Yuma teachers cautious in assessing creative writing
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'Troubling' papers brought to attention of counselors, parents
Other students in Cho Seung Hui's playwriting class described his work as "macabre" and "really twisted." One of his English professors was reportedly so concerned, she contacted administrators and had him pulled from class.
Cho, the Virginia Tech student who allegedly murdered 32 people and himself in the deadly rampage Monday, left behind a trail of bizarre plays, papers and videos that had previously alarmed his teachers and peers.
But when does a creative writing fantasy become a sign of real mental trouble?
Tori Bourgignon, an administrator with Yuma Elementary School District 1's Safe Schools/Healthy Students program, said teachers and counselors are trained to make that call.
"We work on training everybody in threat assessment so one person doesn’t have the responsibility of making that determination. It's always important to err on the side of caution."
She said if a classroom teacher sees a troubling paper describing fantasies of violence or abuse, he or she will typically take it to a school counselor or administrator. From there, it could be forwarded to a school resource officer or a parent.
Bourgignon still works as an elementary school counselor and spent 11 years as a high school counselor at Kofa High School. She said that schools had looked at issues in student writing before the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. However, since that incident, the issue has been highlighted.
"I think the awareness level was raised considerably following incidents like Columbine. Very rarely is there any kind of good that comes from this, but if awareness is heightened, education happens ... maybe that's something."
Two of Cho's plays have been published on AOL News. They were obtained by an AOL employee and former classmate of Cho's, Ian MacFarlane.
One, entitled "Richard McBeef," centers on a 13-year-old boy who accuses his stepfather of pedophilia and the murder of his own father.
Another, "Mr. Brownstone," is about a group of 17-year-olds who fantasize about killing their professor.
MacFarlane told AOL part of his playwriting class was doing peer reviews on the work of other students. He described Cho's as "something out of a nightmare. The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn't have even thought of."
His English professor, Lucinda Roy, was so disturbed she had him pulled from class, according to CNN.
Pam Fox Kuhlken, a professor of English at Arizona Western College, said a hateful, introverted person doesn't just wake up one morning in a state like Cho's. She said it becomes deeper and darker over time, and that this would be visible in their classroom work and demeanor.
"I would have gone straight to the department chair to discuss how to approach the student," Kuhlken said, "or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because it was a threat to the entire campus and community."
She added that most students who write stories with death or violence in them aren't obsessed with it. They are just telling stories.
"I've never had a prolonged case in which a student repeatedly fixates on carnage," Kuhlken said. "I have had students who admire Quentin Tarantino and have written graphically about gang violence, but as an isolated incident. They also wrote about other topics that showed a human side."
Michelle Celiz, a freshman at Kofa High School, said she has known students who were taken to the office for questionable writings. But she added that sometimes a story is just a story. Writing can even help work through violent emotions.
"Sometimes it's just creative writing," Celiz, 14, said. "I know a lot of people who wrote stories like that. It's what they think but that's why they're writing it, so they won't. It helps get it out."
'Troubling' papers brought to attention of counselors, parents
Other students in Cho Seung Hui's playwriting class described his work as "macabre" and "really twisted." One of his English professors was reportedly so concerned, she contacted administrators and had him pulled from class.
Cho, the Virginia Tech student who allegedly murdered 32 people and himself in the deadly rampage Monday, left behind a trail of bizarre plays, papers and videos that had previously alarmed his teachers and peers.
But when does a creative writing fantasy become a sign of real mental trouble?
Tori Bourgignon, an administrator with Yuma Elementary School District 1's Safe Schools/Healthy Students program, said teachers and counselors are trained to make that call.
"We work on training everybody in threat assessment so one person doesn’t have the responsibility of making that determination. It's always important to err on the side of caution."
She said if a classroom teacher sees a troubling paper describing fantasies of violence or abuse, he or she will typically take it to a school counselor or administrator. From there, it could be forwarded to a school resource officer or a parent.
Bourgignon still works as an elementary school counselor and spent 11 years as a high school counselor at Kofa High School. She said that schools had looked at issues in student writing before the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. However, since that incident, the issue has been highlighted.
"I think the awareness level was raised considerably following incidents like Columbine. Very rarely is there any kind of good that comes from this, but if awareness is heightened, education happens ... maybe that's something."
Two of Cho's plays have been published on AOL News. They were obtained by an AOL employee and former classmate of Cho's, Ian MacFarlane.
One, entitled "Richard McBeef," centers on a 13-year-old boy who accuses his stepfather of pedophilia and the murder of his own father.
Another, "Mr. Brownstone," is about a group of 17-year-olds who fantasize about killing their professor.
MacFarlane told AOL part of his playwriting class was doing peer reviews on the work of other students. He described Cho's as "something out of a nightmare. The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn't have even thought of."
His English professor, Lucinda Roy, was so disturbed she had him pulled from class, according to CNN.
Pam Fox Kuhlken, a professor of English at Arizona Western College, said a hateful, introverted person doesn't just wake up one morning in a state like Cho's. She said it becomes deeper and darker over time, and that this would be visible in their classroom work and demeanor.
"I would have gone straight to the department chair to discuss how to approach the student," Kuhlken said, "or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because it was a threat to the entire campus and community."
She added that most students who write stories with death or violence in them aren't obsessed with it. They are just telling stories.
"I've never had a prolonged case in which a student repeatedly fixates on carnage," Kuhlken said. "I have had students who admire Quentin Tarantino and have written graphically about gang violence, but as an isolated incident. They also wrote about other topics that showed a human side."
Michelle Celiz, a freshman at Kofa High School, said she has known students who were taken to the office for questionable writings. But she added that sometimes a story is just a story. Writing can even help work through violent emotions.
"Sometimes it's just creative writing," Celiz, 14, said. "I know a lot of people who wrote stories like that. It's what they think but that's why they're writing it, so they won't. It helps get it out."
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