Julie James teaches at a small, private K-12 school. The school tries to create an atmosphere where the students' minds, bodies, and feelings are safe. James states, "I don't agree that kids can't resolve their own conflicts. One way we deal with conflicts is to have an all-school meeting, every grade together. Then, the students mediate the conflict within the larger group. I think you can put the conflict resolution process in the students' hands, let them determine their own limits, and communicate those limits to each other. It makes me feel like I don't have to step in and pull them apart and be part of the conflict. The kids do resolve it."
In one of their school meetings, the students agreed to a "stop" rule. James explains "If someone is doing something to you that crosses the limits of safety, you say 'stop' and they have to stop." Thus, meetings can help provide structure to prevent violence and give students more control over their actions. You can also adapt school meetings to become classroom meetings.
Another alternate method for resolving conflict is peer mediation . This process brings together trained student mediators along with the disputing students. Collaboratively, they discuss the situation and develop a reasonable solution.
These alternate responses to conflict can help students resolve their immediate concerns. Often, students' coping skills are so limited, that they only know to respond to a conflict by fighting. School meetings and peer mediation not only help students solve their immediate conflict but they also teach students how to resolve future conflicts without fighting.
This document was last updated 6/30/97 by
Chandra Hawley.
Copyright
1996 Indiana University -
Center for Adolescent Studies, all rights reserved.
Kris Bosworth - Director