The Teenage Vaping Epidemic:

How two English teachers got together to help spread awareness about the Truth about Vaping and how you can too. 

It all started with an email from my principal that he sent out to all the teachers at school and a picture of a bunch of vaping devices. One was shaped as a unicorn, another as a toy gun. Objects that looked like toys, they were colourful and cute.There was a warning from the principal: beware these are all the vaping devices we have confiscated in the last month and students are vaping in class and filming it. I was horrified and knew nothing about vaping. Could they be vaping in my class, filming it and I’m none the wiser? He mentioned that secondary 1 students were vaping, I was surprised because they look like children. I was also working at an IB school at the time and thought that since they were high achievers and had less behavioural problems than other students in other schools that they wouldn’t even consider vaping. I wondered what could possibly be the allure. 

I called in my colleague Nairy Kazandjian and we met up at a coffee shop with a laptop and a notepad and inspiration. We knew that together, we had the power to help students without lecturing them on the topic to uncover the truth about vaping on their own through our guidance.

We decided to design engaging activities for all levels of high school from secondary 1 (7th grade) to secondary 5 (11th grade) in order to reach as many students as possible. 

We were shocked to see how teenagers were being targeted through enticing flavours like cotton candy, sour patch strawberry-banana, sleek vaping devices often made to look like high tech devices or made to be easily hidden from parents. Vaping shops are found in strip malls and near corner stores, often near schools. Some students think they are inhaling harmless water vapour. 

After testing our lessons in our own classrooms, we shared our work with hundreds of teachers around Quebec in hopes that they help spread awareness while teaching important English skills such as reading, writing, speaking, researching and critical thinking. Students found out through the various activities that nicotine is found in insecticides to kill insects, that the coil is heated by a battery and contains heavy metals such as nickel, lead and tin, that they are inhaling these with the other toxic chemicals found in the e-liquid. Formaldehyde which is used in the embalming process to preserve the body of a deceased person is present in the toxic mix and covered up with mouth-watering flavours.   

We designed "The Truth About Vaping," a complete Learning and Evaluation Situation (LES) that walks students through the new and alarming teenage vaping phenomenon. The LES includes over 100 pages of activities for all high school students, providing opportunities to express their opinion, collaborate, research, and express their findings. We also include handouts to review reading strategies to break down information and reinvest their understanding, and a choice board that allows teachers to differentiate material and give  students a choice of three different writing tasks. 

We also adapted the popular Vaping LES to meet the needs of Enriched ESL students. This version includes modified texts with upgraded vocabulary and expressions, lessons on phrasal verbs, figurative language, and the Feature Article text components. With over 135 pages of interactive activities and educational material, this version is an excellent tool to teach our students about the harmful effects of vaping.

Teenage vaping is a serious concern that needs to be addressed. It's crucial to educate our students about the harmful effects of vaping and provide them with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about their health. 

The Truth About Vaping LES is an excellent resource for teachers to engage students while teaching important English skills and raising awareness about this issue. Together, we can spread awareness about the Truth about Vaping and help teens make an informed decision that could save their life.

Written by Sophie Giroux