7 July
2008
Elias
is a teacher in a large school in Beit Jala with 900 students. He
teaches science and social studies
to grades 3 to 6, and economics and
world history to grades 11 and 12.
When
we first meet, Elias is introduced
to me as a teacher who is trying to
implement peer mediation in his
school. In his words, students need
to be involved in the middle of the
education process, as opposed to the
old, traditional method of keeping
the teacher in control. The types of
issues that Elias sees students
arguing about are mainly competition
between same-age groups: who's the
best at a subject or sport, most
creative, smartest. Many issues
focus around power and popularity,
while others involve a protective
sense where someone's family or
friend is gossiped about. Some
issues push traditional norms of
relationships outside marriage or
the limitations of mixed sex
relationships, such as teasing that
"Osama loves Mona". How students
live in the community with the
ongoing strain of occupation is
another source of frustration for
students. Lastly, domestic abuse
within the family can bring the
aggressive behaviour seen at home
into the school.
I
asked Elias how he deals with
conflict as a teacher at his school.
He concedes that it is confusing at
first, but separates the students
and then invites them to talk. A
German organization offered a
mediation course for teachers in
order to ensure satisfaction in
resolving conflicts among students.
It started at the teacher-level,
with the German organization
lecturing groups on practical skills
in mediation with a justice focus.
This training spread to the 9, 10,
and 11 grades with 16 mediators of
equally mixed gender. They practiced
with role play and provide a reach
out service to let students know the
peer mediation service exists. With
this having been established, the
training extended to grade 5 for a
total of 10 mediators. The peer
mediation service gives students
control over resolving their own
conflicts, and offers opportunities
for empowerment building. They do
have an organized system in place,
which includes a signed agreement
upon successful completion of the
mediation process.
This
entire system of student
representation is novel for the
area; no other schools have peer
mediation, and the idea of a student
council with teachers serving as
liaisons to the administration is
still being confirmed. However,
Elias had pride and confidence in
the student council model, talking
avidly about the proposals that have
yet to be fully debated on by the 32
student representatives from each
class and the school administration.
When
asked on what can be further
improved upon, Elias was emphatic
that teachers should be
facilitators, and should know their
duty and obligation within the
classroom. Part of this, he
explains, is encouraging democracy.
It starts with the students electing
one boy and one girl to represent
them as mediators, thus breaking
down gender expectations. Elias
recalled proudly how one female
student in grade 5 remarked that she
hoped the "democracy that has worked
in our classroom will also be in my
home and community."
Teachers, Elias continues, need new
training to break from the
traditional mold. They need to be
both accessible and interactive.
Students should feel that they are
in the middle of the process.
Teachers should be more able to deal
with psychological issues that
arise, and to extend themselves more
readily to students.
Mediation is still new, and as Elias
recognizes that not all teachers are
convinced. As a new model in dealing
with conflict for the school and the
region, the ideas of the German
principal have been innovative. An
example of another controversial but
effective plan was eliminating the
bell between class periods. While it
was doubted at first, both teachers
and students came to appreciate the
freedom. It's clear that Elias
believes that mediation, just like
the belief that students will get to
their next classes on time on their
own, will give students the kind of
encouragement and empowerment that
they need to employ democracy on
their own terms.
