Benchmark Assessment Essay Example for Free

Benchmark Assessment Essay Micah, an eleventh grader with a learning disability in written expression and reading comprehension, is pending placement into a special education classroom. He is involved in extracurricular activities and does not want to stand apart from his friends and peers in regards to accommodations being made for his instruction time. Following is a look into the different placement options and why or why not Micah would benefit from it, technology and related services that he would need to help him progress in his areas of need, collaboration models for each placement that will help Micah’s teachers provide appropriate instruction, and a description of the most appropriate placement option with two Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards that align with the placement option. Inclusion Inclusion, simply put, means that all students interact and belong (National Inclusion Project, 2015). This type of placement is not getting the special needs student prepared for the general education class, rather it is getting the general education class ready for the special needs student (Tomko, 1996). This placement option would benefit Micah in that he would be in the same classes as his peers and friends. The inclusion environment is one of the least restrictive environments for Micah. However, Micah would not be able to focus solely on his learning disabilities in the inclusion setting, which makes this setting not the most appropriate placement option for him. Related Services Related services are provided to those with exceptionalities to help in their learning experiences and to enhance their abilities. In the inclusion classroom, Micah would benefit from guided notes. This type of note taking  technique provides students with a print-out of the lesson’s notes with certain words omitted for the students to fill in. Another related service for the inclusion setting is the availability of ‘test readers’. Micah would need this service based on his disability in reading comprehension. However, having someone read him his tests may put him in a negative light in front of his peers. Technology Technology use in an inclusion setting is almost a necessity. For Micah, he may want to use a tape recorder to record lectures and any assignment directions for understanding and accuracy. Another form of technology that would be necessary for Micah would be a Smart Board or a Promethean Board. These two pieces of technology will help Micah to be more interactive in class, and they will allow his instructors to monitor his comprehension of the materials being taught. Collaboration Model If Micah were to be placed in the inclusion setting, his teachers would use the ‘team teaching’ approach of collaboration. The ‘team teaching’ approach is when both, the general education and the special education teacher, teach the same lesson at the same time (Special Education Resource Center, 2007). This collaboration model allows the special education instructor to focus on the students who need extra help while the general education teacher continues to teach. This is also known as the ‘tag team teaching’ collaboration model. Each educator uses their expertise in their specific field to engage classroom instruction. Resource The resource room in special education is a classroom in which students with specific learning disabilities receive more direct and specialized instructions in smaller groups (US Legal Inc., 2015). If Micah were to be placed in the resource room, he would be able to receive extra help with his written expression and reading comprehension. This placement option would work for Micah in that it would only be one class period so that he could keep his disability from his peers and friends, as well as maintain or enhance his learning in his other classes. Related Services During his time in the resource room, Micah would have access to a number of  related services. One of these services would be access to counseling. Micah is very social but he has concerns about standing out from his peers and friends because of his disabilities. A counselor will be able to help build up his self-esteem so that he will not have to be ashamed of his learning issues. Another related service that Micah can receive is a tutor to help him with his written expression and reading comprehension. Technology Technology in the resource room is abundant. Computers with appropriate educational web sites and software are easily available. This is great for Micah because he can use the software and web sites to help build upon his written expression and reading comprehension. Also available in the resource room are copies of the textbooks for each of Micah’s classes. This allows Micah the extra time he may need to understand instructions for assignments and lectures handed to him in his core subjects. Finally, the resource room has a student dictionary. This dictionary will help Micah define words that he may not understand, thus building upon his reading comprehension and written expression skills. Collaboration Model The collaboration model that works best in the resource room is the Resource/ Consulting Teacher Program, or RCT. The RTC model is supported by the triadic model with many opportunities for teachers, students, and parents to interact (Dettmer, Knackendoffel, Thurston, 2013). With the RTC model, emphasis is placed on training students in the curriculum used within each mainstreamed student’s general education classroom (Dettmer, Thurston, Dyck, 2005). Also, the teachers’ expectations and reinforcements are identical for the resource room and the general education class setting (Dettmer, et al., 2005). This collaboration model is perfect for the resource room because it includes everyone involved in the student’s education. Self-Contained A self-contained classroom is the most restrictive placement option that Micah could end up with. However, since instruction is provided by one teacher for all subjects, this would not be an appropriate option for Micah. This placement would prevent Micah from interacting with his friends. The self-contained classroom is more for those students with severe physical,  mental, social, intellectual, and behavior disabilities. Since Micah participates in extracurricular activities, he does not have a severe disability that would require him to be placed in a self-contained classroom. Related Services Related services in the self-contained classroom include occupational, physical, and speech therapies. Micah appears to be an athletic student, and he may benefit from the physical and occupational therapies; however, these related services are not what he needs for his learning disabilities. Micah would be required to also partake in group therapy sessions. Even though Micah has a disability in written expression, the speech therapy will not suffice because he is a very social eleventh grader. Technology There is an abundant amount of technology available in a self-contained classroom just as in a resource setting. Some students with communication problems will use communication pads to be social. There will also be computers, iPads and tablets, and possibly audio players available to assist students with assignments, comprehension, and reading. Micah has a specific learning disability in which these devices may prove to be beneficial, but he would not be able to focus solely on his areas of need. These devices will help improve Micah’s reading comprehension, but they will decrease his abilities in his other core areas. Collaboration Model In the self-contained classroom, finding a collaboration model may be a little harder than all the other placement options. Since the self-contained classroom only has one teacher and usually all the same students throughout the school day, collaboration is usually limited between teacher, student, and parent. For this reason, the most appropriate collaboration model is the collaborative-dependent model. In this model, the consultee (parent and/or student) relies on the consultant (teacher) for help while both parties bring their specific background and skills to solve the specific problem(s) (National Counselor Examination, 2013). Micah and his parents/ caregiver would reach out to the teacher for suggestions on how they can improve his written expression and reading comprehension. Summary After reviewing all of the possible placement options for Micah, the most appropriate classroom setting will be the Resource Room. Micah has specific learning disabilities solely in written expression and reading comprehension. By placing him in the resource classroom, he will be able to concentrate on these two content areas; all the while participating in his extracurricular activities and remaining in his general education classes with his friends and other peers without a feeling of inferiority. The resource room will provide ample opportunities for Micah to focus on the areas with which he struggles by way of the available technology, more personal assistance from the instructor, and the availability of a student dictionary and counselor. Other reasons for this placement include the avoidance of student separation and labels, the teacher can be more consistent with concentration on the areas of need; and students can practice study skills, basic skills, keyboarding, and social and behavioral skills (Lucas, 2013). CEC Standards The placement option for Micah aligns with the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Standards four and eight. Standard four focuses on the instructional strategies of the teacher. This standard promotes positive learning outcomes in both general and special education classrooms; increases self-awareness, self-management, self-control, self-reliance, and self-esteem; and it enhances the learning of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills (CEC, 2004). With the daily use of technology in the resource setting, standard eight is being utilized and implemented. This standard’s emphasis is assessment. Regular monitoring of the student’s progress of learning needs in both the general and special education curriculum can be easily done in the resource environment. In addition to progress being monitored regularly, the resource instructor will be able to adjust instruction based on the assessment results (CEC, 2004). References Council for Exceptional Children (2004). Beginning Special Educator Standards. The Council for Exceptional Children: Definition of a Well-Prepared Special Education Teacher. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children Dettmer, P., Knackendoffel, A., Thurston, L.P. (2013). Collaboration, Consultation, and Teamwork for Students with Special Needs, Seventh Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Dettmer, P., Thurston, L.P., Dyck, N.J. (2005). Consultation, Collaboration, and Teamwork for Students with Special Needs, Fifth Edition. Pearson/ Allyn and Bacon Lucas, M. (2013). The Benefits of the Resource Room Model. Retrieved February 11, 2015 from www.prezi.com/ae7v10oo2nzb/the-benefits-of-the-resource-room-model/ National Counselor Examination (2013). Consultation Models. Retrieved February 11, 2015 from www.hgst.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Consultation-models-NCE.pptx National Inclusion Project (2015). What is Inclusion? Retrieved February 9, 2015 from www.inclusionproject.org/lets-all-play/what-is-inclusion/ SERC (2007). Teaching Learning Initiative. Six Approaches to Co-Teaching. Retrieved February 10, 2015 from www.ctserc.org/initiatives/teachandlearn/coteach.shtml Tomko, C.F. (1996). What is Inclusion? Retrieved February 9, 2015 from www.kidstogeth er.org/inclusion.htm US Legal, Inc. (2015). Resource Room (Education) Law Legal Definition. Retrieved February 10, 2015 from www.definitions.uslegal.com/r/resource-room-education/

Enhancing quality in assessment Essay Example for Free

Enhancing quality in assessment Essay Quality assurance refers to refers to any systematic process aimed at ensuring that services and products being developed meet the specified requirements and standards (Sale, 1990). Thorough testing by the quality assurance on products and services is important so as to give developers a chance to fix glitches before new technology prior to the products or services being unleashed to the consumers (Hernon Altman, 1998). Appropriate quality assurance can also support firms in attaining a competitive edge in the trading ecosystem which is extremely complex. It can also help in improving customer acquisition and retention rates through helping in distributing cutting edge services to consumers more dependably and faster. Assessment refers to any process which appraises skills, understanding, knowledge and knowledge of an individual. The vital elements of assessment which requires being quality assured include the assessors, the assessment process, the assessment system, collecting the evidence and making the judgment (Oakland, 1989). Assessment principles propose that assessments should be reliable, fair, flexible and valid. Assessors carrying out the assessment should make sure that assessment decisions engage the evaluation of adequate evidence which will enable a judgment to be made regarding competence of an individual. Assessors judge the individuals against benchmarks or competency standards which are developed by the industry with an aim of assessing whether such individuals are competent. Individual needs of the customers should also be assessed in order to find out whether the products and services provided to them satisfy those needs. This assessment will help in understanding and improving those individual needs (Oakland, 1989). When individual needs are met this will increase the customer’s satisfaction, customer loyalty and also the company will be having a competitive edge over its competitors (Fox, 1993). In order for a company to be successful it should be able to meet the customer expectations. Customer expectations should be made public in organization where appropriate criteria should be introduced and also high standards should be set with an aim of meeting the individual needs of the customers. Also during the assessment there should be a systematical way of analyzing, gathering and interpreting evidence in order to find out how well the performance of the company matches the standards and expectations of the consumers (Harlen, 1994). The information gathered will be used in explaining, documenting and enhancing performance. This will help in creating an organization culture which focuses more on satisfying the individual needs of the consumers which will eventually increases the performance of the company (Garcia, 2009). Assessment is frequently subdivided into two categories namely formative assessment and summative assessment. Formative assessment possess a developmental purpose which is aimed at helping individuals in a company to work more effectively through giving them feedback in connection with their performance and also ways of maintaining or enhancing their performance. This will help the company in ensuring that the customers’ needs and expectations are achieved. On the other hand, summative assessment is used to show the extent of the individual’s success in attaining the assessment criteria used in appraising the intended performance outcomes of the company. Different customers have different needs and requirements and therefore companies should assess those needs in order to satisfy all their individual needs (Gitlow, 2005). Quality assurance process prevents hitches from occurring, detect and correct hitches that do happen, and promote higher standards of care. Assessment activity should be within a quality management system concerned with constant improvement. Two main factors which drives the demand for ensuring the quality of assessment include philosophy of quality management and the desire to follow the set requirements. Assuring assessment quality will leads to many benefits to the organization. Improving the consistency and quality of assessment will assist the assessors to have more confidence on their judgments, individuals to deem that they have been treated in a just way, and community, employers and other groups to value assessment judgment issued. A great concern on quality in assessment easily forms part of the overall approach of the organization and management of quality processes (Quality management and quality assurance standards, 1994). Quality assurance is very concerned on a systematic approach to enhancement that is aimed at responding and recognizing to the expectation and needs of all the groups of stakeholders in organizations. Stakeholders expect quality assessment and training carried out in an environment which is systematic that also assures its services and processes. Quality assurance processes the support staff which supports them in providing effective and efficient service that is focused appropriately on the needs of customers and clients. Quality assurance involves constant improvement (Vitale Vengroski, 1993). The cyclical approach of ‘plan, do, assess, and act’ encourages the need to execute processes, assess their efficiency and act to continue with further improvement (Fox, 1993). Organizational needs should also be assessed where all departments should be assessed and also the employees. Employees should also be allowed to have self-assessment and peer reviewed assessments so as to determine their performance and help in knowing areas to improve in order to enhance their performance (Gitlow, 2005). All the groups and stakeholders which contributes to the performance of the company should be assessed and analyze them in order to come up with effective ways of enhancing the performance of the company. This will also help in increasing customer’s satisfaction since all their needs will be assessed and therefore working towards fulfilling those needs. Assessing individual, groups and organizations needs therefore it very significant towards improving the performance of the company. References Ciccone, K. R., Lord, J. T. (1992). IQA-2: continuous performance improvement through integrated quality assessment. Chicago: American Hospital Pub.. Fox, M. J. (1993). Quality assurance management. London: Chapman Hall. Garcia, D. (2009). Quality management. Chandni Chowk, Delhi [India: Global Media. Gitlow, H. S. (2005). Quality management (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Harlen, W. (1994). Enhancing quality in assessment. London: P. Chapman Pub.. Hernon, P., Altman, E. (1998). Assessing service quality: satisfying the expectations of library customers. Chicago: American Library Association. Oakland, J. S. (1989). Total quality management. Oxford: Heinemann Professional Pub. ;. Quality management and quality assurance standards. (1994). Sydney: Standards Australia ;. Sale, D. N. (1990). Quality assurance. London: Macmillan. Vitale, B. A., Vengroski, S. M. (1993). Quality assessment and improvement in long-term care: a continuous process. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Source document

Oral Hygiene during Placement Simulation

Oral Hygiene during Placement Simulation In this essay, I will be reflecting on the importance of oral hygiene and my experience of giving and receiving oral hygiene care whilst on placement simulation. In conclusion, I will identify my own personal development in undertaking and completing this skill and achieving it. The care of a patients mouth forms an important component of assisting hygiene needs and yet is an aspect of practice which is not always afforded the attention it fully deserves. It is also a role which too often delegated to health care assistants. Research shows that, in the United States, nosocomial pneumonia ranks second in morbidity and first in mortality among nosocomial infections. The treatment of nosocomial pneumonia adds 5 to 7 days to the hospital stay of surviving patients and billions of dollars to healthcare costs. REFLECTION There are different models of reflection one of which is Gibbs (1988). Reflection is the process of reviewing an experience in order to describe, analyses, evaluate and so inform learning about practice (Reid1993). I will use this reflection model in guiding me because it has helped focusing on different aspects of an experience, and exploiting their full potential for learning will be more appreciated. Reflection in professional practice, however, gives back not what it is, but what might be, an improvement on the original (Moon 1999). Description As part of placement simulation, I was part of a group introduced to oral hygiene care. It is one of the core requirements in maintaining the hygiene needs of a patient. When we were told to bring in a towel and tooth brush, I was taken aback as to what was the need for them? I went to the multi-skills laboratory not knowing what will befall me. My lecturer introduced us to a range of chemicals for oral hygiene. I had used some before but on this occasion, there was one I had not tried and used before. I was assigned a colleague to have the opportunity of experiencing the giving and receiving of oral hygiene by cleaning his teeth with toothbrush and pepsodent and vice versa.We performed as instructed. Feelings Upon commencement of activity, my views of healthy oral care were not very clear to me. Generally I perceived cleaning your teeth as being much like washing a face. I felt very embarrassed and inadequate and consequently, felt very uncomfortable as I have not done this to anyone outside of my family. On his part, it was obvious from his reaction that he had no confidence in me, thinking I was going to brush his teeth hard. It highlighted the complex problems I have to solve in practice and the provision of care needs to patients for whom I may not have had contact with before. I thought my pride and dignity had been taken away from me but later felt comfortable having understood what it was generally. Critical Analysis Helping patients/service users to meet their hygiene needs is a fundamental component of nursing care. Again, helping patients to meet their personal hygiene needs provides any nurse with an ideal opportunity to undertake a thorough physical, emotional and cognitive assessment of the patient. Although it seemed difficult at the beginning, by the time we performed on each other for the third time with encouragement we had developed a good working relationship. Encouraging students to acknowledge their intuitive capacity helps them to appreciate their strengths and weaknesses (SWOT). Jasper (2003) regards SWOT analysis as getting to know yourself. The understanding of our skills and abilities and the awareness of where our limits lie is seen as crucial to being able to act as a professional practitioner. After identifying and analyzing of my own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, I showed no more discomfort and shown more interest in the activity as our lecturer continued talked us through. Jackson and Mannix (2001) note that amount of interest the nurse shows in the learning needs of the student and the key role he or she plays in their achievement are essential to the students development. It is strange that sometimes you do things or know what things are without ever really stopping and analysing it. Most students and many professionals note that learning acquired from placement experience is much more meaningful and relevant than that acquired in the lecture room (Quinn 2000). Boud et al 1985 argue: it is common for reflection to be treated as if it were an intellectual exercise a simple matter of thinking rigorously. However, reflection is not solely a cognitive process; emotions are central to all learning. Conclusion Caring for a patient requires a relationship and empathy. By developing collaborative relationship with patients, I can provide prompt and focused interventions which can limit illness. Action Plan My aim is to be proactive in the future by promptly opening up. I aim to develop the skill of emotional resilience to be able to deliver and receive any care. Conclusion Like many others on the group, I thought that students were there through choice, they wanted to learn. As a result of this I expected the group to be mature and behaved. Due to my lack of experience in care and the job title of student nurse, I perceived that most sessions would run in a lecture format. This was probably a very naive move on my part, however following my first two sessions, I realised that if I was to be a successful student nurse, I had to adapt my approach. I needed to focus more upon my involvement and participation, getting the group involved in sessions would help to improve my learning process. However as I develop my nursing skills and also my ability to reflect, I have begun to realise that the process of reflection is more complex than Gibbs (1988) suggests. Whilst Gibbs highlights key areas of the process, I feel that reflection is not as cyclical as this model implies. As my reflective skills develop, I am finding myself jumping some stages of the cycle, revisiting others and in some instances digressing in different directions. I feel that this represents my views of reflection as I have a start point (the experience) and an end point (the outcomes/actions), but how I get there is down to my trail of thought. Whilst at this stage of my development I would not class myself as a successful, I believe I am working to develop the skills required to be successful.

Articles Of Confederation Essay -- essays research papers

Articles of Confederation Analyze the degree to which the Articles provided an effective form of government with respect to any two of the following: Foreign Relations, Economic Conditions, or Western Lands In 1777, the states enacted the Articles of Confederation to preserve democracy and prevent tyranny from those who sought to centralize power. But in their efforts to keep their independence, the states created a weak central government that was unable to improve an insolvent economy and poor foreign relations. Although the confederation gained some substantial powers, the crucial powers to tax and regulate commerce remained with the individual states. Each state passed their own currency, and therefore created inflation and made â€Å"Continentals† in circulation worthless. Compounded with restrictions on trade to Great Britain and down the Mississippi River, the states became mired in a heavy depression. John Fiske, of the conservative view, realized the precarious situation when he stated â€Å"the Nation was under the verge of collapse and near-anarchy and that the five year period after 1783 was the most critical time in American History.† Robert Morris, secretary of finance, resorted to desperate measures with the Newburgh conspiracy in an attempt to raise funds for a depleted military; but it took an impassioned plea from General Washington himself to put down the rebellion. Furthermore, the Articles allowed for personal rights abuses such as unsubstantiated foreclosure s...

Why the Spanish Armada Invaded Britain and Lost Essay -- essays resear

Spanish Armada Essay In this essay I am going to look at why the Spanish armada wanted to invade Britain and why they failed to do so, was it down to luck or were the British too smart for the Spanish. And was it all England's glory? The Spanish wanted to invade England was mainly to turn England back into a catholic country, and to get Queen Elizabeth of the throne and to get a queen who was for the catholic monarch on the throne. However there are many other reasons: Firstly Philip II couldn?t accept that was not the king of England, as he was married to Queen Mary I, who was the Queen before Elizabeth. Secondly, when Philip proposed to Elizabeth she turned him down. Another reason is Elizabeth wouldn?t stop the privateers from robbing and sinking Spanish ships, which were carrying gold over the ocean, however it is to be said that Elizabeth ?turned a blind eye to it?, which means that she knew it was happening but wasn?t taking any notice. The last straw was when Elizabeth executed Mary Queen of Scott?s, who would have been Philips choice of queen to rule England, in 1587. The battle at first sight looked at it should have been a complete walkover for the Spanish, as there army was much stronger, however if you want a successful battle you must have a successful plan. Before the fleet even set off Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, damaged many of the Spanish ships in Cadiz, this is just one of the reasons why the Spanish failed to invade England. The Spanish set-sail in May 1588 with 131 ships, this was after the bad weather held them back. One of the main downfalls of the plan is when the Spanish were supposed to be landing in the harbour at Calais, on the 6th August 1588, the Spanish were not sure... ...t of the ships got shipwrecked. The weather was an enemy to the Spanish around 6 times during the whole duration of the battle. So this can go down to luck for the English. It would be easy to give the glory to England, however the Dutch rebels, who were rather good sailors, gave the English a helping hand to finish off the remains of the Spanish fleet. I conclusion, it is clear that there was some good smart moves by the English, however most of the battle was down to luck, mainly the weather ,that was on England?s side. It is also quite easy to pick out a number of faults in the plan, the Spanish should have planned better and been more prepared e.g. firing the correct size cannonballs. Also it wasn?t just the English who were attacking the Spanish, the Dutch rebels were good sailors so that would back up the English when perusing the Spanish round Scotland. Why the Spanish Armada Invaded Britain and Lost Essay -- essays resear Spanish Armada Essay In this essay I am going to look at why the Spanish armada wanted to invade Britain and why they failed to do so, was it down to luck or were the British too smart for the Spanish. And was it all England's glory? The Spanish wanted to invade England was mainly to turn England back into a catholic country, and to get Queen Elizabeth of the throne and to get a queen who was for the catholic monarch on the throne. However there are many other reasons: Firstly Philip II couldn?t accept that was not the king of England, as he was married to Queen Mary I, who was the Queen before Elizabeth. Secondly, when Philip proposed to Elizabeth she turned him down. Another reason is Elizabeth wouldn?t stop the privateers from robbing and sinking Spanish ships, which were carrying gold over the ocean, however it is to be said that Elizabeth ?turned a blind eye to it?, which means that she knew it was happening but wasn?t taking any notice. The last straw was when Elizabeth executed Mary Queen of Scott?s, who would have been Philips choice of queen to rule England, in 1587. The battle at first sight looked at it should have been a complete walkover for the Spanish, as there army was much stronger, however if you want a successful battle you must have a successful plan. Before the fleet even set off Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, damaged many of the Spanish ships in Cadiz, this is just one of the reasons why the Spanish failed to invade England. The Spanish set-sail in May 1588 with 131 ships, this was after the bad weather held them back. One of the main downfalls of the plan is when the Spanish were supposed to be landing in the harbour at Calais, on the 6th August 1588, the Spanish were not sure... ...t of the ships got shipwrecked. The weather was an enemy to the Spanish around 6 times during the whole duration of the battle. So this can go down to luck for the English. It would be easy to give the glory to England, however the Dutch rebels, who were rather good sailors, gave the English a helping hand to finish off the remains of the Spanish fleet. I conclusion, it is clear that there was some good smart moves by the English, however most of the battle was down to luck, mainly the weather ,that was on England?s side. It is also quite easy to pick out a number of faults in the plan, the Spanish should have planned better and been more prepared e.g. firing the correct size cannonballs. Also it wasn?t just the English who were attacking the Spanish, the Dutch rebels were good sailors so that would back up the English when perusing the Spanish round Scotland.

The Impact of Race, Geographic Location, and Time on the Prevalence of Diabetes :: Descriptive Epidemiology Project, Diabetes

1. What is the outcome of interest? The outcome of interest for my epidemiology project is the prevalence of diabetes in a national population (United States), and how factors such as race, geographic location, and time, have an impact on the outcome. 2. Briefly define and describe your outcome. You may want to do a bit of research on some of the characteristics of your outcome. For example, what is diabetes? Or, how do we define cases of HIV, and what are some of the health implications? Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar (or glucose) levels are above what they should be in a normal person. Through various biological processes, our body turns carbohydrates into glucose, or sugar, for our body to then use as energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood (Basics about Diabetes, 2012). While there are three different types of diabetes (diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2, and gestational diabetes) men and women can develop diabetes at any age. Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called juvenile diabetes, usually develops in young people; but, type 1 diabetes can also develop in adults. In type 1 diabetes, your body no longer makes insulin or enough insulin because the body’s immune system, and other harmful substances, attacked and destroyed the cells that make insulin (Basics about Diabetes, 2012). Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called â€Å"adult-onset diabetes†, can affect people at any age, even children. However, type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older people. People who are overweight and inactive are also more likely to develop it. In type 2 diabetes, fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin to carry glucose into the body’s cells to use for energy—a term denoted as insulin resistance. While the pancreas initially keeps up with the added demand by making more insulin, over time, the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin when blood sugar levels increase (Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011).Gestational diabetes can develop when a woman is pregnant. Pregnant women make hormones that can lead to insulin resistance. All women have insulin resistance late in their pregnancy. If the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin during pregnancy, a woman develops gestational diabetes.

Mrs.Daas

Interpreter of Maladies Good Evening, My name is Trisha Hariramani. A student of The Cathedral Vidya School Lonavala Batch IBDP1 doing my English SL in the A1 course shall be presenting my individual oral presentation on the Character of Mrs. Das in the short story of The Interpreter of Maladies. The collection of stories deals with the everyday lives of Indians abroad (mostly Bengali immigrants), as they go out into the New World with their Indian Diasporas at hand. Jhumpa Lahiri tells us tales of complicated marital relationship, infidelity and the powers of survival.Her short stories, Interpreter of maladies, the blessed house, Mrs. sen, and the treatment of Bibi haldar, are exclusively about women perceived through the eyes of a third person. Each of these female characters has the common motif of exclusion and to a certain extent the pursuit for fulfilment. I am going to be solely focusing on Mrs Das’s character, her traits and personality. In this story of cultural shock , the opening sentences which describes a bitter quarrel between Mrs.Das and her husband over who would take their daughter, Tina, to the bathroom, convey to the reader that not only does she have constrained marriage but also that her children are an obligation to her. Jhumpa Lahiri expands on this initial impression of disgust and depicts Mrs. Das to be self engrossed. She is portrayed to be indifferent to her surroundings. For instance when the men at the tea stall try and tease or entice her by singing Hindi love songs she doesn’t pay any mind at all. Her lack of understanding of the language reveals her cultural obliviousness. To add to this prevalent obliviousness the author describes Mrs.Das’s physical appearance and sense of clothing intently. By doing so she evokes Mrs. Das’s American background and upbringing. â€Å"Her hair was shorn a little longer than her husband’s† as opposed to the long black hair of a stereotypical Indian woman, th is indicates that she is modern and doesn’t have a traditional Indian mindset. Lahiri explicitly portrays the ignorance of Indians abroad towards their homeland as well as the negligence of their cultural values. Jhumpa Lahiri could probably relate or has observed this because she was born and raised outside of India.Instances such as the little boys’ amusement towards the picture of â€Å"the elephant god† commonly known as Ganpati, who is one of the deities best-known and widely worshipped in India depicts how unaccustomed the Das’s were to their Hindu faith. Another example is when Mr. Das inquires about his wife to Tina and refers to Mrs. Das by her first name , this is a confined to be disrespectful in India. The Das’s were evidently tourists in their own country and hadn’t maintained their Indian Diasporas; these close observations are made through the eyes of Mr.Kapasi, their tour guide. Mr. Kapasi empathises with Mrs. Das and easily identifies symptoms of the couples strained marriage. Every relationship goes through hardships but theirs was prolonged, and this played like a broken record in Minas’ mind. She was convinced that she had fallen out of love with her childhood sweetheart and it dawned on her that she may have missed out on what life had to offer. She reflected her life day in a day out eventually falling out of love with life as well. Mrs. Das was gravely depressed. We could relate her eating habit with this). She believed that her husband didn’t suspect or sense their strained marriage but I reckon he did, he just refused to acknowledge or accept the fact.Their marital problems are revealed through their constant bickering, frustrated tones, the indifference towards one another as well as the protracted silences. More than that is their total disregard for each other’s opinion. For instance, Mrs. Das had thought Mr. Kapasi second job to be romantic. â€Å"Mr. das craned to loo k at her. â€Å"What’s so romantic about it? His tone was vexing. The essence of her maternity is alas implicit. There are several instances where she displays an unruly temperament as a mother. For example; Not holding Tina’s hand as they walked to the restroom, nor did she call on the carpet when Tina fiddled with the lock of the car door. While applying nail polish her daughter’s immaterial demand to have some put on her as well was turned down. â€Å"Leave me alone,† she said turning her body slightly. â€Å"You’re making me mess up. † Once again expressing her selfish demeanour.Indirectly implying to the reader to the reader that a bottle of nail paint was more important to this woman than the one she so lovingly conceived her daughter Tina , how the value of love is lost to the realms of a materialistic object which in reality is unimportant, valueless and temporary. In strong comparison, Mr. Das was more of a father figure. He made a n effort to mind the children and answer their dewy-eyed queries. â€Å"What’s Dallas? † Tina asked. â€Å"It went off the air,† Mr. Das explained. â€Å"It’s a television show. † This shows us that Mr. Das doesn’t ignore his children and that he disciplines them when needed. Don’t touch it† Mr. Das warned Ronny. He could see that the little boy was fascinated by the goat and was tempted to go play with it. Unfortunately, when the child rushed over to play with the goat he just frowned and didn’t intervene. Mr. Kapasi finds it hard to believe that the Das’s were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves. This is subjective because this may be strange to someone who has been brought up in India but to an American it could be completely normal. In the story, Lahiri distinctly puts it across to the reader that they weren’t ready to take on the role of parents, and that they were too young.Mrs. Da s sounds more like a teenager being dragged for a family vacation by her parents. Rather than a mature parent aware of her responsibilities. She came out of hiding behind her dark brown sunglasses only when Mr. Kapasi revealed his second job as an interpreter. The attention that Mr. Kapasi received intoxicated him and made him delirious. Little did he know that her sudden interest in him wasn’t genuine and that she had an ulterior motive . Her intentions, which were to relieve herself of her burdensome secret, were blatantly put across when the two were left alone in the car. Mr.Kapasi reads Mrs. Das like an open book at this point. She confesses to him her adultery, and justifies her doings. Her overwhelmed youth being taken from her, having no one to confide in after a bad day, loneliness, this gives me a sense of why she behaved the way she did and had her unconventional feelings to throw everything away. She was expecting a remedy for the way she had felt, unfortunately M r. Kapasi had failed to meet her expectations, she also felt insulted by what he had to say to her. This is depicted by the glare that she gives him. She then turns her back to him and gets out of the car. Is is really pain you feel, Mrs Das, or is it guilt? †Mr. Kapasi certainly hadn’t provided her with a remedy for her ail, but he got to the heart of the matter. After all he was only an Interpreter of Maladies. I found Mrs. Das’s character particularly appealing because of how the story manifested her selfish and egotistical behaviour. Until the very end of the story the reasons for her bad behaviour is a mystery to the reader. As one reads on you are able to empathize with her as she justifies her behaviour and expresses her agony and frustration that she has been suppressing for over a decade. I’d like to end with a quote;