Guide for Teachers: Making & Breaking Friends

Synopsis:

In this cellphilm, four people discuss their experiences with friendships. Through questions and answers, they reveal the challenges and opportunities to being a friend. The cellphilm explores the ways that romantic relationships can challenge friendships, and offers a critique of the ways that schools involve themselves in student conflicts.

Pre-Viewing Question:

1. What is friendship?

2. What might break a friendship?

3. Can you think of a time when a friendship of yours was tested? How was the situation resolved?

Post-Viewing Questions:

1. What do you do when there is conflict in your friend group?

2. To what extent should schools be involved in students’ personal lives including friendships and conflicts.

3. How do schools, teachers, and administrators currently involve themselves in student conflicts? What might you change or implement to support students when they are in conflict?

Additional Resources:

1. Tillmann, L. (2014). In solidarity: Friendship, family, and activism beyond gay and straight. New York: Routledge.

2. Taiji, K. (2017). LGBTQ+ youth and sense of belonging in a school community (Doctoral dissertation, Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University).