Harassment Hurts

Annette Saldana ARE6641 Critical Intervention

Research Brief In 1993, the band Pearl Jam would develop a song called Jeremy that would shock the world. The song and video tells the story of a troubled boy who decides to get revenge by engaging in a gruesome shooting while at school. Though the video was very controversial due to graphic content, it was awarded four MTV video music awards, including Best Video of the Year. Perhaps, whats most frightening about the video is the fact that it is based on a true story. Even more unsettling is the actuality that these types of horrific events are happening in schools more and more as the years pass. The reality is, schools deal with violence quite regularly due to issues of bullying. More awareness about bullying in schools is necessary if we want to aid in the prevention of these horrendous acts. Bullying takes on different types of forms and can be mental, verbal, or physical. Though there are many ways in which mental bullying occurs, it commonly happens when rumors are created in order to hurt a victims feelings. It can also include abuse in which the victim becomes ignored, isolated, and excluded by a group. Verbal bullying often involves the use of namecalling, teasing, mocking, and threatening others. With todays youth being so involved with the internet, cases of cyber related bullying are not uncommon. Sometimes harassment progresses to the extent in which it becomes physical. Some examples of physical harassment include: hitting, slapping, pushing, tripping, spitting, stealing/destruction of property, and sexual assault. The effects of bullying can be devastating as it often takes a toll on a students emotional well-being. Unfortunately, many victims of harassment look for ways to get revenge instead of reporting and dealing with the situation in a logical manner. In extreme cases, it can even lead to acts of school violence. For example, a study by the U.S. Secret Service suggests that bullying was a contributing factor in two-thirds of 37 school shooting episodes. (Zirkel, 2003). One of the

deadliest school shootings in history was the attack at Columbine High School. After questioning many students at the school about the shooters, it was revealed that these students were frequently harassed and bullied, both individually and as a group, by other students in the school, particularly school athletes. (Sanders & Phye, 2004). Jack Levin, professor of sociology and criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, who studies patterns of violent minds, says that in school most mass killers were bullied, harassed, and ignored. How can we avoid a situation such as this? Teachers should be paying attention to details as it is very necessary in the prevention of school violence. Many individuals who commit acts of crime have symptoms that if paid attention to could be helped with early intervention. Warning signs might include: extreme lack of interest in school work/depression, addictions to violent games, aggressive outbursts, artwork/writing that expresses an overrepresentation of violence, animal cruelty, or excessive talk about death or weapons. We need to be more aware of bullying and the effects that it is having on our students. Consider that the National Association of School Psychologists recently revealed, Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective. (Cohn, 2003). How can we get our students to feel confident in sharing information that is vital in preventing future violent acts? Art educators can play a strong role in creating awareness by teaching students about the dangers of bullying and stereotyping. As their sense of identity is nourished, they can begin to build self-esteem and confidence. We can provide a safe and constructive place for students to go in which they feel a sense of belongingness. Through creative activities, we can encourage our students to talk about and express their feelings through art. Art can help students deal with

emotional problems. Students can learn how to work through issues in a constructive way. We can teach young people how to deal with situations of violence properly by opening the doors to communication.

There are so many programs and activities out there today that are promoting positive behavior and awareness against acts of violence/bullying. Here are some that I found to be very intriguing: Organization for teens which is dedicated to social change: http://www.dosomething.org/ This is a website that displays an annual series of visual and performing arts events that celebrate the power of art, artists and art-making to confront, challenge and mediate violence: http://www.violencetransformed.com/call-to-artists/#.UQxmbb9EFVW Organization that creates critical awareness of bullying issues among middle school and high school aged students: https://www.facebook.com/DefeatTheLabel A blog dedicated to solving issues of bulling and online safety: http://tangledball.blogspot.com/ Tips and ideas for students who want to put a stop to school violence: http://www.sacsheriff.com/crime_prevention/documents/school_safety_04.cfm Violence prevention booklet for early childhood teachers to use in the classroom: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:UJLEPpxyGvMJ:actagainstviolence.apa.org/mate rials/publications/act/violenceprevention_childhood.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGE EShJ8O0FBNcjIwERA38KHtYC8DQQnbfBqQYR0Ngb06WGhyciIHC90ds2i8tYurdX2vl2vpDpEsaeqXIwIVaaWAbYCw5d kesbjyc2B2apPaLcXkrJksHUOP6ifjjJuwspEUk8_L&sig=AHIEtbSsaOulajpRWs49yG_5lRwwsUjYnQ Art lesson plans that you can use during No Name Calling Week: http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/binary-data/NoNameCalling_ATTACHMENTS/file/1372.pdf Art lesson plan which concentrates on the ways violence and visual arts are connected: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20061208friday.html

Artistic Action Plan

Title: Branching Out Grade Level: High School Overview: Students will explore different choices and their outcomes in a visual format by using a branching pattern. Objective: They will be creating awareness about school safety by creating a self-designed artwork and brochure pamphlet that they can distribute to the community. Essential Questions: What are the consequences of keeping silent about safety in school? Does an artist have a moral obligation to take a stand against social issues? How can you raise awareness about bullying and violence in schools through your artwork? What kind of brochure design would be best suited to inform the public?

Student will be given the following instructions: Look at how a tree branches out and how it can become a metaphor for decision-making. Think about how you have been put in a situation in which safety became an issue (For ex. Perhaps you have been bullied or know someone who has, maybe you have or know of a secret that might impact someones well-being, or you have seen something illegal such as weapons or drugs in school, etc.). The trunk of your tree will become the situation itself. You will have two splits in your tree and those will depict two choices you had to make during this event. From this point, all the branches that stem out from the splits become the consequences/outcomes of the choices.

Questions: What type of tree will you choose? How can roots be metaphors for your tree? How? How might the environment be a metaphor for your tree? How? What affects the growth of your tree? How could symbols, text, color, line, and shape become significant in defining the message of your work? Look at Gustav Klimts Tree of Life. How did he use symbols and metaphors?

Part II (student instructions): Scan/photograph your artwork and save image to flash drive. Go to the website: http://www.dosomething.org/causes Look for the cause that supports your branching out topic. Create a brochure that can inform the public about your cause using information you find on this site. You may also use other website sources, books, articles, and magazines in order to compile your information. The cover of your brochure will contain the image of your own personalized artwork. Print a set of brochures and inform the public about safety/anti-violence. Branch out and share your wisdom!

Resources:

California Department of Education. (2001). Early Warning Signs of Violent Behavior. Retrieved from: http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/documentlibrary/earlywarningsigns.aspx

Kelly, M. (2013). 10 Ways Teachers Can Help Prevent School Violence. Retrieved from: http://712educators.about.com/od/schoolviolence/tp/prevent_school_violence.htm

Cohn, A. (2003). Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents. Retrieved from: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx

Landau, E. (2012). Rejection, bullying are risk factors among shooters. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/18/health/ct-shooting-mental-illness/index.html

Sanders, Cheryl E and Phye, Gary D. (2004). Bullying: Implications for the Classroom. Educational Psychology Series. Elsevier/Academic Press.

Zirkel, P. (2003). Bullying. Principal (Reston, Va.) Vol. 84 Issue 4, p10-11, 2p.

Movies that deal with issues of bullying:

Bully (trailer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjjeHeAzZZM

The Fat Boy Chronicles (trailer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFjq3jj4e90

Note: Artwork/collage on title page is a public domain photo which can be found athttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bullies.jpg