By Eva Cabra
If we analyze schools, we find a microsystem that reflects the problems and social realities of the surrounding environment. It is the students themselves who experience conflicts with their peers, conflicts they don't always know how to resolve, despite wanting to.
Insults, misunderstandings, or physical aggression are minor conflicts that occur in classrooms, hallways, or schoolyards. Trying to eliminate them is futile, as conflict is inherent in human nature. Therefore, we will always encounter situations where the differing viewpoints of those involved will require the assistance of a trained professional to guide them in finding a solution to their problem.
Mediation offers schools an additional tool to help resolve problems that arise within the school community. This primarily involves students, but it is also open to teachers and parents who wish to participate.
It is for all these reasons that, adopting the words of Bolaños, we consider that: “The success of mediation should not be measured by the number of agreements reached, but by the emotional impact the process has on the parties involved.”.
Conflict is inherent to the human condition. It is important to confront it and try to resolve it as soon as it arises, rather than waiting for it to resolve itself or for time to take care of it. If left unresolved, the conflict will continue to snowball and will begin to affect not only those initially involved, but will also spill over into the relationships of other members of the community (educational, familial, social, etc.).
What's negative isn't the conflict itself, but the unwillingness, inability, or lack of knowledge to resolve it. Denying the possibility of conflict is just as bad as remaining passive or taking no sides in the face of it.
From birth, we must learn to cope with different emotions, and knowing how to manage them appropriately will be key to our future. The family is the first socializing agent that teaches us to name our emotions, and it is within the family that we first encounter joy, fear, anger, doubt, or sadness. This initial contact with the emotional world prepares us to later become part of a microsystem that will show us, on a small scale, what life will be like in the society in which we are growing up.
At school, we form relationships with our peers, but also with authority figures such as teachers, staff, and parents of other students. It is in the educational setting that we experience and reinforce the values we learn at home. We reproduce everything we have been taught up to that point, but we also have the capacity to continue learning.
School is not just a building where students learn about different subjects. It is also a small reflection of the society in which it is embedded.
For this reason, the school is a socializing agent that is presented to us as a microsystem that reflects the society in which we live, although in a more controlled and safe way. It is our social training ground, where we learn that life is also a relationship and that we will not always find peaceful relationships. In the educational field, students must learn to manage their conflicts, and it is the task of the educational community to teach children to do so in the best possible way. From this learning will be derived, in large part, how those who in a few years will be full adults in society will act.
The different relationships between peers, the roles we learn to develop according to our preferences or abilities, the assumption of responsibilities… are just some of the lessons learned at school that aim to teach us to be autonomous individuals, capable of finding solutions to the problems we encounter daily, but acknowledging that we are not independent, since life in society implies not only living, but also coexisting with others, always striving for peaceful coexistence, respecting the freedoms of others and upholding our own freedom.
The classroom or the schoolyard are settings where all of this is learned and where members of society can be shaped to use dialogue as a tool for managing conflicts, setting aside coercion, threats, or aggression. Hence the importance of the school as a socializing agent.
Schools are not immune to this problem. Fights and disputes among students are very diverse, and can escalate into serious physical and verbal aggression if not resolved promptly. A school without conflict is impossible, but a positive school environment is not simply the absence of problems, but rather their appropriate resolution. The democratic management of differences and conflicts that may arise in schools, conflict resolution, and education in emotions, feelings, and values are the best ways to address the daily problems that may occur among members of the school community.
Furthermore, as students grow older and enter adolescence, differences often arise between teachers and students that are not always resolved satisfactorily for both parties. Sometimes, parents intervene in conflicts at school, even pitting their children against teachers or other parents. For this reason, it is essential to have a space for communication where the parties involved can, through dialogue, explain the problem and find a solution that satisfies everyone.
Conflict is a part of life and a driver of progress, but under certain conditions, it can lead to violence. To improve the educational environment and prevent violence, it is essential to teach students how to resolve conflicts constructively; that is, by thinking, talking, and negotiating. In this way, we will develop and empower students with options when faced with any type of violence: helping to break the cycle of violence, condemning and teaching others to condemn all forms of violence, and helping children avoid feeling like victims. This involves developing empathy and an awareness of human rights, preventing intolerance, sexism, and xenophobia, safeguarding ethnic minorities and children who do not conform to preconceived gender roles, and breaking the conspiracy of silence: not looking the other way. We must confront the problem and help both victims and perpetrators, educate for democratic citizenship, and lead by example.
The value of Educational Mediation lies in PREVENTION, in addition to helping reduce conflicts within schools, promoting communication between students and between students and teachers, providing a group of students, education professionals and parents with the necessary tools to address conflicts that may arise, enhancing the experience of values such as responsibility, communication, friendship and camaraderie, fostering self-esteem and personal development, and promoting a Culture of Peace.
Prevention is fundamental to ensuring that children's rights are respected and protected from childhood through adolescence. We cannot forget that They are the future of our society.
For years, measures have been taken to be more forceful and effective in protecting children. The success of these measures is due to our collective awareness of the importance of protecting our children. Their physical and psychological well-being is essential for them to become fully developed adults. To achieve this goal, it is indispensable that we work together in a coordinated manner.
Judges, prosecutors, psychologists, pedagogues, educators, politicians and families are cogs in a common machine, whose purpose is to train and protect today's children who will be tomorrow's adults.
Would you like to dedicate yourself professionally to mediation or specialize in one of its branches? You've come to the right place. EIM We offer a wide variety of training courses to meet your most ambitious goals.
