Teaching Character Education In The Classroom
To quote the Boy Scout website, A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. And all of these words have meaning. They are good strong words that are meant to reflect good strong children who grow up into good strong adults. Unfortunately many teachers do not have the training to teach character education in the classroom. But there are many schools that have made it their mission to teach character development to the children who enter their schools. These character education schools have taken this responsibility upon themselves. They believe that children taught character will be a benefit to both them and to the society as a whole.
Just as the Boy Scouts of America have values also so do the schools that are teaching these values or character traits. Some of these values are things such as having a suitable and positive behavior, or having respect and compassion for other people. Just recognizing that some people are different and accepting that difference is a part of character education and growth.
There are many ways for teachers to teach character development. One of them is to assign certain reading materials that highlight this character development. Or another way is to engage children who have observed someone who is a bully and get them to interact with each other and the teacher and have them discuss this person. Ask hard questions like do you approve of this behavior or ask them what they would do different. One of the precepts of character education is getting a child to think about their actions and the actions of others. If a child begins to think about different actions then perhaps they will then think of the different outcomes of their actions.
Perhaps the children can write an essay as part of the school assignment so that they are forced to actually give some thought to various actions whoever had taken them. If children are not taught these basic concepts when young such as the Boy Scouts do, then they may have missed their chance to ever learn them. If so they will not be a benefit to society but a burden in the long run which is not beneficial to them.
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Character Education
Character education is a term which is often heard and everyone claims to know what this term means. But in actual terms there are not so many people who have a clear understanding of this very important phrase. To comprehend this term, let’s begin with the term character. What is character? A character is the reflection of ones personality. Your traits, your habits, what you do, what you say, the way you walk, talk, eat, deal with people all comprises your character and personality.
Character education is, as defined by Lickona, “the deliberate, proactive effort to develop good character in kids—or, more simply, to teach children right from wrong. It assumes that right and wrong do exist, that there are objective moral standards that transcend individual choice—standards like respect, responsibility, honesty, and fairness—and that we should teach these directly to young people.”
In simpler words, character education means teaching good moral values, giving a concept of right and wrong, good and evil.
Providing character education to kids includes all kind of your interaction with them, it’s in the way you talk to them, the behaviors you exhibit, the actions you encourage etc. In your every kind of dealing with the kids, no matter who you are, you are always contributing towards building their characters.A common perception is that a child starts the education when he/she goes to school. But it is not correct. In fact the education begins from home. They are the parents and the family that contribute the most towards building up the child’s character.
All parents want their children to posses an excellent character, with all positive traits in them. This is not an easy task. It imposes a lot of responsibility on the part of the parents. It’s their duty to filter their child’s activities so that it leads to his positive character building. Here comes a conflict of opinion. Some parents tend to adopt the system of rewards and penalties to bring their children to the correct path. But this act is not so effective because the kids should themselves be able to discriminate between right and wrong so that in the long run, even under pressurized circumstances, they should be able to take fair decisions on their own.After the parents and family, next two most influential factors are teachers and school environment. The school authorities are responsible to include direct teaching of character education under school curriculum. Students visualize their teachers as role models. Therefore the teachers can play a very significant role in the character building of their students. Teaching emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse like any truly human activity. Being a good teacher does not only mean to have a complete grasp over your subject but it also demands be morally fair too in your dealings and talks. In a more formal way, one can say that good teaching comes from good people. Education does not only include teaching the curriculum and the technical stuff. But it also means to deliver good moral values to their students and if delivered in a correct way, this leads to the positive character building of the student. There should be regular seminars, conferences and character education programs conducted for the teachers by the school authorities, telling them how to indulge into positive character education of the students and also enlightening them with the fact that they hold very imperative position in the character building of their students. This will develop a sense of responsibility in teachers and they will feel themselves liable for the character building of their students. Effective character education is not which is only practiced by teachers but also it must be modeled by all other adults in the school with whom the student interacts like faculty, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff etc.
For providing proper character education it is very important to know the basic building blocks of a good character. Some of the attributes which are of foremost importance in building a good character are justice, self discipline and control, gratitude, wisdom, integrity, humanity, fortitude, hard work, love and positive attitude.
Media and books are also very important means of character education. Reading stories with a good moral generally inspires children, young boys and girls. Watching TV programs that deliver a lesson can also be very helpful in this regard.
Character educating no doubt holds the same importance in life as the normal technical education. Therefore this part should not be ignored and one should contribute to the maximum in positive character building of the people for whom he/she is liable for.
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Character Education Role of Schools in Preventing Teenage Pregnancy
Before we take a look into the different methods that can be implemented to prevent teenage pregnancy let's see what facts does a recent study reveals. The particular research looks into certain facts that teacher, counselors, parents and even the school administrators should be aware of:
* Even though the teen pregnancy rate has shown a decline in the United States over the past decade, the rate is still significantly higher than that of other industrialized countries.
* Each year, between the ages of 15 to 19 years, over half a million teenagers gives birth in the United States.
* The incidence of teenage pregnancy is seen more among poor young women of color in the United States.
* Children who are born to such teen mothers are more likely to have been abused.
* During their pregnancy period they are more likely to be physically abused than adult women.
* The United States Government spends over billion each year towards expenses related to teenage pregnancy.
* Only 30 – 35% of teen mothers continue to complete their High School education.
Now, let's take a look at how Public schools can adopt the four methodologies outlined in the Character Education curriculum to prevent teenage pregnancies.
1. All schools should uphold the value of self-esteem and academic success which in turn will help in reducing the possibility of immoral behavior among teenagers.
2. By applying Character Education programs that include support, recreation, counseling and tutoring, high-risk behaviors before teen pregnancy can be substantially brought down.
3. Character education should also include programs and activities aimed at positive youth development. Youth development activities and programs should be built around these three important topics – Connectedness, Self assurance and Character.
* Through Connectedness Character education instills a state of security, close association with others and a sense that they belong to a specific group.
* Topics on Self assurance help teenagers to have high self-worth, and feeling of control on their life.
* Through teaching the value of Character a teenager feels competent enough to attain their career of choice and a satisfying relationship with their family, peers and others.
Character education not only should the incidence of teenage pregnancy but also should promote student achievement. All schools need to set high principles and values for all their students and should embrace proper evaluation and testing strategies to implement effective character education curriculum.
4. Teachers, counselors, school administrators and parents need to work mutually to share a common vision about character education curriculum that is more effective in order to impart in all students.
Academic instruction isn't the only responsibility teachers have in today's classrooms. More and more, teachers are being called on to teach students about values ... things like making good decisions, the showing of respect, taking responsibility, choosing friends, and having a positive attitude. It's a responsibility that could be overwhelming, considering the limited hours available in a school day, the number of kids in the classroom, and the diversity of backgrounds and personalities each child represents.
Character Education by Just Do The Right Thing" is a practical and powerful tool that equips educators to tackle values training with confidence.
By: Francis David
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Indian Education System and Morality
Falling Morality
Since independence, there has been a drastic fall in the standards of our moral conduct, right form the top leadership to the layman. The cadre of the leaders that we saw during our struggle for independence comprised selfless, visionary men, who sacrificed personal interests for the betterment of the society. Sixty years have passed; we find rampant corruption taking roots into almost every sphere and section of the society.
Education and Morality
A civilized society requires continuous influx of young citizens having strong base of moral character which enshrines values that bring out empathy for the society as a whole.
Education has a pivotal role to play in this process. Parents and teachers are the main components of any education system. Parents are primarily responsible for the education and morality of their children since they have given birth to them.
But, this does not obliterate the necessity of an education system in place to take care of the moral education of its budding citizens. It is, for best results, a two pronged approach and, often, in the absence of any one of them the other can outdo to compensate the absent one.Indian Education System
Like our parliamentary and judiciary systems, we inherited our educational system from the West, which was purely secular in its nature. Later on, it also got influenced by the leftist inclinations of the Establishment. Whereas, prior to that, religion was an integral part of the Indian education system and it was inherently capable to indoctrinate the young minds with the moral values and virtues that were the part and parcel of the religion.
Where the Malady Lies?
Our compulsion to adopt the secular western education system was rooted in our choice of a secular and democratic polity to govern a religiously and culturally diverse India.
But, in the process, we failed to take cognizance of the fabric of our society. The new education system that we provided deprived the society of its moral character. It was the same moral character which gave birth to legendary visionaries like Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad that we were deprived of. Even the Christian missionary schools that taught Moral Science as a subject some 25 years ago have, mostly, discontinued doing so.Possible Solution!
India is a home to almost all the religions of the world. Moral values and character that form the basis of a morally healthy society are, fortunately, common across all the religions. Courtesy, loving one's neighbors, wishing good for all, honesty, truthfulness and such virtues are tenaciously upheld and taught by all religions.
The need of the hour is to devise a course encompassing all these basic tenets common to all religions and start teaching them as a compulsory subject, at least till secondary school (Class 10) level. However, every care should be taken to formulate the course in such a way that it does not even seem to have a skew towards any religion; so that no one can argue that a particular religion is being promoted by the State. Thus, a balance has to be maintained; without compromising with its secular character, the State's education system should fill this vacuum of providing moral education to all.
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Is Racial Bias Toward Obama Blinding America to the Character of John McCain?
I have listened with awe and astonishment to the statements of friends, neighbors and colleagues raising, what they believe, are serious doubts about the character, national allegiance and political leanings of Barack Obama. One neighbor said that while a child in Indonesia Barack was known as Barry, by his friends and his mother was married to an Indonesian man (is that something that indicates poor character?). A friend said Barack must be a Marxist because he stayed in his church 20 years listening to that madman Jeremiah Wright. I have often wondered if the people making the accusations have ever attended a church long enough to establish family ties. That is what happens to folks who attend church on a regular basis they become part of the church family. Most of us don't cut ties with our family because they say things we don't agree with or don't like.
Church pastors are like anyone else.
Sometimes they make statements that shouldn't be made. Statements the audience lacks the education or historical basis for referencing or understanding should be avoided. Pastor Wright made his statements for members of his congregation and people of like faith and belief who wanted to hear them (you can buy any of his sermons on tape). But whether you have the educational background or historical references to understand Pastor Wright's public statements it is the epitome of ignorance, for members of the press or anyone else, to cast doubt on his patriotism or political mindset. Wright served in the Marine Corp honorably. He is well educated holding a B.A. and an M.A. from Howard University, an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in divinity from United Theological College, where he studied under the eminent Samuel DeWitt Proctor. Wright also speaks 5 languages.The press and the American public took issue with most of Wright's public statements before researching their truthfulness. Nationally known white pastors stated publicly, before a similar statement by Jeremiah Wright was made, that the nine-eleven attack on America was the, "Chickens coming home to roost", in other words America's misdeeds in the world catching up to her. But there was no public outrage. As for Wright's "God damn America" statement, the Bible is full of examples of how a person or a nation can be damned or condemned. One of my favorite is, "For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned."Matthew 12:34-37
My friends, neighbors and members of the press who doubted Obama for reasons like those previously mentioned raised no doubts about McCain or Giuliani during the primaries. There is a ton of ammunition for casting doubt on the character of these two fine politicians. Beginning with John McCain; on a Vietnam Veterans against John McCain web page an article written by col. David H. Hackworth, U.S Army, raises a serious challenge to McCain's record as a war hero. Hackworth received 3 Silver Stars for gallantry in action during the Korean War and 7 silver stars for gallantry in action during the Vietnam War. The ten awards of the silver star by one man, who also earned 2 distinguished service crosses, is unmatched by any other veteran in history. Hackworth's investigations and conclusions about McCain's conduct while a POW in Vietnam casts serious doubt on whether he is truly a war hero. (vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com)
The marital dirt on McCain and Giuliani is well documented. While John McCain was still married and living with his wife in 1979, according to The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, he was "aggressively courting a 25-year-old woman who was as beautiful as she was rich." McCain divorced his wife, who had raised their three children while he was imprisoned in Vietnam, then launched his political career with his new wife's family money. In 2000, McCain managed to deflect media questioning about his first marriage with an admission of responsibility for its failure. It's possible that because of McCain's charmed relationship with the press the level of his dishonesty will not be brought out. But Giuliani may face a more difficult challenge if he should ever make it past the primaries. Giuliani conducted well-documented affairs in the last decade--while still in public office.
Giuliani informed his second wife, Donna Hanover, of his intention to seek a separation in a 2000 press conference. The announcement was precipitated by a press field day after Giuliani marched with his then-mistress, Judith Nathan, in New York's St. Patrick's Day parade, an acknowledgement of infidelity so audacious that Daily News columnist Jim Dwyer compared it with "groping in the window at Macy's." In the divorce proceedings that followed, Hanover accused Giuliani of serial adultery, alleging that Nathan was just the latest in a string of mistresses, following an affair the mayor had with his former communications director.
Until relatively recently, a self-confessed adulterer had never sought the presidency. There was once a time when reporters believed that the sexual indiscretions of American leaders were a private matter and the nation was probably better off for that belief. But the rules have changed, thanks largely to the mainstream press and the GOP's relentless pursuit of Bill Clinton.
I believe McCain and Giuliani are able public servants. However, based on their previous affairs and disloyalty to their wives, they formed the most challenged, from the standpoint of personal integrity, duo of Republican presidential candidates in American political history.
In reality both McCain and Giuliani, like the rest of us, are flawed human beings. I don't believe the lack of loyalty to their wives or personal sexual indiscretions disqualifies either man from getting my vote. On the same note, statements that Barack Obama may have made while a child growing up in Indonesia, or those made by his former pastor are not indictments of his character or political mindset. Nor do they indicate a lack of loyalty to his wife and family.
Tips for Creating Video Game Characters
One of the most important things I learned in game design school was that video game characters are much like story characters. They also need a story to go along with them. Though you don't need to be Hemingway to create a video game, good game design schools will give you some basics into storytelling. Here's a look at some tips on how to make a great video game character:
The first thing you'll want to do is give your main character personality traits. You'll also want to decide why they should have these particular traits. These two elements will form the core of your character. For instance, a loud, bodacious character could be that way because they were starved for attention when they were younger. A character who remains standoffish and has a hard time making commitments could be so because they lost someone they loved.
Next you'll want to jot down a list of your characters' weaknesses.
When I was in game design school, I often got stumped at this prospect. One of the ways I found to overcome it was to use the vulnerabilities of people I knew as models. Vulnerabilities are especially important, as they round out your character and make them appear more realistic. If you give your character a physical disability, decide how your character will overcome the disability. Personality quirks are also vital in helping to define your character.Give your character a goal. It doesn't have to remain consistent throughout the course of the game's story, as motivations often change, but there's always an initial motivation that will generate the characters action from the beginning.
For instance, your character could be trying to overcome something from their past. Or maybe they're running away from someone, or running towards them. Again, when I was in game design school, this was something that I often used people I knew as models for.Make your character different. By this I mean make them stand out from others in a special way. This could manifest itself through a special skill or talent that your character has. Perhaps your character has a supernatural power, or maybe their bloodlines indicate something special, or perhaps they carry a horrible curse. A powerful or unusual weapon could also make your character unique.
Decide your character's appearance. Here you'll want to create some defining characteristics for your character's physical identity. Imagine in great detail what your character might look like, including their height, build, weight, hair color and length, eye color, and the type of clothes they wear. Decide if your character speaks in a certain manner, perhaps a way that would define their level of education or where they're from. Does your character move in a certain way? If they have any physical impediments, note them here as well.
Often when I was in game design school, I would come up with ideas for characters and then get frustrated, deciding they weren't right, that the character was to this or that, or my idea for the story morphed and they no longer fit in the context of it. Game design is a complicated process, and likely this will happen to you from time to time as well. If so, be sure to hang onto your old ideas, as you never know when they'll be useful for another. Game design schools are definitely helpful in giving you the time and tips needed to make your characters unique.
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Interactive Educational Tools For Children
Even though the concept of education stays the same, the method is fleeting. Children, as young as they are, have brains that can be compared to as sponges -- they absorb everything they see and hear. With their creativity and curiosity, diligence on the part of teachers and parents can help in molding a brilliant child. Although children learn fast, it does not follow that the rate of learning is the same. The undeniable truth is that a child learns according to his own pace. Some may pick up lessons faster than the others. Teaching should never be used with a one size fits all technique.
Teachers have different approach to teaching. Their approach is based upon their character. Some have the passion to teach, while others simply do it for the job. In that regard, whether you are a passionate teacher or a teacher by heart, it is important to determine the learning needs of the children being taught.
The help of educational tools can also go a long way. While there may be different teaching skills, there are also different learning tools that the children of the future can rely upon.Some people have observed that as technology advances, the intelligence of children advances as well. If you have noticed, lessons that were once taught at 8 years old are now being introduced to 6-year-olds. With this great advancement in children's intelligence, the technology needs to keep up as well. So, here are some educational tools that can be a great help in molding the future intelligence of children:
CD's and DVD's
In the olden days, we have been used to looking at pictures of encyclopedias and other hardbound references. There are soft copies of these which have been burned in either CD's, DVD's and other forms.
Indeed, these are much easier to handle, store, and see. With its alluring pictures, the features are really impressive. In fact, some of it comes with music, too.Television
Television is a great learning tool that can broaden the knowledge of children. Unlike before when cartoon characters do nothing but fight, modern animated characters shown on television these days actually teach the child while giving them some fun.
Internet-based Tool
There are internet-based tool in the World Wide Web which are focused on giving children choices between learning, playing, and drawing. There are those which can teach math to a child as young as 4 years old. As a matter of fact, the variety of choices is practically endless -- from storytelling (reading), solving problems, art, there are so many subjects to choose from. Once you put all of these together, the child will become brighter.
Children learn according to their preferences. There is no saying whether a tool can work if it has not been tried. But, keep in mind that aside from the cognitive skills of children, they still need to learn how to interact with other people. Keeping the balance between learning, playing, and socializing should be noted especially if their brain is still developing.
Writing a Novel - For the Beginner - Character Development
In the Story Concept section of our discussion on how to write a novel, we developed a basic one-sentence statement for our novel concept. Something similar to:
When a middle-aged ad man who's been coasting on his early success for years suddenly finds himself competing with a new, up-and-comer, he wages a life-or-death game of wits with his competition.
At this point, the idea will still be a little sketchy in your mind. Don't let that worry you. Go a head and explore it from every angle until you feel comfortable with the basic premise.
Now, we're going to focus on character.
Every good story hinges on character. Change the character and you change the story. For instance, if you take the concept stated above and change the character to a hard-working single mother with no formal education, you have a completely different story.
See how this changes the way you interpret the story:When a hard-working single mother with no formal education suddenly finds herself competing for her job with a new, up-and-comer, she wages a life-or-death game of wits with her competition.
So this is the next step, a very important step, of your novel development: defining your main character.
Who is this person your story is about?
How old is he? How does he see the world? Is he a positive person or does he always lament about how the world is working against him? What kind of childhood did he have? What kind of a family? And how does his past impact who he is today? What does he look like? What are his physical strengths and weaknesses? What are his emotional strengths and weaknesses? What are his psychological strengths and weaknesses?
What's his greatest fear? What's his greatest passion?
What does he want more than anything else in the world?
What's his education? What does he do for a living? Is he happy with it or hate it? Is he married? Does he have children? Has he been divorced?
Not every question listed above is going to be important to defining your particular character.
However, you do want to ask plenty of questions. You want to come away with a clear picture of who your main character is, what's important to him, and how your story will grow around him.Some authors like to use a form to help them discover their characters. Age. Gender. Education. Height. Weight. Eye color. Hair color. Weakness. Strength. Etc. You might also find it helpful to go through some magazines until you find a picture of someone who strikes you as what your character looks like.
Every author is different in approaching character development. Use whatever works for you. The important point is that at the end of the process, you should have a clear idea of who your main character is and the driving force that will carry him through your story.
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Character of Tommy Traddles
When Traddles first appears as one of David's school friends at Salem House, it seems he's just going to be a random person. David is so occupied with Steerforth that Traddles doesn't get too much of his narrative attention. At the same time, Traddles is so sweet and delightful that he's hard to ignore: he is the most frequent victim of Mr. Creakle's sadistic abuses, but he is also the kindest-tempered of all of the boys. When Steerforth drums Mr. Mell out of his teaching position, Traddles is the only one who is willing to tell Steerforth that he's being mean.
When grown-up David runs into Traddles in London, we start to see that there are significant similarities between Traddles's life and David's own. Traddles is also an orphan. He was raised by an uncle who eventually decides he doesn't like Traddles much.
The uncle dies without leaving Traddles anything in his will. Left without any money to continue his education, Traddles moves to London to become a law clerk. He works tirelessly to save up enough money to pass the bar and start his own law office. Through hard work and economy, Traddles slowly climbs up the legal ladder. Perhaps we could think of Traddles as David without either the factory life to mess him up or Miss Betsey Trotwood to save him.Traddles's personal life also echoes David's in interesting ways: Traddles is in love with Sophy Crewler, a clergyman's daughter. Traddles knows that it will be years before he can afford to marry his beloved Sophy and set up a household of his own, but he waits patiently, dreaming always of the day when he can finally settle down as a married man. Traddles and Sophy are like the couple that David and Agnes would have been if David had not been foolish enough to fall for silly Dora first. And by the end of the novel, the large happy households of Traddles/Sophy and David/Agnes mirror one another.
Like David, Traddles must make his own way in the world through patience and hard work. Like David, Traddles winds up becoming entangled with the private lives of the Micawbers, a lucky accident, since they needed a legal mind on hand to figure out what to do with Uriah Heep. Like David, Traddles has the support of a faithful, good-hearted homemaker who gives him the happy home he deserves. And like David, Traddles has an affectionate heart: his sympathy for Mr. Mell, for the Crewlers and for the Micawbers is what leads him to such professional and personal success in this novel. Traddles's life is like David's story of development as it would have been without Steerforth and Dora dragging David down.
Golf Careers to Boom Your Character
As outlined by a 2005 research by Golf Digest magazine, you'll find above 35,000 golf courses currently operating worldwide, and about fifty percent of these programs can be found while in the United states. This means the golf market place is often a booming career market filled with seamless possibilities for enthusiastic golf-lovers, like you. And, finest of all, you will find a lot of diverse types of golf careers in this lucrative market place.
For those who are questioning which vocation will suit you ideal, merely make it easy for your persona to guide you in the correct course. By way of example, in the event you are a people-person, usually prepared to aid a fellow golf enthusiast increase their swing, then probably a golf instructor is the task for you personally. Or, possibly you will be more of the tranquil artist. Probably you would delight in a job in golf coarse design and style rather than out on the enjoying field.
Below are some golf careers, which may interest you like a educated golf specialized. Specialist golfer: Several golfers dream about becoming the next Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam .
Anything is attainable. With time, endurance, and also a boatload of ability, you may also come to be one in the golfing elite. Even so, do not believe it is a thing which is instantaneous. Most expert golfers have paid their dues, and also have worked their way up the vocation ladder by starting up as assistants. Gross sales and advertising: No doubt about it, golf can be a large business. Courses and resorts are generally in competitors to draw gamers. This is why they will need the ideal income and promoting team they're able to acquire TaylorMade burner 2.0 irons.
In the event you have revenue or promotion expertise in addition to a sturdy enthusiasm, think about incorporating both equally your interests into a sales or promoting golf placement.
Golf program layout: If it weren't for the visual conceptions of artists and architects, the attractive golf programs situated around the world would not exist. In case you are an artist who takes place to really like golf, set your abilities to your check and examine to get a golf profession in golf program layout. Devices specialist: Even the big guns, like Camilo Villegas or Vijay Singh rely on tools specialists to help them with their game.
In any case, if a golfer's equipment isn't suited flawlessly to the personal, their game will undergo noticeably. As an devices specialist, you can match golfers while in the proper products making use of a fitting procedure in addition to a PGA-recognized golf collection, such as Manassero won the 2010 Castello Masters with the help of devices specialist. You may be the go to guy for repairing and perfecting golf equipment. But before you can go after your dream of functioning while in the golf business, you have to choose an accredited golf school to attend. A golf academy will not only explain to you the way to master your golf skills, but it may also train you around the fundamentals and artistry of your game. As well as, this is certainly the top approach to discover significantly far more about all of the diverse golf careers at your fingertips.
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