Disney Animation And Child Development

Disney Animation And Child Development Disney animated films captivate the imagination of an abundance of people with mesmerizing music, charismatic characters, and vivid visuals. My grandmother, who had lived in poverty through most of her childhood, loved the Disney animated films as a child, because they were an escape from reality and gave her the hope of a better future. Because Disney animation played an important role in my grandmothers childhood, she replicated these memories with her children and grandchildren through watching Walt Disney animated films. Although I was too young to remember my first experiences with the Disney animated films, the first experience Disney animated film that I can draw from memory is the, The Little Mermaid. As a child, I fell in love with the appealing characters and the enchanting music from the movie. The protagonist Ariel was engaging to me as a child because she was curious and yearned to learn about a world enigmatic to hers. The animation of The Little Mermaid is vibrant and displays captivating soundtrack. The plot consists of a mermaid who is fascinated with the human world and finds herself in love with Prince Eric whom she saves from shipwreck. Ariels father, King Triton, is very protective of his daughter and is concerned about her curiosity for the human world. In order to be with the one she loves, Ariel turns to the sea witch, Ursula, who casts a spell upon her to become human. The conditions for Ariel to remain a human are that she must get a true loves kiss from Prince Eric within three days, and that if she does not, she will forever be unable to use her voice again. In the end, Prince Eric is tricked into falling in love with Ursula and Ariel must to fight off Ursula in order to save the kingdom and those she loves. King Triton apologizes for being too protective of Ariel and allows her to live happily ever after with Prince Eric. Disneys The Little Mermaid plot contains friendships, curiosity, consequences from rashness, persistence, and the dangers of being overprotective. Today, Disney animation plays an active role in my life because the movies are relative to loving ones family, embracing creativity and curiosity, and an inspiration. Disney animated films have given me countless memories that I cherish with both friends and family. I want to pass on the same happy memories I had with my grandmother by making a special time to watch Disneys movies with my younger family members. Recently, my three-year-old cousin Addy and I watched Disney-Pixars Brave. Towards end where the protagonist, Merida, hugs both of her parents, Addy asked me if the princess loves her mommy and daddy? I told her yes, of course she does! She replied I love my mommy and daddy too! Although my cousin may never remember that moment, its a moment that I will always remember. Walt Disney Animated Studios embraces positive childhood development through their films. The Disney animated movies focus on a variety of topics that can inspire children to question, love and imagine. Although these films may be viewed only as entertainment to some people, to others it is a useful tool to educate children about supplemental life lessons through an engaging medium. Disney animated films focuses on inspiring children to be inquisitive, as questioning and wonder is essential in the learning process. Disney implements the idea of being analytical and curious through characters that are naturally inquisitive with a strong desire to learn. For example, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, is a girl with an investigative personality and whose hobby is reading. Another character is Alice from Alice in Wonderland who falls down a rabbit hole and lands in a world that only becomes curious and curiouser the longer she is in Wonderland. Examples of Disneys implementation of creati vity are through audio-visual effects in the 1940 film Fantasia. Fantasias core idea throughout the film is to encourage one to use their imagination to create simple music, shapes, and colors to then become a wonderfully complex story inspired by orchestrated music. Creativity plays a key role in the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons. Lewis, young inventor, uses his imagination, creativity, curiosity, and dedication of achieving his goal of in becoming a successful inventor. Another attribute Disney animated studios incorporates into their storylines is the importance of loving one another. Teaching young children the significant and diverse meanings of love is essential in a childs development. Many Disney animated films teach the significance of loving ones friends, families, and community. Whether it is love for a friend, or love for ones dreams and wishes, love plays an essential role in each of Disneys animated movies. Examples of different forms of love include the 1940 film, Pinocchio. Pinocchio is puppet who is loved by his creator, Geppetto. A fairy magically turns Pinocchio into a real boy and Geppetto loves Pinocchio like his own son. In The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh loves all of his friends in the One-Hundred Acres Wood and they all work together with the challenges they face. In Pocahontas, the Native American princess makes the decision to be with her love John Smith, and tries to protect her community from fightin g the English invaders and to come to peaceful terms. The Princess and the Frog is a story about loving and embracing ones dreams in life. Tiana, the main character, wishes to fulfill her and her late fathers dream of owning a restaurant and works hard to make her dreams come true. Although Disney animation promotes healthy child development and essential skills required for learning and growing, there are some who believe the films may play a negative role in a childs development. Those critics typically believe that Disney movies are too unrealistic and have plots which center on anti-feminism, promoting materialism and foster laziness. As Walt Disney had once said, All cartoon characters and fables must be exaggeration, caricatures. It is the very nature of fantasy and fable. For one to expect realism in a childs story is unrealistic within itself. Many of the Disney animated films are adaptations of stories from folk tales and other forms of previous literature. The Grimm Brothers first written down the folk stories of Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid is an adaptation of the story by Hans Christian Anderson. Therefore, many of the plots behind popular Disney stories are not created by Disney, but are instead Disney animate d studios own interpretations of these stories that are more family orientated than the original stories themselves. Some feminists argue that the Disney princesses set an unrealistic goal of how women should behave and look. They also believe that it teaches young girls that a Prince Charming figure exists. However, many Disney princesses do have character traits outside the traditional, stereotypical female role. In Disneys animated film, Mulan, Mulan breaks away from the traditional customs of her culture of becoming a stereotypical Chinese wife that serves her husband, and instead disguises herself as a male soldier to protect her father and fight for her country. Mulan does fall in love in the movie with Captain Li Shang, who she originally detests. However, the film illustrates that Li Shang is not flawless. Although some soldiers joke around with Li Shang by calling him a pretty boy, Li Shang proves that he is inquisitive, a good leader, and logical. Some believe that the Dis ney princess films contain unrealistic expectations of beauty, and insists that the Disney princesses have a damaging impact on a girls expectations and self-esteem. However, they are not taking into consideration of the importance of the viewers age. Many toddlers and young children still do not have the cognitive ability to grasp the concept of an animated character to be setting the standards of beauty. Then once they are old enough to understand that society has already placed a standard for beauty, they are also old enough to understand that the princesses are animated characters and are not real expectations for living people. Some also argue that Disney animated films encourage children to be materialistic. However, while Disney does sell a multitude of products, it is not the corporations responsibility to parent children. It is instead the sole responsibility of a childs parents to teach against materialism. Thirdly, the idea that Disney animated films promotes the unrealistic dream of lifes problems magically disappearing and that working hard can be avoided is untrue. Many of the Disney animated characters work hard in the stories. Although Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother assist her in escaping from her evil stepmother and step-sisters, one can translate that into a real world scenario that works hard in life, and had a lucky break with someone being able to help them achieve a better life. In the animated film, The Princess and the Frog, Tiana must works hard to make a living and saves money to open up a restaurant she has always wanted. Disney animated films had inspired me during my childhood years to express my creativity and imagination. Disney animated films encourage children to be curious, imaginative and creative, as well as encourage children to love in a variety of ways to promote healthy childhood development. Many of the Disney animated films are adaptations from folk and fairy tales, as well as other novels throughout literary history. Although some may not support children viewing Disney animated films due to their own interpretations of the films and what they believe the films portray, it is ultimately the parents role to teach their children important life lessons and how to interpret the movies. It is only the Disney Animation Studios to entertain both children and adults; their films do promote a multitude of encouraging messages that can translate a child to incorporate being imaginative, curious, and loving into their own lives. In conclusion, Disney animated films promote healthy childhood devel opment. Parents and educators should properly incorporate these films for home entertainment and for education through encouraging children to use their creativity and focusing on the morals of the story. Work Cited Walt Disney Quotes. Walt Disney Quotes. Just Disney, Web. 22 Jan. 2013.

The Transformational Leadership Practices of National Board Certified S

Introduction According to Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (American Association of School Librarians, 2009), â€Å"The school library media program is built by professionals who model leadership and best practice for the school community† (p. 45). This leadership role is a new one for school librarians; earlier guidelines documents (AASL, 1988; AASL, 1998) embedded leadership activities within the roles of information specialist, instructional consultant or partner, teacher, and program administrator. These earlier guidelines were aligned with the larger educational culture, in which school librarians have rarely been regarded as leaders by their colleagues, administrators, or themselves (Hartzell, 2002; Ishizuka, Minkel, & St. Lifer, 2002; McCracken, 2001). Perhaps because of this perception, few researchers have studied the activities of school librarians who act as leaders. The purpose of Empowering Learners (AASL, 2009) is to define â€Å"the future direction of school library media programs† (p. 5). Both Empowering Learners and its predecessors (AASL, 1988; AASL, 1998) serve as guidelines for exemplary school library media programs, providing a mission and vision for the program and identifying and describing the roles of the school library media coordinator (SLMC). The mission of the program is â€Å"to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information† (AASL, 2009, p. 8) and to support this mission the SLMC must take on multiple roles. The original guidelines document, Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (AASL, 1988) defined these roles as information specialist, teacher, and instructional consultant. The 1998 version of the guidelines (AASL... ...ndards as classroom teachers, but the SLMC standards are currently under revision and will parallel the teaching standards closely, including a leadership component (R. White, personal communication, October 8, 2010). School library media coordinators must demonstrate leadership to meet the expectations of their national professional organization, to achieve advanced teaching credentials, and even, in North Carolina, to maintain their professional positions. Since the release of Empowering Learners (AASL, 2009), no research has examined the extent to which librarians are able to carry out the leadership practices it identifies. In this climate, however, it is important to know how school library leaders behave and to what extent they implement these practices, both to evaluate the standards and to provide examples for leadership development for school librarians.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-seven

I WOULD HAVE GAPED IF I were there, both from the shock of seeing Sydney and at the sight of a human on Court grounds. Humans, actually, because there were two others with her, a man and a woman. The man was young, only a little older than Sydney, with deep brown hair and eyes. The woman was older and wore the tough, seasoned look I associated with Alberta. This woman was dark-skinned, but I could still see the golden tattoo she and the other humans had. All Alchemists. And it was obvious these Alchemists were not happy. That older woman was putting on a good show, but her darting eyes made it clear she wanted to be somewhere– anywhere–else. Sydney and the guy didn't hide their fear at all. Sydney might have gotten used to me and Dimitri, but she and her associates had just walked into a den of evil, as far as they were probably concerned. The Alchemists weren't alone in their discomfort. As soon as they'd entered, the guardians no longer regarded Eddie as the room's threat. Their eyes were all on the humans, scrutinizing them as though they were Strigoi. My friends seemed more curious than afraid. Lissa and I had lived among humans, but Christian and Adrian had had very little exposure, other than feeders. Seeing the Alchemists on â€Å"our turf' added an extra element of intrigue. I was certainly astonished to see Sydney there so quickly. Or was it quickly? Hours had passed since we'd escaped Jill's house. Not enough time to drive to Court but certainly enough to fly. Sydney hadn't changed clothes since I'd last seen her, and there were shadows under her eyes. I had a feeling she'd been grilled to no end since her capture. The mystery was, why bring the Alchemists here to the meeting about Eddie killing the unknown Moroi? There were two completely different issues at stake. Lissa was thinking the same thing. â€Å"Who are these guys?' she asked, although she had a pretty good idea who Sydney was. She'd heard enough description from me. Sydney gave Lissa a once-over, and I suspected she had guessed Lissa's identity as well. â€Å"Alchemists,' said Hans gruffly. â€Å"You know what that means?' Lissa and my friends nodded. â€Å"What do they have to do with Eddie and that guy who attacked me?' she asked. â€Å"Maybe something. Maybe nothing.' Hans shrugged. â€Å"But I know there's something strange going on, something you're all involved in, and I need to figure out what. She'– Hans pointed at Sydney–‘was with Hathaway in Detroit, and I still have trouble believing none of you know anything about it.' Adrian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, the perfect picture of indifference. â€Å"Keep believing that, but I don't know any of these people. Don't Alchemists hate us? Why are they here?' Adrian, ironically, was the only one of my friends who knew I hadn't been in West Virginia, but you'd never tell from his demeanor. â€Å"Because we have an escaped murderess to deal with and needed to question her accomplice in person,' was Hans's crisp response. A denial of my guilt was on Lissa's lips, but the older Alchemist jumped in first. â€Å"You have no proof that Miss Sage was an â€Å"accomplice' to your criminal. And I still think it's ridiculous that you wouldn't let us do our own questioning and leave it at that.' â€Å"In any other situation, we would, Miss Stanton,' replied Hans. Ice was forming between the two of them. â€Å"But this one, as you can imagine, is a bit more serious than most. Our queen was murdered.' Tension ramped up even more between the guardians and the Alchemists. Their working relationship was not a happy one, I realized. It also occurred to me that even if Sydney's superiors thought she'd committed some crime, they would never admit as much to my people–which meant Hans's paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. When none of the Alchemists responded, Hans seemed to read this as approval to begin interrogating Sydney. â€Å"Do you know these three?' He gestured to my friends, and Sydney shook her head. â€Å"Ever communicated with them?' â€Å"No.' He paused, as though hoping she'd change her answer. She didn't. â€Å"Then how did you get involved with Hathaway?' She studied him intently, fear in her brown eyes. I wasn't sure if it was because of him exactly. Really, she had a lot of things to be nervous about right now, like being here at all and the eventual punishment the Alchemists would dole out. Then, of course, there was Abe. Technically, he was the reason she had gotten ensnared in this mess. All she had to do was tell on him, say he'd blackmailed her. It'd get her off the hook–but incur his wrath. Sydney swallowed and forced a defiant look. â€Å"I met Rose in Siberia.' â€Å"Yes, yes,' said Hans. â€Å"But how did you end up helping her escape here?' â€Å"I had nothing to do with her escaping this place!' said Sydney. It was a half-truth, I supposed. â€Å"She contacted me a few days ago and asked for help to get to a house near Detroit. She claimed she was innocent and that this would help prove it.' â€Å"The Alchemists knew by then she was a fugitive,' pointed out Hans. â€Å"Everyone had orders to look out for her. You could have turned her in.' â€Å"When I first met Rose, she didn't seem like the murdering type–I mean, aside from killing Strigoi. Which isn't murder at all, really.' Sydney threw in a little Alchemist disdain. It was a nice touch. â€Å"So, when she said she was innocent and could prove it, I decided to help her. I gave her a ride.' â€Å"We already asked her about this,' Stanton said irritably. â€Å"And we already told you that we did. What she did was foolish–a naive lapse in judgment. It's something for us to deal with, not you. You worry about your murdering fiend.' Her words were light, like they were going to take Sydney home and chastise a naughty child. I doubted it would be that simple. â€Å"Who were the people with her?' asked Hans, ignoring Stanton. Sydney's contempt grew. â€Å"One was that guy †¦ Dimitri Belikov. The one you think was â€Å"cured.' I don't know who the others were. Two guys and a woman. They never introduced us.' It was a well-done lie, her faked disgust about Dimitri masking her knowledge of the rest of our associates. Lissa leaned forward eagerly, speaking just before Hans could. â€Å"What was in Detroit? How was Rose going to clear herself? Especially with Jill?' Hans didn't look happy about the interruption, but I knew he had to be curious about Jill and Detroit as well. He said nothing, perhaps hoping someone might slip and reveal a key piece of knowledge. Sydney, however, continued playing distant and cold. â€Å"I have no idea. That Jill girl didn't seem to know either. Rose just said we had to get to her, so I helped her.' â€Å"Blindly?' asked Hans. â€Å"You really expect me to believe that you just trusted her like that?' â€Å"She's my–‘ Sydney bit her lip on what I suspected was â€Å"friend.' She turned her professional mode back on. â€Å"There was something believable about her, and I figured it'd be a waste of resources if the Alchemists had been helping you hunt the wrong murderer. If I decided she was guilty, I could always turn her in. And I thought †¦ I thought if I was the one who solved this, I'd get the credit and a promotion.' That was a good, good lie. An ambitious girl trying to improve her career on the sly? Very good. Well, not to everyone. Hans shook his head. â€Å"I don't believe any of you.' The guy Alchemist took a step forward that made every guardian tense to jump him. â€Å"If she says that's the way it happened, then that's the way it happened.' He had the same fierceness and mistrust that Stanton had, but there seemed to be more. A sort of protectiveness toward Sydney that was as personal as professional. Lissa picked up on it too. â€Å"Easy, Ian,' said Stanton, still keeping her eyes on Hans. Her composure reminded me more and more of Alberta. She couldn't be at ease with a roomful of guardians but wasn't showing it. â€Å"It doesn't matter if you believe her or not. The point remains: Miss Sage answered your questions. We're finished.' â€Å"Do Jill's parents know anything?' asked Lissa. She was still in shock at all of these developments–not to mention worried about me being out of my safe mountain town– but this mysterious shot at clearing my name was powerful. She couldn't let it go. Sydney turned to Lissa, and I could practically read the Alchemist's thoughts. She knew how close Lissa and I were and would have liked to give Lissa some sort of comfort. There was no way, though, that Sydney could do that with these people in the room. She also had to be aware of the fact that I myself hadn't told Lissa anything about Jill. â€Å"No,' said Sydney. â€Å"We just went there, and Rose said Jill had to come with her. The Mastranos don't know why. And then–and then Rose did take her. Or Jill went with her. I'm not sure what happened. It all turned to chaos.' Neither the Alchemists nor guardians disputed me taking Jill, which made me think it was a story they'd gotten–and accepted–from both Jill's parents and Sydney. It had just enough truth to be plausible–and explain Jill's disappearance. It didn't mention the Dragomir secret, however, which Emily was probably more than happy to keep quiet for now. â€Å"There,' said Stanton. â€Å"This is exactly what we told you before. We need to leave now.' She turned toward the door, but guardians blocked the way. â€Å"Impossible,' said Hans. â€Å"This is a serious matter, and Miss Sage is the only link we have to a murder–a royal murder. And a kidnapping.' Stanton scoffed, and I remembered Sydney once saying the Alchemists thought the Moroi royalty system was silly. â€Å"She doesn't seem to be of much more use to you. But don't worry–we'll be holding her. Contact us if you have more questions.' â€Å"Unacceptable,' said Hans. â€Å"She stays here.' Ian, the other Alchemist, joined the argument, moving protectively in front of Sydney. â€Å"We're not leaving one of our own here!' Again, I had that funny feeling about him. A crush, that was it. He had a crush on her and was treating this as more than just business. Stanton gave him a look that said she would handle this matter. He fell silent. â€Å"You can all stay here, then,' said Hans. â€Å"Makes no difference to me. We'll get you rooms.' â€Å"That is unacceptable.' From there, she and Hans got into a raging argument. I didn't think it would come to blows, but the other guardians had closed in slightly as a precaution. Ian's eyes darted between Stanton and Sydney, but he didn't get into the fray. Once, his gaze passed over the table Hans leaned against, and Ian suddenly did a double take at the photograph. It was only a brief pause, a slight widening of the eyes †¦ but Lissa caught it. She took a step toward Ian and Sydney. One of the guardians glanced at the movement, deemed Lissa safe, and returned to watching Stanton. â€Å"You know him,' Lissa murmured, keeping her voice below the shouts. In fact, it was a little too low because she got blank looks from Sydney and Ian. Their ears couldn't hear what a Moroi or dhampir could have. Lissa glanced uneasily around, not wanting to attract attention. She raised her volume slightly. â€Å"You know him. The guy in the picture.' Ian stared at Lissa, a bit of wonder and wariness on his face. He undoubtedly bore that same standoffish attitude toward vampires, but her words had caught him off guard. And, even if she was an evil creature of the night, she was a very pretty one. â€Å"Ian,' said Sydney softly. â€Å"What is it?' There was a note of urging in her voice, one that inadvertently played upon his crush, I think. He opened his mouth to speak, but then, the â€Å"conversation' among the others wrapped up. Sydney again became the center of attention, and Ian turned away from Lissa. The compromise Stanton and Hans had reached was exactly that–a compromise. Neither was happy with it. There was a small town less than forty-five minutes away from Court, and the Alchemists would stay there–with several guardians on hand. It sounded like a house arrest to me, and Stanton's expression seemed to agree. I think she only consented because it was a human town. Before he'd let everyone go, Hans questioned my friends a final time, his eyes studying every face carefully. â€Å"And none of you–none of you–know this Alchemist girl or have been in contact with her? Or know about her involvement with Hathaway?' Again, Lissa and the others denied it, and again, Hans had no choice but to grudgingly accept the responses. Everyone moved toward the door, but Hans wouldn't let Eddie leave. â€Å"Not you, Castile. You're staying here until other matters are settled.' Lissa gasped. â€Å"What? But he–‘ â€Å"Don't worry about it,' said Eddie with a small smile. â€Å"Everything'll be okay. Just look after yourself.' Lissa hesitated, despite Christian tugging her arm to go. Although all accounts said Eddie had defended Lissa's life, he'd still killed a Moroi. That wouldn't be taken lightly. The guardians had to be 100 percent convinced he'd had no other choice before they'd release him. Seeing the strong, calm look on his face, Lissa knew he was prepared to handle whatever came. â€Å"Thank you,' she said, walking past him. â€Å"Thank you for saving me.' His answer was a slight nod, and Lissa stepped into the hallway–to find herself in more chaos. â€Å"Where are they? I insist on–ah.' My friends and the Alchemists had been heading toward the exit while a group of guardians escorted them. Meanwhile, someone had entered the hall and was now being stopped and challenged by the guardians. It was Abe. He took in every piece of the bizarre scenario in less than a heartbeat, his eyes passing over Sydney and the Alchemists as though he'd never seen them before. Through Lissa's eyes, I saw Sydney blanch, but nobody else noticed. Abe smiled at Lissa and sidled up to walk out with her. â€Å"There you are. They want you for the last monarch test.' â€Å"And they sent you?' asked Christian skeptically. â€Å"Well, I volunteered,' replied Abe. â€Å"I'd heard there was some, er, excitement. Murder, fanatical religious humans, interrogations. All things I'm interested in, you know.' Lissa rolled her eyes but said nothing until the whole group emerged from the building. The Alchemists and their unwelcome escort went one way while Lissa and our friends went the other. Lissa longed to glance at Sydney and Ian–I did too–but knew it was best to keep moving forward and follow Abe's lead, particularly since some of those guardians were watching more than just the Alchemists. As soon as Lissa's group was far enough away from the authorities, Abe's amiable smile vanished, and he turned on my friends. â€Å"What the hell happened? I've heard all sorts of crazy stories. Someone said you were dead.' â€Å"Nearly,' said Lissa. She told him about the attack, expressing her fear over Eddie. â€Å"He'll be fine,' said Abe dismissively. â€Å"They have nothing to hold him on. The worst he'll get is a mark on his record.' Lissa was relieved by Abe's easy assurance, but I still felt guilty. Thanks to me, Eddie's record was already marred. His sterling reputation was declining on a daily basis. â€Å"That was Sydney Sage,' said Lissa. â€Å"I thought they were all in West Virginia. Why isn't she with Rose?' â€Å"That,' said Abe darkly, â€Å"is an excellent question.' â€Å"Because they were apparently kidnapping Jill Mastrano in Detroit,' said Christian. â€Å"Which is weird. But not the craziest thing I can think of Rose doing.' I appreciated the support. Abe got a recap of this new development too, at least as much as my friends knew of it–which was only a fraction of the whole story. Abe picked up immediately that he'd been played, and it was obvious from his angry expression that he didn't like being kept in the dark. Welcome to the club, old man, I thought with small satisfaction. I hadn't forgotten how no one had filled me in on the escape plan. My smugness was short-lived because I was worried about what would happen to Sydney, now that Abe was on to her. â€Å"That girl was lying to me,' he growled. â€Å"Every day, all these reports about how quiet and boring it was in West Virginia. I wonder if they even made it to that town. I have to go talk to her.' â€Å"Good luck,' said Adrian, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. Apparently, in my absence, the dating contract he'd jokingly made up that said he would â€Å"cut back' on his vices didn't apply. â€Å"I don't think her cronies or the guardians are going to let you near her.' â€Å"Oh, I'll get to her,' said Abe. â€Å"She's got a lot of answers. If she hid them from those other idiots, then good for her. But she's going to tell me.' A sudden thought sparked into Lissa's mind. â€Å"You have to talk to Ian. That guy with the Alchemists. He knows the man in the picture–er, I mean, the guy Eddie killed.' â€Å"You're certain?' asked Abe. â€Å"Yes,' said Adrian, surprising them all. â€Å"Ian definitely had a reaction. He's also got a crush on that Sydney girl.' â€Å"I saw that too,' said Lissa. â€Å"She seems kind of uptight.' Adrian frowned. â€Å"But maybe their kind go for that.' â€Å"That crush might actually be useful,' mused Abe. â€Å"You women don't know the power you wield. Have you seen that guardian your aunt's dating? Ethan Moore?' â€Å"Yes,' groaned Christian. â€Å"Don't remind me.' â€Å"Tasha is pretty hot, though,' noted Adrian. â€Å"That is not cool,' said Christian. â€Å"Don't get so huffy,' said Abe. â€Å"Ethan's a palace guard. He was there the night of the murder–which could be very useful to us if she can keep him interested.' Christian shook his head. â€Å"Those guards already testified. It won't matter. Ethan's told what he knows.' â€Å"I'm not so sure,' said Abe. â€Å"There are always things that occur off the official record, and I'm positive the guards were all debriefed with strict orders on what to reveal and not to reveal. Your aunt might be charming enough to find out something for us.' Abe sighed, still looking very unhappy at the sudden upsetting of his orderly plans. â€Å"If only Sydney had been charming enough to talk her way out of that interrogation so that I could go interrogate her. Now I've got to break through those Alchemists and the guardians to get to her and figure out where Rose is. Oh, and you do actually have to go to your test, princess.' â€Å"I thought that was just a line you used to find me,' Lissa said. â€Å"No, they want you.' He gave her directions to the test. It was in the building she'd had the second test in. â€Å"All of you go together and then get a guardian to walk you back. Don't leave your room until Janine or Tad come by.' Tad was one of Abe's henchmen. â€Å"No more surprise attacks.' Lissa wanted to argue that she most certainly wasn't going to put herself under house arrest but decided it was best to just let Abe go for now. He hurried off, still radiating agitation, and she and the guys turned toward the testing site. â€Å"Boy, is he pissed,' said Adrian. â€Å"Do you blame him?' asked Christian. â€Å"He just lost membership in the evil mastermind club. His brilliant plan fell apart, and now his daughter's missing when he thought she was somewhere safe.' Adrian stayed pointedly silent. â€Å"I hope she's okay,' sighed Lissa, a knot forming in her stomach. â€Å"And what in the world does Jill have to do with any of this?' Nobody had an answer for that one. When they reached the testing site, Lissa found a situation almost identical to before. Lots of spectators lining the hall. Guardians blocking the door. More people than ever were cheering her name as she approached, some who were â€Å"common' Moroi and others who were royals whose candidates were out of the running. A number of nominees hadn't passed the fear test, so those families had switched their loyalties. Again, Lissa was ushered into the room alone. Her heart began to pound when she saw the same old woman. Were more terrible images to come? Lissa couldn't see the chalice, but that was no guarantee of safety. There was no extra chair, so Lissa simply stood in front of the old woman. â€Å"Hello,' Lissa said respectfully. â€Å"It's nice to see you again.' The woman grinned, showing those missing teeth. â€Å"I doubt that, but you say it very convincingly. You have politics in your blood.' â€Å"Thank †¦ you †¦' said Lissa, unsure if she'd been complimented or not. â€Å"What would you like me to do for this test?' â€Å"Just listen. That's all. It's an easy one.' A twinkle in the woman's eye made Lissa think this would not be easy. â€Å"All you have to do is answer a question for me. Answer correctly, and you're through to the vote. And won't that be entertaining.' The old woman seemed to say those last words more to herself than Lissa. â€Å"Okay,' said Lissa uneasily. â€Å"I'm ready.' The woman sized Lissa up and seemed to like what she saw. â€Å"Here it is then: What must a queen possess in order to truly rule her people?' Lissa's mind went blank for a moment, and then a jumble of words popped into her head. Integrity? Wisdom? Sanity? â€Å"No, no, don't answer,' said the old woman, watching Lissa carefully. â€Å"Not yet. You have until tomorrow, at this same time, to think about it. Come back with the right answer, and you'll have passed the trials. And †¦' She winked. â€Å"It goes without saying you won't talk to anyone about this.' Lissa nodded, rubbing the small tattooed spot on her arm. She'd get no help with the answer from anyone else. Lissa left the room, turning the question over and over in her mind. There were too many answers to a question like that, she thought. Any of them could– Movement in my reality instantly snapped me out of her head. I half expected Sonya to come bursting into our tent, but no, that wasn't what had caught my attention. It was a much smaller motion †¦ and something infinitely more powerful. Dimitri was in my arms.

Using Structured Interview Method For Future Selection

(1) Refer to Appendix and based on the data available, I would recommend that this company should use the structured interview method for future selection because the method has the highest utility compare with the other two selection methods. A higher utility indicates an increased validity of the method used, and this implies that the annual productivity of these selected applicants in average dollar value would increase thereby increasing the financial position of the company (pg.191). Structured interview method which is a standardized technique is the process of asking, collecting, and rating of the interviewees based on the information collected from them (pg.221). All the respondents are asked the same questions in a predetermined format and the essence of this interview method is to know and determine the past experiences and the qualities the interviewees are bringing into the company. When the numbers of applicants are increased to 200, the utility for structured interview increased from 95,080 to 96,680. Utility for the Mental Ability decreased from 75,120 to 73,360. The utility for the work sample decreased from 58,200 to 55,000. The structured interview showed higher validity in the selection method which implies an increase in the average dollar value of annual productivity by candidates that were selected for the positions (Pg.191); however, the utilities for mental ability and work sample decreased thereby showing decrease in average dollar value and inShow MoreRelatedStaffing System For A Job1719 Words   |  7 Pagesin staffing organizations, as it is a method used for assessing aspects within the organization. A system without methods would have no efficient method for determining a framework in the process of selection. 2. 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