Testimonials Re: Bully Prevention Thru Expressive Arts Programs and Parent Workshops

The following testimonials are direct quotes from students and parents who participated in the Bully Prevention thru Expressive Arts Program and the companion workshop for parents. Pseudonyms are used to protect the identity of the contributors. The quotes were only edited where there was a need for greater clarity for the sake of the reader.

We had a delightful time with your presence~presents. Your great wisdom, gentle strength and creative teachings, were exemplarily, showing those who attended the power of kindness. Thanks to your program, they, as individuals, as a class or as siblings, will have gained the knowledge to utilize their quiet strength when and if the time of adversity arises. We are tremendously fortunate to have had this time with you. Thursdays are not the same without your sweet spirit! Let's plan another year, perhaps February 2011.

I'll remember how you changed my life and how you made me believe in myself. I didn't know I could act up on stage because usually in plays I'm a detail and this time I was a bigger act. I have more feeling about bullying and how it can hurt people. My confidence to act as a Hero, (person who helps to stop bullying), went up because when people believe in you then they can trust you and know that you can make a difference and stop bullying. I think bullying has gone down at school because people understand how it's bad to bully and how it's ungood and people think they're going to loose friends if they bully. People understand that it's really painful and ungood to bully. I liked everything! I think it was good to perform the skits because it inspires kids to learn how to say, "I'm sorry." We always get in random fights and then forgive each other.

Fifth Grade Student

Thank you again for all you taught our children about awareness of bullying. It has helped my son with identifying bullying and being able to prevent others from bullying. He was able to stop a bully that had been tormenting him in school for a while. It was very empowering. I'm thankful he had a mentor to help him. He also told me that you are one of the kindest people he's met and that he loved being around you. The things you used to teach in your class made him feel very peaceful. Keep up the good work. Teach Peace!

Mother of fifth grade student

Maryam has a way of being with young people that brings out their strengths and their understanding of themselves and others. She demonstrates unconditional positive regard for each person within a classroom. This, along with her fun and creative activities, helps to create the atmosphere for learning. She is has a strong belief in the power of music, movement, art, and role playing that reinforces the message of dealing with bullying behavior. She is committed to helping to create peace in schools and in students lives.

Elementary School Counselor

I opened up to everyone in the group - I was a whole different person. I felt safe enough in this group to open up as a person and as an actor. In the beginning of the play, I didn't really go up to people and talk to them. I wouldn't go up to anyone & say, "Can I sit with you at lunch?" Kidding around with each other made me feel more confident and more comfortable. You laughed a lot in here & I laugh a lot in the cafeteria.

Before performing the bully prevention play, I saw 2 girls bullying another girl and I was afraid that I would get bullied too so I walked away. Now I would probably compliment her shoes and ask her if she would like to have lunch with me & my friends. You feel lonely & horrible when you get bullied & like unwanted. When I use to live in Fitzberg, the preppie girls were calling this boy with orange hair "Jimmy Neutron." I was too shy to do anything. I always felt so bad that I didn't do anything. From then on he waited near the dumpster away from the bus stop so he could get on the bus last. Now I would walk over there & compliment him on what he's wearing or try to get him into a conversation and sit with him on the bus and be nice to him.

I feel good and I feel like I can do that play as many times as I have to! When I'm an adult, I'll probably remember I had a fun time and it was fun performing for all those schools. I probably will remember the script. This was the best play I've ever done even though it was the shortest play I've ever done.

Eighth Grade Student

Dear Mrs. Mermey, Thank you for your help in Bullying Prevention. I really enjoyed your support and love for us. I learned a lot from you. I thank you again.

Fifth Grade student

Our 10-year-old daughter, a fifth grader, came to us last month with the news that there was going to be a bully prevention awareness event at school. She told us that she had been rehearsing with the other kids at school to put on a play of sorts that dealt with the issue of bullying, specifically schoolyard bullying. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect and I have to say that it was a special evening that left a big mark on me.

Through that event we met Maryam Mermey who was leading the "troops" that night. Maryam's personable nature and devotion to this cause were evident in every way as the kid's acted out potential scenes of bullying in the schoolyard and offered up suggestions at dealing with it when bullying and exclusion rear their ugly heads.

Maryam was intent on having the audience participate in round table discussion following the play and that touched me more than anything. It's amazing how everyone started to reflect on their past - to relive their own personal experiences of being bullied or even having bullied others themselves. This exercise got everyone involved and thinking in a very personal, and I should think effective way.

I found it personally inspiring to be there that night - so much so that it fueled a creative spark in me.

I spend a fair amount of time writing and producing my own music and I knew I could get a good song out that experience. I feel that way because the work Maryam is doing touched me - we need more Maryams in the world.

Best wishes to all,
Parents of Fifth Grade Student

The play made me want to become a Hero more. It was so fun doing the skits under the limbo stick. It was fun creating the skits. I understand the role of a bully more since this program. The program introduced me to the witness and how watching bullying beats on their insides and in their hearts so much and leaves them with a vague worry. I can't take it when something that's worrying you is hanging over you. Witnesses can talk to someone who is prepared to take action to stop the bullying. When they tell someone they become a Hero. All the witnesses turned into Heroes in the skits!

My understanding of how bullying starts and how to stop bullying has grown. I realize now that bullying starts when one person begins bullying and then another join person joins in the bullying and then another and another etc. because they don't want to be left out. If someone they are friends with starts bullying they are probably going to join the bullying because they are not ready to live life without that friend and they don't realize it's time to stop and that is more important than keeping a friend.

You taught me through acting to imagine if people were really being kicked and fell down and I don't want that to happen to me. The play made me want to become a Hero more.

The bullying in the classroom is absolutely gone. We don't bully each other any more. The program has helped us with real life situations. I personally loved the program and I think it's perfect the way it is and the next group will love it as much as we did.

Fifth Grade student

After doing the play I can be more open - be more of myself with other people. I learned I'm strong within myself and I could work together with other people and be open. The play made people think. I was always tucked into myself. Being in front of people gave me more confidence in myself. I saw this improvement in myself at the dances in terms of being able to dance freely, act freely, people being able to be more of themselves. It was just fun! I have a dream. If it's strong enough, I will follow it to the end and I won't stop until I do make a difference.

I plan on being a writer, a fashion designer, or a musician. If I'm a writer, I'm going to become a journalist and write about bullying and important things that get to people - I want to take journalism to the next level! If I'm a fashion designer, I'm going to host and fund an event to put like writing on T-shirts - Hugs Not Drugs - Don't Bully Be Friends - If I'm a musician, I'll write songs about how bad bullying is for your health and that it makes people feel bad about themselves."

Eighth Grade Student

I think it would be a good idea for the fourth grade to have the program too. I could donate some of the ten dollars from my allowance so the other fifth grade could have the program. I could put a jar around the class and they could donate.

It was fun working in the skit groups. I got a lot closer to the people in my skit group because of the skits. They were a lot different than I thought they were. I didn't know what they actually cared about and what they thought. I thought Gillian was shy but I saw she was outgoing and willing to try a lot of things. I didn't know that Astrid was such a strong person. Astrid and I sit next to each other and share pencils, and talk to each other, and have snacks together. I'm still friendly with these people.

My understanding of the roles in bullying is greater because I never knew about verbal or Internet bullying before. I thought bullying was just physical. After the program I invited Clark to sleep over my house and we played a video game and watched a movie. Instead of making conflict and being mad I decided to make friends and it worked! The Bully Prevention Program really helped me!

My confidence to act as a Hero is greater. Well, actually before this I would've pushed the bully but now I know I could tell the bully to stop and say to the targets, "Hey, why don't we do this together?" This gives the bullies time to cool down so they could be friends. The bullying at school has gone down a lot. I was somebody's bodyguard and I just put out my arms and they just went away. That was the only bullying since the Bully Prevention Program I've seen and I solved it peacefully.

I'm going to say that I was sorry to those bullies for jumping on them in third grade. I was trying to help the targets but now I know I could have used words instead.

Yeah, I will probably remember everything. It was really interesting and I didn't know I needed this kind of thing. Because we learned it and it was from a teacher and it sounded right and you explained everything. I knew it was right.

Fifth Grade Student

I will remember everything because it was so much fun and how to relax yourself if you are in a sticky situation with the breaths and stuff. If I ever saw bullying I will know how to stop it and how to take the target away. I will miss how you taught us we can protect other people by helping people and the way you made me feel more confident about helping people and how you made me feel I could believe in myself.

When our sculpture group couldn't agree on whether to make our statue sporty or girly, we took everything off and then we were able to work as a team because if we didn't it would have stayed a mess - we fixed it and now we're happy. (They resolved the problem by making a Super Hero that could be a girl or boy and painting it boy and girl colors.)

Doing our skit was one of my most favorite parts because we all thought of it together including the boy in our group. My understanding of the roles in bullying and how bullying starts and how to stop it went up because when I was in third and fourth grade, I didn't think bullying was a big thing. So if I see someone bullying someone, I know how to stop it by taking the targets away. I think a bully acts like they do because they have gotten bullied in their life so they want to get it out on somebody and they should talk to somebody to help their anger go down.

Ever since the bully prevention stuff, bullying hasn't happened as much. I've stopped at least one person from bullying someone. Somebody was saying something to somebody in a mean way and I kinda told the bully to back off and this person has feelings too and you shouldn't say this to this person because they are human.

Fifth Grade student

Bullying has gone down because I used to get picked on because of my weight and I told the principal and she said to tell her if it happens again. I haven't been picked on since the program.

The performance was really fun for me. Performing brought our relationships closer to knowing each other. My favorite part was when I had to help Mary Lou up. That was fun. It was ALL fun for me!

Fifth Grade Student

My confidence in acting as a Hero (the person who does her/his best to stop the bullying behavior) is greater because of all the plays! If you are just watching for a witness you can trust, they won't be scared to get into the conversation and help to take the targets away. I really liked it! I got good feedback. I did not think I could be so creative! Like the play we did lots of things that made the crowd like WOW.

My understanding of the roles in bullying is greater because when we understand it more we get it more. We get ideas from the posters and the signs.

Bullying has gone down in the school because before the lower grades might have bullied someone and now they might think of how it would feel to them to get bullied and stop bullying. Our play was really helpful to them. Bullying has gone down in our classroom because of what you told us and how the target feels. Making the Fountain of Youth sculpture collage also helped bullying go down in our classroom because it showed how you can walk over it and all your bad feelings go away.

Fifth Grade Student

I loved the performance. I thought it was awesome! My confidence to act as a Hero and try to stop bullying is greater because I heard that story of Olivia. (Letters to a Bullied Girl by Olivia Gardner is about how a student generated letter-writing campaign literally saved the life of a Middle School student who was being severely bullied. Letters from this book were read as an on-going part of the Bully Prevention thru Expressive Arts Program.) I felt really bad for her and I know how much bullying hurts. I don't want to see that happen to other people and so I want to do what I can to stop it. I think bullying went down in our classroom because nobody wanted to hurt each other in the mind or physically from my point of view. I think maybe I don't know how to improve the Bully Prevention Program because I really liked it.

I did see a difference in my writing. I started writing a story at home with a friend in the other class: The Adventures at Mt. Everest and The Adventures at Fiji. (The student is referring to the After School Bully Prevention Writers' Group that was offered in addition to the Bully Prevention thru Expressive Arts Program that involved the whole class during the school day.)

I definitely learned more about forgiveness because once my friend and I had a fight and we really weren't that forgiveful. Now I would totally think about it and cool down and would apologize. It isn't good to let it build up overnight. I'd probably do the Grounding Breath.

I would remember you and how we did the program so if I had any kids I would give them helpful tips. I would also remember the sculpture.

Fifth Grade Student

I learned that when you forgive others you receive goodness. I already know this but the program reminded me of this because of the skit. It felt good to forgive Penelope in the skit. When I'm grown up I'll remember all the fun that we had and everything! I learned I could sing!

Fifth Grade Student