MISCELLANEOUS

3/10/2014


My Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is one of the noblest profession . Noble because of the
passion, commitment and dedication that one gives to the
profession. Teachers may either make or unmake a student.
Teachers who have the passion and dedication to teaching are those
who go out their way in guiding, moulding, inspiring students to be
the best that they can be. Students who are inspired and motivated
are more engaged in their learning, have more positive progress in
their learning, exert optimum effort in learning. . Teachers who
bring their teaching skills, potentials and knowledge to the fullest
are those that make a difference in the lives of the students .
Xavier Rice Assessment 3.1 Methamphetamine

In this report I will be closely examining and discussing the effects of
methamphetamine which can also be called, crack, p or speed. I will be
talking about the implications and issues surrounding it, long term and short
term impacts on users. The age group I will be mainly focusing on people
aged 16-24. I will be giving my own view point and statistics on society view
and use of methamphetamine.
What methamphetamine actually does: Methamphetamine is one of a
family of drugs called amphetamines, which act as central nervous system
stimulants. They speed up the messages to and from the brain earning
them the street name speed. The pharmaceutical name for amphetamine is
Dexamphetamine, which is commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, and is an ingredient in
some diet pills.
Economically: A main factor that influences methamphetamine use in New
Zealand is the availability of it and how readily it is available for use. There
are more and more gangs making and distributing the methamphetamine
drug around New Zealand, gangs like Head Hunters, Mungrel Mob being
main distributors (Recent changes in methamphetamine NZ The NZ
police). The more drugs being made, the cheaper it gets. So considering the
drug trade can offer a lot of money, it is understandable that gangs and
people that are maybe on the dole or out of work are being tempted to start
dealing. Increase in bulk distributors means more distribution to low-class
dealers at tinny houses that usually would only sell C-class drugs, but with
more availability of Methamphetamine they will be able to sell it also,
therefore more chance of increase in users.
Social and Cultural: Methamphetamine is used widely in New Zealand by party,
rave, night club, and concert goers (http://www.thehillscenter.com/drub-
rehab/meth-rehab/). This is because of a range of different reasons. One of
those reasons being wanting to fit in or feel part of a group. Going out with mates
and you being the only one not on the buzz can be a down buzz, and you may
feel left out, so it puts pressure on people to do it with their mates.
Methamphetamine gives you a massive boost in energy and makes you feel alive
therefore making your night better at big concerts and raves with all the loud
music, the problem being, users dont understand the effects on the body, and
some dont realise the effects on the next few days after you have been on it.
Because Methamphetamine is such a desirable drug these days, it is very easy to
get even while at the event. Going back to economic reasons, dealers can get a
quick buck selling to drunk or already drugged up people while they are out. For
many groups of friends it is a very normal and acceptable thing to do.
Personal addiction: Addiction the Methamphetamine can cause a person to lose
his or her appetite, therefore the user will usually lose a great amount of weight.
The skin on the face and body may become roughened and covered with sores.
Being an addict, you may find that you lose the ability to enjoy life if you are not
high. Periods off the drug may be spent sleeping, or simply trying to get more
drugs. Emotionally, the meth user or addict may be greatly changed from their
normal personality, on odd occasions addicts can seem anxious, confused,
disturbed. Aggression levels may sometimes boost and some even become very
violent.
By being an addict, you can put not only yourself but your kids in danger too.
Not only because of the aggression and violence but also the confusion and
neglect. Meth users have been known to lock their children in a closet or the
house while they seek more drugs, let
small children run around unsupervised outside, or far worse. Many meth users
turn to manufacturing small batches of meth in order to have their own supplies
also saving a lot of money. The reason this can be so bad is because if some of the
chemicals get exposed to children, it can bring serious risk as the chemicals can be
toxic, the drug itself being taken or the threat of explosion or fire. A meth user is
likely to think that people are following or spying on him, you may get homicidal or
suicidal. You are likely to stop taking care of her cleanliness, grooming and
personal appearance.
Friends and family relationship effects:
Marriage: If you have a situation in which one half of a couple is an addict then this
can cause untold hardship for the other half. The person who is addicted may have
changed from a previously easy going personality to one who is prone to mood
swings, violent outbursts, secrecy and other forms of extreme behaviour. This is
difficult for their partner to deal with and is even worse if there are children
involved. It is both distressing and confusing for children to see one parent (or even
both parents) exhibit signs of their addiction.
Family: Sometimes families can tend to be ashamed or embarrassed of the
addict. It may seem as if your family has pushed you out but it could also be
the case that they see this as a form of tough love in which they are giving
you time to reflect upon yourself and your addiction. Sometimes families to
this with the hope that you will seek treatment for your addiction. They will
provide support and help as well but you need to take that first step.

Society criminal activity: Along with the selling of the drug,
methamphetamine labs can breed crime, including burglaries, thefts and even
murder. Both teenagers and adults addicted to the drug and who have no
income to pay for their habit, may steal valuables from their own homes or
even their friends' homes. High on methamphetamine, there's no telling what a
person would do if provoked - people have been killed for not owing up to a
drug payment or coming through on a transaction. This type of crime requires
a great deal of attention from the police, for which a town may not have the
funding or the resources to spare. Along with all the money being spent to stop
or fix the meth waste going into rivers/lakes, the poisonous vapours produced
during cooking permeate the halls and carpets of houses and buildings, often
making them uninhabitable. Cleaning up these sites requires specialized
training and costs an average of $2,000-$4,000 per site in funds that come out
of the already-strained budgets of state police, local police, or property
owners.
Physical: Physically, meth can affect the brain, heart, lungs, digestive system,
liver, kidneys and teeth. It can affect any of things in many different ways
progressively. Methamphetamine also causes a rise in body temperature and
heartbeat. Although methamphetamine causes a sudden rush of energy in
your body, often you feel invincible and dont get tired. But when you come
off the buzz and it has worn out your body can crash, causing you to be
unable to do anything physical.

Mental emotional: Methamphetamine can affect you mentally and
emotionally in many different ways. While on the buzz you can be overly
happy and excited with lots of energy, or you can be violent and aggressive,
or some may become depressed. There is no telling what kind of buzz a user
will get. When users come off meth, all the dopamine (which keeps your
happy/sad/angry levels at a level point) has already been released so your
emotions can be all over the place, in most cases a user will become
depressed.
Social: As methamphetamine is so addictive, it can end
up controlling your life, how you think and what you do.
This means it becomes the most important thing to you
so you do anything to have it. When a user becomes
and addict, they tend to focus all their time and energy
making sure they have it. So socially it can affect you
hanging with family or friends that you previously hung
with because all you want to be doing is meth or being
around people who are doing it.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS of methamphetamine:
Loss of appetite, Increased heart rate, blood pressure,
body temperature, Dilation of pupils, Disturbed sleep
patterns, Nausea, Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent
behaviour, Hallucinations, hyper excitability, irritability,
Panic and psychosis, Convulsions, seizures and death
from high doses
LONG-TERM EFFECTS of methamphetamine:
Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading
to heart attacks, strokes and death, Liver, kidney and lung damage, Destruction of
tissues in nose if sniffed, Respiratory (breathing) problems if smoked, Infectious
diseases and abscesses if injected, Malnutrition, weight loss, Severe tooth decay,
Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion, Strong psychological dependence,
Psychosis, Depression, Damage to the brain similar to Alzheimers disease, stroke
and epilepsy.
In relation to other countries, America has even bigger problems than New
Zealand. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated the worldwide
production of methamphetamine (and other variables such as P, crack etc.), at
nearly 500 metric tons a year, with 24.7 million abusers. The United States
government reported in 2008 that approximately 13 million people over the age of
12 have used methamphetamineand 529,000 of those are regular users. In 2007,
4.5% of American high-school seniors and 4.1% of tenth grade students reported
using methamphetamine at least once in their life. In the United States, the
percentage of drug treatment admissions due to methamphetamine abuse tripled
from 3% in 1996 to 9% in 2006. Some states have much higher percentages, such
as Hawaii, where 48.2% of the people seeking help for drug or alcohol abuse in
2007 were methamphetamine users.
Recommendations: I believe if the government wants to stop or even
minimise the use of methamphetamine by any users but mainly 16-24 then
they must spend money to educate everyone on it. A lot of users dont know
the affects or consequences of using meth therefore their mentality is, why
not do it? The government needs to make it a compulsory learning
requirement in high school, either the teacher teaching it to students or
having guest speakers or councillors. It should be known as a very important
part of schooling, teachers could even make it fun by creating plays or
worksheets, watching videos of real life meth abusers can help (it may be
gruesome, but its the truth and may really steer kids away from it). There
should be pamphlets and information readily available at all times if anyone
wants to find out about it, because then users can instantly see affects and
may change their mind about doing it. Students and other potential users
should be made aware of consequences for using and distributing meth, like
jail time, in trouble with gangs, breaks up friendships. There should be more
money pumping from the government to stop distributors, because tinny
houses where meth is made can affect whole communities with their toxins,
if young children are exposed it can affect their body drastically.
To conclude, I have discussed many different points about
methamphetamine. I have discussed negatives and effects but almost
some positives. Study shows the production of methamphetamine is
increasing at a rapid rate, but also that the government are focusing more
on preventing it. I briefly discussed that there is not enough information
being fired at young people (especially 16-24 year olds), nurses in schools
should be throwing out information about effects and consequences of
taking meth to stop young people from even thinking about trying it.
Peoples lives have been ruined and are continuing to be ruined by
methamphetamine addiction and I believe that the government should be
doing everything they can to stop production, and dispersing the drug,
especially to our younger age of 16-24.
Xavier Rice.
A product of a process done in our TER class