The following piece was sent to The School Mediator by an excellent peer mediation coordinator who I happen to know. He has been active in the field for close to a decade and has personally trained hundreds of students to mediate. He is currently an adjustment counselor and mediation coordinator in an urban high school in the United States. His school has large, first-generation Asian and Hispanic populations and a difficult gang problem. He has chosen to remain anonymous. These are his words: It is a frustrating reality for me that most kids we train to be mediators aren't very good at it. I am writing to clarify my feelings and hopefully to receive feedback from others wrestling with this issue. … 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 >>

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 >>

With more than two decades of practice under our belts, seasoned peer mediation practitioners generally agree on the fundamentals of how to operate a peer mediation program. There are a few issues, however, about which disagreement is still profound. One is whether adult coordinators should remain in the room during peer mediation sessions.… read this issue >>

I always ask students to refer to me by my first name when I conduct peer mediation trainings. This is most comfortable for me. In addition, being on a first-name basis is a signal to trainees that we will be equal partners in learning (something that is especially relevant when teaching mediation, a subject fundamentally concerned with issues such as trust, power, and fairness).… read this issue >>

I have heard every manner of criticism leveled at peer mediation over the years. Some of it arises from a lack of understanding of the program. Some is just sour grapes: The harshest critics usually have another pet form of conflict resolution program. And some is right on the money, or at least close enough to warrant my attention.… read this issue >>

Role-plays are good for you. These training exercises — in which two people act as if they are in conflict while two trainees mediate the simulated conflict — are the heart of any peer mediation training.… read this issue >>

Last week I received a familiar call. A high school counselor, completely new to mediation, asked if I could conduct a "train-the-trainer" at her school: that is, train her and her colleagues to then train their students to be peer mediators. I have received countless calls like this, and I gave her my usual response: No, I can't.… read this issue >>

I recently helped a group of experienced mediators develop a plan to educate their peers about mediation. As we explored the reasons why students might hesitate to try mediation, a girl named Sasha boldly admitted: "I would never go to peer mediation myself." I used to be surprised when mediators said things like this; by now, however, I have heard such comments too often to be surprised.… read this issue >>

During a peer mediation training at East Boston High School last week, a number of students bristled at our standard recommendation that mediators create and enforce ground rules. Lest you assume we have a book full of rules, you should know that we suggest that mediators ask parties to agree to follow only two rules as a requirement to participate in the process: no putdowns and no physical violence. (Many peer mediation models have more ground rules.)… read this issue >>