Why didnt the South win the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why didnt the South win the Civil War - Essay Example One answer is that the North won it. The South lost because the North outmanned and outclassed it at almost every point, militarily. Despite the long-held notion that the South had all of the better generals, it really had only one good army commander and that was Lee. The rest were second-raters, at best. The North, on the other hand, had the good fortune of bringing along and nurturing people like Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan, George H. Thomas, and others. The South was way outclassed industrially. There was probably never any chance of it winning without European recognition and military aid. And we can now see in retrospect what some, like Jefferson Davis, even saw at the time, which was that there was never any real hope of Europe intervening. It just never was in England or Frances interests to get involved in a North American war that would inevitably have wound up doing great damage, especially to Englands maritime trade. Industrially the South couldnt keep up in output and in manpower. By the end of the war, the South had, more or less, plenty of weaponry still, but it just didnt have enough men to use the guns. It is one of the factors of lost that south was inherently weaker in the various essentials to win a military victory than the North (Holness, 2). The North had a population of more than twenty-two million people to the Souths nine-and-a-half million, of whom three-and-a-half million were slaves. While the slaves could be used to support the war effort through work on the plantations and in industries and as teamsters and pioneers with the army, they were not used as a combat arm in the war to any extent. So if the South were to win, it had to win a short war by striking swiftly--in modem parlance, by an offensive blitzkrieg strategy. But the Confederates had established their military goals as fighting in defense of their homeland. In 1861, when enthusiasm was high in the

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Movie Review

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Movie Review Example The film had mostly viewed in a subconscious mind of Joel as he is struggling to resist in erasing his memories of Clementine. This took place when he was undergoing the procedure of the Lacunar amnesia. Upon reliving in his mind the memories of him and the estranged wife, he suddenly realized that he wanted to keep the memories of her instead. As the doctors and technician of Lacuna were busy on the procedures to him through mind-mapping, he was resisting the unexplainable changes that were happening in his subconscious mind. Human Identity and Memory. The film does set a debate of the ground whether identity and memory are connected to one another. It provided open ended analysis for the viewers of the theoretical issue of identity being embedded in human memory. It appears so in distinctive results of the Lacunar amnesia to the main characters, Joel and Clementine. Clementine had her memories of Joel erased, thus her attitude changed toward her new friendship with Joel, much different from the time she still has a memory of him. It can be assumed in the given case that if a person lost his memory, his identity about the established personality within that memory will eventually lost as well. However, it will be a chance for the person who lost the memory to recreate new personality as his identity as a person. New identity in personality could alter the forgotten one if the memory got totally lost as well - a complete amnesia. However, it is different in the case of Clementine, as she only had a portion in her memory erased. Thus, her identity about herself has not totally altered or forgotten. Joel almost falls similarly with Clementine's case, but his procedure deviated as he opted to retain his memories about her. Although they went to such procedure, their identity is not completely at lost as it's only a part of their memories being erased. They retained the memories of their own self previously before they met each other, at least with Clementine's case. In recent study, it was discerned that human identity is synonymous to personality. Personality is described by neurobiologists and psychologists as "a collection of behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that are not controlled by the I-function" (Trinh 2005). Personality has relevance or significant connection with human memory. It was discovered that memory is being "controlled and regulated by the I-function of the neocortex" (Trinh 2005). In Psychological study, the collection of thoughts and behaviors that make a person distinct from others, which is called personality, is actually restored in a memory. The maturity or development of thought, and self-concept is being reinstated in the memory (Trinh 2005). A man's personality or identity was established and developed through the help of memory, or rather within the memory. In direct sense, without a memory, man has no idea of his established identity, or previous personality. The significance of the memory towards human identity is also affirmed by neuroscientists of University College London. They stated that: "The brain stores all

Rate of Fermentation

Rate of Fermentation Cells obtain energy through a process called respiration. Yeast normally respires aerobically. In the absence of oxygen, yeast carries out anaerobic respiration. Yeast carries out alcohol fermentation which is catalysed by the enzyme zymase to produces ethanol, carbon dioxide and energy. Ethanol is used in making wine. Alcohol fermentation equation: Glucose Alcohol + Carbon dioxide C5H12O5 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 The rate of fermentation is influenced by several factors like temperature, type of sugar solution, concentration of yeast and concentration of glucose. In order to measure the rate of fermentation, the rate of production of carbon dioxide is measured in this experiment. Aim: To investigate how volume of yeast suspension may influence the rate of fermentation. Hypothesis: As the volume of yeast suspension increases, the rate of fermentation also increases. Variables: Independent variable : Volume of yeast suspension Dependent variable : Rate of fermentation Constant variable : Concentration of glucose, type of sugar solution, temperature, time  taken for the rate of fermentation. Materials Apparatus: 50-mL of measuring cylinder, 2-ml of graduated pipette, yeast suspension, glucose solution, 37oC warm water, burette, stopwatch, test tube, delivery tube, and basin. Methods: 1) 20mL of glucose solution was added to the test tubes using a 50mL measuring cylinder. 2) 2mL of yeast suspension was added to the solution in test tubes using a 2mL graduated pipette. 3) The end of the test tubes were covered with the thumb and the test tubes were inverted several  times to thoroughly mix the contents of the test tubes. 4) The test tubes were covered with a stopper. 5) The delivery tube was attached, measuring cylinder was filled with water and the apparatus was  set up so that gas produced will be collected in the measuring cylinder. Two sets of apparatus  were set up where one of them acts as a control. 6) The test tubes were placed in a beaker which is  ¾ full with warm water at 370C to ensure a  suitable environment. 7) The volume of gas produced in the measuring cylinder was observed and recorded every 5  minutes for a total of 40 minutes. 8) The experiment was repeated by using 4mL of yeast suspension instead of 2mL of yeast  suspension. 9) A table was constructed to record the time of measurements and the total volume of carbon  dioxide produced for both experiment. A graph was constructed. Discussion: Based on the graph, the curve for experiment which uses 4ml of yeast suspension is steeper than the curve for experiment which uses 2ml of yeast suspension. We can conclude that as the volume of yeast suspension increases, the volume of carbon dioxide produced also increases. When more volume yeast suspension is used the reactant will increase causes the frequency of collision to be increase too. So, higher productive collision will happen and causes the product which is carbon dioxide to be released will increase. The results can be said precise as the readings are close to each other in both experiments. However, the reading for the experiment which uses 4ml of yeast suspension at minute of 35 and 40 is not precise as it has quite big difference. The graph has no scattered points and this indicates that random errors are not very significant for this experiment. Random error such as the temperature of the water bath is not consistent to 37 °C and this may affect the result obtain ed. Besides that, another possible random error is the inability of human to react fast when using stopwatch. He might start take time or end the time slowly or quickly. So, it may affect the precision of the results. Improvements can be done by using an incubator as its water bath which its temperature will not drop or gain once it is fixed to 37 °C. The person with stopwatch must really quick to start the stopwatch exactly after the delivery tube is connected to the test tube containing yeast suspension and glucose solution. The accuracy cannot be commented as the true value is not given in both experiments. However, based on the theory it is true that when the volume of yeast suspension increases, the volume of carbon dioxide produced also increases. Systematic errors such as the burette might not be calibrated properly. Some of the carbon dioxide gas might dissolve in water and affects the actual volume of carbon dioxide gas produced. Therefore, improvements such as use only t he burette which is perfectly calibrated and gas syringe is used to collect the exact amount of carbon dioxide produced. It is important to use a lot of samples because a more reliable result can be obtained and the effect of random errors will be reduced. So, the results obtained can be more precise. Repeating the experiment also is important as it will increase the validity of results. Conclusion: As the volume of yeast suspension increases, the rate of fermentation also increases. Hypothesis is accepted.

School Uniforms Essay -- essays research papers

John Doe walks into a skyscraper, confident and well groomed wearing a tie, suit, and dress shoes. His confidence moves him forward, as he enters an elevator going up to the 23rd floor. He approaches his first job interview since leaving Jesuit Prep: McAllen & McAllen Law. This well groomed man graduated from Jesuit prep, which had a dress code and hair restrictions. This dress code and hair restrictions evolved young men into mature adults over a 4 year period at Jesuit. The dress code and hair restrictions play a vital role for our future as they build class integration, increase our image in the community, and dress the students for business, not play. Jesuit Prep needs to continue this vital dress code and hair restrictions for the future.Having a school full of students wearing the same clothes and hairstyles helps build an integration within the class. Students that wear many different styles of clothes all come together wearing similar pants, shirts, ties, and shoes. Through a dress code and hair restrictions, everyone is helped to be made more comfortable by wearing similar clothes, otherwise, people may feel alienated with less trendy or "cool" clothes. Hairstyles help ease this integration as well by giving each person similar styles making everyone feel more at ease. The overall integration helps the students realize that although people may look similar, the idea that everyone exhibits will be greatly different. These different ideas are present...

Eye Witness Essay

This essay is based on â€Å"The Story of an Eyewitness† by Jack London and â€Å"Leaving Desire† by Jon Lee Anderson. â€Å"The Story of an Eyewitness† talks about how the San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed the city in 1906. â€Å"Leaving Desire† talks about a victim of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. London and Anderson’s coverage of these disasters are different in several ways. Some examples of their differences are portrayed in the author’s purpose, the achievement of their purpose, and the authors focus. – Purpose for Writing London’s purpose for writing is to describe the destruction of San Francisco from the earthquake and fire. London describes the effects the disasters had on the city. For example, â€Å"The earthquake shook down in San Francisco hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of walls and chimneys†¦ I passed through Union Square. It was packed with refugees. Thousands of them had gone to bed on the grass. Government tents had been set up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this describes how the disasters had an effect on the living conditions in the city. London describes the attitude of the people in San Francisco, which is sort of a hopeless feeling because they knew that their valuables and their own selves couldn’t be rescued. In the text, â€Å" ‘yesterday morning’ he said, â€Å"I was worth six hundred thousands dollars. This morning this house is all I have left. It will all go in fifteen minutes. † The victim of the earthquake has an attitude of ‘there is nothing I can do’ (hopeless), and London doesn’t really state it but its apparent by what the victim says. London Also describes the remains of San Francisco, which is barely anything. In the article he writes, â€Å"San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it but memories and a fringe of dwelling houses on its outskirts. † This plainly states that everything is gone, but further into the article (page 413) he builds it up in description. Anderson’s purpose for writing is to create the mood of empathy in the reader from the victim’s experience. Anderson has also witnessed heartbreaking things in New Orleans, for example, â€Å"As the water rose, they took refuge in the choir loft. They stayed there for eight days, drinking the water the storm washed in. We were down to our last two crackers. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  That created an empathetic mood because the old married couple barely made it through these eight days and only had little to eat and unsanitary drinking water. Anderson learns how the disaster effected the main victim in this article, Lionel Petrie. For example â€Å"Petrie took a step back on his porch†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Can I take my dog with me? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I hate this. † Then she said to him, â€Å"I am so sorry Mr. Petrie, but, no, they won’t allow us to take animals. You will have to leave him here. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  This creates a mood of empathy because thinking he probably loved his dog very much it would be hard to leave him there to perish in the storm. Anderson gives details about what Petrie had to witness in his town. For example â€Å"As we made our way down Desire, Petrie looked around him at the devastation, his neighbors houses submerged in water. He said â€Å"Oh my God. I had no idea. † Petrie’s shocked and disturbed feeling really advances the mood of empathy in the article because he is so overwhelmed and hurt by what he saw, thinking it wasn’t going to be as bad as it was. How Purpose is Achieved London achieves his purpose by using descriptive language and words/terms. He describes his surrounding and the destruction of the city, like he says, â€Å"The streets were humped into ridges and depressions, and piled with the debris of fallen walls†¦The steel rails were twisted into perpendicular and horizontal angles. † London describes what the city looks like by using descriptive words such as depressions, horizontal, perpendicular, steel, and twisted. He also discusses the people of San Francisco and their reactions about what happened or what was to come. For example â€Å"Try that piano. Listen to its tone. There are a few like it. There are no horses. The flames will be here in fifteen minutes. † This victim doesn’t state that he has given up on trying to be saved but the words he says expresses that he has lost all hope. London tells how everything is destroyed in the city by repeating the same descriptive phrase. He says, â€Å"Its industrial section is wiped put. Its business section is wiped out. Its social and residential section is wiped out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  London describes sentence by sentence how all together San Francisco s gone. Anderson’s purpose is achieved by getting a primary source and being a primary source of the aftermath of the hurricane. He was able to get information about Petrie’s sad experience. For example â€Å"Petrie explained that his wife and son and daughter had left the city†¦ He didn’t know where his family was now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The author creates an empathetic mood by getting the reader to think about losing our family members or not knowing where they were and wondering if you would ever see them again. Anderson tells about Petrie’s worries and fears of the unknown. For example â€Å"Petrie told me that he was worried about his aunt Willa Mae Butler: â€Å"She’s about eighty-two and lives on†¦ I’m worried she’s dead, because this time she said she wasn’t going. † Petrie is unsure about his families’ safety and that actually creates a mood of sympathy. People have experiences this in natural disasters like the earthquake in the fall of 2011. Anderson uses the surroundings to create a mood of empathy in the reader. For example â€Å"A boat came up and deposited an elderly black couple†¦ They took refuge in the choir loft. They stayed there for eight days, drinking the water the storm washed in. † This creates a mood of empathy through the surroundings because he saw the couple and heard what they went through and its heartbreaking they had to go through it. – Focus of the Author London focuses on San Francisco as a whole. He focuses on how the earthquake had an impact on the entire city. For example â€Å"San Francisco is gone. † He doesn’t say one specific area of the city is gone, but the entire San Francisco. London also tells about where the fire hit and where it was heading. He writes, â€Å"I sat on the steps of a small residence on Nob Hill†¦ To the east and south at right angles, were advancing two mighty walls of flame†¦ I went inside with the owner of the house on the steps of which I sat†¦ â€Å"The flames will be here in fifteen minutes. † London tells where the flames were a citizen of San Francisco tells when the flames will be in fifteen minutes. London gives information about how the victims, or soon to be victims, reacted to the danger (fire), for example â€Å"He was an old man and he was on crutches. Said he: â€Å"Today is my birthday. Last night I was worth thirty thousand dollars. I bought some delicate fish and other things for my birthday dinner. I have had no dinner, and all I own are these crutches. † The old man seems to be very disappointed that the fire has destroyed everything he owned. His reaction to the disaster is disappointment. Anderson’s main focus is on Lionel Petrie and Ninth Ward of New Orleans. He only covers one part of New Orleans in the story. For example â€Å"Alladio was out on a search for trapped survivors†¦ in one of the poorest and worst-hit parts of the city, the Ninth Ward, in eastern New Orleans. That basically tells what area the article mainly focuses on. Anderson’s article is based on the experience of Lionel Petrie and barely anyone else’s. For example â€Å"Petrie explained that his wife and son and daughter had left the city by car, heading for Baton Rouge†¦ he didn’t know where his family was now, and if he left, they wouldn’t know where he was. † This tells about Petrie’s experience in not knowing whether he would see his family again. Anderson is writhing about Lionel Petrie who lived in Ninth Ward of New Orleans so that would most likely be the place Anderson would cover and focus on. In the story it says, â€Å"When I first saw Lionel Petrie, he was standing on the second story porch of his house, at the junction of Desire Street and North Bunny Friend, in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. † This is the first sentence of the entire article so apparently it is about Lionel Petrie who lived in Ninth Ward of New Orleans. – Conclusion In conclusion London’s purpose, achievement of purpose, and focus, differ from Anderson’s. They both use their differences to cover the disasters in their articles. Though the author’s methods of reportage were different, both were very effective in achieving their purposes. (Jon Lee Anderson)

Kindergarten and the 12 years of Elementary and Secondary Education

WTF WTF Katrina Angela Macapagal English 10 10 April 2013 No k in their K-12 Studying in a public elementary school and one of the largest public high schools in Mindanao, I have been immersed in a population of students from different walks of life after kindergarten. Yes, different walks of life. There were kids from extremely rich families and then there were the children of the poor as well. But in my section, an engineering science curriculum, three quarters of the class came from prominent wealthy families, children of provincial politicians, and owners of vast farm lands.And I belong to the remaining fourth of the section. If you take a peek in our class while we have our discussions, in every armchair, there is a seated a student with a thick book on top of the desk. We are always present in class, worried about our homework and doing our best to grasp the topics in advanced Math, Sciences and other electives. Unfortunately, that is not the case in the remaining 30 sections o f our year level which belong to the basic education curriculum (BEC). The real plight of public school students is resonated by the situation of these 30 sections in my year level.Every time I would enter their room, what always invites my attention is the absence of a large fraction of the students. In some rooms, it would seem that the class has a perfect attendance because all of the chairs are occupied, but that is not the real case. The section just simply lacks chairs making it easy for me to assume all the students are present. Also, the books they use in various subjects most especially in Science and Social Studies, provided by the government, contain massive errors in facts and lack the level of academic competitiveness suited for a senior high school.Every time I see documentations in the television about conditions of public schools, I always tell myself that we, the students of my school, are still lucky compared to those kids in remote regions across the archipelago, and even the students in urban areas like Metro Manila. I could not grasp the thought of having a class while my classmates and teachers’ feet are submerged in murky water. I could not imagine having a Science and Health class while all of us are sitting on the ice-cold floor. I could not bear the idea of learning while we are grilled under the scorching sun.I think I cannot survive my papers if our library lacks the wisdom it must possess. I believe we could not have a good class discussion if my teacher does not have the materials for teaching like chalks and pens. I think it would be hard having a class while your room is being used as a shelter for typhoon victims. And lastly, I could not imagine the younger students suffer from this kind of environment for two years more because of an immature and unprepared educational program implemented in an inappropriate haste.Despite such hindrances in achieving a quality education, the Department of Education (DepEd), under the au spices of President Aquino, still pursued the implementation of â€Å"Kindergarten and the 12 years of Elementary and Secondary education† otherwise known as K to12 program last school year 2012-2013. The implemented program added two more years in the old 10-year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) of the country. Also, before reaching the elementary level, a child must have undergone the kindergarten education.In the K to 12 program, an optional one year pre-kindergarten course is offered, and once a child reaches 5 years old, he or she must be schooled in the mandatory kindergarten curriculum. By K to 12 definition, the elementary level consists of grades one to six, just like the old system. The drastic change is seen as the students go to high school which is now divided into two: the junior and senior high school. In junior high school, the students will spend four years, and two more years in the senior high school where the core subjects Math, Science, and Language will be strengthened.Specializations for the students will be offered to the students as well. The goal of the program is â€Å"to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship,† (Official Gazette) a noble mission indeed, worthy of the Filipino people’s support. But the flaws in the way the government and the DepEd handled and will handle the implementation of the program leads to the bursting of the bubbles of hope in achieving a better educational system and producing high-caliber graduates.They succumbed easily to international pressure and rushed things which were supposed to be planned and funded with adequate budget. It is not the right time for K to 12. Before the K to 12 program started, The Philippines is one of the three countries in the world, and the only one in Asia, with only ten years of basic education along with Djibouti and Angola in Africa. Other countries have 11-14 years of basic and pre-university education. We have been left behind in terms of the numbers, but is that really the problem as of now?Pro K to 12 people always insist the fact that we are behind foreign countries in international tests because of the ten-year basic education curriculum. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) conducted a test in 2008 which was participated by 25 countries, including the Philippines. The results showed that the country, despite the fact that the best students from science schools took the exam, was still 23rd in rank. Also, the scores the takers got were overwhelmingly below average.However, the examination was only taken by grade four and second year high school students. The number of years a student spent on BEC doesn’t dictate how high or low the score he or she would get in the test but it is the curricula and the upbringing during the early years that would greatly affect the performance of the student. Adding two years in the BEC will not do any better for the students, as long as the teaching in lower years is not mended. In K to 12, a student must be schooled in kindergarten before reaching the elementary level.This mandatory one year kindergarten is not as controversial as the additional two years in high school since there is a universal acceptance of the significance of pre-school education in the development of a child. Studies have shown that Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) is associated with better cognitive and social skills development. Students who have undergone ECCD tend to learn more and stay longer in school according to the Education for All Global Monitoring Report in 2005 (37) . Indeed, the one year kindergarten is an essential part of the implemented K to 12.But do we have an adequate number of Kindergarten teachers who have studied the field of early pedagogy to sufficiently give the needs of kindergarten pupils? In the urban areas, there is no problem with kindergarten education since it is accessible to all in their barangay centers, but how about in the mountainous regions? Every day, does the DepEd expect mothers to carry their five year-old children while they cross tens of rivers and rough terrains just to reach the kindergarten schools in the low-lands?And if the child did not go to kindergarten and is not allowed to be enrolled in the elementary level, is it the parents’ fault for not letting their kid go to pre-school because they have no access to it in their village at the top of the mountain? As long as we do not have the right budget allocation for this program, we could not vanquish these scruples in our educational system. Sadly, the program was hastily implemented while we still have doubts about the project allocation. Better planning with a slower pace and a higher budget for education is the solution for a program to come into fruition.It is no t the right time for K to 12. In the elementary level, the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education is to be used as a method of teaching in grades one to three. Local languages are the modes of instruction but English and Filipino are still to be taught focusing on oral fluency. During grades four to six, both English and Filipino will be used as languages of instruction in various subjects. Also, Science will not be taught in grades one and two anymore and a spiral curriculum is to be followed.In a nutshell, this spiral curriculum is a method of covering too many topics at the same time without giving focus and priority to a specific area of study. Moreover, there would be fewer hours spent in school for a decongested academic workload, giving students more time to learn their lessons and have extra-curricular activities outside the classroom. Teaching the students with mother tongue is truly an effective way of instruction since in the early years of the children, they have alr eady, somehow, understood the language.But to use three languages in a very early level of grade one is similar to assuming that all of our students are fast learners, and the truth is that only a few of them are. This kind of teaching will just simply bring confusion to most students and might lead to a poorer performance. Incorporating the three languages must be gradual, not instantaneous. With the removal of Science in grades one and two curriculum, I, as a product of public school education, was shocked by this ridiculous idea because Science, in the first place, was not even taught to us public elementary students in grades one and two.Public school students like me only started to learn the parts of the plants and the planets of the solar system when we were in grade three. How could they remove something that doesn’t even exist beforehand? Instead of removing the non-existing Science subject, it must be included in the early years of elementary as well as in kindergar ten. Eschach and Fried argued that children naturally enjoy observing and thinking about nature; exposing students to science develops positive attitudes towards science and; early exposure to scienti? phenomena leads to better understanding of the scienti? c concepts studied later in a formal way (315). Regarding the spiral curriculum in science, teaching basic concepts of general sciences like biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science is highly applicable and attainable in preparing students in the rigorous approach of science in high school. But do we have a sufficient number of teachers? No. As of 2012, the Philippines still lack 61 510 teachers, which the government promised to hire by 2013 (Official Gazette).Once the DepEd have finished hiring all these teachers, are we sure that the younger students are learning science from a science teacher and not from a language teacher? This is one of the most common faults in our BEC in public schools and would most probably be pre valent in K to 12 because of the rush in hiring teachers. In K to 12, thinking skills is prioritized more than memory work and accumulation of facts, a goal so elusive if the teacher just reads a book aloud in the discussion without even asking the students to critically examine the topic because of the lack of mastery in the subject.Last point in the elementary level, is the shorter hours of every day classes. This means there would be more free time for schoolchildren, an opportunity for them to be engaged in child labor. Less hours allotted in school also means more possible time to be spent in the internet, video games, television, and all other factors that greatly affect the sound education of a 21st century kid. And let us not forget the fact that there are students who travel for hours every day just to go to school.The half-day of school every day is not worthwhile of all their efforts just to come to school, most especially those children who have to swim rivers and climb mountains daily. Seeing these flaws in the elementary level, it is not yet time for K to 12. After grade six, like in some private schools, a student would then go to grade seven, not in first year high school. It’s not only the level name that has changed but also the duration of high school and its division into two parts: the junior and senior high school, making up a total of six years.K to 12 promises to hone our high school students in the different areas of learning most especially in science and technical-vocational field to produce well-rounded graduates who could get jobs without getting a college degree in a university. Also, a spiral curriculum is to be followed to ensure â€Å"better† learning process for the students. In high school K to 12, the spiral curriculum, again, is to be applied. The learning of basics in elementary should not be continued in high school.Once a student reaches the secondary level, a layered approach should be undertaken to ensure mastery in the different branches of science. In a layered approach, per year level, there is a corresponding field of science to be studied; Earth Science in 1st year; Biology in 2nd year; Chemistry in 3rd year; and Physics in the 4th year. If the spiral curriculum is to be used again in high school, the focus of the students in a particular subject might be distracted because of a sudden halt in the topic and a rough transition to another branch of science in the next quarters of the school year.Adding two years in high school means two more years of suffering for the parents and the students. Yes, studying in a public high school is free but there are miscellaneous expenses that make â€Å"accessible education† an illusion for the poor. †Although public elementary education is free, school-related expenses like transportation fare, snacks, lunch, school supplies and other learning materials are beyond the financial capabilities of poor parents,† UNESCO said.Th ese expenditures result to a high dropout rate in schools. As a matter of fact, in the year 2010, 8% percent of students leave high school and the leading reasons are high cost of expenses, lack of interest, schools are very far, and looking for work (Roces and Genito). It is true that public education is not for everyone; it is only for the poor who can still sacrifice money amidst their hunger. Does prolonging this agony for the poor produce more graduates who have undergone a better curriculum? I doubt.As the years become longer, the number of school leavers becomes higher, not if the government would provide more facilities and services that could help our elementary and high school students in their everyday education. Out of every 100 Filipino schoolchildren enrolled every year, 66 will complete elementary education, 42 will finish high school but only 14 will earn a college degree, says the Center for Asia and the Pacific Studies. With this trend in the number of graduating s tudents from elementary until college, one could clearly see how poorly the government focuses in educating the youth.And now DepEd is imposing this K to 12 program without even addressing such problems in different levels. Before the implementation of K to 12, 42 students finish high school. With additional two years, it seems that DepEd expect a higher number of graduates in high school considering the current prioritization of the government to education. Taking into account all these insufficient preparations and strategies set by DepEd, it is more likely that K to 12 is bound to fail. We are not yet ready; it is not the right time for the program. If not now, when?It is when our government would give full support to the education of our youth; when one is to one becomes the ratio between the students and the high-caliber books in different subjects most especially in Language and Science; when students in the mountains need not to travel on foot for hours every day just to reac h the â€Å"nearby† school in the other mountains; when we have the right number of excellent teachers to provide the academic needs of our students; when we have already constructed the essential facilities such as classrooms, comfort rooms, tables, and chairs corresponding to the high population of students; when the class size becomes much smaller than today’s 50, 35-40 being the manageable size (Senate Economic Planning Office, 7); when the flaws in the curriculum of our current educational system are corrected to suit best the eternal search of our students for proficiency in the different fields of learning and global competitiveness and; when the government’s budget for education becomes higher than the current 2. 7% spending, preferably at least 6%2 of the Gross Domestic Product (UNESCO) or the share of education to the national budget would rise up to 20% which is the average spending of developing countries (World Bank). Knowing that K to 12 would cost as much as P150 billion, the Philippine government did not do any significant effort to increase the budget for education and while the program is being run, DepEd has been doing its preparations.With these kinds of arrangement being done to fulfill the goals of K to 12, one could clearly see that it is not the right time for the Philippines to add two years to its current 10-year BEC. In 2003, the South Asian country of Bhutan, which is much poorer than the Philippines, has undergone the transition from four-year BEC to six. Two years before this transition, Bhutan has increased its public expenditure for education to 5. 9% and in 2003, it rose up to as much as 7. 2 percent of the country’s GDP. Also, from an average class size of 39, it lowered down to 23 even with the additional two years in secondary education. This is a preparation that should serve as an inspiration for the Philippines’ K to 12, not hurried and given much planning.Truly, two years of extended BE C is another worry for parents and students but if the government would give an undying support to the education of children from kindergarten to high school, it is more likely that the additional two years will not lengthen the burden of the students but will strengthen their knowledge in technical-vocational and scientific fields. Adding two years to the BEC should not be treated by the government as just mere compliance to international standards on paper, but as an essential means of boosting the skills and knowledge of our students to produce graduates that could survive the grueling challenges of life after high school.With two years more, students will be exposed to the field of their interests, and will have a chance to be trained in their chosen elective that could give them a higher chance of having a job or business after finishing high school. TESDA could give examinations to graduating senior high school students to grant them a National Certificate, proof of a studentà ¢â‚¬â„¢s competence in the chosen tech-voc discipline. On the other hand, for the students with an unending pursuit of excellence in Science and Language, the senior high school is an avenue for them to hone their knowledge in the chosen elective. This could also serve as their pre-university education and might lead to the diminution of the number of years of taking up a course in universities like in other countries with K to 12. Good education is expensive but lack of education costs many times more,† this is clearly stated in the Philippine Education For All plan (7) but with the government’s actions in undertaking the K to 12 program, they are contradicting what is wisely expressed in their EFA plan. The state must prioritize education above all, thus giving much more budget for the training of our teachers, accumulation of better facilities, construction of more classrooms and schools in far-flung regions, printing of high quality textbooks, and distribution of sc hool supplies to the have-nots. When we have already fed the hunger of our famished educational system, then we are ready for K to 12, but not their K to 12. Works cited â€Å"Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2005: The Quality Imperative. † UNESCO. 2004. Web. April 2013 < http://unesdoc. unesco. org/images/0013/001373/137334e. pdf> â€Å"Functionally Literate Filipinos: An Educated Filipino. † National Action Plan to Achieve Education for all by the Year 2015. October 2005. Web. 7 April 2013. Haim, Eschach and Michael Fried. â€Å"Should Science be Taught in Early Childhood? † Journal of Science Education and Technology 14. 3 (2005): 315 TCNJ. Web. 8 April 2013. â€Å"K to 12: The Key to Quality Education? † Policy Brief. Senate Economic Planning Office. June 2011. Web. 6 April 2013. < http://www. senate. gov. h/publications/PB%202011-02%20-%20K%20to%2012%20The%20Key%20to%20Quality. pdf> Roces, Lilia and Deogracias Genito. â€Å"Basic Educatio n Information System (BEIS). † 2004. Web. 7 April 2013. < http://www. nscb. gov. ph/ncs/9thncs/papers/education_BEIS. pdf> â€Å"The K to 12 Basic Education Program. † Official Gazette. n. d. Web. 6 April 2013. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Refers to the 155 member countries of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). [ 2 ]. Reflected in the Senate Economic Planning Office’s report â€Å"K to 12: The Key to Quality Education? †