The book “Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom” Report

The book â€Å"Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom† by Lisa Delpit provides detailed overview of popular progressive pedagogies ad special attention is paid to finding ways to deliver the best learning for all students. The central argument is that modern education systems often fail to respond to learning needs of diverse students. We are living in diverse world and every classroom is represented by linguistically and culturally diverse students. In the book Lisa Delpit tends to relate progressive learning methods with dominant culture norms. Delpit claims that mismatch is pervasive and educational institutions should teach students considering their cultural roots as students from non-dominant communities find it difficult to comprehend new culture and to learn. Therefore, the central thesis of the book is that learning theory and learning process are profoundly rooted in the culture and, thus, they can’t be ignored when teaching diverse students. The title of the book is metaphoric as, in such a way, the author shows that our world is culturally diverse and other people’s children should be paid more attention during the studying process. Language and learning peculiarities of colour students is often being repressed and assailed. Statistics is really shocking – too many professionals tend to fully ignore cultural factors when they work with students from other courtiers. When students are ‘other people’s children’, the author means that those students are non-white population. Delpit combines theoretical framework with practice and, therefore, her recommendations and reflections are well grounded. As far as the author is educational and sociolinguist anthropologist, analytics and criticism are both present. The author describes practical implementation of her theories and shows that after two decades of practices progressive pedagogies do have benefits. For example, the author describes her experiments in the culturally diverse classroom in Native Alaskan schools and in Inner City. Despite educational settings are located in different places, the results are apparent: progressive pedagogies are of great importance as children feel more comfortable and more confident when teachers consider their cultural peculiarities. The first section â€Å"Controversies Revisited† defends Delpit’s evocative ideas. Her essay â€Å"The Silenced Dialogue† is a critical response for essay â€Å"Skills and Other Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator†. Delpit reproaches advocates of whole language because she believes that writing process instructions should be changed and should match learning needs of children from non-dominant cultures. The second section â€Å"Lessons from Home and Abroad: Other Cultures and Communities† offers two informative and factful articles fleshing vision of schools. The author shares her personal international experiences and illustrates two conflicts. In such a way, she is willing to maximize the educational potential culturally diverse students. The conflicts are defined as the following: firstly, context vs. the de-contextualizing rituals of mainstream schooling; secondly, human connectedness vs. the dehumanizing, heritage-destroying processes. These articles prove that Delpit’s advice is seasoned and synthesized from perspectives of educators of color. The third section â€Å"Teachers' Voices: Rethinking Teacher Education for Diversity† discusses American dilemma of cultural disparities in teacher-student interactions, and it is known that Delpit, for he reasoning and progressive ideas, has gained a reputation of being fearless as she tends to convey perspectives of educators of color, in particular, when disputing the popular wisdom of mainstream. The author shows that a power imbalance is still present in most American classrooms. In particular, power imbalance exists in increasingly diverse public schools. Delpit writes that â€Å"one would have to be completely off-target not to realize that Blacks and other people of color often get the short end of the stick when it comes to commanding and exercising power in educational settings†. (Delpit, 1995) Therefore, many argue that Delpit’s reading is thought-provoking and especially valuable. Delpit says that power imbalance may result in racial and gender conflicts in classrooms and the quality and quantity of learning will be negatively affected. Learning outcomes will be doubtful. The author uses thoughtful and measured terms when she tries to explain how parents, students and teachers from diverse groups should develop ingenious means of resisting dominant-group incursion. Ample evidence is offered to show that dominant-group school personnel often fail to interpret fully the knowledge base and, as a result, the potential of non-white students is stifled, and the mark in their assessment is ultimately missing. The work provides corrective responses: â€Å"This combination of power and otherness is what this book is all about. Black, white, Indian, Hispanic or Asian, we must all find some way to come to terms with these two issues. When we teach across the boundaries of race, class or gender — indeed when we teach at all — we must recognize and overcome the power differential, the stereotypes and the other barriers which prevent us from seeing each other. Those efforts must drive our teacher education, our curriculum development, our instructional strategies, and every aspect of the educational enterprise. Until we can see the world as others see it, all the educational reforms in the world will come to naught†. (Delpit, 1995) Personal Reflection I think that the book â€Å"Other People’s Children† should become a ground for teaching for many white teachers. The book is enlightening and empowering as it offers new approaches to teaching. Lisa Delpit is innovative in her filed as she recommends considering cultural roots when teaching students from non-dominant cultures. The book is reasoned and the author invites the audience to understanding the learning needs of diverse students, as well as provides overview of realities of multicultural schooling stressing that every student from non-dominant culture faces a number of challenges. In my opinion, the author is trying to make modern educators realize that education should be improved and such issues as ethnicity, gender and nationality should be paid more attention. One more positive moment is that educational needs of individuals are quite different and professional educators should find ways how to respond to needs of every student. The book is divided into three parts and each part conveys important message. For example, the first section stresses the importance of literacy and literature in modern schools, whereas the second section discusses the impact of culture on education system. Finally, the third section provides recommendations how to make changes in education system and how to teach multicultural classrooms. Mainstream education is associated with dominant education and it is a pity that dominant culture is related to the culture of urban professionals and business world. In other words, dominant culture is the culture represented by white population, middle-class individuals and college educated population. I like the way the author tries to assure the audience that the majority of students are African-American students from low-income families and their rights should not be neglected and ignored as they are personalities and they deserve better living, good education and position in society. Education and discrimination should not come along. I agree with the author that culture has significant impact on education as, for example, non-white students tend to have their own code of language and behavioural patterns and, thus, they often lack skills for establishing Standard English. Knowledge is limited for children from non-dominant cultures and the main reason is lack of basic knowledge and instructional skills. Delpit recommends setting the same standards for all students disregarding their gender and nationality. The problem is that not many professional educators are interested in building and enforcing necessary knowledge for students. Modern society teaches individuals to be well-educated and well-informed of surrounding. Nevertheless, a series of problems is presented in modern American schools. The most important problem is that many teachers don’t think of the student’s future – they simply fulfil their responsibilities and nothing more, but it is wrong as teachers should get their students through particular class and prepare the road for future. Educators and parents must encourage students to learn and to display their abilities and desires. Individuals, disregarding culture and gender, should be allowed to express their feelings, emotions and fears through experiences. Moreover, students should be allowed to use their words and teachers should guide them. Teachers should provide students with more freedom; they should not correct students, but rather to guide them. Fluency of language must be of top priority. Summing up, the book allows teachers to recognize the changes and patterns which remain unrecognized in educational sphere.

Avatar- Movie Film Review

Film Review By: Rutba Rahman Avatar is a 2009 science fiction film directed by James Cameron. The movie stars are Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver. James Cameron’s movies have grossed approximately US $2 billion in North America. James Cameron’s previous films that he is known for are The Terminator (1984), True Lies (1994) and Titanic (1996). The purpose of Avatar is incarnation, in the movie it means that the future human technology is capable of injecting a human’s intelligence into a biological body. Avatar has shown incarnation beautifully and it has explained the Na’vi (extraterrestrial humans) correctly by showing their different lifestyle and behavior from humans. Avatar’s plot is that a disabled ex-marine named Jake Sully finds life on the planet Pandora, only to find him battling mankind with the planet’s Na’vi race. Jake is sent to learn their ways so that he can help relocate them and the humans can take over. Neytiri is the daughter of the Na’vi leaders Mo’at and Eytukan. She is brave, loyal and strong willed. When she meets Jake she begins to fall in love with him because of his bravery. Grace Augustine is a scientist who studies the plants and creatures of Pandora. She is the head of the avatar program, and she is peaceful with the Na’vi clan because she set up a school to teach them English. The characters in Avatar are believable characters, such as Jake Sully, Neytiri and Grace Augustine. Jake Sully is a believable character because he is charismatic, and acts as a strong leader, he is courageous because he takes a stand for what he has believes is wrong, and he is brave because he is willing to fight against the military. Neytri is a believable character because she is devoted to her people and is willing to put herself in a dangerous situation for the sake of her clan. Grace Augustine is also a believable character because she is very fond of and close to her Na'vi students. The actors’ interpretation of the characters is remarkable. Zoe Saldana plays the heroine Neytiri. Zoe Saldana gave an emotional and strong performance throughout the movie. Sam Worthington plays the hero Jake Sully in the movie. Sam has shown outstanding interpretation for Jake because he has an intuitive quality that makes the audience believe that people would follow him. He was handpicked by James Cameron because he had sensitivity, vulnerability and strength. The Cinematographer for Avatar is Mauro Fiore. The film’s central challenge is depicting an imaginary and digitally crafted world with a persistent sense of realism. At first the Na’vi species were drawn with fins and gills. Then they were redesigned to look more like humans so the audience could relate to them better. James Cameron developed a specially designed camera that allowed the facial expressions of the actors to be captured and digitally recorded for the animators to use later. The entire background of Pandora’s floating mountains, including the light source is represented on set only by a green screen. Every scene involved some sort of interactive light. James Horner created a soundtrack that reflected the Na'vi way of sound and he created a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi. The main theme of the movie is Human Vs Nature. The destruction of the natural world will lead ultimately to the destruction of mankind. The film’s strong points are the Special Effects because they are incredible and used well. They are weaved into the story beautifully, and they come off effortlessly. The acting was done extremely well. Much of the actors’ emotions could be seen through their Avatar characters. The details were thought out and used as a part of the environment. James Cameron has truly created his own world. The audience truly feels as if they have been transported into a new world while watching the film. The low points of the movie were the negative action, because of the inhumanity being shown, such as destruction and violence. The story is efficiently developed but the film is easily overshadowed by special effects. I would recommend this movie to others because the entire story is fantastic. The significant message of this movie is that all living things are connected and those who seek to exploit nature rather than respect it, will only destroy themselves. I would rate this film 10/10 because I think it’s a great achievement and it has produced a great effort to make.

Oxmyx Industries, Inc.: HR Crisis

I’m currently a manager in the human resources department of Oxmyx Industries, Inc. which is a medium sized agricultural processing firm that specializes in the production and distribution of high protein foodstuffs made from grain quadrotriticale. Oxmyx Industries, or simply OI, was founded in the 1950's by Bela Oxmyx, a man who called the nation Iotia home. Bela Oxmyx fled Iotia to come to the United States in the mid 1940's upon the Soviet's takeover of his homeland. Not long after his arrival to the U. S. , Bela opened up a small market for fresh produce on the lower east side of Manhattan; this small market eventually expanded into a chain of grocery stores throughout the tri-state area, consisting of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Ultimately, Omyx chose to focus on the processing of agricultural products for his company. Today Bella Oxmyx owns only 51 percent of the outstanding stock and remains Chief Executive Officer of Oxmyx Industries, Inc. I currently work at the company’s corporate headquarters in New York and my responsibilities include the negotiation of the employee benefit package, the fair resolution of employee grievances, and maintaining the overall employee morale. As of lately, many of our female employees have been filing complaints about several of our male employees. These objections are mainly targeted at three individual employees, JoJo Krako, Tepo and Zabo. The women have highlighted the three’s illicit behavior with such references as calling them baby or â€Å"chicky†, repeatedly asking them out, and leering at them while conversing amongst themselves in their native language. Unfortunately however, the complaints don't stop there: the female managers have also complained that these individuals are slow to carry out instructions and sometimes even appear to be resentful about doing so, as well as frequently surly, rude, making disrespectful comments and looking at them in an uncomfortable manner while talking in their own language. In addition to all that, several women have also claimed that these men have pictures of nude and semi-nude women plastered in their lockers in the men's locker room. These complaints garnered my attention so I went ahead and did a bit of research of my own. I ended up stumbling upon documents that revealed some interesting and shocking facts about the three troublesome employees. I found out that each of these men were from Iotia, Oxymyx’s homeland, had lower job skills and experience than any of the other members of the staff, and most notably, hey had less skills and experience than several of the applicants who had applied for the same positions and got rejected. I noticed that on each of these men's files it read â€Å"Legacy B. O†, so I asked my superior what those letters represented and he told me that it was Mr. Oxymy’s code way of saying to hire that individual. After further research I discovered that these three employees were not the only men that ha ve been hired by the company whose documents had â€Å"Legacy B. O† on it; I found roughly 30 other instances with similar cases. In each case, the person hired was a young white male who recently arrived in the United States from Iotia; also an overwhelming amount of complaints had been filed around the same time period of the hiring. I became very troubled by these recent discoveries and decided to approach the CEO himself, Mr. Oxymyx. When I explained my findings on the men’s conduct towards the female staff to Mr. Oxmyx he said to me, â€Å"That’s just their way. Iotia is a very traditional patriarchal culture, you know. Krako and others are not used to seeing women in positions of authority. But give them some time and they will adjust like I have. I am Iotian myself you know. † I then told Mr. Oxmyx that none of the Iotian employees hired over the past five years were qualified individuals for the job. Mr. Oxmyx then proceeded to tell me the story of how things were when he first arrived in America; he came to the U. S with nothing due to the Soviets confiscating all of his family’s assets. While going through the immigration he saw a man with a sign that offered help to all Iotians; the man was a representative of the group FIG, First Iotian Group, an organization whose duty is to help Iotian immigrants to the U. S. After helping him get on his feet, the organization asked him that when he is successful to help the next generation of Iotian immigrants to the U. S. Oxmyx gave his word that he would, which explains why there have been unexplainable hiring’s of Iotian immigrants within the company. I returned to my office and after further review noticed that many of the more qualified applicants who have been passed over were either African American or Hispanics from impoverished backgrounds. I understand where Mr. Oxymyx is coming from to a certain extent: When he first arrived to the U. S. he had nothing and other Iotian immigrants helped him become very successful and he is now the majority owner of a business that he started and didn’t let success get in the way of remembering where he came from. It makes sense that after the help he received from his fellow countrymen he feels it is his duty to do the same for others. He is Iotian after all and the majority owner of a business, so why not take advantage of that and make it easier for Iotians to get hired by his company. Technically it is against the law to hire based on race and ethnicity, those are traits that an employer is supposed to ignore; however I feel Mr. Oxymyx is trying to follow his personal ethics, which is to help out his own people in their time of need because once upon a time he was helped. However, there also are several problems I see with Mr. Oxymyx’s â€Å"policy†. When he first came to the United States in the mid 1940’s, the situation in Iotia was very different than it is now. Iotia back then was being invaded by the former Soviet Union, and the Soviets had stripped Oxymyx’s family of all their assets so essentially when he arrived to the U. S. he had literally nothing, nothing but hope that is; he was a desperate man coming from a desperate nation with nothing to offer but hard work. Now is not 1940; we are now in the 21st century and the Soviet Union does not even exist anymore. Iotia is not in a state of war causing people to flee from the same harsh conditions as Mr. Oxymyx once did. Yes, the United States is most likely still a land of better opportunity than Iotia is, making it very appealing for people to move from the eastern European nation, however due to the fact that they are not as desperate to come here anymore, Mr. Oxymyx does not have to view the new immigrants in the same light as he viewed his emigration experience. He has not lived in Iotia for over 50 years now and surely conditions are very different in today’s world, no matter what country you’re in. Although he feels that he was greatly assisted in the transition and welcomed by his fellow countrymen when he arrived to the U. S. and would like to return the favor and not forget where he came from, the young men who are making the same trip across the pond today are not in the same boat as he, so hiring them is no longer as urgent as it once was. Mr. Oxymyx also told me that the reason why the three Iotians Jojo, Thepo and Zabo were so rude to the female staff members is because where they come from, they are not used to seeing women in positions of authority so it is a new thing that they haven’t become accustomed to yet. In the U. S. we treat all co-workers with equal respect no matter gender, age or race. The problem is that Mr. Oxymyx keeps comparing these young men to himself as if they are him 60 years ago. He fails to realize that he came to the U. S. at a much different time, when the world was a different place. Yes, back then it is possible that in Iotia women were not treated very respectfully, and it was not uncommon for them to be sexually harassed by their male counterparts; however as I’ve mentioned before, Oxymyx came in at a different time. Look at the example of African Americans in our culture: not too long ago they were treated as second rate citizens in the U. S. Battling racism and racist comments was not an uncommon thing at the time, but it is most definitely not accepted in today’s U. S. Maybe in his time in Iotia it was ordinary to degrade women, but it is very possible that things have changed since, especially given the 60 years past, so he should not necessarily be making excuses for the way these three individuals behave. Maybe they are just that way, and it doesn’t mean they are representing the modern Iotian culture as a whole. When I looked into more of the company’s employment documents and realized that many of the candidates that were passed over for hiring positions were not only more qualified than their Iotian counterparts, the majority of the ones passed over were minorities of African American or Hispanic descent; this on the other hand, I have a big problem with. These people were from poor and desperate backgrounds and needed the jobs just as much as the Iotians, so it is unfair that they did not receive a chance at all, making it seem as if there was a racial aspect to the hiring process as well. If Mr. Oxymyx is about helping out those that are in by giving them jobs, he should at least consider the minorities as well. It appears that Mr. Oxymyx may still have some racist ways from the past that he has not let go of while he has been in the United States, and that to me is definitely an ethical dilemma that exceeds helping out his fellow countrymen. If Oxymyx chooses that he wants to giv e an advantage to Iotian citizens when he is hiring, that I do not have as much a problem with, after all, he is the founder of the company and is Iotian himself and I don’t see if being a huge ethical deal given his past life experiences. I do however think that there should be a limit to his helping hand. He can hire these less skilled and qualified workers just because of their heritage, but what I absolutely cannot tolerate is if these same men also bring there disrespectful mannerisms to the workplace. Beggars can’t be choosers; by that I mean they are lucky they got hired despite their lacking in skill and experience, so that last thing they need to do is also come to work with the arrogance and superiority complex over women. They should be thankful for their opportunity and should put their head down and be the hardest working people in the company to show how thankful they are to Mr. Oxymyx for the experience. I plan to meet with Mr. Oxymyx again, and I have a few suggestions for him. I will first let him know that although he seems to have good intentions, he needs to realize that the men he is hiring are not coming from the same war torn Iotia that he fled; he should not compare himself to them. The world has changed from the 40’s and maybe women were not treated with respect back in 1940’s Iotia, but it is likely that situation has changed. Regardless of that, we live in the United States and these men have moved here to come look for a better life and if they wish to partake in our society, they must also follow our societal rules and ethics; they need to leave their rude manners behind because that is not how things work here, and Mr. Oxymyx needs to sit each of them down and let them know that. I will also recommend to him that there needs to be a company policy put in place and anyone that does not follow the guidelines will be dismissed. After all, these are grown men and here, and they should have the brain capacity to understand that they are in a different country now with different customs, they should feel privileged to have the opportunity to begin a new life in the U. S therefore they need to respect the culture as well. I will also ask Mr. Oxymyx why most of the job applicants that are being passed over happen to be Black and Hispanic, which is definitely a racial issue that is against the laws for hiring. I do respect that Mr. Oxymyx does has not forgotten his heritage and knows where and what he came from no matter how successful he is, which is why he wants to give back, but if he is to give an advantage to Iotians in his company they need to follow the guidelines that I have suggested and the societal rules that we have instilled here in America. I will at least be able to tolerate the fact that they are unfairly being given jobs that they are not quite qualified for if they follow the rules above and beyond. However, if no action is taken than I will encourage the women to file lawsuits against these men, as well as Mr. Oxymyx himself for knowingly breaking laws about hiring as well as knowing this harassment activity is going on, and I will encourage Mr. Oxymyx to dismiss them all to prevent losing his company and all he’s worked for.

Julian the Apostate, Constantius II by Ammianus Marcellinus Essay

Julian the Apostate, Constantius II by Ammianus Marcellinus - Essay Example Ammianus Marcellinus was a historian with a great sense of things. For someone who has live through the times of rich and vivid events, nothing is expected except a picturesque account of events. However, in the light of what the term history meant, accounts such that of Marcellinus may be carelessly considered as merely a narrative of personal experiences and commentaries. His writings may have the patches on; there may be biases on the accounts he had written. When confronted by events and circumstances, it is inherent for every person to choose our sides, to come up with our foregone conclusions. Historians are not excluded. For a case in point, consider his writings on Julian the Apostate and Constantius II. In such situations, there is no better way to come up with a judgment than to fairly analyze the condition and consider the circumstances. Did Marcellinus have his partiality in writing the accounts of these two figures? Moreover, did he, in terms of politics and religion, fa vor the system of Julian the Apostate over Constantius II, and have it reflect in his writings?Most accounts tell that there is not much known of Ammianus Marcellinus’ life. From sources, it is said that he was born to a noble Greek family in Antioch, Syria, about 325-330. There are no accounts of his early life and educational background. Most of the biographical information available tells that he entered the Roman army at a young age, at the time when east had Constantius II as the emperor.

Monetarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monetarism - Essay Example This affects many things in our lives such as the price of food, the wages we work for, and how much our mortgage is. Thats why these men are so important. The Federal Reserve has taken an unprecedented amount of control and power in the wake of the Great Recession. At the time many people were unsure what to do. The current Chair of the Federal Reserve in the United States believes, along with Friedman, that the Great Depression was worsened by excessive government action—nevertheless, the government is spending a ton of money and intervening a lot in the economy in an effort to save a lot of companies that had very bad and very risky business models. Part of the problem is that companies became â€Å"too big to fail.† That means that if they were to collapse, the damage to the economy would be so terrible, the economy itself might collapse. This has been a serious problem in the United States and it is part of the reason so much money has been given to AIG, for example. Some blame the Fed for causing the crisis in the first place by maintaining low interest rates for so long. This action resulted in an expansion in personal debt as borrowing costs were so low. The result was that people stopped saving and consumers and businesses became overleveraged. As debt rates spiralled people began to default on their interest rate payments. This in part was responsible for the crisis. The solution to all of this, some have said, is to follow the philosophy of Keynes. This suggests that the government should fund a massive stimulus program in order to give more money to ordinary people so that they spend it and create economic growth. This idea might work in the short term and with a small stimulus, but it is too expensive in the short term. Macroeconomic policies should also be used and interest rates kept at reasonable levels. It helps to use fiscal tools such as low tax rates in order to help solve the problem. Both a small

Dances With Wolves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dances With Wolves - Essay Example shows a deep understanding and appreciation for the cultures he comes into contact with and goes so far as to adopt their way of life as superior to that of his own previous way of life. When the film opens, Lieutenant Dunbar is faced with the unpleasant choice of either having his wounded leg amputated or choosing to die with it still attached; as did so many other soldiers of his time. However, rather than choosing the amputation, Dunbar decides he will commit suicide by charging the lines of the enemy and dying in a hail of bullets. However, his plan does not go according to planned as his action has the effect of rallying the troops behind him and winning the battle. As a reward for his actions, Dunbar is offered a transfer to any unit or regiment he can choose. Dunbar chooses to move West away from the horrors of the Civil War and into the mystery of the frontier (Costner 1990). His frontier life is far from what he expected as he soon finds himself all alone at an abandoned base; completely cut off from the outside world. It is at this point that the film develops into the story of how Dunbar begins to come into contact with the Native Americans in the surrounding regions to that of the base in which he alone guards. Rather than being hostile to these natives, Dunbar seeks to strike up a relationship with them and engage them in a form of conversation (although his language skills are non-existent). Rather than viewing the Native Americans around the fort as natural born enemies, Dunbar is intrigued by their lifestyle, their curiosity, and the means by which they have sought to survive even in the face of continuous attacks from white frontiersmen. Dunbar becomes so taken by the culture and lifestyle of these Native Americans that he abandons his post and seeks to live a life among them. The story further develops as Dunbar returns to the fort to retrieve a notebook of valuable information he encounters his former colleagues who capture and beat

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cover letter - Essay Example iting helps in the examination of the companies’ financial statements and report on internal controls in accordance with General Accepted Accounting Principal, while taxation helps different taxpayers, either individual or corporation in the preparation of tax returns. However, after doing some research, my in-depth analysis of the true meaning of being a tax doctor is described below. It is a job that helps in checking the health of the taxpayer’s return and assist taxpayers avoid unnecessary return audit. Tax doctors represent taxpayers to the central government. Therefore, the first ingredient is to nurture and build a trustworthy relationship with clients. I still remembered once when I volunteered at Volunteer Income Assist Program, I met a client, who had concerns on issues related to conservative and privacy. The person did not want to give answer to any questions that was asked, even about the basic information such as address and phone number. Besides, the person felt shy of speaking with our team. Therefore, I first explained the reason for asking the basic information to file the tax return and explain every detail about the each step of doing the preparing of tax. My patient and professional explanation, gradually the person began answering the questions, and kept inquiring when confused for clarification. Finally, I successfully finished tax return and the person was grateful and appreciating. Second, in order to prevent clients from probable audit risk, tax doctor should have advance knowledge on the trends, change, and procedures of the IRS. The ability to research and solve problem is also important. I participated in a PwC CaseCompetition in August 2013. Our case was to solve a given state tax problem and help increase the state’s tax revenue. As a group leader, I led my team members to analyze and to discuss the case at hand. We found that we could raise taxation on the gas, cigarette and amusement to help the government increase its

Affordable care act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affordable care act - Assignment Example Some of the reasons that led to its failure were technical, and others were political. Political problems came about due to the presidential over-promising as well as radical political opposition that the project faced. The process used to choose companies that were supposed to create a website by the government was faced with fraudulent. This resulted to massive failure of the website that was intended to make it simple to apply and acquire insurance hence the process was not running the way it was supposed for everyone. The website was too slow, and people could get stuck throughout the process of application. The government should have solved this problem by invalidating the list of contractors who had been chosen through a fraudulent process and carry out transparency procurement process.Regardless of the problems officials of federal health proceeded with the designed rollout. The outcome was that the website went down shortly after many people tried to run the process. This fai lure was said to have been caused by the government over-reliance specific contractors for the technology work hence the process producing uninspiring outcomes. However, other people attributed the problem to be poor planning and implementation rather than contractors hired from private companies. In addition, companies that offered insurance services complained that they were getting incomplete information about customers. This led to suggestions that made Obama hire outside experts to try to help in fixing the website tribulations.

Walt Disney Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Walt Disney - Assignment Example Steve Jobs who is blessed with an innovative brain is the co-founder of Apple Inc; whereas, the Disney has already gained a good stature among its customers across the globe. Hence, Disney’s repute and Jobs’ technical expertise together would assist the Walt Disney to achieve infinite heights in market. It is known to everyone that Jobs’ relentless effort was the only factor that lifted Pixar and Apple sky-high. If he can bring his innovativeness to this new venture, he will uplift the staid company to a leading laboratory for media convergence (case study, p.269). The success of Jobs’ all ventures can be attributed to his thoughtful strategies and product differentiation. He believes that product/service quality is an essential element for business success. With the creative application of multimedia and computer animation, Jobs could knock out six blockbusters. Similarly, Jobs’ stance at Pixar while competing with Apple was appreciable. Jobs never feared rivals’ products; instead, he deeply concentrated on improving the aesthetic appeal and quality of his products while pursuing his business. Evidently Jobs’ successfully experimented business ideas would contribute to the profitability of the Disney.

Tornadoes - Failures of Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tornadoes - Failures of Leadership - Case Study Example There were 1000 deaths as a result of weather related calamities and 550 of those were a result of tornadoes (IEMA, 2012). While severe weather cannot be prevented, there is much that can be done with respect to being prepared and taking action to safeguard the public. The tornadoes of June 1, 2011 showed the lack of preparedness and failure of leadership at various levels. There had been many tornadoes which had had devastating effects on more than 6 states including New York, Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia prior to June 1, 2011. There were gaps and failures witnessed in emergency preparedness systems in the prior tornadoes and still the June 1 tornadoes were no different (Smilowitz, 2011). This case study focuses on the June 1 tornadoes where in most of the communities struggled from miscommunication and chaos. This case study highlights the failure of leadership at numerous levels and lack of preparedness during the June 1 Tornadoes. It also makes various suggestions to overcome th ese failures. There were numerous areas where leadership was found wanting. There were communication issues between emergency responders and government officials and the collective communication system, of emergency responders and government officials, with citizens. The emergency personnel lacked the training and preparedness to handle a catastrophe of such nature and magnitude. The lack of preparedness of the emergency management was best put forward by Monson's Emergency Management Director, Evan Brassard when he said: â€Å"I think that emergency management had been on the back burner because it had been so long since a response of that nature was needed†. (Meiler & Russo, 2012) This statement clearly summarises the state of the emergency management program. The emergency management teams in place were unprepared for such an event. Emergency management teams and personnel need to train for such an event in foresight so that they can respond in the best possible way and no t wait for the need for such a response to arise in order to prepare. The following paragraphs will identify various aspects of emergency management that failed during the June 1 tornadoes. The first and foremost reaction or response to such a disaster is search and rescue. The responders at ground zero who are the most effective and the first to respond to a disaster did not have proper information that defined their capabilities and roles. These local responder teams consisted of numerous specialists who are experts in their own fields but lack the understanding of their role in the search and rescue team. Secondly, there was no proper co-ordination between the different teams. The inspection markings on structures were not consistent with different teams. Each team used its own structural marking systems that indicated the condition of the structure and its habitability. This lead to a lot of confusion as there were numerous agencies and teams working at once and each of them had their own marking system (WRHSAC, 2012). This could have been overcome if the leaders had taken initiative and be prepared for the situation. In future, this can be avoided by ensuring that the team members are briefed prior to the disaster about their capabilities and roles in search and rescue teams. Also a unified marking system must be put in place and ensured that all agencies and teams taking part are familiar with the unified system. Tornadoes of June 1 were not a single region event but a multi-regional and

Japanese History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Japanese History - Research Paper Example The system of governance adopted by the Japanese was influenced by the Chinese system of government. The Imperial Court of the Japan was based on the working of the Imperial Court which existed in the ancient Chinese culture. The ranks and titles in the bureaucracy were structured around the Chinese pattern. Although numerous Japanese rulers during the sixth and seventh century included the Chinese system in their governing system, Prince Shotoku was prominent among them, as he was more inclined towards a complete adoption of Chinese system. â€Å"Prince Shotoku a major political figure at that time, was credited with formally adopting major elements of Chinese culture, including Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as the system of government and calendar.† (Hong, 2000). The Chinese system of governance was based on the ideals of Confucianism. As Confucianism had already entered Japan and influenced the religious beliefs and attitudes of the Japanese people, the Japanese aimed to incorporate the Confucian ideals in their governing system. During the Tokugawa period, Confucianism influenced the working of the political organizations of the country. The Japanese adopted the Chinese system of government but they also placed all the administrative powers in the hand of the emperor. The final decision regarding governing policies rested with the emperor. Along with bureaucratic policies, Japanese also followed the Chinese system while planning their cities and irrigation system. The Chinese style of architecture was adopted by the Japanese while building their temples and monasteries. The cities in Japan resembled Chinese cities in various ways, as both of them were built following a similar pattern. This period saw a strong Chinese pattern to the government, Chinese style buildings with tile roofs, Chinese writing, and expansion of Buddhism throughout Japan. Japanese ancient capitals in the 18th

Electric and Music industries limited Essay Example for Free

Electric and Music industries limited Essay â€Å"EMI† or Electric and Music industries limited is a British music company founded in 1931 as a result of a giant merger of two companies namely the UK Columbia Graphophone company and Gramophone company. Initially it was involved in manufacture of recording and playback equipment and provision of music to play in its machines. EMI Group Plc comprises two major companies i. e. EMI music based in Kensington, London England and EMI publishing based in New York. EMI is one of the four music companies in the world. The other three are Sony BMG, Warner group, and Universal music group. As we shall see Terra Firma, capital partners now own EMI since august 2007. This change of ownership was because of drastic decline in sales and a huge loss to the tune of 2000 million pounds in 2006/20007 financial year (http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/03_06/b3819058. htm? chan=search). This transition saw several artists walk out of EMI including Radio head, Sir Paul McCartney among others. The takeover also saw Guyhands, the new owner bring in new restructuring policies to reduce the labor costs by two hundred pounds. This was to be achieved by cutting up to two hundred workers out of the 5000 plus EMI labor force (http://www. cornerc. com/emi. htm). Initially EMI majored in the manufacture of gramophones, which went on successfully for a period of 40 years. However, during and after the world war two they ventured in the manufacture of radar equipment and guided missiles. They later began to manufacture broadcasting equipments with BBC being their main customers. They employed skilled engineers an example such was Godfreys Hounsefield who came up with the first scanning machine, used in medical imaging. EMI’s strategic choices Although EMI was established along time ago, an indicator that it had cut itself a niche in the music production industry, it had to come up with regular strategies to maintain its position in the market. This was also necessary to stay in level with its business rival e. g. Warner music group and others. In any business, it is mandatory that to acquire a large market share a manufacturer must produce quality products. This aspect of quality is what customers look for and therefore EMI embarked on producing quality and efficient products through the employment of skilled work force such as engineers. For instance the re skilled and able engineers who made sure that quality and efficiency was not compromised. Another very important tool EMI used to edge out its competitors was by signing contracts with popular artists. It roster of artists included both local and international artists who releases new albums every now and then. These regular releases helped EMI to offer its customers a wide rage of music choices. Emi continued investing heavily in the very best song writing standards across the world. Local artists included the Beetle Boys, Nora Jones. Lenny Krawtz, among others while artists from other regions included Japan’s Noriyoku Matiara, Latin American’s Marissa Monte, continental Europe’s Raffael, Diam among many others. These best talents enabled EMI to maximize all potential revenue opportunities. Due to hypercompetitive nature of the music industry, EMI has always been on the look out to remain executive in the industry. This, they have achieved by making systematic decisions, monitoring the decision effects, and adjusting where necessary. EMI’s fast, efficient and flexible business intelligence team draws these strategies. Through this intelligence team, EMI was able to embark on facilitating a new architecture for selling its products. They engaged an IT firm, Avanade who successfully designed a web services solution. This new architecture helped EMI to take advantage of unique interactive marketing opportunities, which offered a competitive advantage when signing new artists. EMI has also labored tirelessly in creation of new products, formats, channels, and new partnerships as a real competitive tool over its rivals. For instance, EMI diversified its distribution channels by introducing digital online selling. This has supplemented the physical selling method. As expected, this online selling has helped to cut the costs of shipping, and offered value to its customers’ dollars. Another competitive advantage of this method is that it’s dynamic, secure, and it’s flexible for easy extension to new E-commerce business technology initiative (http://www. avanade. com/customers/casestudy. aspx? id=39). EMI has also focused on creating of very attractive music content and making it available where consumers want it, when they need it, and in the format, they want it. This has helped them to maximize the demands for its artist works. Of more importance is the diversification of its product range, which has been a routine exercise as part of their business products. New corporate partnerships have been created and therefore making EMI’s music available in more than 56 countries. However, this market diversification has posed a greater challenge due to sprouting of both physical and digital piracy. However, through a series of successful legal suits the company has made progress in combating unscrupulous pirates. Another tool EMI continues to use in order to broaden its international market is by establishing right relationships on the right terms. This has made them to be in the fore front of the music industry and there fore exploiting new products and possibilities that digital technologies brings e. g. this innovative digital approach, saw EMI music produce the first ever album available on i-tunes. An indicator of how EMI music is exploiting new opportunities that digital technologies brings (http://billboard. blogs. com/billboardpostplay/2005/06/sales_and_marke. html) . Through these digital innovations, EMI music has therefore ventured in a wide geographical region with ventures in N. America, Japan, Continental Europe, Latin America, Australia, and in S. East Asia. In all this regions EMI music has entered into joint ventures with local companies, making its products to be widely accepted by the locals, a phenomenon, which could have been the other way if EMI music decided to go on its own. These international ventures have been successful because British had many colonies across the globe. Therefore, it has been easy to market EM products in the common wealth countries (http://www. ybase. com/detail? id=1025595). EMI limited is now one of the four leading companies after Universal music group, Warner music group and Sony BMG. Therefore, measures to protect it and make it sustainable strong in the music industry market have to be arrived at. His measures are not only purely for protection but also for building the company further. An example of such measure was EMI’s bold proposal move to buy its music rival Warner group. EMI argued that this move will not only cut down the cost of unnecessary competition but also will add value to the company share value in the London stock exchange market. Warner on its side did not take the proposal positively. EMI has also invested hugely on intensive marketing and promotion through collaboration with mobile phone manufacturers e. g. T-mobile which uses EMI music as its ring tunes. In addition, EMI music has entered into contracts with advertisers and media houses as a way of diversifying its revenue opportunities. Another milestone EMI has achieved in protecting its market share is by proper use of copyrights and hence reducing piracy. Critical success factors In order to achieve all the above strategies and objectives, EMI had to come up with a series of practices. These practices, which are in other words referred to as critical success factors, included the following; developing a distinctive approach towards its list of artists, which are its main assets. Also making consistence investment in artists with long-term carrier potential and maximizing its local and global sales. Another factor was getting in partnership with willing music companies across the world. This approach was seen as the only way EMI products would be readily accepted by customers globally. From EMI’s financial and performance data, it is evident that to some extend they achieved these success strategies. This is clearly shown by the number of business ventures it entered into the globe e. g. in Asia, Australia, North and South America among many other places. In addition, the roster of artists affiliated to EMI speaks volumes about this. It s evident then that EMI’s strategies and objectives were very much appropriate initially. This is the reason as to why EMI has been successful for a very long period. The strategies were in line with its resources and capabilities. EMI’s recourses and capabilities It is evident that the long term EMI’s success did not just come on a silver platter, it was occasioned by; intensive investment of capital, intensive marketing and promotion, tireless efforts by its skilled and able workers, regular releasing of albums by its long roster of artists, and lastly prevailing peace and stability in many countries it ventured into. To begin with, the main asset towards the support of EMI’s strategies was their large numbers of artists who were blessed with immense real musical talent. These artists released new hits every now and then and therefore this made EMI to be constantly in business, hence its expansion to overseas market. EMI being a company that started back before the start of the world war two stands a better chance in terms of competitive advantage from its rivals. This is so because its long time presence in music production industry makes it to have built a reputation with new and old artists. Long time presence in music industry makes it to be popular with its customers and therefore its volume of sales have always been high until lately when it started making losses. To satisfy its customer s demand as we saw earlier EMI achieved this by investing heavily in new technology whereby new brands of products were released every now and then. This new technology was achieved through EMI’s large workforce of able and skilled technicians. EMI group have two branches i. e. EMI music, and EMI publishing though they are very much separate from one another as its normal in music industry. These two branches have contributed a lot in making EMI what it is today. This is so because they supplement one another in that, the publisher branch publishes and records musical tracks while the music branch offers distribution and marketing services and thus EMI managed to sail successfully in its business endeavors. Its variety of branches also gave its customers a wide choice of products. These brands included music packaged in physical devices like disks and music digitally delivered to customers online. The above recourses and capabilities and many more others are what made EMI to be strategically capable in edging out its rivals, business wise. An evaluation of EMI’s current strategies Today the company being under the ownership of Terra Firma it has to make new strategies as one of the core actions in its efforts of regaining its lost glory. An example of these strategies is the labor force down sizing which its new owner, Mr. Guy Hands, brought in. Literally, this strategy will mean that a quite number of workers will face the axe. Its suitability therefore is wanting, because it will be contracting the company’s initial policies since quite a number of sectors of production will remain understaffed. All the same, it is worthy the cause since in the end expenses will shoot down and the saved funds channeled towards the main objective of reviving the once renowned music powerhouse (http://helium. com. tm/494190/music-industry-dying-painful). By looking at EMI’s business environment it not clear whether it will regain its lost market share. This is because the take over by terra firma was worsened by the walking away of some of it’s of long time artists therefore it will be difficult to win the back. It can also be argued that Mr. Guy Hands strategy was not in good faith because may be his main intention was to come up with a plan that will see him recover his money he paid for the takeover deal (http:www. whatmakesagoodleader. com/Porters-five-forces. html). In terms of feasibility, which is concerned with whether the strategy is implemental it can be said that cutting the labor force although easy to implement can be of no consequence when it comes to regaining its lost market share. This so because when some of EMI’s artists left, they obviously signed contracts with other music companies, which are probably its three major rivals and therefore increasing the level of competition. Basing this argument on competition, cutting the number of employees will not bring down the level of competition. Again, EMI badly needs the services of some of its experienced workers to turn around the situation facing it. For instance, EMI needs the services of IT technicians to bring new and fresh technological ideas to gain that competitive advantage over its three main rivals. It is in order that the money which were to be paid to the retrenched workers will be invested in researching for more technology, but in real sense new technologies mean more labor force to work on it (http://www1. ximb. ac. in/users/fac/dpdash/dpdash. nsf/pages/BP_Evaluation). On acceptability of this strategy, it remains to be seen because now EMI has been faced with financial constraints and hence it’s subsequent change of ownership. This change of ownership saw EMI being delisted from the London stock market, and mass walkouts of long time loyal artists. This is a phenomenon, which means that its volume of sales went down considerably, and consequently making EMI to find its self in a financial quagmire. This also affected the capital structure of the company with the shareholders being forced to sell their shares to the new owner. This policy also affected the functions of different departments in the organization. Some departments were merged, while others were scraped all together. The company’s reputation also went down especially its customers, suppliers lost faith in it, and therefore it can be said the general acceptability of this strategy was relatively poor. In conclusion it can be deduced that it will take some time for the company to fully regain its lost glory this so because in the music a single flop can lead to long time consequences. Music production is unique in that it involves the signing of long-term co tracts with artists, suppliers and stakeholders and therefore breaching such contracts is not a common thing. Unless during abnormal occurrences like in the case of the take-over of EMI by Terra Firma. However, EMI can build on from its other range of products to regain its popularity and market share.

Marketing Plan For Persil Cleaner Planet Plan Marketing Essay

Marketing Plan For Persil Cleaner Planet Plan Marketing Essay With the recent new initiative of the Persil Cleaner Planet Plan being foremost in the companies mind http://www.persil.com/CleanerPlanet.aspx the main objectives of the plan are to be the focal point of this marketing plan. The development of a new product which is environmentally friendly, kind on skin, yet tough on stains is going to enable the achievement of these objectives. With the continuous introduction of re-usable nappy schemes throughout the world it can be seen that there is a potential market for a product that can meet the needs of consumers. In order to reduce the carbon footprint through the use of re-usable nappies a product has to be introduced that can wash at low temperatures. Previous research has shown that in order to benefit from the use of re-usable nappies compared to disposable ones certain factors have to be taken into account when washing e.g. low temperature, full load etc. The main purpose of this new product shall be the washing of re-usable nappies and clothes at as lower temperate as possible. To ensure success in achieving the objectives specific marketing strategies will be used in the marketing plan process these are segmentation, targeting and the marketing mix, all of which will establish the products potential. Cleaner Planet Plan Tactics Segmentation To establish the target market for the new product the use of demographic segmentation will be adopted. This will enable the company to reach specific consumers and help to understand their needs. A variable of demographic segmentation to consider is Generation X as they could prove to be a potential target market for the product, although getting the message across to them will be difficult and will need to be done via word of mouth. Targeting The product is to be mainly aimed at new parents; the recent baby boom will create significant opportunities, whilst also targeting existing consumers who care about the environment and the affect of global warming. With the initial use of penetration pricing the new product will be accessible to those consumers who wish to change from their current brand to a more environmentally friendly one and will attract parents keen on the idea of using re-usable nappies but concerned about the initial outlay, as this can often be quite expensive. Marketing mix 4Ps The four strategies of the marketing mix will be used to reach the companies objectives. Product In using the concept of benefit building figure 1(LearnMarketing.net, 2009) as devised by Philip Kotler the company can begin to get an overall picture of the product and its benefits. Figure 1 http://www.learnmarketing.net/totalproduct1.jpg The new product is to be named Persil Nature, an environmentally friendly, non-biological, hypo-allergenic washing powder with added Aloe Vera. It is to be made from plant and mineral based ingredients that are biodegradable. Persil Natures core function is to enable the washing of re-usable nappies and clothes at a temperature of 15c or better still cold water. It will be packaged in a biodegradable cardboard box with a pull out pouring spout. Preference is to be given to cardboard as oppose to plastic as the opportunities for recycling from home are far greater. It will be available in pack sizes of 850g, 2.38kg and 4.25kg. The labelling will have the typical Persil branding and will display a top tips section with advice on the best ways of washing, drying etc. to further promote the environmental issues. There will also be information to direct consumers to the companys Cleaner Planet Plan website. It shall come with a money back guarantee if consumers are not entirely satisfied with the product. Price The penetration pricing strategy will be used to encourage consumers to use the product. An introductory price will be used in the first few weeks of the launching of the new product. This initial price shall be in line with other biological products in the companies range. The price will then be increased in line with other similar products on the market, with special attention been paid to the companies close competitors. Table 1 below shows the introductory and increased prices for each pack size: Table 1 Pack size Introductory price Increased price 850g  £3.49  £4.49 2.38kg  £6.99  £7.99 4.25kg  £10.99  £11.99 The price will constantly be reviewed in order to achieve the maximum potential of the product and strategies put in place where relevant. Promotion A wide variety of marketing campaigns will be undertaken to reach the target market. The use of TV, radio and the web will help to promote the product to a wider audience. Advertisements will be placed in newspapers and magazines and promotional leaflets will also be used. The company will work in partnership with local councils, hospitals; through midwives and nurseries to promote re-usable nappy schemes and also the new product. Partnership will also take place with re-usable nappy companies, with money-off coupons being placed on nappy products and vice versa. Place The product will need to be in the right place at the right time. This process will need to be carefully planned as bad timing can have a significant impact on whether a new product succeeds or fails in the world of fast moving consumer goods. Distribution will be made through retailers as there is a strong market presence already there and they are able to have a more personal relationship with consumers.

Triage Tool for Sepsis Recognition

Triage Tool for Sepsis Recognition â€Å"Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.   Sepsis and septic shock are major healthcare problems, affecting millions of people around the world each year.   Early identification and appropriate management in the initial hours after sepsis develops improves outcomes,† (Rhodes, et al., 2017). According to the National Institute of Health Statistics, more than a million Americans develop severe sepsis every year.   Between 28 and 50 percent of these people die.   This high mortality rate creates a clinical problem and generates interest in improving the care of septic patients. The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria served as the original definition of sepsis.   SIRS definition contains two or more of the following: temperature greater than 38 degrees Celsius or less than 36 degrees Celsius, heart rate greater than 90 beats per minute, respiratory rate greater than 20 breaths per minutes or PaCO2 less than 32mmHg, and white blood cell count greater than 12,000/mm3 or less than 4,000/mm3 or greater than 10% immature bands.   Another tool to identify organ dysfunction is the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA). Two points is a positive qSOFA, with increasing points patient outcomes are associated with higher mortality rates (Bhattacharjee, Edelson, & Churpek, 2017). Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) criteria contains: respiratory rate greater than or equal to 22 breaths per minutes, altered mentation, and systolic blood pressure less than 100mmHg. These two, SIRS and qSOFA, are sepsis recognition tools. Emergency departments play a vital role in identifying, treating, and managing septic patients.   The problem with SIRS criteria as a screening tool for sepsis is patients presenting to an emergency department do not have these laboratory tests, white blood cell and PaCO2, drawn hours prior to arrival.   This is one component that cannot be incorporated into a triage screening tool but updated throughout the stay in an emergency department.   Unless two other vital signs are abnormal there is potential to fail at recognizing a septic patient initially presenting to an emergency department.   Similarly, the qSOFA criteria has shown high specificity to sepsis and poorer outcomes (Bhattacharjee, Edelson, & Churpek, 2017). Sepsis recognition is not enough to decrease risk of mortality in septic patients. Kumar, et al. (2006) discovered an association between effective antimicrobial administration within the first hour of documented hypotension increased survival in adults with septic shock. The 2016 International Sepsis Guidelines strongly recommends administration of IV antimicrobials initiation within one hour of sepsis recognition. The best way to improve patient outcomes for septic patients is to identify those with sepsis. The second way is to manage the septic patient, which includes initiation of antibiotics. To assess this clinical problem, the PICO question formulated is, in adult septic patients, how does a sepsis triage screening tool based on qSOFA, compared to the current 2+SIRS criteria, affect door to antibiotic time? Methods An electronic literature search was conducted using the CINAHL database. The search included 4 keywords: sepsis, antibiotic administration, SIRS, and qSOFA. All searches conducted were restricted to adults, 2010-2017-time frame, and articles in English. My first search resulted in 3,527 articles. A focus on articles that used SIRS or qSOFA for identification took priority. These terms, SIRS and qSOFA, were searched title specific.   This resulted in a final 289 articles. A secondary electronic literature search with the keyword of ‘nursing intervention and sepsis’ showed a few hundred articles. The research question was assessed using four journal articles that were peer reviewed. The independent variables were qSOFA and SIRS. Summary of Evidence Tromp, Hulscher, Bleeker-Rovers et al. (2010) researched the effects of a nurse driven implementation of a sepsis protocol care bundle. A prospective before and after intervention study at an emergency department of a university hospital in the Netherlands was conducted using three different five month increments. Period 1, July 1, 2006 – November 6, 2006, occurred before introducing the new care bundle based sepsis protocol. Period 2, November 6, 2006 – June 25, 2007, occurred after the sepsis protocol was put into place and before training. Period 3, June 25, 2007 – October 1, 2007, was after training and performance feedback. The sepsis care bundle consisted of seven elements. Six elements were required, the seventh was not required unless the patient was hypotensive or had an elevated serum lactate. The bundle included: measuring serum lactate concentration within six hours, obtaining two blood cultures before starting antibiotics, taking a chest radiograph, taking a urine sample for urinalysis and culture, starting antibiotics within three hours, hospitalize or discharge the patient within three hours, and volume resuscitation for serum lactate >4.0mmol/L or hypotension. The researchers used 2+ SIRS criteria to identify septic patients entering the emergency department. The sample size included 825 people, 16 years of age or older (Tromp, Hulscher, Bleeker-Rovers et al., 2010). The findings showed that implementing a nurse-driven sepsis care bundle provided an increase in early recognition of sepsis in patients presenting to the emergency department. Additionally, when staff received education and training on this intervention, compliance to the bundle improved early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis. Compliance to the complete sepsis care bundle increased from 3.5% to 12.4%. This study measured antibiotics started within three hours after staff training. Antibiotic administration increased from which increased from 38% to 56%. These results are statistically and clinically significant. Evidence exists that delay in care for septic patients leads to worse outcomes (Bhattacharjee, Edelson, & Churpek, 2017). This intervention study provides level IV (Melnyk & Fineout-Overhold, 2015) evidence for an increased compliance to implementing a sepsis care bundle after training. Some limitations to the study include that is was an uncontrolled study at a single center and only one year in length. Having a broader understanding of this disease across multiple countries and over extended periods of time would improve the validity of the results. Strengths of this study include the large sample size, nurse driven implementation, and SIRS criteria for sepsis screening. Another strength is that this study, like other studies, reveal education improves sepsis recognition and sepsis care. From this study, it can be determined that the training and implementation of a sepsis care bundle increases sepsis recognition and improves adherence to the bundle, improving patient outcomes. Yousefi, Nahidian, and Sabouhi (2012) conducted a study to review the effects of an educational program about sepsis care of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.   This study was a quasi-experimental interventional study with two groups over three time periods: before, immediately after, and three weeks after.   Nurses with a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education and one year ICU experience were included in the study. Infection control committee or members that participated in a similar study were excluded.   The sample size included thirty-two nurses randomly enrolled into each of the test and control groups.   The data collection tool was a four-part questionnaire to measure knowledge, attitude, and practice of ICU nurses.   The results obtained earn Level III evidence (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015). The findings revealed there was no significant difference between the control (c) and test (t) groups in terms of age, sex, education, experience, and employment status. Mean scores of knowledge (t=62.5, c=63.7), attitude (t=73, c=72.8), and practice (t=81.8, c=82.2) of ICU nurses in the test and control groups had no significant difference before the intervention. In the test group, attitude (t=79.7, c=73.3) and practice (t=90.5, c=82.2) increased immediately after and attitude (t=83.3, c=73.2) continued to trend up at the three weeks later mark. Education was found to be effective and have a positive impact on attitude, knowledge, and practice on sepsis care of ICU nurses, like other studies. The study did have some limitations which included the ability of the nurses to utilize books, media, and articles on the subject which could influence the study.   This study is limited due to the small sample size.   A larger sample size in various departments and facilities would strengthen the evidence and improve clinical significance. One important thing to consider with this article is that the nurses observed were bachelor’s degree nurses.   Associate degree nurses are the majority of the nursing workforce.   This could be a weakness for the article in that they fail to capture the majority education of nurses. The strength of this study provides evidence supporting training statistically improved levels of attitude, knowledge, and practice of ICU nurses in sepsis care.   Findings of this article are like other studies. Tarrant, O’Donnell, Martin, Bion, Hunter, & Rooney (2016), conducted a qualitative design-grounded theory study using focused ethnography to gain an understanding of the barriers to implementing the sepsis six bundle components within an hour of recognition of sepsis.   Data collection occurred through various ways including: over three hundred hours of observations, 43 staff members interviewed, and shadowing multiple units and staff members across six pilot hospitals in Scotland from March 2013 – May 2014. The results of this study provide Level VI evidence (Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt, 2015).   The main findings include that the Sepsis Six clinical bundle is not six simple tasks but a series of complex processes. Gaining a better understanding of the problems of interruptions and operational failures that get in the way of task completion is ideal to improve compliance for Sepsis Six within one hour. The researchers suggest focusing on individual behavior change to improve compliance to Sepsis Six with a combination of reducing barriers and challenges in the everyday workflow that are responsible for the delays in Sepsis Six. The research hypothesizes that there would be greater compliance to Sepsis Six within one hour window if the everyday barriers and challenges were reduced. This study is limited to one country, Scotland.   Additionally, the length of study could have missed problems and barriers associated with night shift.   Night shift tends to run with fewer resources and less access to providers. Night shift is also associated with less experience providers. These barriers need to be assessed to gain a better understanding of delays in compliance to sepsis six bundle.   The strengths of this study lie in the qualitative perspective to gain a better understanding of barriers to implementing sepsis six bundle. The study highlights that a focus on education and knowledge of sepsis is not enough, and emphasize the importance to reducing barriers to promote ultimate compliance.   Gunn,  Haigh,  and Thomson (2016) conducted a retrospective study, over a six-month period, on patients presenting to the ED who had a sepsis six form completed.   The emergency department currently uses SIRS criteria to identify septic patients.   The purpose of the study was to determine if qSOFA would reliably identify septic patients within the emergency department population.   The sample size was two hundred patients with sepsis diagnosis.   One hundred and ninety-five were positive for SIRS.   Twenty-nine were positive for qSOFA. SIRS and qSOFA were compared to determine specificity and sensitivity to identifying septic patients. This article is rated Level IV evidence (Melnyk & Fineout-Overhold, 2015).   SIRS had a higher sensitivity at 97%, and a 2.4% specificity. qSOFA showed a 90% specificity and a 48% sensitivity.   SIRS was reliable in identifying sepsis and qSOFA was reliable with detecting those required higher levels of care and mortality. These finding show clinical and statistical significance.   The researchers conclude that SIRS criteria serves as a useful triage tool in identifying septic patients.   The researchers further conclude that once positive SIRS criteria is established qSOFA should be conducted to assess severity and critical care need. Limitations of this study include the sample size, location, and length of time where the study took place.  Ã‚   Increasing the sample size over a longer period of time to gain a broader population would increase the strength of this article.   This study would be strengthened if an observation of a larger sample size took place, over a longer period, and over multiple facilities.   The strength of this study is the results that provide evidence for SIRS criteria as the better septic recognition tool.   The results indicate SIRS is best at identifying sepsis.   These results are statistically and clinically important.   If qSOFA was used instead of SIRS, many people would not have been included in a sepsis workup and could potentially have worse outcomes due to delay in recognition and sepsis care.   From this article, keeping SIRS criteria is vital for sepsis recognition.   However, including a qSOFA could benefit those critically ill in identifying those at higher risk for worse outcomes.   Raith et. al (2017) published a retrospective cohort analysis study on the prognostic accuracy of the SOFA score, SIRS criteria, and a qSOFA within the first 24 hours of admission in discriminating in-hospital mortality among patients with suspected infection admitted to the ICUs. This study began in 2000 and continued to 2015. The sample size included 184,875 adults with infection-related primary admission diagnosis. The study took place in 182 ICUs in Australia and New Zealand. This study was rate a Level IV using Melnyk & Fineout-Overhold, (2015) evidence appraisal guidelines. The results of this study showed SOFA had significantly greater discrimination for in-hospital mortality than SIRS criteria or qSOFA.   A SOFA of 2 or more points showed a 90.1% accuracy in mortality or ICU length of stay of three days or more.   The SIRS score of 2 or more points had a 86.7% accuracy, while a qSOFA score of 2 or more points revealed 54.4% accuracy.   The overall results favored a SOFA score over qSOFA and SIRS, showing greater accuracy for in-hospital mortality.   The strengths of this study include the duration, sample size, and location. Having this much diversity in the study decreases variables or outliers altering results. Additionally, the information gathered utilized a quality-surveillance data collection process reducing bias. One limitation the researchers address is the inability to apply this study to emergency department patients. This study used patients in the ICU. The statistical significance and clinical significance could be applied to an ICU setting, but for the clinical problem stated earlier this would not hold clinical significance in an emergency department setting.   Like the previous study, the use of SOFA in conjunction with SIRS criteria would be beneficial in determining those with greater critical care needs for proper placement and to identify those at higher mortality risk.   Discussion and Conclusions Sepsis is a terrible disease with poor outcomes.   Understanding the best recognition tool and management are key to surviving sepsis.   The overall articles bring collective information on improving sepsis recognition and decreasing door-to-antibiotic time.   The studies described range from Level III to Level VI according to Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt’s (2015) level of evidence guide.   Having meta-analysis, randomized control trials, or even well-designed controlled trials without randomization would increase the validity of the results.   As previously stated, education is found effective in increasing knowledge and recognition on sepsis care.   Implementing an educational program on sepsis recognition and care is clinically significant to improve sepsis outcomes. Education should be incorporated into a sepsis care bundle to improve compliance and sepsis recognition. Additionally, if qSOFA or SOFA were used after SIRS criteria to determine critical care status this would increase results and provide knowledge on patient outcomes. The overall evidence in the studies is not enough to make changes in clinical practice.   There is not enough collective strength of evidence to make a change in clinical practice. However, the articles did support SIRS criteria for greatest sensitivity to sepsis recognition with qSOFA showing higher sensitivity to mortality. The sources of evidence support the continuing use of SIRS criteria for a sepsis triage screening tool. Recognizing sepsis and reducing barriers are key to improving antibiotic administration. The results of the study showed the importance of education and reducing barriers to improving sepsis recognition and management. According to the evidence, SIRS criteria is providing better recognition for sepsis. The evidence leads to septic patients benefiting from an additional screening tool, the qSOFA, if they have 2+ SIRS criteria to rule out higher mortality and critical care needs. Further evidence is needed on qSOFA replacing SIRS for sepsis identification prior to implementing in the clinical setting. It appears most evidence conducted is from retrospective studies. Randomized control trials or meta-analysis would strengthen this claim for SIRS over qSOFA in emergency department triage screening tool for sepsis recognition.   References Bhattacharjee, P., Edelson, D. P., & Churpek, M. M. (2017). Identifying Patients With Sepsis on the Hospital Wards.  Chest,  151(4), 898-907. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.06.020 Gunn  N,  Haigh  C,  Thomson  J. (2016) Triage of Sepsis Patients: SIRS or qSOFA – Which is best? Emergency Medicine Journal  ;33:909-910. Kumar, A., Roberts, D., Wood, K. E., Light, B., Parrillo, J. E., Sharma, S., . . . Cheang, M. (2006). Duration of hypotension before initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy is the critical determinant of survival in human septic shock.  Critical Care Medicine,  34(6), 1589-1596. doi:10.1097/01.ccm.0000217961.75225.e9 Rhodes, A., Evans, L. E., Alhazzani, W., Levy, M. M., Antonelli, M., Ferrer, R., . . . Dellinger, R. P. (2017). Surviving Sepsis Campaign.  Critical Care Medicine,  45(3), 486-552. doi:10.1097/ccm.0000000000002255 Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015).  Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. (n.d.). Sepsis Fact Sheet. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/pages/factsheet_sepsis.aspx Raith, E., Udy, A., Bailey, M., Mcgloughlin, S., Macisaac, C., Bellomo, R., & Pilcher, D. V. (2017). Prognostic Accuracy of the SOFA Score, SIRS Criteria, and qSOFA Score for In-Hospital Mortality Among Adults With Suspected Infection Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.  Jama,  317(3), 290. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.20328 Tarrant, C., O’Donnell, B., Martin, G., Bion, J., Hunter, A., & Rooney, K. D. (2016). A complex endeavour: an ethnographic study of the implementation of the Sepsis Six clinical care bundle.  Implementation Science,  11(1). doi:10.1186/s13012-016-0518-z Tromp, M., Hulscher, M., Bleeker-Rovers, C. P., Peters, L., Berg, D. T., Borm, G. F., Pickkers, P. (2010). The role of nurses in the recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis in the emergency department: A prospective before-and-after intervention study.  International Journal of Nursing Studies,  47(12), 1464-1473. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.04.007 Yousefi H, Nahidian M, Sabouhi F. Reviewing the effects of an educational program about sepsis care on knowledge, attitude, and practice of nurses in intensive care units. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research 2012; 17(2): S91-S95.

Dracula :: Character Analysis, Renfield

While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’. Stoker has rendered the reader to see the Count as physically strong and powerful, through Jonathan Harker and his confinement and Lucy Westenra and her failing health. Although the reader does not understand all the omniscient powers and control that Count Dracula possesses over people, they are brought to light through Dr Steward’s accounts of his patient R.M. Renfield. The ‘strange and sudden change’ (Stoker, 86), that has happened in Renfield evokes the reader to contemplate the Count’s influence over people. Dr Steward suggests it is as though a ‘religious mania has seized’ Renfield (Stoker, 87), and is controlling him. The reader is aware that Renfield can feel the Counts presence and that there is a connection between them. This eventually leads Van Helsing to recognize the bond between Mina Harker and the Count, which helps them to find Dracula and finally kill him. Dracula’s invasion over Renfield also reveals a weakness i n the Counts power. Renfield, an obedient servant of Dracula, claims he is ‘here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave’ (Stoker, 88). Renfield’s devotion is quickly reversed when he sees that the Count is taking life from Mina. It is his care for her that causes him to turn against Dracula and try to fight for her. Again Renfield’s actions mimic that of the other men as it becomes their goal to save Mina from the invasion running through her body. The key to this invasion is the blood. The central theme of blood in Dracula is paralleled through Renfield.

The Moral Maturation of Huckelberry Finn Essays -- English Literature

The Moral Maturation of Huckelberry Finn A novel structured on the theme of morality, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain focuses on Huck Finn’s multifaceted growing up process. Huck, through his escapades and misfortunes is obliged to endure the agonizing process from childhood to adulthood where he attains self-knowledge and discovers his own identity. Throughout the journey down the Mississippi River, Jim, Ms. Watson’s runaway slave, accompanies Huck, and is later joined by two con men. It is during this journey that a great moral crisis in Huck’s life occurs where he must make a painful decision as to whether he is going to give Jim up to the slave hunters or notify Ms. Watson about Jim’s whereabouts and assist him to remain a free man. This is the turning point in his character where through deep introspection, he learned to think and reason morally for himself. He comes to his own conclusions, unaffected by the accepted, and often hypocritical, perceptions of Southern culture. Huck also deciphers the truth in the face of lies held by the antagonistic society with its evil nature. From the very introduction of Huckleberry Finn in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck was known for his mastery of playing tricks on those gullible to his antics. In this novel, he played two tricks on Jim, enough to never make him do such a thing again. The first time as a joke, Huck puts a dead rattlesnake near Jim's sleeping place, and its mate comes and bites Jim. He learned for his own sake never to do that because it could have been him bitten by the snake. However, the second prank Huck pulls on Jim unbeknownst to him does not seem to be as funny as he thought it would be when he pretended that the whole fog incident was a figment of Jim’s imagination. Jim was hurt by Huck and calls him trash, the exact turning point of Huck’s morality; he even had the decency to apologize, showing acceptance to a black man. As I quote from pages 83-84 "What do dey stan' for? I'se gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los', en I didn' k'yer no' mo' what become er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back agin, all safe en soun', de tears come, en I could a got down on my knees en kiss yo' foot, I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin' 'bout wuz how you could ma... .... Although Jim is a slave, Huck has already learned to recognize Jim as a real human being with emotions and deep consideration for his family. Because of these conclusions, he will do anything to fight for his friend’s rightful freedom. By the middle of the novel, anyone could believe that Huck Finn learned a great lesson of equality and made a complete 360 in becoming a new person. However, this is not so because from the time that Tom Sawyer, Huck’s friend from St. Petersburg, returns to the picture, Huck goes back to his indecent ways and disregards Jim as what he once believed him to be, an equal. They both toy around with Jim as they plan his escape from the Phelps. In conclusion, his hard work to fight against the hypocritical ideals of society at the time came right back and sucked him into their beliefs, all to impress his friend. Once he comes back to living in their society, he would no longer feel like he would have a say in his way of life and ideals especially the fact that Aunt Sally was going to civilize him. This idea of being captivated and made to be civilized does not suit Huck, he plans to run away to the west to escape all that burdens him in this society.

Elementary, Middle and Highschool Boy-Girl Relationship Essay

Is it too soon to talk about boy/girl relationships in elementary school? Of course it is, you say! Well, you may not want to hear about it, or you may choose denial over reality, but the fact remains that children are playing out the cultural role that they are being taught as early as 2nd grade. Therefore, the relationship between boys and girls at every school (Christian and non- Christian) is a topic that needs to be discussed from a Biblical standpoint. Recently I have observed an increase in the level of interaction between some of the boys and girls at the elementary school level with the boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in mind. There have been some phone calls made and notes passed, and yet nothing really serious has happened. Even so, the fallout from this kind of interest and behavior has been clearly seen, as some of the kids are rejecting others, breaking off friendships, and making â€Å"who likes whom† a focus of attention. The pattern becomes more sophisticated as it continues in the middle school years and is in full bloom by the time the children hit high school. I would like to attempt to persuade you that the elementary level of â€Å"who likes whom,† and the middle school level of â€Å"who is going out with whom,† are not simply innocent and cute stages of life through which everyone must go. As informed Christians professing to glorify the Lord in all things, we need to see if any of this behavior brings glory to God and evaluate the effects of it on our kids. A brief look at the teen dating model and its consequences will show that it is the world’s model, not Christ’s, that we are so accustomed to. Dating is more for a boy and a girl than just spending time together. It’s a lifestyle that involves attitudes and values. It’s a heart thing! Matthew 22:37 says, â€Å"And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and wit h all your soul, and with all your mind.’† The first love for our kids is to be Jesus. Our Creator’s plan for our lives is really what we should be directing our kids to focus on; the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever! Romantic male-female relationships are designed by God to be special and singular. The world’s model of dating is one in which you try out many opportunities until you find the one that makes you happy. This type of dating results in a pattern of many broken hearts and bad memories – some of which are detrimental to the intimacy intended for marriage later in life. Interestingly, even the non Christian world is beginning to realize that frequent dating is not healthy. The following are excerpts from an article in the September 8, 2005 Wall Street Journal1 that cites two studies not written from a Christian worldview but nonetheless conclude: * Teens who date a lot don’t have a higher likelihood of developing healthy adult relationships. Instead, their romances in their 20s are likely to be more troubled. * Teens who dated only one or a few people, and formed relationships of more than a few weeks, emerged in their 20s with closer and more-trusting romantic ties than those who had more numerous and fleeting dates. * Unmarried teen girls who settled down with just one partner at 16 or 17- and were still unmarried at 21- are more likely to be eventually married by ages 22-25. Many, including Christians and non Christians, think that dating is just part of the teenage experience. However, putting adolescent boys and girls together leads not only to the emotional experiences that often tear at our children’s hearts but also to sexual experimentation. Think back to your teen years: were you told by a boyfriend or girlfriend in your teen years that he/she loved you? Did he/she eventually marry you? Where did that relationship lead? God wants us to act and think differently. These are matters of the heart. Philippians 1:9-10 says, â€Å"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.† The goal for most kids in boy/girl relationships is that they are primarily interested in what they are going to get out of the relationship. Sometimes popularity, comfort or pleasure is what a teen gains emotionally or physically. That’s not the kind of love that God would have us live out. That’s choosing what feels good for self rather than what is good for others and pleases God. Parents must be honest and Biblically discerning about the real motivation that lies behind the thoughts and actions of our children. Do love and sincerity motivate the boys in these relationships? Matthew 22:39 says, â€Å"And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.† There is a great book on the subject entitled I Kissed Dating Goodbye, written by Joshua Harris. I have little space here, so I will make a few points and urge you to buy the book. The book is about waiting and preparation, and it debunks and rejects the typical idea of dating and applies a Biblical grid to it. You don’t have to agree with all of his points, but it would behoove you to take a good look at them. Josh Harris says, â€Å"Let’s not do what feels good, but instead do what is good.† He encourages us to look at all of the damage caused by typical worldly dating in the lives of teens and to replace that energy and time with a time of focused preparation for all of life, including preparing for the special relationship of marriage. The book challenges our teens to realize they have no business taking another person’s heart if they are not ready to make a lifelong commitment to that person. He says that if you really love someone, you’ll be interested in that special person’s long-term needs rather than your short-term desires. He exhorts the teen to look at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God. That way, the person is positioned to receive God’s best for them. God has something better for a teen than futile worldly dating! I have two lists for you from the Josh Harris book that are without the further explanation that is needed, but due to lack of space, you’ll just have to get the book to learn more. The seven habits of highly defective dating are: 1. Dating leads to intimacy, but not necessarily commitment. 2. Dating tends to skip the â€Å"friendship stage† of the relationship. 3. Dating often mistakes a physical relationship for love. 4. Dating often isolates a couple from other vital relationships. 5. Dating, in many cases, distracts young adults from their primary responsibility of preparing for the future. 6. Dating can cause discontentment with God’s gift of singleness. 7. Dating creates an artificial environment for evaluating another person’s character. If you are like me, you read those and said amen, I’ve done that before and amen, I see that over and over again. Now here is the refreshing Christian view – five important new attitudes: 1. Every relationship is an opportunity to model Christ’s love. 2. My unmarried years are a gift from God. 3. Intimacy is the reward of commitment; I don’t need to pursue a romantic relationship before I am ready for marriage. 4. I cannot â€Å"own† someone outside of marriage. 5. I will avoid situations that could compromise the purity of my body or mind. Some of you won’t agree. Some of you agree but are saying, â€Å"My child would never go for this.† You are absolutely right. If they have been trained by the world to think like a worldling, they will not want to kiss dating goodbye. But, you are the parent, so†¦.. be the parent! I can’t tell you how often parents tell me what their child will or will not do, so that’s what they (the parents) do. We parents have to take a stand for the Lord and teach the tough things that need to be taught! God will honor that. Some of you are happy that you don’t have teens yet, so you think you don’t have to be concerned. Wrong!!!!!! The reason that we are struggling with our teens and worl dly dating and relationship views isbecause of what they have been taught since Kindergarten. How foolish is it of us parents to allow our child to be taught worldly thinking about male/female relationships and then go to God when our child is 16 years old to beg that He will help our child behave like a Christian when he/she is alone! God will not be mocked! Boys must be taught that they are not to get physical with the girls and that, instead, girls are to be honored and respected. Little things such as holding open a door or helping carry something for a girl are proper and good. The children need to be taught that having an opposite sex relationship is something that is for later in life as you get ready for marriage – something that is also extraordinarily special to people and to God. Boys and girls calling each other on the phone (especially in elementary school) is inappropriate in most cases. We need to teach that people are not possessions that you can trade. Instead, we need to teach them to show real love to one another by helping one another to succeed where they are in life (a student) and to honor God. What are our kids being taught through what they see and hear daily? What are they watching on TV? How about the movies? You and I both know that women are often portrayed as sex objects and trophies. What about at home? Dads, do you treat your wife as the queen of the household? Do your kids see you treating her with great care and affection? Do you realize that everything they see is teaching them how to treat their wives one day? Every year of our lives we are learning and recording permanent records in our minds. I played the worldly relationship and dating game when I was young and things may seem to have worked out OK. My wife and I have been married for 27 years and have a great marriage – but there is more to the story than what you see. Frankly, I am ashamed of many things that I have recorded in my memory regarding male/female relationships from many years ago before I was married. I have prayed that God would remove some of those memories, and He has been gracious, but some remain. In God’s purposes, He often allows us to experience and remember things so we can learn from them and pass the lessons on to others. If you went through the same pattern of worldly dating when you were young, you don’t have to pass it on. You can start afresh with your children. By God’s grace, you have the power to go against the tide of our culture and raise up children who are truly happy and bring glory to God. We have great promises from God that He will be faithful if we will trust and obey Him. I hope that this article has given you some food for thought. Better yet, I hope that you have been convinced that boy/girl relationships in the third, fourth, or fifth grade are yet another battleground for the spiritual struggle for our kids’ hearts. In life, the devil is not kept out of your child’s life by locking a door. We must get after him with all we’ve got and then root out the unbiblical thinking in our kids. 1Shellenbarger, Sue (2005) The Case for Going Steady: Studies Say Teen Dating Habits Affect Marriage Skills. Wall Street Journal, 9/8/2005.