what is teacher student mediation.pdf

Restore the Respect

How to Mediate School Conflicts and Keep Students Learning

by

Ondine Gross

Nationally Certified School Psychologist Champaign, Illinois

Contents

  1. A Call to Action: Reforming Discipline, Improving Relationships, and Building Better Schools
  2. Systems to Help Students: How Response to Intervention and Multi-tiered Positive Behavior Supports Transform a School
  3. What Is Teacher–Student Mediation?
  4. How to Conduct Teacher–Student Mediations
  5. What Is Required of a Skilled School Mediator?
  6. Sources of Teacher–Student Conflict, Problem-Solving Strategies, and Sample Mediations
  7. Feedback on Teacher–Student Mediation
  8. Promising Data: Mediation Is Effective
  9. How to Conduct Student Mediations
  10. Mediation with Adults in Schools: The Next Frontier

About the Author

Ondine Gross, M.S., Ed.M., is a nationally certified school psychologist who has worked in public school settings for more than 30 years. She began her career in diverse California public school districts, and the California Association of School Psychologists named her an “Outstanding School Psychologist.” While in California, Ondine earned licenses as a marriage and family therapist and as a licensed educational psychologist. In Champaign, Illinois, Ondine has worked as the school psychologist at Centennial High School. In Illinois, she became a licensed clinical professional counselor and a mediator. She earned a master’s degree in educational policy, organization, and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as certification to be a school administrator. In addition to her school psychology duties, Ondine is Centennial High School’s student services department chair. Ondine speaks publicly on a wide range of topics related to students and families.

What Is Teacher–Student Mediation?

Understanding is another name for love; love is another name for understanding. —Thich Nhat Hanh

Teacher Susan Schneider: As a teacher for 37 years, the single most important factor in the classroom is a positive and mutually respectful relationship between the student and teacher. When this is compromised, it is essential to get that back on track...but that is not always an easy process.

WHAT IS MEDIATION?

The Latin root for the word mediation means “middle carrier.” Mediation is an intervention to help people in conflict reconcile differences, settle a dispute, or reach a compromise. In a school context, the Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE; see www.directionservice.org/cadre) provides families with an excellent free resource on steps to resolve complex educational disputes with their child’s school district. However, the use of mediation is continually expanding within educational, community, and youth settings. Although there is little to no research on the use of mediation as a Tier II intervention to specifically restore and improve teacher–student relationships, since the early 2000s, the use of mediation has been promoted within the context of restorative practices.

The goals of restorative justice intervention in schools are to address the harm committed and enhance responsibility and accountability, build relationships and community, and teach students empathy and problem-solving skills that can help prevent the occurrence of inappropriate behavior in the future.

Using a tiered system of supports, Oakland’s use of restorative justice involves “creating space for dialogue” via mediation, restorative conversations, circles, family group conferences, and community conferences.

Upon completing a standard 40-hour mediation training in 2009, my new knowledge percolated in my mind for more than a year. Teacher–student mediation can operate as a stand-alone intervention using existing trained school staff member(s) as the mediators.

In this chapter, I describe the “what” and the “why” of teacher–student mediation.

WHAT IS TEACHER–STUDENT MEDIATION?

Teacher Beth Hogan: I had the opportunity to participate in a teacher–student mediation that restored the peace in our classroom and healed a fraught teacher–student relationship. Mediation provides the means for people to tell their full story. It is dignifying and healing for people to be heard, understood, and affirmed. Mediation strives to improve the self-esteem and effectiveness of the teacher and student.

The following four principles are useful in school settings:

  1. Impartiality: Mediators do not take sides. They are there to listen—not to solve problems.
  2. Confidentiality: A mediation is a private meeting. Knowing the mediation is confidential gives people confidence in the process.
  3. Self-determination: Participants choose to talk about whatever topics they wish.
  4. Voluntariness: Participants come to mediation voluntarily and stay voluntarily.
WHY MEDIATE WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS?

Principal Greg Johnson: It’s consistently our highest performing intervention, and of course, it makes sense.

Teacher–student mediation is a solution that improves student learning and teacher morale, fosters an environment of caring and respect, and models conflict resolution skills.

Why Is Mediation Helpful for Students?

Students can benefit from mediation by learning about a teacher’s perspective and possibly obtaining a more sympathetic understanding. Mediation gives these students a voice and can provide an outlet for them to discuss some of their life challenges.

Why Is Mediation Helpful for Both Teachers and Students?

Teachers and students see each other every school day. The ongoing difficulty may reduce the overall success of the teacher in promoting student learning. Mediation provides the means for a completely different interaction.

Consider the following scenario: [A hypothetical interaction between a student and teacher].

Mediation can be an opportunity for the first time that both a teacher and student have had an extended, frank, problem-solving conversation.

Administrator Angela Schoonover: As a teacher, I always encouraged students to come to me if they felt as if I was disrespecting them.

AREN’T TEACHERS RESISTANT TO MEDIATION?

Principal Greg Johnson: Strategies about how to get teacher buy-in aren’t necessarily needed if the thing you are doing is obviously and undeniably successful.