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From peer pressure to peer solutions

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By PETER GREER

greer@crescent-news.com

HICKSVILLE -- Peer mediation in the Hicksville Exempted Village School District has been in existence for years, but the program's expansion to the elementary school is only underway now.

Students participating in peer mediation programs are trained to help solve conflicts among their peers and help students resolve difficulties without resorting to violence. The program has been in existence at the middle and high schools since 1998, and its ongoing success has resulted in an identical program starting at the elementary school level.

A part of the school's continuous improvement plan, the elementary program came about in February, according to guidance counselor Katie Brown, who advises the program at the suggestion of high school teacher Sharon Sweet. Sweet, along with fellow teacher Susan Peverly, coordinate the high school peer mediation program. "Sharon called me and I said I'd love to do it," notes Brown.

An early start, Sweet says, is essential for getting the most out of the peer mediation program. "It takes (middle and high school teachers) two to three months to get to know the kids," she says, noting that implementing the program in elementary school was meant, in part, to curtail any potential problems during the first year of middle school. Middle school can often be stressful to students due to a new building, different classes and more responsibility in general.

"The transition from elementary to high school should be as smooth as possible," says Sweet.

The first step in training was to bring in some HHS seniors involved with the high school mediation program to meet with Brown and find out what the program was like. "We got great feedback," Brown says. Meanwhile, a number of fifth- and sixth-grade students were selected as potential peer mediators.

To be successful mediators, students must be good role models in and out of school; be able to keep discussions confidential; be an effective communicator; enjoy helping others; and be responsible, cooperative and willing to listen to all sides in a situation.

Although fifth- and sixth-graders make up all of the elementary peer mediation students, they may become involved in problems requiring these services for any elementary student from kindergarten through sixth grade.

"They're more mature," Brown says. "They're able to handle the responsibility of being a peer mediator."

But if students in need of peer mediation are to learn how to properly handle difficulties, it's a learning experience for the mediators themselves as well. "We're training kids to help other kids solve problems," Brown says, "but it also helps fifth- and sixth-graders to be more responsible."

Specific duties for the mediators include doing reports on how mediation sessions have gone, using their own time to help others and maintaining at least a C grade point average.

A goal for the program is to have at least one mediator per classroom.

Students involved in problems requiring mediation will see Brown and at least one mediator first in order to try to resolve the situation. Should the problem reoccur, the next step for these students is to receive discipline from principal Keith Countryman or assistant principal Claudia Winn.

So far, Brown says, the program has been beneficial on many levels. "It's brought confidence out in the mediators, it's making students aware of what they can accomplish, and it's reduced the amount of people that Keith and Claudia will have to see."

The principals are also highly involved in the peer mediation program, as is the rest of the faculty.

Mediations can be requested by Brown, Countryman, Winn, students or other teachers, and can even involve the students' parents if it is deemed necessary.

Confidentiality with all involved is highly stressed, with penalties given to anyone who violates privacy rules. Repeated violations will result in the guilty mediator being dropped from the program for the remainder of the year.

But while the program seems to be an initial success, plans do not at present involve students from younger grades becoming peer mediators.

"We want to improve on these programs," Brown says, "but time will tell on that."

Regardless of whether we'll see younger peer mediators in the future, Brown wants all students to realize the need to learn how to take care of potential difficulties with their peers -- not only for school, but for life. "Conflict resolution," she says, "is something that all kids should learn."