conducted a survey about vaping at her school. About half of
the seventh graders she surveyed had tried it. Of these, only half
knew there were dangerous chemicals in the vape
liquid. The rest thought they were vaping flavored
water.
"It was surprising," says Abigail , who created
anti-vaping posters for display on campus.
A student named Jorge admits being pressured
by friends into trying vaping. He says Patterson has
convinced him not to do it again.
"Vaping has been a big concern for me," says Pat-
terson. "I think it's a big gateway to vaping marijuana
or taking other drugs. Vaping nicotine interacts
with a child's brain to give them the feeling of being
relaxed, which makes it easier to try something else."
She encourages students to value their self-worth, to not be
followers, and to educate their peers.
"Students have told me they use vaping for depression, relax-
ing, and to look cool," she says. "I tell them we all
experiment in life, but when something new comes
about that looks fun and fantastic, you need to be
cautious. Students need to practice how to say no if
they feel pressured. ey need to rely on real infor-
mation instead of what their friends say.
"And we definitely need to begin educating chil-
dren at an earlier age, starting in elementary school,
along with parents."
In addition to education about vaping, some
schools actively monitor vaping activity, includ-
ing installing vaping sensors in bathrooms. A few
schools suspend offenders; others require they attend counsel-
ing sessions to help them quit. In San Francisco, Washington
Classroom resources:
Scholastic:
Lesson plan, worksheet and more —
headsup.scholastic.com/teachers/
lesson-e-cigarettes-
what-you-need-to-know
Stanford Medicine:
Comprehensive module, in five
units, exploring e-cigarettes —
med.stanford.edu/
tobaccopreventiontoolkit/
E-Cigs.html
American Lung Association:
Research, fact sheets —
lung.org/stop-smoking/
smoking-facts/
e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html
Breathe California:
Quick facts — ggbreathe.org/
e-cigarettes-facts-and-myths —
and Breathe LA: workshops for youth
and adults — breathela.org
Centers for Disease Control:
Information, infographics,
links to multiple resources —
cdc.gov/tobacco/
basic_information/e-cigarettes
Teaching tools
What you're inhaling when you vape:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Michelle Patterson with students.
30
cta.org
Linda Boyer-Chu
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