The following situation was submitted to The School Mediator last month. Some details were changed to protect the identity of the school. I am a school counselor and have coordinated a peer mediation program in my high school for four years. We have had a great run, and the administration sincerely feels that peer mediation is one of the best programs we have ever implemented.… read this issue >>

A Summary of the Dilemma: Angel, one of very few "out" gay students at his high school, has applied to be a mediator. The team of veteran peer mediators who interviewed Angel gave him a poor score. The coordinator, who knows Angel well and feels he would make an excellent addition to the mediation team, is concerned that unacknowledged homophobia prevented the mediators from considering Angel.… read this issue >>

To renovate a house, you need a hammer. For certain tasks, a hammer is essential. But it would be lunacy to think that you could refurbish an entire house with a hammer alone.… read this issue >>

"Conflicts involving boys are one thing, but fights between girls are the most challenging." If I had a dollar for every educator who has said this to me with a knowing grin, I could buy each of you a book on the suddenly popular topic of "relational aggression."… read this issue >>

How much time is required to coordinate a peer mediation program? Well, that depends upon who you ask (and how much money is in their budget!).… read this issue >>

I recently received a copy of Meghan Lennon's college essay, in which she describes how peer mediation changed her life. It was sent to me by Randi Orpen, peer mediation coordinator/Spanish teacher at Woburn High School in Massachusetts. Meghan is one of Randi's student mediators.… read this issue >>

I live near ground zero in the debate over what has come to be called "gay marriage." Last week, people from across the US and representing both "sides" of this issue squared off outside the Massachusetts State House — 4 miles from where I sit. … read this issue >>

I sometimes arrive at a school to conduct a peer mediation training and find that the coordinator has assembled a homogenous group of trainees: most of the students are high achieving, relatively well- adjusted, and represent the majority racial/ethnic group in the school. Many are even part of the same clique of friends. … read this issue >>

It was a typical group of peer mediation trainees. When we arrived at their middle school to conduct the third and final day of training, it had been almost a week since we were last together. Students were chatting excitedly, moving heavy library tables so we could sit in a circle.… read this issue >>