On Saturday, November 7th I attended a workshop from 5:30- 8:00 on suicide prevention at the APICHA (Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS) headquarters on Walker and Broadway. I met with Larry, the coordinator, and different members of EquAsian, which is a support group for the Asian/Pacific Islander LGBT community. We discussed risk factors, warning signs, and reasons for suicide as well as preventative strategies.
The discussion was led by a guest speaker, Renee, from The Trevor Project, which is a confidential suicide prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth that offers someone to talk to. Needless to say, this workshop was extrememly emotionally charged (especially considering the recent suicide of an NYU student). Before the workshop began, I thought I would have a difficulty discussing such a heavy topic with complete strangers. However, I saw how open and honest everyone else was being and did not feel uncomfortable at all. I think what really helped was setting up ground rules before the meeting (just like we have done in class) so that everyone's opinions were heard and respected. We continued by brainstorming word that we associate with suicide: isolation, depression, hopelessness, escape, selfish, etc. Next we talked about risk factors associated with suicide and warning signs. For me, this was where I felt the most emotially vulnerable. I heard a lot of stories about how relatives and friends of someone who committed suicide "never saw it coming" and just how difficult it may be for someone to recognize these warning signs, even in a loved one.
One of the risk factors that kept coming up was "pressure." Immediately I thought of all of the academic, social, and emotional pressures that my future students will be left to face and how I will deal with that in my classroom. Keeping a positive and open way of communicating with your students is crucial, especially at a young age like elementary school when children are forming foundations of support. Part of our discussion led to the "Model Asian Student" stereotype that we have talked about in class (that Asian students are expected to perform to a higher standard than everyone else), which led to a discussion of pressures of an Asian student versus an Asian American student. One side of the debate was that Asian American students have a more difficult time fusing together a combined identity; one that is Asian and another that is American. Since I could not speak from experience about this topic, I mostly just listened and asked questions. In the end, I realized that being from two minority groups (Asian/Pacific Islander and the LGBT community) present so many struggles that I have never had to deal with in my own life; issues like being rejected from friends and family, teasing and ridiculed, stereotyped, all while dealing with everyday tasks like homework, chores, and having a social life.
Finally, I learned that the younger a person comes out to family and friends, the more likely they are to commit suicide because they do not have the maturity to deal with possible teasing and rejection from their loved ones. Teachers need to make sure their students can trust them and provide a classroom and school community based on respect, tolerence, and kindness.
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Urghh I wish I had gone to this event. I intended to but couldn't make it. Sounds like it was really helpful. I especially wish I could've been there to relate to the experience of being an Asian American.
ReplyDeleteI remember how much pressure I felt even in 5th grade, and I think teachers tend to forget that everyone can feel depressed and stressed out, regardless of age. I think it's really important that we - as future educators - remember this and become keen observers. We should be adults in our students' lives that they can trust and rely on!
I totally agree Katie about the whole community thing. In our classes, we always talk about building community and how important it is to do that, but I've only seen teachers do community building activities in one out of my three placements so far. A lot of teachers think community will just automatically happen and it's not really the case. I think building a community of people who care about each other helps to prevent these feelings of hopelessness among students. If you know there are people out there who can relate to how you feel and can help you cope with a situation, you are less likely to even think about things like ending your life.
ReplyDeleteLike Stephanie, I haven't seen much community building in my placements either (one out of three). Many teachers feel there is not sufficient time in the day to spend on emphasizing cooperation and promoting learning by working and helping others (or maybe they just don't know?).This is definitely something that does not just happen but needs to be worked on. As teachers, we cannot assume all students possess strategies to be able to relate their feelings and needs in a positive way. A community will function best when students and teacher know and accept each other, and when students and teacher trust each other and know mistakes will not be laughed at. Class meetings are a great way of communicating to express ideas, feelings, and needs, where everyone has the opportunity to hear and respond to others. Thanks. Stela
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you went to this event. It was marked on my calendar as one of the events I wanted to go to. However, at the last minute, I decided I wouldn't feel comfortable there. I wanted to go to an LGBT event, and feel happy in that community. However, I was concerned that because of the location of the event, that only people of Asian descent would be in attendance, and I didn't want to be the only white person there. I suppose this anecdote shows me how much I still have left to learn. I am so happy I got to learn about it from you. I wish I could have been secure enough in myself to go.
I hope that in light of this I can continue to make personal progress so that I can be the support and teacher of a student who might be struggling with these issues. I agree with Stela, Steph, and Esther that life is really quite difficult, and teachers must respect the stress that it can cause on our students.
"In the end, I realized that being from two minority groups (Asian/Pacific Islander and the LGBT community) present so many struggles..."
ReplyDeleteAlthough the "Asian model" is not so much apparent anymore, as an Asian descent, I still believe the pressure and stereotype is present and Asian students feel the need to perform well in school. Also (this is just my opinion...), in the Asian community, for one to be a part of the LGBT community is a shame and the person is looked down upon. So, the pressure from both groups will make the person more vulnerable towards commiting suicide. As teachers, we should give support to our students and trust/respect them no matter what their values/beliefs are (unless their beliefs are something we can't respect).