Monday, March 9, 2020

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames Everyone knows how to pronounce their last name, right? Since surnames are obviously a point of pride, its not hard to understand why families would insist on pronouncing them a certain way. But second- and third-generation Italian Americans who have little or no knowledge of Italian are often unaware of how to correctly pronounce their last names, resulting in anglicized versions that bear little aural resemblance to the original, intended form. Thats Not Italian In popular culture, on TV, in movies, and radio, Italian surnames are frequently mispronounced. Endings are truncated, extra syllables are added where none exist, and vowels are barely mouthed. Its no wonder, then, that many Italian Americans cannot pronounce their last names the way their forefathers did. If you cringe when hearing Italian words mispronounced, are interested in how your surname was meant to be pronounced in the original language, or want to recognize your own last name when spoken by a native Italian, there are a few simple rules to follow. When Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang, in the 1969 Grammy Awards Record of the Year song Mrs. Robinson, Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? they turned the Yankee Hall of Famers last name into four syllables. In fact, the Italian pronunciation should be dee-MAH-joh. In 2005, amidst the blanket media coverage of the Terri Schiavo case (brain-dead and in a coma, her husband went to court to have her taken off life support) the American media persisted in pronouncing her last name as SHY-vo, which to Italian speakers sounded very wrong. The correct pronunciation is skee-AH-voh. There are many other examples in which no attempt is made for even a close approximation of standard Italian pronunciation, which has lead to the spread of careless sounding out of Italian last names. Ironically, in Italy native Italian speakers struggle with the same dilemma of whether to pronounce surnames on the grounds of nationality (i.e., to italicize a last name) or on the basis of the origin of the surname. The Correct Way If many English speakers cannot seem to pronounce Italian last names correctly, how can you avoid common pronunciation mistakes in Italian? Remember that Italian is a phonetic language, which means words are usually pronounced as they are written. Determine how to break down your surname into syllables and learn how to pronounce Italian consonants and vowels. Ask a native Italian or someone fluent in the language how to pronounce your cognome italiano, or post a message on the forums such as: How to pronounce the surname Lucania correctly (hint: its not loo-KA-nia, or loo-CHA-nia, but loo-KAH-nee-ah). At some point, the linguistic clouds will part, and youll be able to pronounce your Italian last name as it was meant to be. Stumbling, Mumbling Pronunciation There are a few letter combinations in Italian that frequently trip up even the most assiduous speaker, and lead to the mangled pronunciation of last names. For example, Albert Ghiorso was the co-discoverer of a number of chemical elements. But pronouncing the surname Ghiorso shouldnt require a Ph.D. in chemistry. The scientists last name is not enunciated gee-OHR-so but rather ghee-OR-soh. Other potential tongue-twisters include double consonants, ch, gh, and the ever-tricky gli. Master these articulation challenges, and youll sound like a native when pronouncing memorable Italian last names such as: Pandimiglio, Schiaparelli, Squarcialupi, and Tagliaferro.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Capital structure theory, issues and debates while showing how capital Research Paper

Capital structure theory, issues and debates while showing how capital structre choices affects a firms return on investment (RO - Research Paper Example In this portion, the MM approach for the capital structure theory has been described, and the assumptions have been stated and criticized. The main objective of this project is to show the importance of the capital structure of a company and its affect on the performance. A detailed analysis of the debt and equity financing has been done in this project from 2010 to 2012. Their implications have been discussed. In this project, it has also been shown how the capital structure of a company determines the business risk. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Business and Financial Risks 5 Business Risks 5 Financial Risks 5 Modigilani and Miller’s Capital Structure Theory 6 Capital Structure Evidence and Implications 7 Optimal Capital Structure for the Company 9 Conclusion 11 References 12 Appendices 13 Introduction Coca Cola is a multinational beverage manufacturer, marketer and retailer of non-alcoholic beverages (Coca Cola, 2013a). It has its headquarters in Atla nta, Georgia. It was established in 1886 by John Pemberton who was a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia (Coca Cola, 2013b). Initially the beverage was sold for 5 cents each glass at Jacob’s Pharmacy and regularly nine glasses were purchased. John Pemberton died within two years and after that the brand was bought by Asa Candler in 1889 (Coca Cola, 2013c). From 1900 to 1920, the company expanded to a great extent. Robert Woodruff was appointed as the President of the company just four years after it has been bought by his father from Asa Candler. He remained in that position for a period of more than sixty years. From 1950 to 1960, the company introduced different flavors of juices in its product line. Presently the company serves in most of the remote areas of the globe and has more than five hundred different drinking brands. The company is currently financing its operations with higher dependency on debt capital. There are various factors that affect the capital structure of t he company. It needs to be financially flexible in order to adapt to the changes in the existing market. The financial performance of the company has improved significantly. The company is enjoying tax benefits because of the high debt financing. Thus, the tax position of the company is good. There are various other business risks which are reducing its growth opportunities. Business and Financial Risks The company has some risks which pose a threat to the projection of growth. Business Risks Changes in the Customer Preferences Presently, it has been observed that the customer’s preferences for non-alcoholic drinks have changed due to various health concerns, changes in their lifestyle and also the pressure from the competitive products in the market. The company should try to adapt to the changes with the current market conditions in order to lead the market and also to reach to other areas which have not been explored. Increase in Competition Among all the leading beverage manufacturing companies, PepsiCo is the major competitor of Coca Cola. There is also an increased competition from different beer manufacturing companies which provide various non-alcoholic products. Thus, Coca Cola is facing a threat from the strong competitors in the market. Financial Risks Fluctuations in Foreign Exchange Rates The company incurs liabilities in different currencies apart from that of dollar. The changes

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Company Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Company Overview - Essay Example Mr. Daryl Scholz is a project management coordinator that utilizes project management methodologies to plan, implement, and evaluate projects related to technology for the Information Technology Services department. Scholz works with numerous projects including, curriculum navigator, map works, student dashboard, centralized ticketing, web CMS, and the student portal. Even though Mr. Daryl Scholz is managing many projects, we narrowed it down to his latest accomplishment, the HuskeyNet Student Portal. The purpose of the HuskeyNet Student Portal Project was to create a user-friendly, customizable portal for student to use. It was student tested and students can implement ideas and suggestions to how or what they want the portal to have. Every project come with a challenge and the student portal did not escape to the rule. After working on the student health services and backing up thousands of student files. The student portal appeared at first sight to be an easier project. After meeting with different constituent and stockholder, they soon realize that the task was far from being a small project. Many aspects involved in this project was crucial to the success and satisfaction of students. â€Å" K and his team developed a plan that will help reach their goals. A time has to be set for the project to be delivered as soon as possible for student to be able test and implement it by fall 2012 with a period set , of one year and half, the team started refining and giving life to the project. At first sight the project presented many strength and opportunities. Students were thrill by this new look and were anxious to come and see it coming alive. The student portal was a great opportunity for workers to expand their professional skills. Instead of using it the same skills over and over again they had to master software like java. Despite K and his team was still worried about some weakness and threats that may appear along the way

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Indian Independence And Partition History Essay

Indian Independence And Partition History Essay It began with the idea of Mahatma Gandhi to free India from the control of the British, in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi proposed a non-violence march to protest the British Salt Tax. To understand why the British salt tax was so oppressive to the Indian people, it helps to know a bit about the subcontinents climate and culture. Indias hot weather promotes  sweating, which drains the human body of its salt supply. Since Indians dont eat much meat a natural source of salt they relied on supplementary salt to maintain a healthy amount in the body. Taxing the mineral that Indian people relied on for survival was just one way that the British government kept Indians under its thumb. As salt is necessary in everyones daily diet, everyone in India was affected and upon realizing the scheme of the British, the salt march was set in motion. Before embarking on a 240 miles march from Sabarmati to Dandi to protest the salt tax, Gandhi sent a letter to the Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, forewarning their plans of civil disobedience: If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of this month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as I can take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws.   I regard this tax to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor mans standpoint.   As the Independence movement is essentially for the poorest in the land, the beginning will be made with this evil. (Gandhi) Acknowledged of this action, the viceroy could have arrested him easily but by doing so could spark an intense backlash so he only replied: [Gandhi was] contemplating a course of action which is clearly bound to involve violation of the law and danger to the public peace. As promised, on March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male satyagrahis (activists of truth and resolution) started marching toward the Arabian Sea. It has been told that along his way, the roads were watered, and fresh flowers and green leaves strewn on the path; and as the satyagrahis walked, they did so to the tune of one of Gandhis favorite bhajans,  Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, sung by the great Hindustani vocalist, Pandit Paluskar.  Each village he passed by, he convinced government officials to resign in protest and to encourage people to pledge nonviolence, therefore, more and more men joined the march. On April 5, 1930, after a 24 day-long journey, Gandhi and his followers reached the coast, he collected a chunk of salt and immediately broke the law. No sooner had Gandhi violated the law than everyone started following him, picking up salt off the coast. A month after Gandhi completed his march he was arrested for breaking the law and soon after Indias prisons were full with 60.00 0 others practicing this simple act of civil disobedience. (Hatt, (2002).  p. 33) Women Again, though women were full and active members of Gandhis community, and many were to be closely associated with him over a lengthy period of time, as he went so far to say that the women have come to look upon me as one of themselves., no women were present among the 78 people chosen to accompany him on the march. An explanation for this was that Gandhi felt women wouldnt provoke law enforcers like their male counterparts, making the officers react violently to non-violence. As salt is an important household  necessity, Gandhi strongly favoured the emancipation of women. He especially recruited women to participate in the salt tax campaigns and the boycott of foreign products.( Norvell, 1997.) Sarma (1994) had concluded that by enlisting women in his campaigns, including the salt tax campaign, anti-untouchability campaign and the peasant movement, Gandhi had gave many women a new self-confidence and dignity in the mainstream of Indian public life. Folk Hero Gandhi was portrayed as a messiah (the long-awaited savior of an entire people), a way of incorporating radical forces within the peasantry into the nonviolent resistance movement. It was told that in thousand of villages, plays were performed presenting Gandhi as the rebirth of earlier Indian nationalist leaders, or even as a demigod. The plays built support among illiterate peasants steeped in traditional Hindu culture. Similar messianic imagery appeared in popular songs and poems, and in Congress-sponsored religious pageants and celebrations.  In this way, not only a folk hero image of Gandhi was made, but also, the Congress was seen as his sacred instrument. .( Murali, (1985) Negotiations The government, represented by  Lord Edward Irwin, decided to negotiate with Gandhi. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact  was signed in March 1931. The agreement between Gandhi and Irwin was signed on March 5, 1931. Following are the salient points of this agreement: The Congress would discontinue the Civil Disobedience Movement. The Congress would participate in the Round Table Conference. The Government would withdraw all ordinances issued to curb the Congress. The Government would withdraw all prosecutions relating to offenses not involving violence. The Government would release all persons undergoing sentences of imprisonment for their activities in the civil disobedience movement. The pact shows that the British Government was anxious to bring the Congress to the conference table. The British Government agreed to free all political prisoners, in return for the discontinuation  of the civil disobedience movement. Also as a result of the pact, Gandhi was invited to attend the Round Table Conference in London as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress. Gandhi was sent by the Congress as its sole representative, but the negotiations proved to be disappointing, for the most part that various other Indian communities had been encouraged by the British to send a representative and make the claim that they were not prepared to live in an India under the domination of the Congress. Furthermore, it focused on the Indian princes and Indian minorities rather than on a transfer of power.  Ã‚  Yet never before had the British consented to negotiate directly with the Congress, and Gandhi met Irwin as his equal. In this respect, the man who most loathed Ga ndhi, Winston Churchill, understood the level of Gandhis achievement when he stated it alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the viceregal palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King-Emperor.  The result was unexpected as Gandhi was again arrested, and the government tried and failed to negate his influence by completely isolating him from his followers. (Herman (20080.  pp. 375-377) World War II and Quit India. When World War II broke out in 1939, Britain turned to its colonies, including  India, for soldiers.   His attitude during the war years was difficult to define; he felt very concerned about the rise of fascism around the world, but he also had become a committed pacifist)  For one thing, he would never compromise over pacifism. War, for whatever cause, was in his view a bad thing. Though evil must be resisted, it could never be fought effectively by violence, for violence was the root of all evil. Resistance to Germany and Japan must therefore be by the same means of non-violence which he had himself used in India against the British. No doubt, he remembered the lessons of the Boer War and World War I loyalty to the colonial government during war did not result in better treatment afterwards. The crisis in the war-time relations between Mr Gandhi and the British Government came during the Cripps mission in the spring of 1942. Sir Stafford Cripps took with him proposals for establishing in India immediately after the war Dominion status of full self-government, with the right to declare independence, the minimum provision being made to render the scheme acceptable to Moslems. In March of 1942, British cabinet minister Sir Stafford Cripps offered the Indians a form of autonomy within the British Empire in exchange for military support. The Cripps offer included a plan to separate the Hindu and Muslim sections of India, which Gandhi found unacceptable. The Indian independence movement rejected the plan. That summer, Gandhi issued a call for Britain to Quit India immediately. The crucial issue was immediate independence, on which Congress insisted. This was Gandhis and the Congress Partys most ultimate upheaval aimed at securing the British exit from India. (Gandhi,1990, p.309.) The manner in which British control was to be withdrawn and a provisional Government substituted was set out along with a threat of mass civil disobedience, under Gandhis direction. This made Quit India  the most forceful movement in the history of the struggle, with mass arrests and violence on an unprecedented scale. The colonial government reacted by arresting all of the Congress leadership, including Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. As anti-colonial protests grew, the Raj government arrested and jailed hundreds of thousands of Indians. Tragically, his wife Kasturba died in February 1944 after 18 months in prison. Gandhi became seriously ill with malaria, so the British released him from prison upon realizing that the political repercussions would have been intensive, if he had also died while imprisoned and enrage the entire nation beyond control. Indian Independence and Partition In 1944, Britain pledged to grant independence to India once the war was over. Gandhi called for the Congress to reject the proposal once more, since it proposed a division of India among Hindu, Muslim, and  Sikh  states. As a rule, Gandhi was opposed to the concept of  partition  as it contradicted his vision of religious unity. (Reprinted in  The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas, Louis Fischer, ed., 2002 (reprint edition) pp. 106-108.) When sectarian violence rocked Indias cities in 1946, leaving more than 5,000 dead, Congress members convinced Gandhi that the only options were partition or civil war. He reluctantly agreed, and then went on a hunger strike that single-handedly stopped the violence in Delhi and Calcutta. On August 14, 1947, the  Indian Independence Act  was invoked. In border areas some 10-12 million people moved from one side to another and upwards of a half million were killed in communal riots pitting Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.  According to to prominent Norwegian historian,  Jens Arup Seip there perhaps could have been much more bloodshed during the partition if there hadnt been for his teachings, the efforts of his followers, and his own presence.

Monday, January 20, 2020

DEAF TECHNOLOGY Essay examples -- Essays Papers

DEAF TECHNOLOGY Individuals who are deaf or are hearing impaired are faced with many problems in today’s world. There are so many tasks and activities that are done today that deaf or hearing impaired people may have difficulty doing because of there handicap. There handicap used to stop them or inhibit them from doing something that they are interested in or there friends and neighbors would do. However in today there are new and different technologies, that help the deaf and hearing impaired in the activities in which they want to participate in which is hard for them to take part in because of there handicap. Technology is used to help with everyday tasks in the lives of deaf and hearing impaired individuals. With out this new technology which is being invented everyday, deaf and hearing impaired people may be considered to have a handicap which prevents them from certain activities, but this is not the case anymore, now these people just have different obstacles which through the use of t echnology they are learning to over come. They can do anything that regular normal range of hearing individuals can do, due to the new technology being invented everyday. Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th... ...old, Johnson. (2004). U.S. Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Programs: A Look at the Present and a Vision for the Future. American Annals of Deaf, 149, 75-91. Subject-Based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Internet Resources. (2004, August 31). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://wally.rit.edu/internet/subject/deafness.html Tellatouch. (2004). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.aph.org/braillewriters/tell.htm National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (November 2002). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp Keeping in touch through Maryland Relay, Baltimore MD, Maryland Department of Budget Management. Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and hard of Hearing, (2004) How To use a TTY, Retreived November 14, 2004, from http://www.nol.org/home/NCDHH/brochures/how_to_tty_broch.pdf

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Human Resource Management in the Public Office Essay

Is money the most important incentive tool in the public sector? Is performance-based pay an effective way to motivate employees to be more productive? Discuss the positive and negative benefits associated with broadbanded pay systems. The public sector mainly deals with the economic and administrative delivery of goods and services from the government to the nation’s people. Such a role requires true commitment to service and to the objective of improving the general welfare of individuals. Moreover, public servants uphold such commitments with a unique set of priorities that are not centered on material and financial gains but rather on what their capabilities and achievements could contribute to others’ betterment. This ideal may just as easily set public servants apart from members of the labor force that render their services for profit. This in consideration, financial rewards may not be the top priority of public servants but it is definitely an effective incentive tool across sectors from private to public. A way of granting incentive to employees is thru performance-based pay. This compensation scheme entails salary increases and rewarding of bonuses to employees that were able to achieve or surpass the goals related to their scope of work. Under such a scheme, employees become more motivated to produce high quality service with the end goal of producing evidently positive results. At the same time, since such a scheme requires that the salary increase be justified by the exemplary performance of the employee, there would be less incidences of increases and promotions made on the mere basis of office politics. Once it becomes evident to employees that they now have an equal playing field, this would additionally motivate them to prove themselves worthy of recognition and incentives. In line with effective human resource management, public sectors are developing broadband pay systems, which essentially implement broad pay ranges to groupings formed on the basis of like duties while maintaining high flexibility in order to cater to the needs and demands of a diverse workforce. Such pay systems may pose both advantages and disadvantages to the employees and agencies. An example of advantages to the employees is that the method of grouping may provide an opportunity for their positions to be reclassified to a higher grade as indicated by the complexity and breadth of their responsibilities. This would probably work in the favor of an employee who handles several tasks that are usually performed by more than one person in some offices. Another advantage is for the part of government offices because by utilizing high technology and efficient information systems to implement the broadband pay mechanisms, an optimized data gathering method shall be in place and process will be systematized. This would ultimately lead to more practical and efficient use of available human and financial resources, and big cumulative savings for the government. On the other hand, a disadvantage for the agencies could be that negotiations on job classifications or groupings might require them to disclose to labor unions sensitive information that might result to operational security concerns. How can an organization utilize employee benefits as part of its recruitment and retention efforts? How can an organization’s commitment to learning result in lower worker turnover? How do issues related to employee benefits and learning affect worker performance? Human resource is the best asset that any establishment could possibly have. Every day, a great number of organizations and establishments rise up or crumble by the excellence or mediocrity of their employees. In fact, any institution may employ the best possible technologies and may even be in the most dynamic and progressive industry but all these would not make the business a success if without talented and skillful employees. Thus to ensure the best possible recruits and the capacity to retain the most seasoned and esteemed talents, organizations build attractive compensation packages and employee development programs. By nurturing employees under these development programs and with attractive rewards, organizations hope to keep the loyalty of their talent pool and add new recruits that possess the same aptitude and skills. All these steps are taken by organizations under the knowledge that all employees would base their employer preferences that cater to their needs and growth t he most. Furthermore, these needs and growth expectations must be taken to mean not just financial benefits but more importantly how the organization could enrich one’s talents and allow him or her to maximize potentials. In order to nurture its talent pool, organizations may enroll their employees to various classes that teach or further establish the knowledge that they have related to the tasks that they perform in the office. Through these classes, employees develop a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction because they find that they are able to tap in to more of their potentials. Thus, with the knowledge that there are more things that they could learn and do, they find that they also have more to offer the organization that they are part of. By allowing their employees to grow into high potential individuals, organizations not only keep their employees loyal and their turnover rates low, they also gain from the enriched talents and skills that their human resources apply in their day to day work. An organization’s spending on training and development programs for its employees is part of its human resource investment. As with products sold in banks or stock market, or purchases of equipments by production companies, expenses incurred by organizations related to employee training are acknowledged with the expectation that they will bring forth returns to the organization by way of improved employee performances that lead to better working processes and achievement of the organization’s vision and mission. Pershing, Stolovitch, and Keeps (2006) further support the relationship between employee performance and learning by stating that the latter allows the workforce to become more connected to the organization through an increased knowledge of how better he could be of service, and that the nurturing process offered to these employees allow them to be better prepared for changes and more open to process improvements. In essence, all employees are practical individuals in that they stay in the organization that appreciate them the most and reward them sufficiently for the quality of work that they render. It is with this knowledge that organizations build progressive employee benefit and retention programs. These organizations know all too well that employees perform best under development and reward programs that offer holistic growth. Such growth pertains to several factors in the lives of an individual. Compare and contrast the difference in terminating workers in public organizations versus private companies? What at the implications of at-will employment for public sector workers? One of the major differences between public organizations and private companies is the objective or mission with which their workforce operates. As established earlier, public sector workers can be largely considered as volunteers for social, economic, and even political causes whereas the workforce of private companies are mostly there for profitable gains. This in mind, the mere concept of a decrease in the workforce in the public sector poses several challenges because it may not be easy for the organization to come by public servants who are willing to work for the same cause. One way in which the workforce of any institution is reduced is thru employee termination. Termination is the process by which the organization puts a stop to an individual’s membership or service to the organization against his or her will. There are various reasons why termination is imposed on an individual. It may be that the employee has violated certain organizational policies or ethical standards, or rendered unsatisfactory job performance, or may even have been because he or she had a conflict with his or her supervisor. On the other hand, the employee may also be subject to termination when the company undergoes a restructuring phase that necessitated downsizing in its workforce, or if the employee’s responsibilities have been found to be redundant. Employee termination occurs in both public and private offices but there are some notable differences. One such difference is that employees of private companies are often hired under contract whereas those working in public offices are often employed at-will, meaning that they do not have a formal employment contract binding him or her and the employer. Although all employees are protected by labor laws, employees in the public sector are more vulnerable to termination because of the at-will nature of their employment.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Set Up Bathroom Pass Procedures to Manage Hall Traffic

Covering all of the points in a planned lesson often takes every moment of class time. Students who interrupt you to ask for permission to use the restroom throw you off your tight schedule and disrupt their classmates attention. You can minimize the distraction with a bathroom pass system that allows students to excuse themselves, giving them some limited autonomy.   Take time at the beginning of the year to explain your rules about appropriate and inappropriate times to use the restroom. Remind students that they have the preferred time before school, between  classes, and at lunch to use the bathroom. While you can never deny a student access to the toilet, you might set a rule that no student can sign out during the first or last 5 minutes of class or during lecture. This allows enough time for you to complete a mini-lesson or giving directions. Set Up Your Bathroom Pass System Some teachers use clipboards holding a  paper that has columns to record the students name, destination, the  time out and the time back. Students fill out each column independently and take the generic bathroom pass to their destination. This system records daily activity by all students. Another bathroom pass system suggestion uses a plastic index card holder and 3x5 index cards, one per student. At the beginning of the school year, pass out 3x5 index cards and ask students to write their name. Then have them divide the flip side of the index card into four equal areas. In the upper right corner of each quadrant, they should put a 1, 2, 3 or 4 to correspond to the four grading quarters. (Adjust the layout for trimesters or other terms.)   Instruct students to label a row across the top of each area with a D for Date, T for Time and I for Initial. File the cards alphabetically in the plastic holder grouped by class periods and find a convenient location near the door to keep it. Ask them to return the card to the holder in a vertical position so it stands out from the others; you will go through after class or at the end of the day and initial them. This system records daily activity by individual students. Explain Your Bathroom Pass Tracking Method Let students know that your system allows them to excuse themselves from class for a few minutes when they really need to go. Tell the students that if they want to use the restroom, they should quietly fill in the chart or retrieve their card without interrupting you or their classmates and enter the date and time in the appropriate place.   Monitoring the Restroom Pass System Whatever the system you adopt, whether it is a sign-in/sign-out sheet or index cards, you should make sure that all students are following the system.You should also look for patterns.  For example, is a student leaving at the same time daily?  Are the restroom visits having a negative impact on academic? Does the student make poor choices about when to leave? If you notice any of these, you have a discussion with the student.   While some teachers dangle prizes for not using bathroom passes, there can be some health issues associated with students ignoring their bodies signals. There are also medical conditions, including pregnancy, that increase trips to the restroom. Teachers should always be aware of any medical conditions listed on a students individual educational plan (IEP) or 504. Tips You could also Include trips to the locker, other classrooms, etc. in the bathroom pass passes.The index cards are inexpensive to use and to replace, which makes them more sanitary  than other objects.If your school uses physical hall passes, keep those near the card file so students can grab one on their way out of the door.