Peer-to-Peer Conflict Resolution
The J.W. Dodd Middle School peer mediation team, consisting of 34 students, successfully completed 16 hours of professional training with Gregg Scheiner of EAC Network and took an oath on Nov. 3 in the Dodd library. The ceremony was officiated by the Honorable Anthony W. Paradiso, and Assistant Principal Earl Mitchell praised the students for their leadership skills.
One goal of the Peer Mediation Program is to help the student volunteers develop relationships and communication skills that will transcend to other areas of their lives. As peer mediators, this team has learned to listen without taking sides and to help their classmates look for a solution and reach agreement.
Peer mediation is a form of conflict resolution in which trained students, under adult supervision, help their peers talk out and resolve interpersonal conflicts. Student mediators do not take sides or make decisions for their peers; instead, they help them create their own resolutions to conflicts. Dodd students are on call to mediate student conflicts in teams and they look forward to working together to resolve everyday disputes.