-
Join or, if appropriate,
organize the conflict resolution committee in your school
that coordinates activities and resources and evaluates
the program. Make it their responsibility to keep in
touch with classroom teachers and communicate regularly
with the PTO.
-
Assist with the lessons.
It’s good to have some parents trained along with
the teachers so they can lead small group discussions
and help with exercises.
-
Work with your school librarian
to make books on conflict resolution and related topics
available. If they are in your library already, they
can be displayed for easy access. If your library has
few, parents could have a fund-raiser specifically for
this purpose. Lists of relevant literature are included
in the Life Trax curriculum or can be purchased separately.
-
Write a short piece each
month for the school newsletter. This could be a report
on the progress of the lessons, some specific topic,
a suggested reading or a real life situation that students
face.
-
Take responsibility for a
bulletin board in the school. Use this space to generate
more interest in the program. Some suggested ways are:
Use clippings from the newspapers and pose questions
about current events. For example, The Arab/Israeli
conflict:
How would you mediate this
conflict?
What would it take to resolve
this conflict?
What do you think the Arabs
do not understand about the Israeli’s and vice versa?
-
Organize year-end parties
for the student mediators. It’s a great way to
build team spirit and recognize them for their hard
work.
-
Sew brightly-colored aprons
or sashes to identify the mediators on the playground.
-
Make use of the many resources
in your business. For example, perhaps there is some
one who could get special sports hats for your student
mediators.
-
Contact all the parents in
the class mid-way in the program and get their feedback
on the program. Record their ideas and invite their
involvement.
-
Help write grant proposals
to the PTO or other funders to expand the program in
your school.
-
Come into the classroom on
a regular basis to read stories that promote conflict
resolution, appreciate diversity and raise issues the
students can discuss.
-
Conduct group discussions.
Some classes have meetings each Friday afternoon to
discuss any problems that came up during the week. Especially
with older kids it is useful to draw more on real-life
situations. The group facilitator need not have answers
but be skilled enough to ask key questions and guide
the students in grappling with daily conflicts they
face.
-
Act as coaches and helpers
during peer mediation trainings. When students are practicing
mediation or negotiation skills they need coaching and
support.
-
Create cards, posters or
calendars on themes related to peacemaking and conflict
resolution. These can be created by students or adults
and sold to raise funds for the program or other school
needs.
-
Help students create songs,
plays or musicals on themes related to conflict resolution.
Certain topics - for example, Put ups & Put downs
- lend themselves to skits or songs.
-
Organize cooperative games
on the playground. Cooperative games are a good way
to celebrate our basic capacity to play. See The
New Games Book by A. Flegelman or Everybody Wins,
Non-Competitive Games for Young People by J. Sobel
for fun, new games.
-
Ask your children frequently
about what they are learning. This seemingly small effort
can go a long way toward showing a child that adults
value the program.
