Seminar - Mediation

Today was a fantastic practicum day. For a couple of reasons, but one reason in particular. Towards the end of the day there was a meeting with the ED program team. We talked between the teachers and an administrator about how the program teachers address language/topic concerns. Primarily, how the team handles threatening concepts or inappropriate language. There were a number of different ways that the teachers handled the situations, but there was no universal format for doing so.

The administrator then went on to explain how in the real world there is zero tolerance for that kind of thing and so it should also reflect in the classes. I could not agree with this idea more. However, when dealing with a population known for their atypical behavior, it gets more tricky to address this concern. Teachers expressed this idea in various ways, but the bottom line was that zero tolerance needed to be enforced regardless. The enforcement plan was to give students a warning and then send them to the dean. The teachers didn't appear too thrilled about that because introducing a zero tolerance policy out of no where would probably not solve the core problem.

This is where my brain started ticking and desiring to blurt out. I didn't find the right moment, unfortunately, but I did bring up my thoughts to my supervisor after the meeting. I said that there appeared to be a missing gap in the thinking at the meeting and that was how to implement the desired policy. Students need to be aware of the new expectations and the expectations themselves need to be clearly defined. Role-playing, debates, and overall sensitivity training are options for making students aware of what is expected of them. A warning does very little for this group of students. These students need to be taught how to demonstrate those skills and have an atmosphere that supports the goals. Clear expectations being posted around the room go a long way.

After a half hour or so discussing this topic with my supervisor, she was in agreement. We talked about her role as a mediator and facilitator to helping everyone achieve this goal. I look forward to hearing the results of this process because I truly believe that students cannot be held accountable for things they have not be taught or had consistent reinforcement on. I sincerely appreciated my advice being seriously considered and really feel like that is what being a school psychologist is all about.