Bullying is a behavior that can be passed on through generations. It often starts in school, but can rear its head later in life in the workplace, social settings, and even between the best of friends and lovers.
There has been a lot more discussion of bullying since it has also been found to have a presence on the Internet, through cell phones and email. Many people are talking about it. Jason Harper and Virginia Vazquez want to do something about it.
Harper and Vazquez came together and found a common purpose when they met at McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach. Harper was substitute teaching at the school. In addition to teaching, he also owns and runs Harper Conflict Resolution, which assists in the coordination and implementation of peer mediation programs in various elementary and middle schools throughout Los Angeles County.
Vasquez’s daughter attends McGaugh. Meanwhile, she also runs the Get Smart Academy in Old Town Seal Beach. It offers collaborative and one-on-one tutoring in the areas of Reading, Writing, Math, Test Prep, ESL (English as a Second Language) and Spanish.
“We help students improve their grades, raise test scores, learn content at a proficient level, build self confidence and reach academic success,” Vasquez said.
However, Vasquez and Harper agree that it can be difficult for children to learn at their potential level in a school climate where bullying exists – despite the best intentions of school districts such as the local Los Alamitos Unified to thwart bullying behavior.
In fact, the LAUSD has an anti-bullying policy in place that demands, among other things, “school personnel must immediately intervene if they witness an act of discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying, provided it is safe to do so.” And that “acts of discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying should be brought to the attention of the school administration.”
Despite the school policy, bullying can still occur and the behavior may still be passed on and carried through the lives of today’s schoolchildren. Vazquez and Harper said they still see a need for intervention at a young age to teach children the life skills to change the patterns of bullying behavior.
“In today’s climate of conflict and bullying in the schools, children are faced with more challenges than ever before,” Harper said. “With this in mind, Get Smart Tutoring Academy, together with Harper Conflict Resolution, presents ‘Tools for Life: Lessons in Conflict Resolution.’”
Vasquez said children need to learn the tools and language that can break the pattern of bullying through peer pressure.
“They need to be able to tell the bullies that what they are doing is not right and not acceptable,” she said.
Ironically, it is often peer pressure, or the pack mentality that can make bullying worse. That concept can be turned around and used against bullying, according to Harper.
“The bully is looking for acceptance and approval from their peers,” he said.
In addition to performing mediations, Harper lectures and presents workshops on conflict resolution in schools as well as fostering conflict resolution in the community. In addition to his work in conflict resolution, Harper is a certified teacher with over a decade of experience in education. He intends to use that experience in a summer program for local school children.
There will be two, four-week summer sessions available in July and August on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-noon at Get Smart Tutoring Academy located in a peaceful setting overlooking Seal Beach’s main beach at 829 Ocean Ave., Seal Beach. The academy has been serving the surrounding areas since 2009 by providing professional and credentialed teachers, as well as K-12 tutoring that fits with nationwide content standards.
In the upcoming summer program for elementary school students between grades 3-5, students will learn:
• Differences between conflict versus bullying and how to rise above it
• Improving self-esteem
• Enhancing communication skills
• Active listening
• The program provides skills that will enable your child to better address conflict in life as a child as well as into adulthood. Applications are now being accepted for enrollment.
For more information on tutoring services at Get Smart Tutoring Academy, contact Virginia Vasquez at virginia@sealbeachgetsmartacademy.com.
For more information on Jason Harper, visit his website at www.harperconflictresolution.com.
For more information about the conflict resolution program, send Jason Harper an email at jason@harperconflictresolution.com. You can also call (562) 431-3890.
