Reflections on Student Engagement and Morale
We’ve gotten to the stage with our weekly peer mediation training sessions where students are familiar with our consistent presence in their school. We get buzzed into the school main doors, the staff at the welcome desk warmly greets us, points to the sign-in book, and soon, we make our way to our designated spot. With comfort and routine, however, often brings new challenges.
Many of our students show excitement of us being there, engaging in the material, asking thoughtful questions to create lively conversation. There are some students who come in, distracted from the last hour, some come in exhausted with only a few hours of sleep the previous night, and others who choose not to come.
It is important to note that although every student is not always engaged, we are asking a lot of them– we’re asking them to rethink how conflict is handled in their school system, a concept that often doesn’t get challenged. It can often feel like a heavy task.
But sometimes the introspection comes later and we feel moments of defeat. And to be fully honest, sometimes this is hard. It can be difficult seeing students choose that this program is not the best fit for them, or to be in a session with low engagement. I often wonder: How do we know that they’re taking anything away from any of this?
After experiencing one of those sessions (one of the harder ones), our sponsor came to us and told us that she has something to share. She went on to explain that a teacher complimented one of the students in our program. The teacher noticed the student's ability to process conflict in a healthier manner than prior to the program. The sponsor added that it is often difficult to see the effects of a program like this and so she was sure to convey the message. That was pretty cool to hear.
At the end of each session, we revisit the staff at the front desk and sign out. They smile, sometimes ask how the students are doing with the material, and always enthusiastically state, “See you next week!" While these weekly sessions can often feel challenging, and like a small drop in the bucket of the student experience, we are reenergized by the fact that these small sessions can create ripple effects, even when we don’t see the results. Students are slowly starting to engage with conflict in different and meaningful ways, and that is something that cannot always be measured and defined.
