“Pretty Little Liars” by Sara Shepard Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Pretty Little Liars† by Sara Shepard Essay Freud believes that it is part of everyone’s personality to seek pleasure through violence; it is part of the â€Å"ID.† However, the ego negotiates between the ID and superego, meaning the majority of people can regulate between the morals of society and their own pleasures. I agree with this, as does Sara Shepard, the author of â€Å"Pretty Little Liars.† I believe that people who seek pleasure through violence are ill minded, and have psychological issues, due to the fact that the ego should be able to tell the brain to follow the morals of society. ‘A,’ a character from Pretty Little Liars, nobody can solve the mystery regarding who exactly ‘A’ is, however they are ill-minded, and seek pleasure in harming others as a joke. Ill-minded people like this are evil. Most people follow the morals of society, but still enjoy violence. How the person goes about enjoying it is what differs them from everyone else. For example, an individual could can enjoy watching crime shows, such as CSI, Criminal Minds, Law and Order and many others. Even though they enjoy these shows it does not mean that they would go out and seek to hurt someone the way the criminals do to their victims in the show. In â€Å"Pretty Little Liars,† Aria, Hannah, Emily, and Spencer are all good people. They do not go seeking violence, they do not seek harm. This is the way most people in society are. These ‘good people’ have a good ego. Meaning it is negotiating their wants to work with the morals of society. A very select few are ill-minded wishing only harm upon others. ‘A’ from â€Å"Pretty Little Liars† is one of these select few. She or he makes it their goal to ruin the lives of Aria, Hannah, Emily and Spencer. For example, Aria gains an interest in a man during the summer; little did she know he was her new English teacher. They keep it a secret between only them; they were not going to let that tare their new love for each other apart. However, ‘A,’ knows everything. They know how Aria’s dad (a teacher) had an affair on his wife years ago. Due to the fact that Aria is keeping her relationship a secret she receives a text message, signed A, saying, â€Å"Aria, Maybe he fools with students all the time. A lot of teachers do†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Just ask your dad! –A† (Shepard, page 139). This quote shows how A knows everything. They know the girls’ past, and use it against them. ‘A’ is a murderer, they killed Allison during the beginning of the novel, and Ian during the end. ‘A’ did not intend to kill Ian but meant to kill Spencer. The girls have no understanding as to why they are ‘A’s’ targets. They are good people, not intending any harm. This is not a normal person. Innocent people are killed every day because people are sick. They seek pleasure in watching the suffering of an innocent individual. It is not normal or moral, for people to be this evil. I can speak on a personal level. I do not seek pleasure through violence, I do enjoy crime shows, but does that make me a bad person? No. Although someone has enjoyed taking their pleasure out on me by violence, and those that do that to an innocent person are evil. I do not think that the people that look for pleasure in violence truly understand how they affect a person. I can relate to the girls in Pretty Little Liars because they seek help, sometimes people will try and help you, other times it’s a hard concept for many to believe. Emily, Aria, Hannah and Spencer cannot trust anybody the same because of the horror and threats they are encountering that affect their daily lives. Just as I cannot do a lot of things that I use to do prior to my incident. Nothing is the same. People that seek violence do not realize what they are actually doing to other people because they only seek self-pleasure, they are ill-minded. There is always going to be a psychological battle between the ID and superego, however the ego’s ability to negotiate between the two is what will make or break an individual. There are many ill-minded people in our world, there is help. ‘A’ is an evil person, just like many in our world seeking pleasure in selfish ways because they don’t know any different. Their effects on people could be unfortunate. Not everyone is made evil, it’s a psychological illness. There is good in this world. Works Cited Shepard, Sara. Pretty Little Loars. New York: Harper Teen, 2006. 139. Print.

Platelet Rich Plasma-platelet Concentrate (PRP-PC) Analysis

Platelet Rich Plasma-platelet Concentrate (PRP-PC) Analysis Quality assessment of platelet concentrates prepared at Dr. Pinnameneni Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation Dr. Anusha A.M Background Platelet rich plasma-platelet concentrate (PRP-PC) were prepared and their quality variables were evaluated. Material and methods In this study platelet products were prepared using platelet rich plasma method. After preparation the products were transferred to platelet incubator and agitated. Their quality was assessed after 24 hours of preparation using the following parameters: volume of the platelet concentrate, platelet count, RBC contamination, morphology and pH. Results Volume 90% of the RDP was weighing between 50 to 70 ml, 4% below 50 and 6% above 70 ml. The count correlated well in both the methods and 85% of RDP had a count of above 5.5 x 1010, 15% had below 5 x 1010. Ph: 56% of the RDP had of 6.3 to 6.5, 33% had 6.6 to 7.0 and 6% at 6.2 and 5% above 7.0. Appearance: 86% was light straw colored, 3% light pint, 6% pink and 5% red. Conclusion During the storage of platelet concentrates there is progressive loss in capacity of survival and function of platelets. In order to maximize the preservation of platelet viability it is best to allow PRP to repose at room temperature for 1-2 hours and then transfuse as soon as possible. To maximize the therapeutic values of platelet concentrates quality control is essential and helps to identify trouble shooting in procedures. In conclusion more than 95% of the RDPs prepared meet the standard. Keywords:Platelet rich plasma-platelet concentrate, quality parameters, platelet count Introduction Transfusion medicine has over the years evolved to assume a complex medical discipline that aided or modified patient care. Blood donation culture has not been fully imbibed in our society and homologous blood is usually in short supply in the blood banks with its attendant consequences in patient management1. Platelet transfusion therapy has played an important role in the management of patients 2,3]. Today, platelet concentrates are prepared from whole blood either by differential centrifugation buffy coat-derived platelet concentrates (BC) or by platelet rich plasma- platelet concentrates (PRP-PC) and plateletpheresis (4,5). There are several methods for quality control of platelet components including cell counting, pH, volume and morphology.[6.7.8]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of platelets during the storage of platelet concentrates derived from PRP-PCs and whether patients got adequate therapeutically useful amount of platelets. Materials and Methods The present study was conducted at blood bank, PSIMS RF, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study was carried out on 100 patients. Platelet products were prepared from whole blood using platelet rich plasma method. After preparation these were stored in platelet incubator and agitated. Their quality was assessed after 24 hours of preparation using the following parameters: volume of the platelet concentrate, platelet count, RBC contamination, morphology and pH. For the study, samples were taken from the segment of tubing in the platelet concentrate bag to maintain sterility inside the bag. Volume The volume of the platelet concentrates were measured by deducting the volume of the empty bag from the volume of the platelets concentrate bag in ml. The measurements were recorded. pH p H of the platelet concentrate units were checked by the use of semi-quantitative dipsticks ( Bayers multistix strips) Total Platelet Count Platelet count was done by 2 methods Automated method by using fully automated analyzer Sysmex KX-21 to assess the quality o the platelets. Counting was based on impedance technology. Manual method using counting chamber. RBC contamination Platelet concentrate unit was checked by visual inspection or various colours. Morphology Morphology was analyzed by staining smear by leishman stain. Results 1. Volume 95% of PRP-PC was weighing between 55 to 75 ml and 5% below 55. pH 76% of the PRP-PC had of 6.3 to 6.5, 20% had 6.6 to 7.0 and 4% below 6.3. Total Platelet Count The count correlated well in both the methods and 90% of PRP-PC had a count of above 5.0 x 1010 and 10% below 5 x 1010. 4. RBC contamination 92% was light straw colored, 4% light pint and 4% pink. Morphology 94% of the platelets were discoid, 4% spherical and 1% fragmented. Discussion The potential of transfused platelets to circulate and function is dependent on ex-vivo and in-vivo factors. The percentage of platelets that maintain discoid form is a primary and simple indicator for the quality of the stored platelet concentrates. PCs been gently prepared and then immediately transfused without a storage interval have high retrieval, good survival and conserved function. Quality assessment of platelet concentrates is an important step to evaluateex-vivofunctional viability of platelet concentrates and post transfusion recovery and survival in donee. Various variables are used for routinequality assessment of platelet concentrates such as volume, platelet count, morphology, RBC contamination and pH. Conclusion During storage, platelet concentrates gradually lose the capacity to survive and function. In order to preserve platelet viability, PRP should be allowed to rest at room temperature, for 1-2 hours and transfused as soon as possible thereafter. There is a need to improve the quality of the platelet concentrates being prepared to get maximum therapeutic values. Doing quality control is essential and it is not only valuable in itself but also helps in identify trouble shooting of the procedures. In conclusion more than 95% of the PRP-PC prepared met the standards. References Olaitan PB, Onah I I, Ogbonnaya I S. Preliminary reports of autologous blood transfusion in a plastic surgery unit. Tropical Doctor.2006; 36: 20-21 Snyder EL, Hezzey A, Katz AJ, Bock J (1981) Occurrence of the release reaction during preparation and storage of platelet concentrates. Vox Sang 41:172-177. Heaton WA, Rebulla P, Pappalettera M, Dzik WH (1997) A comparative analysis of different methods for routine blood component preparation. Transfus MedRev 11:116-129. Fijnheer R, Pietersz RN, de Korte D, Gouwerok CW, Dekker WJ, et al. (1990)Platelet activation during preparation of Platelet Concentrate: A comparison of Platelet Rich Plasma and the buffy coat methods. Transfusion 30: 634-638. Jerad S, Prane K (1997) The Platelet Storage lesions. Transfusion Medicine Reviews 2: 130-144. Dijkstra-Tiekstra MJ, Pietersz RN, Huijgens PC (2004) Correlation Between the extent of platelet activation in platelet concentrates and in vitro and in vivo parameters. Vox Sang 87: 257-263. Kamath S, Blann AD, Lip GY (2001) Platelet activation: assessment andquantification. Eur Heart J 22: 1561–1571. Albanyan AM, Murphy MF, Rasmussen JT, Heegaard CW, Harrison P (2009)Measurement of phosphatidylserine exposure during storage of platelet concentrates using the novel probe lactadherin: a comparison study with annexin V. Transfusion 49: 99-107. Rinder HM, Smith BR. In vitro evaluation of stored platelets: Is there hope for predicting post-transfusion platelet survival and function?Transfusion.2003;43:2–6 Holme S. Storage and quality assessment of platelets.Vox Sang.1998;74:207–16.

traglear The Tragic Truth of King Lear :: King Lear essays

The Tragic Truth of King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King Lear is another story of a soul in torment, a "purgatorial" story. Again the tragic writer has internalized a commonplace action, the facts of which were legendary and presumably known to Shakespeare's audience. Like the Poet of Job, who dramatized the tragic alternatives to the folk story, and like Marlowe, who saw the elements of tragic dilemma in the story of Faustus, Shakespeare transformed the tale of the mythical, pre-Christian King Lear ("who ruled over the Britons in the year of the world 3105, at what time Joas ruled in Judah") into a dramatic action whose shape and quality define Christian tragedy in its full development. This is not to say (as it should now be clear) that the play accords with Christian doctrine --- certainly not the Christian view of death and salvation, although the values of the Christian ethics are abundantly illustrated. Nor does the term "Christian tragedy" make a statement about the author's faith or lack of it. It suggests the meeting in a single dramatic action of the non-Christian (Greek, pagan, or humanist) with the Christian to produce a world of multiplied alternatives, terrible in its inconclusiveness --- as, for instance, the "terrifying ambiguity" with which Faustus confronts us --- in which the certainties of revealed Christianity lose the substance of faith and become only tantalizing possibilities hovering about but not defining the action, like Horatio's "flights of angels" or the "holy water" of Cordelia's tears. Marlowe followed out the old story, even to the devils carrying off Faustus amidst thunder; but his actual Hell is humanist ("Where we are is hell," said Mephistophilis) and, like the Heaven Faustus reached for in the end, functions in the play less as an objective Christian belief than as a way of dramatizing inner reality. The one absolute reality that Faustus discovered, and the absolute reality all tragedy affirms and to which Christian tragedy gives new emphasis and infinite di mension, was the reality of what Christianity calls the soul --- that part of man, or element of his nature, which transcends time and space, which may have an immortal habitation, and which is at once the seat and the cause of his greatest struggle and greatest anxiety. Compared with Faustus, King Lear shows this situation in a much vaster ramification, until it seems to touch the highest ("the gods that keep the dreadful pudder o'er our heads") and the lowliest, and is finally caught up in a Greeklike fate that carries the action to a swift and terrible conclusion.

Britney Spears Essay -- Biography

Modern society has made a sub-culture that lives in a reality that is not real. It is so far from the truth that the inhabitants of this sub-culture so often cannot live in both realities and have become a spectacle for others to marvel at. This sub-culture is made up of entertainers, millionaires, and athletes. The people in this group can range from newborns to death and some live on well after. The specimens that I find an interest in are the young ones that enter into this society not knowing well that their lives will never be the same. Britney Spears was just another victim of the society that brings into their prison. Britney Spears was born on December 2, 1981. She lived in Kentwood, Louisiana and was constantly performing in front of people and always wanted to be on 'Star Search'. Britney tried out for the New Mickey Mouse Club at age 8 and then again at 11 and made it. Then she went solo because her talent was evident and she wanted more (A & E Television Networks, 2011). Britney was very successful from 1998 to 2000. During these years, things were changing for her. Britney was telling people about her â€Å"remaining a virgin until marriage† yet she was posing in pictures that convinced people to think otherwise. Her albums still continued to sell in the United States as well as in Europe. She embarked on many successful roads through 2003 (Wikipedia, 2011). Her public finally saw her as a woman not a girl. In 2002, Britney and her boyfriend Justin Timberlake broke up. The following year during the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney and former fellow Mouseketeer Christina Alguilera kissed Madonna sensually (A&E Television Networks, 2011). Madonna has been a major influence in Britney's life. Ever since she was a... ...ality disorder is not extreme as it could be from the information that could be found. Because of this, there may be hope that she could live without medication and only therapy. This would be determined as she progresses. Having a stable support system may enable Britney to go back into the singing again but I would recommend that she only does this for small blocks of time. So many young people go into the entertainment business. Most of them do not know that without a support system to keep them grounded and stable their mental development can be compromised. The society that we place so high in our culture and deem worthy of such high praise, eat our children alive. They grow too fast, have to defend themselves constantly, and are watched around the clock. As a society, we must take a look at what we are doing to the people in the entertainment industry.

Essay on school uniforms Essay

Imagine being able to wake up every morning, roll out of bed, put on the same thing you wore the day before, and head off to school. Not only would you be able to do such a thing, but all of your friends were doing it, too! Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s becoming more common in our society as school uniforms have gone beyond private schools to public schools. Uniforms have a positive effect on students’ self-esteem, attendance, discipline, and test scores. They have also been proven to decrease the rate of crime and violence in public schools. Most students and even parents will argue that SCHOOL UNIFORMS stifle individualism. The teenage years are a time when adolescents try out different personas, often experimenting with different styles of clothing during this phase. Opponents argue that uniforms take away an individual’s freedom of expression. However, the clothes that people wear, or can afford to wear, often define the group by which they are accepted. As a result, many teens are outcast due to the fact that they cannot afford the top-of-the-line, name-brand clothing. This rejection can lead to several problems for the outcast teen: depression, inability to concentrate on schoolwork, or just a general feeling of inferiority. School uniforms put everyone on the same level because no outfit is more stylish or expensive than another. Linda Moore, principal at Will Rogers Middle School in Long Beach, California, states, â€Å"Uniforms reduce the differences between the haves and have-nots† (Ritter, 1). Uniforms allow students to interact with one another without experiencing the socioeconomic barrier that non-uniform schools create. More importantly, children are not judged on how much they spent on clothes or how stylish they look, but rather for their talents and personalities. School uniforms not only break down socioeconomic barriers, but they also increase the safety of the students. In 1996, President Bill Clinton encouraged the use of school uniforms as part of an education program that sought to improve safety and discipline (Hoffman, 1). If students are all wearing the same type of outfit, it becomes much easier to spot outsiders  who may wander onto the campus. In addition, uniforms decrease the number of incidences of students being attacked or beaten for items of clothing such as shoes and jackets. Also, members of gangs frequently have a color or style of clothing used to identify themselves. Unsuspecting students who wear gang colors or gang-related attire might be threatened or intimidated by members of opposing gangs, students wearing expensive or fashionable clothes might become victims of theft, or certain fashion accessories or attire may be used as a means of concealing weapons, or even as weapons (Paliokas, 1). At a school in Long Beach, California, after only the first year that uniforms were implemented, overall school crime decreased 36 percent, fights decreased 51 percent, sex offenses decreased 74 percent, weapons offenses decreased 50 percent, assault and battery offenses decreased 34 percent, and vandalism decreased 18 percent (Manual, 3). Schools with uniform-clad students are also proven to have fewer disciplinary problems and increased attendance than non-uniform schools. Dr. John German, principal of South Shore, located in Seattle, Washington, reports, â€Å"This year the demeanor in the school has improved 98 percent, truancy and tardies are down, and we have not had one reported incident of theft† (Manual,4). Ruffner Middle School, located in Norfolk, Virginia, reports a 47 percent decrease in students leaving class without permission (Manual,5). With the implementation of uniforms, students no longer spend hours deciding what they are going to wear to school. This fear of looking â€Å"uncool† will often cause kids to decide that they do not feel well enough to go to school because they can’t find anything to wear. Uniforms allow students to focus more on their academics, and less on what everyone else is wearing. According to Long Beach police chief William Ellis, â€Å"Students concentrate more on education, not on who’s wearing $100 shoes or gang attire† (Manual, 3). Elementary Guidance Counselor Sharon Carter of Memphis, Tennessee states, â€Å"The tone of the school is different. There’s not the competitiveness†¦about who’s wearing what† (Manual, 5). Many families worry about not having enough money to buy uniforms. Due to the fact that no child can be denied an education because of economic  disadvantage, all schools requiring uniforms must include provisions to assist low-income families. For example, the Long Beach School District solved this problem by setting up a boutique shop, funded by private donors, where needy students can shop (Paliokas, 5). In addition, community and business leaders provide or contribute financial support for uniforms, and students who have graduated often donate their used uniforms to incoming students (Manual, 3). However, uniforms are considerably cheaper to buy than non-uniform clothes, and the students can wear them every day and it isn’t considered unusual. Parents can buy a few pairs of pants, shirts, or other variations of a uniform for under $100, while parents of non-uniform-wearing students can spend from several hundred up to $1,000 a year on clothing. Parents find that buying two or three uniforms is ultimately cheaper than buying clothes to follow the fads, and it stops arguments at home in the mornings about what to wear (Oland, 1). Pop culture increasingly sends young girls the message that the smaller and tighter the clothes, the more readily they will be accepted. These outfits, which flaunt navels and bra straps, are not only distracting, but detract from teaching time as teachers argue with students about what is considered acceptable attire. With uniforms, there are only a few acceptable variations of the outfit, no questions asked. A less well-known theory concerning the pros of school uniforms is the â€Å"halo effect.† According to researcher Marc Posner, the â€Å"halo effect† refers to the idea that while uniforms may not change student behavior, the uniforms may change the way teachers and other adults perceive the students who wear them. In a study of the correlation of student clothing and teacher and student perceptions, Dorothy Behling of Bowling Green University found that students and teachers alike believe that uniform-clad students not only behave better, but also do better academically than those who don’t wear uniforms. While this may be an illusion, these positive perceptions can help create a self-fulfilling prophecy that teachers and administrators raise their discipline and grading standards to reflect their more positive image of students, who, in turn, behave better. (School Discipline, 1). While research on the effectiveness of uniforms is still ongoing, they have been proven to raise test scores, boost self-esteem, reduce violence and crime, and create a sense of newfound pride in students. They help children to focus on learning and schoolwork, not on what everyone else is wearing or whether or not they fit in. Uniforms are not the solution to all of the problems that teens, teachers, and schools face today, but research and statistics suggest that they may be a step in the right direction.

An American novelist Essay

An American novelist, historian, and literary historian-that was Alfred Bertram Guthrie, Jr. Having shown an excellent writing style and due to his love of Montana he went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for his fiction The Way West in 1959. This book mainly talks about Dick Summer’s return to the Wild West to guide some settlers on the hard journey to Oregon through a dangerous trail (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, 18). A. B. Guthrie wrote with a unique sense of style, skill, artful simplicity and eloquent sentiment and these are all apparent in the opening, the discovering, the settling, the emergent and the exploiting of the American West. At the point in his life when he was merely a university graduate in journalism, he pioneered the hard knowledge that has helped young novelists ascend to greater heights. Guthrie gave much of himself and his time to advise young writers just as Professor Theodore Morrison, his mentor, did for him. Guthrie’s ability to pay attention to historical accuracy, his love of nature, an unfailing ear for dialect and realistic dialogue and the skill to create unforgettable characters that readers easily adapt to care about are the traits that set him aside from other writers. The distinctiveness of his ability to frame vivid, tightly compressed scenes in which those characters intermingle is pure intellect (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, p. 31). In defining the American experience, Guthrie’s The Big Sky is a big aid in attempting to understand the conflict during this time. It provides descriptive evidence of the attitude of pioneers, the readiness of the pioneers, the empathy for the land that fur-trappers and backwoodsmen had during that time and how all the diverse people merged to form a nation. Guthrie’s most outstanding accomplishment is demonstrated in his ability to affirm the range, complexity, and the intensity of the colonization of the Missouri and Columbia drainage basins by real people which was his large subject (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, p. 45) . Work Cited Joseph Howard, A. B. Guthrie & Peter Hurd. Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome. Yale University Press, 1959, 18, 31, 45

No Zero Policy Essay

In most schools in many states, teachers and parents consider a grade of zero acceptable for incomplete homework. It is common for teachers to give zeros for late or slacked off assignments. Unfortunately, few teachers or parents question the usefulness of the consequence, and students continue to reap the consequences without benefit. Giving zeros as an punished measurement produces failure rather than performance. Administrators conjure up the fact that raising questions about grading procedures could induce powerful emotional responses from all the teachers. Even when school policies exist, teachers often deviate from the prescribed standard to reflect the teacher’s personal preferences for evaluating students. Grading policies usually develop from teachers’ personal school experiences without questioning or considering the validity of the process. Most teachers agree that grades are a measurement of learning and should reflect the effort of the student rather than the knowledge. However, many grading policies promise zeros for things like not doing homework, having incomplete or late assignments, being tardy, coming to class without books, chewing gum, or failing to follow through with any other required classroom rules. Unfortunately, many teachers combine behavior issues with a students’ academic measurement. Giving zeros for behavior issues is an inaccurate reflection of the student’s academic performance. Academic measurement should only measure learning. A zero is a mathematically imbalanced measurement as the normal grading scale for most school. Conant using the unbalanced tipped scale for certain performance classes. Letter grades usually have a ten point range or less. For instance, A would be 90-100, B is 80-89, C is 70-79, D is 60-69. Using this method, an evaluation for an â€Å"F† should be F as 50-59. It is not required for the â€Å"F† to carry 59 points (0-59) while all other grades carry 10 points. An â€Å"A† averaged with an â€Å"F† should make a â€Å"C.† However, if the â€Å"A† is 100 and the â€Å"F† is 0, averaged they equal a 50 which is still an â€Å"F†. Teachers usually use zeros to motivate students to do better. However, zeros kill motivation. Two zeros, whether just or unjust, can destroy a good average. Zeros produce a sense of hopelessness and certain failure. Many students fail courses due to a lack of organizational abilities rather than defiance. When teachers give zeros for homework assigned for extra credit rather than for the actual learning process, they are using grades as a behavior punishment. Recording a failing grade for assignments not intended for the means of simple knowledge is not reasonable. Assigning zeros for homework issues is especially common for students with organizational issues and dysfunctional homes that lack parental support. The grade of a zero does not benefit the motivation of a child’s education. Students through laziness take zeros as an easy way out of doing the assignment. Students often avoid assignments like research papers, essays, and reports by taking a zero instead of doing the work. The student barely passes to the next grade without having gained these vital learning experiences. Students with organizational problems do not increase performance skills through the automatic zero. Neither does the automatic zero help students who do not understand the assignment gain the knowledge intended. In fact, the automatic zero threatens failure. Teachers need to use logical consequences rather than a full blown zero when work is not completed. There are several possible alternatives to giving a zero. The school can include tardiness and other behavior issues in its own discipline policy rather than in the grading system. If the teacher must give a failing grade, give a grade no more than ten points lower than the last passing grade to make the measurement equitable. The teacher can have a homework detention hall after school to help those who struggle with completing assignments. The student receives a grade of incomplete until the student completes major assignments such as research papers, essays, and reports. The final average for the term is recorded only when the assignments are all received and graded. The student cannot earn credit for the course until these valuable assignments are completed and turned in. A minimal passing grade would be appropriate for extremely late assignments. For many years teachers have followed grading procedures learned from their teachers without evaluating their effectiveness or appropriateness. Grades should measure academic learning not the slacking effort of the student, for they may have their reasons. Receiving a zero for not putting your name on a paper or failing to do homework does not reflect a student’s lack of knowledge. Zeros promote failure rather than the student gaining more knowledge. Three 100’s averaged with one zero gives a score of 75. The zero forces failure and is not an evenhanded measurement of learning. Anything that is inequitable is unjust. If it is unjust, it is unethical. Therefore, giving zeros as an academic measurement is not proper to the safe learning environment of High Schools.