County Students Reap the Benefits of Ongoing Training
While rookie student mediators receive peer mediation training in other classrooms at George Mason University’s Prince William campus, mediation expert Bob Garrity guides a group of students through an advanced training session in the Verizon Auditorium.
“What’s the most important skill of a mediator?” Garrity asks, as he reviews two main points of the program. “Listening!” the students roar back. “And what’s a mediator’s most important job?” “Creating understanding!” the children respond enthusiastically.
“This training gives students the important skills necessary for effective problem solving,” says Doreen Dauer, supervisor of student assistance and prevention programs, who coordinated the event held on February 23. “Through their training as peer mediators, students learn how to solve their own conflicts and help their peers solve theirs.”
In his 
session, Garrity reviews some important behaviors essential for student mediators to use when working with classmates in conflict. During much of the session they perform skits and dialogues, role-playing to see how being friendly and courteous rather than bossy can open the door for communication and reduce animosity. “See how Jordan is really smiling once he is greeted and welcomed to the meeting?” and, “How does it make a person feel when someone invites them to do something rather than tells them to?” Garrity asks as he guides them through exercises.
In this advanced session, where the children have attended at least one of the two previous annual conferences and have been mediating in their schools, Garrity doesn't take as much time reviewing the basics as he does more advanced skills, such as listening and paraphrasing what the "clients" have said, using the language of mediators, knowing how and when to hold a caucus, using shuttle mediation, and knowing when and how to hold group mediation. Students also learn about group dynamics. They are sensitive to the gender and racial issues Garrity addresses and quickly acknowledge concern for equal representation so their classmates don’t feel singled out or isolated.
After the session ends, Garrity approaches teacher Erin Hunter’s sixth grade class from Fred Lynn Middle School as they sit on the floor in a circle eating their lunch. “I hope this has been a useful exercise,” he comments. “Useful is an understatement.” responds student Rachel Goad. With nods and exclamations, the group concurs, excited to have lots of new material to try out when they get back to school. They can’t wait to practice how to talk courteously and make clients feel welcome and included.
These experienced young mediators see different behavioral tendencies between groups of students. For example, Vanessa Romero, who is a Spanish translator for many of her classmates and friends, says “It’s more often girls than boys [in conflict].” Andy Blevins agrees, “Girls argue more, boys fight.”
Peer mediators often struggle not to tell classmates how to solve a problem but instead to help keep the communication going so they work it out themselves. “We feel a lot of pressure [as mediators] because we listen to the people in conflict and we really want them to work it out. So when they reach a solution and sign a contract, we feel really good,” says Lenora Counts.
Hunter, mediation coordinator at Fred Lynn, says the same two students rarely wind up back in the mix with a conflict. “When students resolve a conflict, it really means they can spend more time learning. ”
Learn more about peer mediation training on School Focus airing daily on Comcast Channel 21 from March 6 to 20 at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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