junior high schools.   According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), the academic, social and emotional progress of a student is greatly influenced and evident in middle school. This requires educators to be highly equipped when it comes to addressing the changes undergone by students in middle school and this makes the professional development of the teachers a very critical and sensitive process.   According to (Robinson and Carrington, 2002).   Ã‚  In cases where progressive and extensive involvement of the schools administration and teachers is emphasized, their results of professional development are likely to be effective. During this stage, an adolescent’s process of education is characterized by a change in the line of thought, and also developments wh ich are both psychological and physical, and these changes may influence the student in terms of their achievement.   For example in middle school, students have more academic responsibilities than in the elementary school. There is involvement in extracurricular activities and restructuring after school may be required. There is also a change in the educational environment which is brought about by the fact that the environment is more structured and not as nurturing as the elementary school environment. This means that the students have to adopt to the riles and regulations set and that they are held responsible for their actions. Therefore, it is very important to equip the middle school teachers with   quality leadership skills as well as quality professional development so that they meet the advers social,educational and emotional needs of all their students. (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). Most studies done on the impact of the principal-teacher relationship show that there is a possible correlation between supportive leadership style and the involvement and dedication of teachers.(Theo Wubbel, Jack Levy, 1993).   Leithwood and Montgomery say that the approval and a support of a teacher from the administrator were positively related to the satisfaction of the teacher. In a later study, (leithwood 1990) repoted tjhat a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated. It is therefore very important for the principals to be involved in the activities of the teachers so that they can be able to provide the support the teachers when they need. This will aid in motivatimg teachers which will improve their commitment amd this will lead to improvement of the performance of the teachers and consequently, the students. Johnson (1986) noted that discovering the most important thing to teachers as well as motivating them to improve their work was a very complicated task and has not yet been figured out. He also wrote that the specific contribution of instructional leadership styles to professional development was not fully explored. Stepans, 2001 stated that the role of the principal was to support the professional development activities appeared to be crucial ti the   crucial professional growth of teachers since it assisted in its success. When there is a full discussion on issues and problems in a school between the teachers and the principal, the process contribute a lot in the carrer development   and professional expertise.(Hopkins 1990) This study will discuss the specific characteristics   instructional leadership styles necessary in the enhancement of quality professional development in middle schools. It will also look at the ways that the principals can try and motivate teacher by researching on what teachers find important and using it to motivate them. The research is also geared towards the evaluation of the relationship between the   characteristics leadership styles and the overall teacher performance   and higher student achievement improvement in middle schools. Further research may be done in order to evaluate whether or not the characteristics of leadership have a direct correlation to overall improvement in teacher performance and higher student achievement in middle schools. Background of the study Wiles (1983), notes that the quality of leadership that a principal exhibits determines the   success of a school system. Previous research has been carried out to determine if there was a relationship between principals leadership styles and the teachers motivation. Brown-Howard’s research carried out in 2007, identified the teachers   motivation levels were determined by teachers by age, gender and experience. He also indicated that principals leadership styles has little to no impact on motivation based on the age, gender or experience of the teachers (Brown-Howard, 2007). According to Raines (2004) the overwhelming responsibilities and demands of the   principals   professional positions   are constant challenge. In this age of increased accountability, he adds, principals are expected to manifest exemplary performance in an ever-increasingly number of fronts. One such front is the area of professional development of teachers under their command. Jurasaite-Harbison (2009) in a study of the way teachers learn it was found that teachers are put under immense pressure by the current edicational policies.thse pressurs involved the teachers having to concurrently modify their practices.   For such changes to be effective, it is very important for the professional development to enlarge areas of scope so that it can capture a wider range of areas that are within their unique epistemology that is teaching resources and instructional practices(Elmore, 2000).   On the other hand, Jurasaite-Harbison (2009) stresses that for the reforms to to be a success, various learning opportunities continuous professional growth is necessary for the teachers. According to Jurasaite-Harbison (2009)   Within schools context, this professional growth takes place under the schools administrators guidance and is part of daily workplace learning. Other researches including (Maehr and Midgeley, 1991; 1996; Maehr and Anderman, 1993; Maehr and Fyans, 1989) have come up with a considerable empirical evidence that suggest that the culture of a school can motivate both the teachers and students to learn by instilling a positive feeling in the teachers about their work.   High achieving and motivated students as well as improved teachers attitude towards their jobs and collaboration amongst themselves are factors that are highly associated to a positive school culture(Stolp and Smith, 1995). Research done by (Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990; Sashkin and Walberg, 1993; Ogawa and Bossert, 1995; Leithwood, 1994) proposed that for a school culture to operate effectively and for its creation and maintenance, the principals leadership practices used are very important. Further, evidence obtained from several studies (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1990; Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990) provides a strong base in supporting the suggestion that transformationa l leadership leads to relatively more desirable school cultures. There are other concerns ot teaching teaching principals that have been focused on in research. These concerns are; inadequate professional preparation and support, inadequate time for instructional leadership, isolation, and few opportunities for career advancement (Murdoch and Schiller, 2002). It was further discovered that principals are often overwhelmed and frustrated by the usual heavy workload and felt guilty about it to an extent that these frustrations adversely affect their family relationships and also their physical health. According to(Lashway, 2003; Lester, 2003; Wildy and Clarke, 2005) it was realized that most teaching principals lack the necessary skill to deal with the challenges, tensions and dilemmas that result from and those related to instructional leadership and management, the high system and local community expectations as well as personal and community values. However, Southworth (2002) discovered that success in principal ship came along with some signific ant development and growth in confidence and an individual’ sense of self.   These findings clearly show that a principles ability to cope and survive the challenges and trials of organization leadership helped in building their self esteem. Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). From these findings, it is evident that   the leadership stlyles of a principal are very important in defining the success of a school and also that these styles describe the kind of climate that will be prevalent in the school. Mickey (2000) in a case study of a middle school on institutional leadership found that the principal as an instructional leader used an approach to leadership that was systematic. According to more finding, the principals realize their roles’ importance and use the position and positional power to in influencing change. The study also discovered that organizations that are successfully restructured insisted on and practiced shared leadership.   As Mickey (2000) writes, shared leadership involves a lot of teamwork and collaboration between the principle and the staff and also among the the staff themselves. In this case, the principal has to realize the need for a safe and disciplined environment. From the case study it was revealed that in shared leadership, the teachers professional development was highly facilitated. From the principals point of view ,such professional development is perceived to be an important means to an end. The end results that were intended, impleme ntation of change and teachers were found to be a useful vehicle of such change, as â€Å"empowered leaders†. The study revealed that principals provided the teachers with extensive professional development to enable the them to be empowered leaders. In 1995, a study by Kristine Hipp and Paul Bredson was published and it was about the relation ship betweenthe self efficacy of teachers and leadership styles of principals. The basic assumption of this study and two more that were done later (Hipp 1996,1997) was that the leadership style of a principle and the self efficacy of teachers were linked directly. From this study, there was empirical evidence that connected the aspects of transformational   leadership and principle teacher efficacy. This led to the conclusion that transformational leadership led to self efficacy of teachers. The importance instructional leadership responsibilities of the principal   has been emphasized in research done(Brookover Lezotte, 1982; Duke, 1983; Edmonds, 1979 and Kroeze, 1984). On the other hand, according to (Flath, 1989), literature has seemingly come to a consensus that instructional leadership is rare practice.   Stronge (1988) found out that most time of the principal is concentrated on school management and only a few of their hours are allocated to program issues. In reference to his computation,62.2% was the time used in school management , and only 6.2% of the time was allocated to program issues. He adds that in a principals typical day, out of the many tasks carried out,only11% of those tasks is instructional leadership related. Berlin, Kavanagh, and Jensen (1988) say that for schools to progress ,principals should be able to plan their tasks in a way that their daily activities come in between their leadership role in the curriculum.   McNally (1992) argues t hat there are certain middle-school principals who are effective but   Fullan (1991) says that effective institutional leaders are a rare group to find. The above cases try to identify the various attempts that have been made to explain and clarify the various relationships that exist between the principal and the teachers. Mickey (2000) case study that aimed at provide empirical evidence about a specific approach to leadership and the resulting effect on the teachers, this paper has not identified any study that focused on the leadership styles and their impact on quality professional development of teachers. The study therefore, by presenting empirical evidence, seeks to find the impact of administrators leadership styles on the professional development of teachers, focusing on middle schools. In a study by leithwood 1990, it was conluded that a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated. Statement of the Problem According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), middle school marks a significant change in the way in which a student progresses in learning.   In order to equip the teachers to properly address the school students changes, their preparation needs to be extensively and professionally addressed.   This is a stage where adolescents change how they think   and view thinking, and there are also developments that are both psychological and physical and these changes influence the students achievements. Therefore, it is very important that the middle school teachers undergo extensive and quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). It is not known however, to what extent the leadership styles of middle school administrators have an impact on quality professional development of teachers in middle schools.   According to Jackson and Davis (2000), the instructional leadership in middle schools is one of the most essential components to accomplish a high achieving school and quality teachers.   This leadership in high achieving schools is supplied by an administrator who has specific characteristics which assist in effective professional development of teachers as well as the sustainment of an educational environment fostering a vision of highest student achievement (Jackson Davis, 2000). This paper therefore seeks to explore the link between middle-school administration and professional development and high student’s achievement by addressing the following questions: To what extent do leadership styles of middle school administrators affect quality professional development of teachers in middle schools? Which specific leadership style or styles contribute to effective professional development for middle school teachers? What are the experiences of middle school administrators during the process of teacher professional development? Wiles and Bondi (1994) observed that most research carried out has been directed towards gaining knowledge about and understanding leadership styles. Yet, despite the considerable thought, extensive writings and a large body of empirical research, leadership remains a rather mysterious concept. This study is aimed at contributing greatly to understanding the specific characteristics of instructional leadership styles that have influence on the quality of professional development in middle schools.   Further research may be carried out to evaluate whether thecertain characteristics of leadership have a direct or indirect correlation to overall improvement in teacher performance and higher student achievement in middle schools. Purpose of the study In 1995, a study by Kristine Hipp and Paul Bredson was published and it was about the relation ship betweenthe self efficacy of teachers and leadership styles of principals. The basic assumption of this study and two more that were done later (Hipp 1996,1997) was that the leadership style of a principle and the self efficacy of teachers were linked directly. From this study, there was empirical evidence that connected the aspects of transformational   leadership and principle teacher efficacy. This led to the conclusion that transformational leadership led to self efficacy of teachers. Continued professional development of middle school educators and their quality preparation is imperative for middle school educators.   Fo adolescents, this timeframe within the educational process is marked by changes in how student’s think about thinking, as well as other physical and psychological development that may affect students’ achievement.   Therefore, it is crucial that middle school teachers receive quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population so that these students are prepared to progress from middle school to high school (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). This study will contribute to understanding the specific characteristics of instructional leadership styles that are most likely to enhance the quality of professional development in middle schools.   This research will identify high achieving schools characteristics as well as the instructional leadership styles that contribute to their success as evident from the students achievement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a study by leithwood 1990, it was conluded that a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rationale This study will use qualitative research methods in the identification of   instructional leadership of middle school administrators in the Guam school district.   Guam,is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is the largest, in terms of size, of the Mariana Islands. It also has an organized established civilian government (DOI Office of Insular Affairs, 2007). In the United states, education is to a large extent provided by the public sector. The federal government, state and local government. are responsible for the funding and the control of schools. It is compulsory for all children to attend primary(elementary school) and secondary (high school.)levels. At these school levels there are locally elected school boards that se the school curricula, funding and teaching and these boards also have juriction over school districts. The School districts have distinct jurisdictions from other local bodies, and have independent budgets as well as officials. The governments are left with the role of making educational standards and standardized testing decisions.. Different states have different ages for mandatory school attendance, and mostly the beginning ages are five to eight and ending ages are between fourteen to eighteen. Increasingly, states are now requiring school attendance until the age of 18 years (U.S. Network for Education Information: U.S. Department of Education). Attending a public school, a state-accredited private school, or a certified home school program meets the requirement for compulsory education.. In most public and private schools, there are rhee levels of education;; elementary school, junior high school and high school. The junior high school level is the one that is usually referred to as middle school. Children are divided by age groups into grades, starting from the kindergarten for the youngest children in elementary school. The kindergarten is followed by first grade. The last grade is the twelfth grade which should correspond with the final year of school. However, the exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from state to state (U.S. Network for Education Information: U.S. Department of Education). The entire island of Guam is served by the Guam Public School system. High rate of school dropouts and poor performance in test is a problem common in Guam Public Schools. Guam has a very diverse student body which includes many students from backgrounds that do not use the traditional United States education. In addition Guams educational system has always faced other unique challenges as a small community located 6,000  miles (9,700  km) from America mainland. The island went through an economic downturn in the mid-1990’s and this led to the education problem (Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1993; DOI Office of Insular Affairs, 2007) The U.S. Department of Defense initially partnered with the Guam Board of Education but in September 1997 the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) opened its own schools which were initially for   the children of military personnel but later started serving the children of some federal civilian employees. DoDEA schools had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. In Guam, there are three elementary/middle schools and one high school   that are operated by DoDEA.(http://www.gdoe.net) This study will discuss two out of the three middle schools on study in the Department of Defense Education Activity in Guam and which both are in close proximity.   The participants are two male administrators with 35-40 teachers.   One middle school is on a Navy base, while the other is on an Air Force base.   Both schools follow the same district professional development, face to face interviews and observation will form the basis Research Questions 1 According to Bennis Nanus (2003) an organization a vision and the mechanism for translating the vision into a reality is given by leadership.. This study will examine the impact tht a principal’s style of leadership has on professional development of teachers which is   aimed at ensuring high achievement of students. The following research, grounded on the leadership literature, the educational institutions’ organization culture–highly focusing on middle school and professional development. Specifically, the study will require answer to the following questions; To what extent do leadership styles of middle school administrators affect quality professional development of teachers in middle schools? Which specific leadership style or styles contribute to quality professional development for middle school teachers? What are the experiences of middle school administrators during the process of implementing quality professional development? Is there a relationship between the principals leadership stlles and teachers motivation? If there is a relationship between the leadership style and teachers motivation, what is the extent of the relationship? What is the impact of teachers motivation on their performance at work and also in their professional development process. What is the impact of techers professional development on their performance and the performance of the students. What is the impact of an schools culture on professional development of teachers and their relationships in the school. Significance of the Study According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), middle school marks a significant change in the manner in which a student progresses in learning.   Quality preparation and continued professional development of middle school educators is imperative in order for middle school educators.   For adolescents, this timeframe within the educational process is marked by changes in how student’s think about thinking, as well as other physical and psychological development that may affect students’ achievement.   Therefore, it is crucial that middle school teachers receive quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population so that these students are prepared to progress from middle school to high school (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008) Other researches including (Maehr and Midgeley, 1991; 1996; Maehr and Anderman, 1993; Maehr and Fyans, 1989) have come up with a considerable empirical evidence that suggest that the culture of a school can motivate both the teachers and students to learn by instilling a positive feeling in the teachers about their work.   High achieving and motivated students as well as improved teachers attitude towards their jobs and collaboration amongst themselves are factors that are highly associated to a positive school culture(Stolp and Smith, 1995). From this research principals will know the importance of mitivating teahers as well as the ways that best motivate the teahers and student so as to improve the performance of a shool. Research done by (Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990; Sashkin and Walberg, 1993; Ogawa and Bossert, 1995; Leithwood, 1994) proposed that for a school culture to operate effectively and for its creation and maintenance, the principals leadership practices used are very important. The principals leadershot stles that are necessary in the creation and operation an effective school culture will be discusssed in this study. Further, evidence obtained from several studies (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1990; Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990) provides a strong base in supporting the suggestion that transformational leadership leads to relatively more desirable school cultures. Southworth (2002) discovered that success in principal ship came along with some significant development and growth in confidence and an individual’ sense of self.   The study will also focus on a principals individual characteristcs that help them in their leadership of the school as well as in their role of proffesionaly devoloping the teachers. These findings clearly show that a principles ability to cope and survive the challenges and trials of The importance instructional of leadership responsibilities of the principal   has been emphasized in research done(Brookover Lezotte, 1982; Duke, 1983; Edmonds, 1979 and Kroeze, 1984). On the other hand, according to (Flath, 1989), literature has seemingly come to a consensus that instructional leadership is rare practice. Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). Previous research has been conducted to determine if there was a relationship between leadership styles of principals and the motivation of teachers. In 2007, Janet Brown-Howard’s research identified the motivation levels of teachers by age, gender and experience and indicated that leadership styles of principals has little to no impact on motivation based on the age, gender or experience of the teachers {{221 Brown-Howard,Janet 2007}} the relationship between the principles leadership styles and teachers motivation will be expounded and the extent to which it influences the techers professional development and the overall performance of the teachers.   Definition of terms3pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through out the research, the following key words will be used and their meanings are expressed below. These words include: Instructional leadership styles of principals; These are the directional forms of authority that the heads of middle schools use. transformational leadership styles. Middle school student; any scholar in the middle school is refer to as a middle school student Middle school teacher; these are the untrained or trained instructors of academics in middle school. Their involvement with the middle school students is usually direct. Middle school administrator; this is an office bearer in middle school and is charged with the responsibilities of administration of the middle schools Professional development; this refers to the growth in knowledge of an individual in a certain field or profession Quality professional development; excellent development of   an individual in middle school in terms of   a particular professional skill The process of implementing quality professional development: these are the method(s) used in seeing through development of quality professional development motivation teachers satisfaction correlation school culture school climate leadership literature educational institutions adolescents physical development psychological development empirical evidence   Assumptions Some assumptions have to be laid in place to assist in tackling the above questions.. These assumptions are just as a result of the common issues that are found within several middle schools namely; most middle schools are faced by similar shortcomings, most principals of middle school use similar educ[‘ational policies to oprete, students, teachers and parent in most middle school experience similar limitati

The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry :: Environment, Toxic Waste Affluents

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has fast growing at the rate of 14 percent per year [Indian brand equality foundation, 2009] and its ranks is very high in the third world, in terms of technology, quality and range of medicines manufactured. A rapid expansion and sophistication of chemical and pharmaceutical industries has increased the amount and complexity of toxic waste effluents. The effective removal of substances included in pharmaceutical effluents is a challenging task due to the wide variety of Chemicals produced biological products ,medicinal chemicals , botanical products in drug manufacturing plants such as analgesic, antibiotics, antidepressants, antidiabetics, contracepes, growth regulators, drugs, painkillers, and tranuilizers (Robinson et al., 2007; Ghauch et al., 2009) which lead to wastewaters of variable compositions into natural systems and consequent degradation of the environment (Mehta, G at al.1995). The effluent generated from these industries is typi cally toxics, colored, organic and turbid with high suspended solids. This in turn has led to an increase in various kinds of diseases. For example many organic compounds that are recalcitrant in nature are produced while manufacturing pharmaceutical products, while most of them that are poorly degradable are released in effluent. And sometimes formation of N-nitrosamines, a possible carcinogen in stomach another issue of ecological concern is causing of algal blooms or eutrophication in water bodies (Chih-Hsiang Liao et al., 2003). The pharmaceutical effluents were treated by traditional techniques such as ï ¬â€šocculation, coagulation, conventional biological treatment, ï ¬ ltration, reverse osmosis, precipitation ,incineration, and triple effect evaporator because of high TDS. In these approaches, the pollutants are transferred from a liquid phase to a solid phase (Takaoka et al., 2007), and also facing corrosion problems. A biological treatment is highly effective for the re moval of most contaminants, however biodegradation processes are inherently slow and do not allow for high degrees of removal. The sludge formed during biological treatment has to be disposed either by land filling or burning, which increases considerably the running costs. In addition, sludge disposal may pose further environmental problems.( Noelia Barrabes et al., 2011) In this sense, catalytic process appears as the most promising technology. Current pharmaceutical industry were practicing triple effect evaporate for treatment of high dissolved solids, in these route high amount of sludge is generated and also high amount of steam required. Now a day the researchers are mainly focus on the eco-friendly and economically viable technologies are much desirable in these days. The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry :: Environment, Toxic Waste Affluents The Indian pharmaceutical industry has fast growing at the rate of 14 percent per year [Indian brand equality foundation, 2009] and its ranks is very high in the third world, in terms of technology, quality and range of medicines manufactured. A rapid expansion and sophistication of chemical and pharmaceutical industries has increased the amount and complexity of toxic waste effluents. The effective removal of substances included in pharmaceutical effluents is a challenging task due to the wide variety of Chemicals produced biological products ,medicinal chemicals , botanical products in drug manufacturing plants such as analgesic, antibiotics, antidepressants, antidiabetics, contracepes, growth regulators, drugs, painkillers, and tranuilizers (Robinson et al., 2007; Ghauch et al., 2009) which lead to wastewaters of variable compositions into natural systems and consequent degradation of the environment (Mehta, G at al.1995). The effluent generated from these industries is typi cally toxics, colored, organic and turbid with high suspended solids. This in turn has led to an increase in various kinds of diseases. For example many organic compounds that are recalcitrant in nature are produced while manufacturing pharmaceutical products, while most of them that are poorly degradable are released in effluent. And sometimes formation of N-nitrosamines, a possible carcinogen in stomach another issue of ecological concern is causing of algal blooms or eutrophication in water bodies (Chih-Hsiang Liao et al., 2003). The pharmaceutical effluents were treated by traditional techniques such as ï ¬â€šocculation, coagulation, conventional biological treatment, ï ¬ ltration, reverse osmosis, precipitation ,incineration, and triple effect evaporator because of high TDS. In these approaches, the pollutants are transferred from a liquid phase to a solid phase (Takaoka et al., 2007), and also facing corrosion problems. A biological treatment is highly effective for the re moval of most contaminants, however biodegradation processes are inherently slow and do not allow for high degrees of removal. The sludge formed during biological treatment has to be disposed either by land filling or burning, which increases considerably the running costs. In addition, sludge disposal may pose further environmental problems.( Noelia Barrabes et al., 2011) In this sense, catalytic process appears as the most promising technology. Current pharmaceutical industry were practicing triple effect evaporate for treatment of high dissolved solids, in these route high amount of sludge is generated and also high amount of steam required. Now a day the researchers are mainly focus on the eco-friendly and economically viable technologies are much desirable in these days.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 14-15

14 DINNER Travis parked the Chevy on the street in front of Jenny's house. He turned off the engine and turned to Catch. â€Å"You stay here, you understand. I'll be back in a little while to check on you.† â€Å"Thanks, Dad.† â€Å"Don't play the radio and don't beep the horn. Just wait.† â€Å"I promise. I'll be good.† The demon attempted an innocent grin and failed. â€Å"Keep an eye on that.† Travis pointed to an aluminum suitcase on the backseat. â€Å"Enjoy your date. The car will be fine.† â€Å"What's wrong with you?† â€Å"Nothing,† Catch grinned. â€Å"Why are you being so nice?† â€Å"It's good to see you getting out.† â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Travis, I'm crushed.† â€Å"That would be nice,† Travis said. â€Å"Now, don't eat anybody.† â€Å"I just ate last night. I don't even feel hungry. I'll just sit here and meditate.† Travis reached into the inside pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a comic book. â€Å"I got this for you.† He held it out to the demon. â€Å"You can look at it while you wait.† The demon fumbled the comic book away from Travis and spread it out on the seat. â€Å"Cookie Monster! My favorite! Thanks, Travis.† â€Å"See you later.† Travis got out of the car and slammed the door. Catch watched him walk across the yard. â€Å"I already looked at this one, asshole,† he hissed to himself. â€Å"When I get a new master, I will tear your arms off and eat them while you watch.† Travis looked back over his shoulder. Catch waved him on with his best effort at a smile. The doorbell rang precisely at seven. Jenny's reactions went like this: don't answer it, change clothes, answer it and feign sickness, clean the house, redecorate, schedule plastic surgery, change hair color, take a handful of Valium, appeal to the Goddess for divine intervention, stand here and explore the possibilities of paralyzing panic. She opened the door and smiled. â€Å"Hi.† Travis stood there in jeans and a gray herringbone tweed jacket. He was transfixed. â€Å"Travis?† Jenny said. â€Å"You're beautiful,† he said finally. They stood in the doorway, Jenny blushing, Travis staring. Jenny had decided to stick with the black dress. Evidently it had been the right choice. A full minute passed without a word between them. â€Å"Would you like to come in?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Okay.† She shut the door in his face. Well, that hadn't been so bad. Now she could put on some sweatpants, load the refrigerator onto a tray, and settle down for a night in front of the television. There was a timid knock on the door. Jenny opened it again. â€Å"Sorry, I'm a little nervous,† she said. â€Å"It's all right,† Travis said. â€Å"Shall we go?† â€Å"Sure. I'll get my purse.† She closed the door in his face. There was an uncomfortable silence between them while they drove to the restaurant. Typically, this would be the time for trading life stories, but Jenny had resolved not to talk about her marriage, which closed most of her adult life to conversation, and Travis had resolved not to talk about the demon, which eliminated most of the twentieth century. â€Å"So,† Jenny said, â€Å"do you like Italian food?† â€Å"Yep,† Travis said. They drove in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant. It was a warm night and the Toyota had no air conditioning. Jenny didn't dare roll down the window and risk blowing her hair. She had spent an hour styling and pinning it back so that it fell in long curls to the middle of her back. When she began to perspire, she remembered that she still had two wads of toilet paper tucked under her arms to stop the bleeding from shaving cuts. For the next few minutes all she could think of was getting to a restroom where she could remove the spotted wads. She decided not to mention it. The restaurant, the Old Italian Pasta Factory, was housed in an old creamery building, a remnant of the time when Pine Cove's economy was based on livestock rather than tourism. The concrete floors remained intact, as did the corrugated steel roof. The owners had taken care to preserve the rusticity of the structure, while adding the warmth of a fireplace, soft lighting, and the traditional red-and-white tablecloths of an Italian restaurant. The tables were small but comfortably spaced, and each was decorated with fresh flowers and a candle. The Pasta Factory, it was agreed, was the most romantic restaurant in the area. As soon as the hostess seated them, Jenny excused herself to the restroom. â€Å"Order whatever wine you want,† she said, â€Å"I'm not picky.† â€Å"I don't drink, but if you want some†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, that's fine. It'll be a nice change.† As soon as Jenny left, the waitress – an efficient-looking woman in her thirties – came to the table. â€Å"Good evening, sir. What can I bring you to drink this evening?† She pulled her order pad out of her pocket in a quick, liquid movement, like a gunslinger drawing a six-shooter. A career waitress, Travis thought. â€Å"I thought I'd wait for the lady to return,† he said. â€Å"Oh, Jenny. She'll have an herbal tea. And you want, let's see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked him up and down, crossed-referenced him, pigeonholed him, and announced, â€Å"You'll have some sort of imported beer, right?† â€Å"I don't drink, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I should have known.† The waitress slapped her forehead as if she'd just caught herself in the middle of a grave error, like serving the salad with plutonium instead of creamy Italian. â€Å"Her husband is a drunk; it's only natural that she'd go out with a nondrinker on the rebound. Can I bring you a mineral water?† â€Å"That would be fine,† Travis said. The waitress's pen scratched, but she did not look at the order pad or lose her â€Å"we aim to please† smile. â€Å"And would you like some garlic bread while you're waiting?† â€Å"Sure,† Travis said. He watched the waitress walk away. She took small, quick, mechanical steps, and was gone to the kitchen in an instant. Travis wondered why some people seemed to be able to walk faster than he could run. They're professionals, he thought. Jenny took five minutes to get all the toilet paper unstuck from her underarms, and there had been an embarrassing moment when another woman came into the restroom and found her before the mirror with her elbow in the air. When she returned to the table, Travis was staring over a basket of garlic bread. She saw the herbal tea on the table and said, â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"Psychic, I guess,† he said. â€Å"I ordered garlic bread.† â€Å"Yes,† she said, seating herself. They stared at the garlic bread as if it were a bubbling caldron of hemlock. â€Å"You like garlic bread?† she asked. â€Å"Love it. And you?† â€Å"One of my favorites,† she said. He picked up the basket and offered it to her. â€Å"Have some?† â€Å"Not right now. You go ahead.† â€Å"No thanks, I'm not in the mood.† He put the basket down. The garlic bread lay there between them, steaming with implications. They, of course, must both eat it or neither could. Garlic bread meant garlic breath. There might be a kiss later, maybe more. There was just too damn much intimacy in garlic bread. They sat in silence, reading the menu; she looking for the cheapest entree, which she had no intention of eating; and he, looking for the item that would be the least embarrassing to eat in front of someone. â€Å"What are you going to have?† she asked. â€Å"Not spaghetti,† he snapped. â€Å"Okay.† Jenny had forgotten what dating was like. Although she couldn't remember for sure, she thought that she might have gotten married to avoid ever having to go through this kind of discomfort again. It was like driving with the emergency brake set. She decided to release the brake. â€Å"I'm starved. Pass the garlic bread.† Travis smiled. â€Å"Sure.† He passed it to her, then took a piece for himself. They paused in midbite and eyed each other across the table like two poker players on the bluff. Jenny laughed, spraying crumbs all over the table. The evening was on. â€Å"So, Travis, what do you do?† â€Å"Date married women, evidently.† â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"The waitress told me.† â€Å"We're separated.† â€Å"Good,† he said, and they both laughed. They ordered, and as dinner progressed they found common ground in the awkwardness of the situation. Jenny told Travis about her marriage and her job. Travis made up a history of working as a traveling insurance salesman with no real ties to home or family. In a frank exchange of truth for lies, they found they liked each other – were, in fact, quite taken with one another. They left the restaurant arm in arm, laughing. 15 RACHEL Rachel Henderson lived alone in a small house that lay amid a grove of eucalyptus trees at the edge of the Beer Bar cattle ranch. The house was owned by Jim Beer, a lanky, forty-five-year-old cowboy who lived with his wife and two children in a fourteen-room house his grandfather had built on the far side of the ranch. Rachel had lived on the ranch for five years. She had never paid any rent. Rachel had met Jim Beer in the Head of the Slug Saloon when she first arrived in Pine Cove. Jim had been drinking all day and was feeling the weight of his rugged cowboy charisma when Rachel sat down on the bar stool next to him and put a newspaper on the bar. â€Å"Well, darlin', I'm damned if you're not a fresh wind on a stale pasture. Can I buy you a drink?† The banjo twang in Jim's accent was pure Oklahoma, picked up from the hands that had worked the Beer Bar when Jim was a boy. Jim was the third generation of Beers to work the ranch and would probably be the last. His teenage son, Zane Grey Beer, had decided early on that he would rather ride a surfboard than a horse. That was part of the reason that Jim was drinking away the afternoon at the Slug. That, and the fact that his wife had just purchased a new Mercedes turbo-diesel wagon that cost the annual net income of the Beer Bar Ranch. Rachel unfolded the classified section of the Pine Cove Gazette on the bar. â€Å"Just an orange juice, thanks. I'm house hunting today.† She curled one leg under herself on the bar stool. â€Å"You don't know anybody that has a house for rent, do you?† Jim Beer would look back on that day many times in the years to come, but he could never quite remember what had happened next. What he did remember was driving his pickup down the back road into the ranch with Rachel following behind in an old Volkswagen van. From there his memory was a montage of images: Rachel naked on the small bunk, his turquoise belt buckle hitting the wooden floor with a thud, silk scarves tied around his wrists, Rachel bouncing above him – riding him like a bronco – climbing back into his pickup after sundown, sore and sweaty, leaning his forehead on the wheel of the truck and thinking about his wife and kids. In the five years since, Jim Beer had never gone near the little house on the far side of the ranch. Every month he penciled the rent collected into a ledger, then deposited cash from his poker fund in the business checking account to cover it. A few of his friends had seen him leave the Head of the Slug with Rachel that afternoon. When they saw him again, they ribbed him, made crude jokes, and asked pointed questions. Jim answered the jibes by pushing his summer Stetson back on his head and saying: â€Å"Boys, all I got to say is that male menopause is a rough trail to ride.† Hank Williams couldn't have sung it any sadder. After Jim left that evening Rachel picked several gray hairs from the bunk's pillow. Around the hairs she carefully tied a single red thread, which she knotted twice. Two knots were enough for the bond she wanted over Jim Beer. She placed the tiny bundle in a babyfood jar, labeled it with a marking pen, and stored it away in a cupboard over the kitchen sink. Now the cupboard was full of jars, each one containing a similar bundle, each bundle tied with a red thread. The number of knots in the thread varied. Three of the bundles were tied with four knots. These contained the hair of men Rachel had loved. Those men were long gone. The rest of Rachel's house was decorated with objects of power: eagle feathers, crystals, pentagrams, and tapestries embroidered with magic symbols. There was no evidence of a past in Rachel's house. Any photos she had of herself had been taken after she arrived in Pine Cove. People who knew Rachel had no clue as to where she had lived or who she had been before she came to town. They knew her as a beautiful, mysterious woman who taught aerobics for a living. Or they knew her as a witch. Her past was an enigma, which was just the way she wanted it. No one knew that Rachel had grown up in Bakersfield, the daughter of an illiterate oil-field worker. They didn't know that she had been a fat, ugly little girl who spent most of her life doing degrading things for disgusting men so that she might receive some sort of acceptance. Butterflies do not wax nostalgic about the time they spent as caterpillars. Rachel had married a crop-duster pilot who was twenty years her senior. She was eighteen at the time. It happened in the front seat of a pickup truck in the parking lot of a roadhouse outside of Visalia, California. The pilot, whose name was Merle Henderson, was still breathing hard and Rachel was washing the foul taste out of her mouth with a lukewarm Budweiser. â€Å"If you do that again, I'll marry you,† Merle gasped. An hour later they were flying over the Mojave desert, heading for Las Vegas in Merle's Cessna 152. Merle came at ten thousand feet. They were married under a neon arch in a ramshackle, concrete-block chapel just off the Vegas strip. They had known each other exactly six hours. Rachel regarded the next eight years of her life as her term on the wheel of abuse. Merle Henderson deposited her in his house trailer by the landing strip and kept her there. He allowed her to visit town once a week to go to the laundromat and the grocery store. The rest of her time was spent waiting on or waiting for Merle and helping him work on his planes. Each morning Merle took off in the crop duster, taking with him the keys to the pickup. Rachel spent the days cleaning up the trailer, eating, and watching television. She grew fatter and Merle began to refer to her as his fat little mama. What little self-esteem she had drained away and was absorbed by Merle's overpowering male ego. Merle had flown helicopter gunships in Vietnam and he still talked about it as the happiest time in his life. When he opened the tanks of insecticide over a field of lettuce, he imagined he was releasing air-to-ground missiles into a Vietnamese village. The Army had sensed a destructive edge in Merle, Vietnam had honed it to razor sharpness, and it had not dulled when he came home. Until he married Rachel, he released his pent-up violence by starting fights in bars and flying with dangerous abandon. With Rachel waiting for him at home, he went to bars less often and released his aggression on her in the form of constant criticism, verbal abuse, and finally, beatings. Rachel bore the abuse as if it were a penance sent down by God for the sin of being a woman. Her mother had endured the same sort of abuse from her father, with the same resignation. It was just the way things worked. Then, one day, while Rachel was waiting at the laundromat for Merle's shirts to dry, a woman approached her. It was the day after a particularly vicious beating and Rachel's face was bruised and swollen. â€Å"It's none of my business,† the woman said. She was tall and stately and in her mid-forties. She had a way about her that frightened Rachel, a presence, but her voice was soft and strong. â€Å"But when you get some time, you might read this.† She held out a pamphlet to Rachel and Rachel took it. The title was The Wheel of Abuse. â€Å"There are some numbers in the back that you can call. Everything will be okay,† the woman said. Rachel thought it a strange thing to say. Everything was okay. But the woman had impressed her, so she read the pamphlet. It talked about human rights and dignity and personal power. It spoke to Rachel about her life in a way that she had never thought possible. The Wheel of Abuse was her life story. How did they know? Mostly it talked about courage to change. She kept the pamphlet and hid it away in a box of tampons under the bathroom sink. It stayed there for two weeks. Until the morning she ran out of coffee. She could hear the sound of Merle's plane disappearing in the distance as she stared into the mirror at the bloody hole where her front teeth used to be. She dug out the pamphlet and called one of the numbers on the back. Within a half hour two women arrived at the trailer. They packed Rachel's belongings and drove her to the shelter. Rachel wanted to leave a note for Merle, but the two women insisted that it was not a good idea. For the next three weeks Rachel lived at the shelter. The women at the shelter cared for her. They gave her food and understanding and affection, and in return they asked only that she acknowledge her own dignity. When she made the call to Merle to tell him where she was, they all stood by her. Merle promised that it would all change. He missed her. He needed her. She returned to the trailer. For a month Merle did not hit her. He did not touch her at all. He didn't even speak to her. The women at the shelter had warned her about this type of abuse: the withdrawal of affection. When she brought it up to Merle one evening while he was eating, he threw a plate in her face. Then he proceeded to give her the worst beating of her life. Afterward he locked her outside the trailer for the night. The trailer was fifteen miles from the nearest neighbor, so Rachel was forced to cower under the front steps to escape the cold. She was not sure she could walk fifteen miles. In the middle of the night Merle opened the door and shouted, â€Å"By the way, I ripped the phone out, so don't waste your time thinking about it.† He slammed and locked the door. When the sun broke in the east, Merle reappeared. Rachel had crawled under the trailer, where he could not reach her. He lifted the plastic skirting and shouted to her, â€Å"Listen, bitch, you'd better be here when I get home or you'll get worse.† Rachel waited in the darkness under the trailer until she heard the biplane roar down the strip. She climbed out and watched the plane climb gradually into the distance. Although it hurt her face, and the cuts on her mouth split open, she couldn't help smiling. She had discovered her personal power. It lay hidden under the trailer in a five-gallon asphalt can, now half full of aviation grade motor oil. A policeman came to the trailer that afternoon. His jaw was set with the stoic resolve of a man who knows he has an unpleasant task to perform and is determined to do it, but when he saw Rachel sitting on the steps of the trailer, the color drained from his face and he ran to her. â€Å"Are you all right?† Rachel could not speak. Garbled sounds bubbled from her broken mouth. The policeman drove her to the hospital in his cruiser. Later, after she had been cleaned up and bandaged, the policeman came to her room and told her about the crash. It seemed that Merle's biplane lost power after a pass over a field. He was unable to climb fast enough to avoid a high-tension tower and flaming bits of Merle were scattered across a field of budding strawberries. Later, at the funeral, Rachel would comment, â€Å"It was how he would have wanted to go.† A few weeks later a man from the Federal Aviation Administration came around the trailer asking questions. Rachel told him that Merle had beat her, then had stormed out to the plane and taken off. The F.A.A. concluded that Merle, in his anger, had forgotten to check out his plane thoroughly before taking off. No one ever suspected Rachel of draining the oil out of the plane.

Spanish Verbs of Happiness

Spanish Verbs of Happiness You dont always have to use an adjective such as feliz or alegre to refer to someone being happy or becoming happy. Various verbs can be used for that purpose as well. Spanish Words That Mean Love Alegrar is the most common verb of happiness. It can be used simply to mean to make happy, or in the reflexive form of alegrarse it can be used for to be happy or to become happy. In translation, you can use other English words such as joyful, cheerful or pleased, depending on the context. Me alegro de haberlo comprado. I am happy to have bought it.Creà ­a que te alegrarà ­as de verme. I thought you would be happy to see me.Es algo que te alegrar la tarde. Its something to make your afternoon happy. (Literally, it is something that will make the afternoon happy for you.)Lo à ºnico que le alegraba los lunes era el hecho que era el dà ­a de ir a comprar provisiones de chocolate para toda la semana. The only thing that cheered him up on Mondays was the fact that it was the day of going shopping for the weeks chocolate supply.No me alegra la muerte de un ser humano. The death of a human being doesnt make me happy. Contentar, obviously a cognate of the word content, can be used in much the same way. It often carries the idea of satisfaction. Cuando te veo me contento. When I see you Im content.Los administradores se contentaban con dedicar a sus clientes una mà ­nima cantidad de tiempo. The administrators were content to devote a minimum amount of time to their clients.No nos contentemos con lo que tenemos. Lets not be satisfied with what we have.No serà ­a extraà ±o para nadie que los resultados contenten a Chvez. It wouldnt seem strange to anyone for Chvez to be happy with the outcome. Deleitar, a cognate of to delight, typically has that meaning: Ella me deleità ³ con su artà ­culo sobre nuestros miedos. She delighted me with her article about our fears.En primavera te deleito, en verano te refresco, en otoà ±o te alimento, y en invierno te caliento.  ¿Quà © soy? (Un rbol.) In spring I delight you, in summer I refresh you, in fall I feed you and in winter I keep you warm. What am I? (A tree.) Alborozar is an uncommon verb that has a connotation similar to to delight or to excite: Alborozas cada cà ©lula de mi ser. You thrill each cell of my being.Se alborozaron con la idea de tener su apartamento propio. They were excited about the idea of having their own apartment. Placer, related to the English word please, suggests the giving of pleasure. Me place decir que tengo dos. It pleases me to say I have two.El recià ©n inaugurado museo tiene dos aspectos que me placieron. The recently inaugurated museum has two aspects that pleased me. Felicitar is derived from feliz and is included here for that reason. It typically means to wish someone happiness and is often translated as to congratulate. Me felicitaron por la seleccià ³n del hotel. They congratulated me for the hotel selection.