Greetings again, Toni and all ~ I remember two of the topics from last week's high school OST event. One topic focused on students wanting more respect from the administrative staff of the school. The other topic focused on students wanting to show more respect for other students. (In this particular school, students who are developmentally different from other students have a class that pays them to pick up other students' garbage after lunch. Some students in the mediation class felt this practice sends the wrong message to everyone, and wanted to talk about how they could get this changed.)
The group that wanted to talk about getting respect from administration was the largest (about 15 students). The other two groups were small (3 - 4 students each.) Once the opening and marketplace were completed, I invited them to meet in their sessions, and then I physically distanced myself from all the groups. Some students visually checked in with me in the very beginning, but once it became clear I wasn't going to participate in their small groups, they ignored me and started talking with each other. >From talking to students afterwards, it sounds like everyone liked the self-selection into sessions. Many students also said they felt much more comfortable talking in the smaller groups. Julie * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html