Month: February 2024

BPD- A deadly Stigma

 

I debated writing this a lot. BPD is one of, if not the most, highly stigmatized illnesses, both physical and mental. However, I feel it will only enhance people’s understanding and acceptance of it if I tell my story, so I will. I have Borderline Personality Disorder, and it makes my day-to-day life very different from other people’s. I am often told I am being too dramatic, or that I am blowing things out of proportion. The truth of it is, I have very big feelings that go from 0 to 100 very quickly. My emotions come on faster than others, and it takes much longer for them to go away. Additionally, my emotions are often wildly larger than a situation warrants, making the feelings worse. Finally, I am more likely to act on my emotions impulsively than wait and think it out. I experience these symptoms mostly through anxiety and depression. I am grateful to have been enrolled in a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy course which taught me how to safely manage my symptoms and control them, rather than let them control me. 

Some people experience the symptoms through anger, and that is part of the reason this illness is so stigmatized. Sometimes, people who suffer from this can have radical outbursts of anger, becoming a threat to themselves or others. While that is a reality of the disease, it is such a small percentage of people who experience it that way. We are called crazy, irrational, and violent for what makes up a very small minority of people. Most who have it have it the way I do, where the fear of abandonment is so great, it ends up pushing people away. Most suffer in silence, modulating their emotions to what may seem to others to be the “normal” amount, and as a result, end up repressing their emotions to a dangerous level. 

70% of people living with BPD will attempt suicide in their lifetime. 10% will succeed (2024) Such a high stigma means people are less likely to seek out help and can fall victim to themselves. As a teacher, it is so important to know the warning signs of suicide. A big part of BPD is being impulsive; these decisions can happen quickly. Intervening at the right time can mean the difference between life and death. 

 

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024, January 31). Borderline personality disorder. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20370237 

NYP-bpd-borderline personality disorder (bpd)-understanding BPD: NYP. NewYork-Presbyterian. (2024). https://www.nyp.org/bpdresourcecenter/borderline-personality-disorder/understanding-bpd#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20approximately%2070,disorder%20and%20the%20general%20population 

Cyberbullying, The Hidden Killer

Image created by Bassey, A. using wordclouds.com

 

https://flip.com/s/8y_QngvBWeRt

 

References:

School Violence: A Tragic Reality

Image created by Bassey, A. using wordclouds.com

 

As a teacher, grappling with the idea of school violence is an unsettling reality that weighs heavily on my mind and impacts various aspects of my professional life. I do not want to be walking into a war zone every time I go to work, but I do it because I am passionate. There is a legitimate fear that came over me when I was watching the documentary, and a student admitted to making a 5-gallon bucket of napalm (Moore, 2002). It’s terrifying to me that people like that exist, and what’s more, he was mad he wasn’t the number one threat to the school; he was only number two. I could not imagine what number one did. The potential ramifications of school violence are profound and multifaceted, extending beyond mere physical safety to encompass emotional well-being, professional responsibilities, and the overall learning environment.

First and foremost, the safety and security of my students are paramount concerns. I would like to teach high school students, so they are old enough to understand the prevalence of this issue. That can make the situation heightened with emotion, creating a more dangerous issue. The thought of facing a crisis situation such as an active shooter scenario is a terrifying prospect that I must be prepared to confront but terrifies me to my core. In just the first four days of 2024, there were already 7 school shootings that resulted in people being killed or injured (School Shootings This Year?: How Many and Where?, 2024) Implementing safety protocols, participating in active shooter drills, and remaining constantly vigilant for signs of potential threats are all necessary precautions that I must take to protect my students and myself.

Moreover, the pervasive threat of school violence casts a shadow over the classroom environment, creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety that can hinder the teaching and learning process. Nurturing a sense of trust and security among my students is essential for fostering a positive learning environment where they feel empowered to thrive academically and emotionally. Additionally, the emotional toll of school violence weighs heavily on me as an educator. The fear and trauma associated with incidents of violence can leave a lasting impact on students and staff alike, making it challenging to maintain a sense of normalcy in the aftermath. Providing emotional support and guidance to students who may be struggling to cope with feelings of fear or anxiety is a crucial aspect of my role as a teacher. Studies have shown that the use of social-emotional learning techniques not only can help after violence has happened but can prevent it from happening at all. A boy in Alaska turned in his own gun to a teacher after using SEL skills with a friend, preventing a tragedy (Vogel, 2008). As a teacher, I will absolutely be implementing SEL techniques in my classroom, especially knowing what they can do to prevent violence.

Furthermore, the prevalence of school violence necessitates ongoing dialogue and collaboration with colleagues, administrators, and community stakeholders to address underlying issues and implement effective prevention strategies. To quote from the CDC, “All students have the right to learn in a safe school environment…school violence can be prevented” (Preventing school violence, 2019) Engaging in discussions about school safety, advocating for policy changes on a local, state, and national level, and participating in professional development opportunities focused on crisis intervention are all ways in which I can contribute to efforts to mitigate the risk of violence in schools.

In conclusion, the specter of school violence looms large in my role as a teacher, impacting my sense of safety, the classroom environment, and my emotional well-being. By remaining vigilant, fostering a supportive learning environment, and actively participating in efforts to prevent violence, I strive to create a safer and more secure environment for my students and myself.

 

References

Vogel, T. (2008, February 26). Creating a safe place: Lessons on managing emotions pay off. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-across-curriculum

Understanding Gender Diversity

As humans, gender expression and identity create a complex and diverse narrative. To begin, I’d like to discuss my own experience with gender in a school setting. Going to a private catholic school my whole life, I’ve always felt stifled and forced into the traditional binary roles of a female. We had classes on the “sin” of gender identity and expression differing from the sex assigned at birth. However, I always felt like I was different from other students, and was afraid to express this outwardly. In my last college, I was actually able to be a part of the play “The Laramie Project” as a stage crew member. It is a moving, true story about the brutish murder of openly gay Matthew Shepard, as told in interviews. It exposes the homophobia of the town and shows what it can be like for a student with same-sex attraction (M. Kaufman, 2002). It can be very dangerous. The show opened my eyes and allowed me to begin exploring my own sexuality, and gender, in attraction, expression, and identity.

Gender expression and gender identity are distinctly different aspects that contribute to an individual’s understanding of their own gender. While gender identity refers to an internal sense of being, gender expression pertains to the external signs of this identity through various visible cues. Gender identity is deeply personal, representing an individual’s internal understanding of their gender, regardless of societal expectations or sex assigned at birth. On the other hand, gender expression involves the presentation of one’s gender identity, encompassing the choices individuals make in how they express themselves visually and behaviorally. For example, a school in New Jersey has declared that students who identify as transgender may now compete in accordance with their gender identities (Transgender athletes may now compete in line with Gender Identity in New Jersey 2023). A person who identifies as male would be able to participate on a male basketball team. In doing so, they are outwardly expressing their inward identity. It’s crucial to recognize that both of these aspects can align or differ, highlighting the diversity within the individual. Respecting both gender identity and expression is essential for fostering an inclusive and affirming environment where students can authentically navigate and express their gender while trying to learn. 

In a modern and diverse school setting, the concept of gender should be embraced with a commitment to inclusivity and respect for the multifaceted identities of its student body. Firstly, the school must be inclusive of all, not just of gender. There is a great resource called “Instutalized Racism; A Syllabus” that explains and provides outsourced resources on this difficult subject, and handles the delicate topic of race very well (Halley, 2020). Additionally, beyond traditional binary expectations, the educational environment should acknowledge and accommodate a spectrum of gender expressions and identities. Students should encouraged to express their gender authentically, without fear of repercussion. Inclusive policies surrounding dress codes and language should be established to ensure that all students, regardless of their gender identity, feel safe and supported. The curriculum should be designed to reflect diverse perspectives on gender, fostering understanding and empathy among students, and allowing students to see themselves in what they learn. 

Schools that actively engage in educating staff and students alike about the importance of respecting and affirming various gender identities and expressions are those that do right by their student body. A national survey performed by the Trevor Project shows that LGBTQ+ students have considered committing suicide (The Trevor Project, 2023). Often, that is because no one in their life can support them. By living a culture of acceptance and love, schools become safe spaces where every student can thrive academically and personally, irrespective of their gender background, and sometimes that is all they need.

 

Resources

Bassey, A. (2024, Feburary 3). Gender Word Cloud.

Halley, C. (2020, May 31). Institutionalized racism: A syllabus – JSTOR daily. Jstor Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/institutionalized-racism-a-syllabus/ 

Kaufman, M. (Director). (2002). The laramie project [film]. Good Machine, HBO Films.

The Associated Press. (2023, August 7). Transgender athletes may now compete in line with Gender Identity in New Jersey. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/transgender-athletes-may-now-compete-in-line-with-gender-identity-in-new-jersey/2017/11 

The Trevor Project. (2023). 2023 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2023/