Community Relations
D'Veal Family and Youth Services
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This course is designed to provide adult students and parents the
opportunity to develop new skills in managing anger. The primary goal is
to teach appropriate responses to anger, thereby eliminating violent and
destructive behavior in the student’s life. This course stresses an
understanding of self, the importance of primary and secondary
emotions, effective communication, and parental modeling as key
components in the control of anger. Court mandated class. Total of 72
hours lecture, Grading: non-credit course.
Instructor: Orngiel “Jan” Martin
P.C.C. Community Education Center
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Room 207 2:00 – 3:30 pm
3035 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
626) 585-3000
http://www.pasadena.edu/cec/
Visit to the Anger Management Class
I had heard of Ms. Martin’s “Anger Management Class.” I knew it was
being held at the Community Education Center, an annex of Pasadena
City College. I also knew there were participants that have been court
ordered to attend. I have done enough “mandatory” parent-ed courses
to know that this could be a difficult group. But my faith in Ms. Orngiel
Martin, better to known to her co-workers as Jan, is very strong. With a
hint of a smile on her face, she likes to let everyone know that “Orngiel”
is French for “Angel.” She is a real people person. She has a way of
making you feel comfortable in difficult situations. She has been at D’
Veal Family and Youth Services in Pasadena, California, for the past 5
years. On this day, I had asked Ms. Martin if I could tag along with her as
she made her rounds to the different community programs running out of
D.F.Y.S. She was glad to take me up on my request and asked that I
meet her at the Anger Management Class where we would begin our tour.
As I walked into the classroom, I was concerned at how people would
accept me walking into the room since anger can be a very private thing,
especially if you’re court ordered to attend a class and speak before
other people, presumably with the same issues and concerns.
Ms. Martin introduced me to the group and explained what I was doing
there. She treated me like the friend that I am and immediately the
tension in the room was gone. I took pictures with their consent and sat
quietly in the back of the room. The room is a large classroom with rows
of desks all facing toward the teacher who would sit in the front. It was
like any classroom, except that the students in this classroom had been
through a journey together, a journey of learning how to forgive and
understand themselves. They spoke easily about how their week had
gone and how they had handled situations that had come up. There was
no criticism, no laughing at each other’s shortcomings, no pressure to
give up information they didn’t want to share. All of a sudden, a young
man strutted into the room with a huge smile on his face. He was greeted
with words of encouragement, clapping, smiles and laughter, from the
group. In his hands he held a large red balloon. He slowly blew it up,
and then slowly released the air. I learned later that this was an exercise
taught to the group by Ms. Martin.
“My balloon represents the anger I have carried and how long it’s been
blowing up all this time, and now I have released all that anger.” said the
young man. He could not smile larger if he tried. There was more
clapping and shouts of encouragement as he stood before his peers.
His success is clearly part of their success.
There were one or two students who sat outside the group, but they were
never ordered to join the inner circle.
“When they’re ready, they’ll join,” said Jan as we spoke later. She
explained that even though people come for different reasons, most
leave with the same understanding, “I can be a better human being, I can
be stronger and I can do it because I’m worth it.”
After class, I asked a few of the students if they would speak to me about
their experiences in the class.
“Sure, no problem”, said a young African-American woman. She is a
single mother struggling to keep herself together enough to provide for
her son.
“When I first came, I felt like I didn’t belong,” she said. I felt like I needed
this earlier on when I started nursing care. I felt like I needed to be calm
in order to keep my nursing license.”
She went on to say how people close to her were often the most
annoying of all. She felt that she was constantly disappointed by people
she thought would be more considerate, but weren’t. Then one day, a
real problem arose while she was in a location with her son. One thing
led to another and she found herself being taken to jail. When she went
to court, she was given a choice of jail time or 72 hours of anger
management. She chose to come to the anger management class.
Another participant, an older, Caucasian woman, then spoke up saying
that she was here for general knowledge. “I’ve learned a lot about myself
and how I expend so much anger and negative feelings” she said, I really
had no idea before.”
“Do you think it’s because of the mix of people who come to the class?” I
asked. Before I could finish the thought, the young woman chimed in.
“I think it’s because of the teacher” she said. “Ms. Martin doesn’t force
us to say things that we don’t necessarily agree with, but over time, come
to understand about ourselves. Other classes I have taken force you to
see yourself as the bad guy. My last teacher said, “I don’t care if you are
innocent or not, the police said you’re guilty, so that’s it! You just really
don’t want to come back. But here, it’s very open and I look forward to
coming back each week.” she said.
I left the anger management class knowing that Jan was really helping
the participants get through their anger fear and pain whether it was
court ordered or not. Moreover, they were now aware that they have
kept this anger inside for years, and that changing the ways they have
dealt with it in the past can help balance their families, their children and
their lives.
Article by Annie Whitson
opportunity to develop new skills in managing anger. The primary goal is
to teach appropriate responses to anger, thereby eliminating violent and
destructive behavior in the student’s life. This course stresses an
understanding of self, the importance of primary and secondary
emotions, effective communication, and parental modeling as key
components in the control of anger. Court mandated class. Total of 72
hours lecture, Grading: non-credit course.
Instructor: Orngiel “Jan” Martin
P.C.C. Community Education Center
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Room 207 2:00 – 3:30 pm
3035 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
626) 585-3000
http://www.pasadena.edu/cec/
Visit to the Anger Management Class
I had heard of Ms. Martin’s “Anger Management Class.” I knew it was
being held at the Community Education Center, an annex of Pasadena
City College. I also knew there were participants that have been court
ordered to attend. I have done enough “mandatory” parent-ed courses
to know that this could be a difficult group. But my faith in Ms. Orngiel
Martin, better to known to her co-workers as Jan, is very strong. With a
hint of a smile on her face, she likes to let everyone know that “Orngiel”
is French for “Angel.” She is a real people person. She has a way of
making you feel comfortable in difficult situations. She has been at D’
Veal Family and Youth Services in Pasadena, California, for the past 5
years. On this day, I had asked Ms. Martin if I could tag along with her as
she made her rounds to the different community programs running out of
D.F.Y.S. She was glad to take me up on my request and asked that I
meet her at the Anger Management Class where we would begin our tour.
As I walked into the classroom, I was concerned at how people would
accept me walking into the room since anger can be a very private thing,
especially if you’re court ordered to attend a class and speak before
other people, presumably with the same issues and concerns.
Ms. Martin introduced me to the group and explained what I was doing
there. She treated me like the friend that I am and immediately the
tension in the room was gone. I took pictures with their consent and sat
quietly in the back of the room. The room is a large classroom with rows
of desks all facing toward the teacher who would sit in the front. It was
like any classroom, except that the students in this classroom had been
through a journey together, a journey of learning how to forgive and
understand themselves. They spoke easily about how their week had
gone and how they had handled situations that had come up. There was
no criticism, no laughing at each other’s shortcomings, no pressure to
give up information they didn’t want to share. All of a sudden, a young
man strutted into the room with a huge smile on his face. He was greeted
with words of encouragement, clapping, smiles and laughter, from the
group. In his hands he held a large red balloon. He slowly blew it up,
and then slowly released the air. I learned later that this was an exercise
taught to the group by Ms. Martin.
“My balloon represents the anger I have carried and how long it’s been
blowing up all this time, and now I have released all that anger.” said the
young man. He could not smile larger if he tried. There was more
clapping and shouts of encouragement as he stood before his peers.
His success is clearly part of their success.
There were one or two students who sat outside the group, but they were
never ordered to join the inner circle.
“When they’re ready, they’ll join,” said Jan as we spoke later. She
explained that even though people come for different reasons, most
leave with the same understanding, “I can be a better human being, I can
be stronger and I can do it because I’m worth it.”
After class, I asked a few of the students if they would speak to me about
their experiences in the class.
“Sure, no problem”, said a young African-American woman. She is a
single mother struggling to keep herself together enough to provide for
her son.
“When I first came, I felt like I didn’t belong,” she said. I felt like I needed
this earlier on when I started nursing care. I felt like I needed to be calm
in order to keep my nursing license.”
She went on to say how people close to her were often the most
annoying of all. She felt that she was constantly disappointed by people
she thought would be more considerate, but weren’t. Then one day, a
real problem arose while she was in a location with her son. One thing
led to another and she found herself being taken to jail. When she went
to court, she was given a choice of jail time or 72 hours of anger
management. She chose to come to the anger management class.
Another participant, an older, Caucasian woman, then spoke up saying
that she was here for general knowledge. “I’ve learned a lot about myself
and how I expend so much anger and negative feelings” she said, I really
had no idea before.”
“Do you think it’s because of the mix of people who come to the class?” I
asked. Before I could finish the thought, the young woman chimed in.
“I think it’s because of the teacher” she said. “Ms. Martin doesn’t force
us to say things that we don’t necessarily agree with, but over time, come
to understand about ourselves. Other classes I have taken force you to
see yourself as the bad guy. My last teacher said, “I don’t care if you are
innocent or not, the police said you’re guilty, so that’s it! You just really
don’t want to come back. But here, it’s very open and I look forward to
coming back each week.” she said.
I left the anger management class knowing that Jan was really helping
the participants get through their anger fear and pain whether it was
court ordered or not. Moreover, they were now aware that they have
kept this anger inside for years, and that changing the ways they have
dealt with it in the past can help balance their families, their children and
their lives.
Article by Annie Whitson