> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marty Henry [SMTP:mhenry@mcrel.org]
> Sent: Friday, April 03, 1998 1:51 PM
> To: edequity@tristram.edc.org
> Subject: Re: a culture of violence?
>
> In reading your thoughtful post, I was reminded of my experience
> in
> working as a consultant in an early childhood magnet school in an
>
> urban area.
>
> The teacher had been working with first grade students (60%
> black, 40%
> other) on resolving conflicts using the Peace Table. They were
> allowed
> to request (and receive) time at the Peace Table if they were
> having a
> dispute with another student or adult. (This was following months
> of
> modeling and training on working through disputes.) The students
> were
> at the point where they were even asking to leave the playground
> and
> go to the Peace Table if a dispute arose.
>
> One day a young girl came to the teacher and told her that she
> really
> wished they had a Peace Table at her house. Now this said
> something to
> me about the extent of the problem. Here was a very young student
>
> effectively using strategies of conflict resolution only to
> realize
> they are missing in her culture outside of the school.
>
> Our job is huge...but we must start.
>
> Marty Henry
> mhenry@mcrel.org
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> Subject: a culture of violence?
> Author: <edequity@tristram.edc.org> at Internet-Mail
> Date: 4/3/98 1:00 PM
>
>
> This EDEQUITY discussion on violence, sexual harassment, etc has got
> me
> thinking..
>
> There is a real issue out there...violence is real and it's a
> manifestation of
> a number of things. It was always assumed "boys are violent" but now
> federal
> stats show a rise in violence among females...and females are
> reporting that
> they are sexually harassing others as well..... The murders of the
> female
> student and teacher in Arkansas is chilling; as are the violent deaths
> of young
> men, particularly young men of color. How do we focus on addressing
> violence
> across the board, and how do we sort out our growing fear of violence
> from
> actual violence, especially in light of stats that show a reduction in
> violent
> crime among our youth.
>
> Given this, Id' like us to think about the broader context of
> violence,
> education and what we can do about it. I'ld like help in thinking
> this through.
>
> *How do we create a culture shift--one that supports peaceful and
> supportive
> relationships among all people, that moves males and females away
> from this
> oppositional stance?
> *What changes in the culture will help stop young men from hurting
>
> themselves or one another?
> *How do we share the programs, approaches, materials that work to
> shift the
> dynamics of violence, that support gender equity and all equity,
> that
> increase engagement in the classroom.
>
> I believe that positive adult expectations and genuine engagement in
> the
> classroom, with curriculum that speaks to the students goes a long way
> to
> shifting the dynamics of violence and disengagement. Whether it's the
> sexual
> harassment programs such as those developed by Nan Stein at Wellesley
> or Susan
> Strauss in Minnesota, the GESA model, the materials Craig Flood and
> others have
> listed here, the new constructivist curriculum, the WEEA
> materials...how do we
> use these as building blocks...how are people using these and others?
> With what
> results? And what do we as a national center, what do we as
> participants on
> EDEQUITY, what do we as individuals in our schools, communities,
> families do to
> change the culture's belief that violence in all its forms is an
> answer.
> Perhaps we can use this forum to strategize about this.
>
> Katherine Hanson, WEEA Equity Resource Center, katherinh@edc.org
>
>
>
>
>