Bullying at Manhattan East

Marlene Cisneros and 8th grade students

MCisneros4@schools.nyc.gov

STUDENT GOV’T - Leannis Rosado and Dale Robertson- (presidents of Student Government)

 

Students at Manhattan East are engaging in casual cruelty when they call each other names that judge their looks, race, and so on. Students are verbally bullying each other through insults, including body shaming, and even offensive racial slurs. This type of behavior reflects a serious and harmful issue of verbal harassment that negatively impacts school climate, peer relationships and individual well-being. Verbal bullying/casual cruelty leaves a long-lasting impact.

 

INTRODUCTION:

Manhattan East school for the arts & academics is located in East Harlem. At Manhattan East, we are more than just students and educators in a building- we are storytellers, and community builders. The stories that live in our families are not only told through food, holidays or the languages we speak. Saying things like “Happy Hispanic Heritage Month”, “Happy Black history month” is not enough IF our daily actions don’t reflect respect and pride for ourselves and others. What does it mean to truly celebrate and respect someone’s identity? It all starts with how we treat each other. When we blurt out disrespectful comments about the way someone looks, their race, gender or call each other names - we are not just breaking rules- we are tearing communities up that we should be building together. Every time we insult each other, we silence that part of their story.

 

TASK: Students will produce a multimedia project where they create a new society where they explain the beliefs and values they uphold and wish to empower.

Students will reflect on the following question:

How do we uplift others, even when their background, beliefs or stories are different from our own?

How do we become allies, not just by words, but with our actions?

At Manhattan East it is our responsibility to make sure every student feels safe, seen, and empowered- not just during heritage months but every single day.

Students will create a slides presentation on the values they cherish as they designed a new society in connection with the book we have just finished reading “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barbara

 

TASK- Your Real-World Role:

You have been elected as the new leader of your society. You will inform your citizens about the impact verbal bullying has on our community and individual well being. As the leader, you will work on this PPA by researching, creating, presenting as problem solvers to change the current policies we have here at Manhattan East. 

 

PROCESS

I am currently working with my 8th grade student government club. We are currently reading the book- “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barbara. In the Last Cunetista, 13-year-old Petra travels on a spaceship to a totally new planet. While others have their memories erased by The Collective, Petra wakes up as the only one with a sense of her culture, identity and memories with her family. The Collectives goal was for everyone to be the same and be under their control. As Petra is the last story teller, her goal is to use the power of story-telling to resist and protect self-awareness of our identities. As we reflect, we aim for students to connect this with current day issues. Students have identified the fact that there is fear in some families in East Harlem due to fear of deportation. This has not been an easy topic to discuss within our student government because some students may not feel comfortable sharing their status or stories.   

 

Meeting 1: Define the problem/Gather the evidence 🔗Articles on the types of bullying:

https://www.prevnet.ca/bullying/types-of-bullying/

Personal statements by students as you have witnessed this firsthand

Meeting 2:   Identify the Causes 🔗

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/bullies.html#:~:text=Why%20Do%20Kids%20Bully%3F,%2C%20popular%2C%20or%20in%20control.

https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/verbal-bullying

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/bullying/what-is-verbal-bullying-and-how-does-it-happen/

Students will fill out the causes’ worksheet as well

1)     There is a lack of empathy amongst students. Middle school students are still learning to understand how the comments they make may hurt others/how offensive they are.

2)    If students are exposed to offensive language on social media, then they may replicate these comments in public

3)    Students have not been taught how to resolve conflicts in a respectful manner

4.   Evaluate an Existing Policy

You can interview a staff member who is an administrator (Principal, assistant principal, dean, counselor) etc… to learn about the current consequences in place

🔗 Policy on student bullying : https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02966#:~:text=Policy%20on%20Student%20Bullying,bullying%20and%20bias%2Dbased%20behavior.

Respect for All Policy:

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/school-environment/respect-for-all

5.  Develop Solutions 🤔

Students will include the following in their presentations

●      Name their society/ new city - a society where everyone's personal story matters, and words are used to empower not harm others.

●      Choose a form of Government- You are the new elected leader of your society… how will you address bullying, hate speech, crime etc?

●      Education- include 4 core subjects you are passionate about

●      Laws and rights- what are the guaranteed rights citizens have in your society?

●      Cultural diversity- How is it valued in your society? How will you ensure its existence and that it is respected by others?

●      A slide addressing how insults impact identity and memory - think of Petra’s resistance

6.  Select the Best Solution  (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

Brainstorm the current policies that work/don’t work

Effectiveness vs. Feasibility 📈📉

Effectiveness= Does it really work?

-       How well does the solution solve the problem?

-       Does it reduce or stop the verbal bullying?

-       Does it improve student behavior, school climate or safety?

Feasibility = Can we realistically do it?

-       Is it doable with the money, time, people, and resources we have?

-       Will teachers, students and parents support the solution?

-       Can we start implementing the solution soon or will it take a long time?

 

EVALUATION📢

 

CONCLUSION🎖️

During this project, you have taken the role to help stop the casual cruelty that is verbal bullying! Calling someone names is not “just joking around”, but hopefully you have learned that words can stick with people for a long time. Verbal bullying such as calling someone “fat” can cause stress, anxiety and make school feel unsafe. It is not only important to acknowledge a problem but to actually do something about it. You researched, brainstormed solutions, and thought about how these policies can help protect students. Let’s learn how to be kind with our voices- words can hurt BUT also HEAL.

 

 

STANDARDS: