Lesson 1

Aim: How many types of attitudes toward work are presented in the History of work ethic?

Do now: Journal Writing
What is your attitude toward work? Where do you think you have acquired such an attitude?
    My attitude towards work is that you should try your hardest and do your best and have a certain type of feeling when you are doing your job. I think that I get this belief or understanding from my family and what they belief in.
Procedures:

How was each different attitude formed originally?
Each attitude was formed very differently but the one that stood out the most was the traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs. Because I am a Catholic It made more sense to me. "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken: for the dust you are and to dust you will return"(NIV,1973) I totally agree with that statement because it is honest. While growing up I have learned that you must work for everything that you want. Nothing should be handed to you.

4.Create a chart to indicate the differences in attitudes toward work represented by various time periods or groups of people.
Attitudes toward work During the Classical Period:
Judeo-Christian Beliefs:
    a. sometime after he dawn of creation man was placed in the garden of Eden"to work it and take care of it"
    b. Numerous scriptures from the Old Testament in fact supported work, not from the stance that there was any joy in it, but   from the premise that it was necessary to prevent poverty and destitution.
Greeks:
    a. ponos latin for  poenea, which meant sorrow is manual labor was for slaves
    b. mental labor was also considered to be work and was denounced by the greeks.
    c.skilled crafts were accepted and recognized as having some social value, but werrre not regared as much better than work appropriate for slaves.
Roman:
    a. they adopted much of their belief systemfrom the culture of the greeks and they also held manual labor in low regard.
    b. for the romans work was done only by slaves only
Attitude Toward Work During the Medieval Period:
Christian Beliefs:
    a. work was still perceived as punishment by God for mans sins
    b. wealth was recognized as an opportunity to share with those who might be less fortunate
    c. the cultural norms of the classical era regarding work were in stacrk contrast to the work ethic of the latter day
    d. work held no intrinsic value
Protestantism and the Protestant Ethic:
    a. high unemployment rate
     b. rapid population increase

Lesson Two:
Part I
Let's write a paragraph describing our understanding of work ethic according to the article The History of Work Ethic.
   Based on what I have learned from the interview and how poeple in my neighborhood are I have learned alot. From my point of view I think that work ethic comes from how you were brought up. My parents are from the west Indies and their work ethic is much more advanced then ours. As children they had to get water from a drain pipe. They also had to look after there brothers and sisters when their parents left for work. They understood the signifacnce of a dollar. They never took anything for granted. In the islands work is epressed as something you must do to survive. In the United States it is very different.
    As I grow up in New York City my standards of work ethic are very different then my parents. I don'y understand the value of a dollar. Things are always taking for granted because whatever I want is always there for me. I don't have to get upo early in the morning and take care of my family before I get ready. I have no responsiblities. I even complain about washing dishes. Growing up in new York I have learned to just take care of me. Everyones here for themself. Because people in different countries don't have as much as we do they tend to apprciated the things that they wish that they had.
    My neighborhood has a pitaful work ethic. My community sits back and waits for thing to happens. They complain how nothing is ever giving to them. How can anything be done if  you don't get up and make it happen. My neighborhood is all African American and they say that just because their black nothing good ever happens because here   succeed against unreasonable odds, the first things they abandon are all of the links to humanity that kept them productive in the first place -- their family life, leisure time, comradeship, and sense of team spirit. They become distrustful of each other, afraid of change, unwilling to go out of their way for anyone else. The working environment becomes more unpleasant and more stressful, causing productivity to decline even further, and projects to slip. This fuels management's panic, and even more Draconian measures are brought out. As one manager is reported to have said (and actually meant!) in such a situation: "The firings will continue until morale improves!"
    In this situation, many employees decide to look elsewhere. Their leaving makes others feel that the situation must be even worse than they had thought, and they start to leave as well. The best workers quit and leave; those who can't find other jobs simply quit and stay. The dilemma of the average corporate employee is, to have a good life, you must earn a good salary, and to earn a good salary, you can't have a life.
 

 Attitude toward work
Questions:
1. Do you think education is important for your job?why?
2. Is the amount of money you make important?why?
3. Does money affect your job?
4. Are benefits such as health insurance or retirement plan important?
5. Is dedication and important to any job?
6. Are skills important for any job?
7. Do you think punishment should be enforced if something wrong is done?
8. Should all jobs require a challange?
9. Are talents and skills important?
10. Does not knowing yourself affect your job?
    (e.i Being awear of everything that you want in life)
11. Does recieving recognition affect your performance?
12. Does self expression enable you to work better?
13. How important is stability in any job?
14. What is your reason for working?
15. Does working give you a sense of accomplishment?

Intervee's response to questions:
                    Ms. Flora Bledman mother and worker for the City of New York Office of Child Support Enforcement
Education is a very important attribute in anything that you do. Education is the key, without it you can not do anything in this world. Money to me is very important. I can't see my self working an 8 hour job and not getting enough pay for it. Money to me dosen't affect my job. Benefits and health plans sre one of the qualities that I lookfor in a job. Without it where would I be. I have two children to take of whats going to happen if something happens to me. Dedication is very powerful in anything that you might do. It enables you to be a better worker. Skills go a long way in any job. When you skills it allows you to do more work at an easier pace. All jobs should require a challenge. When you are faced with a challenge it allows you to become a stronger person. I don't think that knowing yourself affects your job, maybe because I know who I am and what I want. Recieving recognition is very important. It allows the worker to do well and feel good. I don't think self expression allow you to do better, I guess that it depends on the job you have. Stability is a nessecary quality that I look for as well. Without it you can't whole on to the job you may like. My reason for working is to support my family. If I was well taking care of I wouldn't work. Working gives you a sense of accomplishment because you start to become more awear of what you want. You become mature.

              Ms. Shelly Wilson 11th and 12th dierctor of S.E.O.(Sponsers for Educational Opportunity)
Education is an important attribute in anything that you might do.Without it will not succed. Even though I don't have children I want to get paid well because I do my job well. Money is very important. Benefits and health plans are one of the many perks that they offer. Benefits are very useful. They are like insurance they cover you just incase something happens. Dedication is something that don't have. i have only been at my job now for three years now and I'm not sure this is what i want to do. Skills to me only benefit jobs like engineers, aritects, etc. I like jobs that require a challenge because it allows me to use my whole brain, not just half. Knowing yourself affects your job because if you don't know what you want you may take your job for granted. Receiving recognition is not important to me, as long as I do my work and I do it well who cares. Stability will help you fi your in a job that you like being at. My reason for working is to show my family and I that I am responsible.

             Jihan Antrobus senior at Murry Bergtraum High School, works for Internet Company
Eduaction is a key factor in anything that you may do. Even though I am young I am starting to realize everything that my parents have told me is right. Money is the reason why I work. I'm young

Summary of Responses:
    You can tell by reading what these three people had to say that the matureaty level decreases. Each one has their own view point. They all tell something about themselves that leaves the reader asking why do you feel that way or whay do you think like that.