Abstract
The Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum (Committee for Children, 2005) lacks a gendered harassment component. According to Harris Interactive and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the absence of gender is problematic. For students, the second and third most reported forms of harassment are related to their perceived or actual sexual orientation and their measure of masculinity or femininity. Aside from the high incidence of occurrence, gendered harassment has been linked to school-site violence. Kimmel and Mahler (2003) analyzed school shootings and found that all of the perpetrators reported being victims of homophobic harassment. In addition to physical violence, gendered harassment has caused social and psychological problems. Students who were harassed due to gender expression reported feeling disconnected and unsafe at school. This often resulted in attendance problems and lower academic achievement. Depression and suicidal thoughts and plans doubled for students who were harassed based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation (California Safe Schools Coalition & University of California Davis, 4-H Center for Youth Development, 2004). The reinforcement of traditional gender norms is often a motive of gendered harassment (Kimmel & Mahler, 2003; Pollack, 1999). The enforcement of traditional gender roles reduces honest self-expression, inhibits the ability for girls and boys to fully develop an authentic self (Brown, Chesney-Lind, & Stein, 2007) and maintains the hierarchal structure of males holding power over females (Epstein, 2001; Meyer, 2006). Sources of Data An outcome of the project was lessons developed to address gendered harassment. The three lessons are: Lesson One: Respecting Diversity; Lesson Two: Name-Calling; and Lesson Three: Gender-Biased Comments. The lessons are designed for elementary schools that have adopted the 2002 Second Step: A Violence Prevention (SSAVP) curriculum distributed by Committee for Children (2005). Specifically, the lessons are an addendum to be used with the second grade SSAVP curriculum kit, at Del Paso Manor Elementary School in the San Juan Unified School District, Sacramento, California. The lessons are scripted, follow the same format and incorporate the same teaching strategies as SSAVP. Conclusions Reached A review of the literature suggested key elements to be incorporated into anti-bullying lessons in order to prevent future incidences of gendered harassment. Respecting diversity, eliminating name-calling and responding to sexist comments were recommendations found throughout the literature. In order to address gendered harassment, teachers need to be prepared and provided with lessons, curriculum and training. The three lessons created are a starting point for the second grade teachers at Del Paso Manor Elementary School to begin to address the problem of gendered harassment in schools.