PE teacher Deanna Slaton has taught at Bancroft Middle School in San Leandro, CA, for 15 years, but launching a peer mediation program in 2018 was nerve-wracking at first: “I’d only ever taught PE. I’d never been between four walls or used Chromebooks.” Fast-forward to 2020, and she successfully kicked off a 60-student elective with the support of administration, counselors, and LAEP CORE Coach Amy Chou. Amy has supported Ms. Slaton with lesson-planning, grant-writing, and navigating social justice work and conversations with students and school staff.
Students underwent lengthy training before mediating various conflicts reported to the vice principal. Some were peer-to-peer—no adult present—talking through a cyber-bullying incident, for example; others, teacher-to-student, where both parties felt disrespected. The outcomes are positive. Ms. Slaton even saw peer advocates proactively pull classmates aside in her PE class, helping with kids being competitive.
When the pandemic hit and classes went virtual, Ms. Slaton and Amy successfully pivoted: the advocates visited other classrooms and presented on kindness and other topics. They made reflective art, participated in empathy circles, and learned the brain science behind trauma and healing (CORE-style).
“These students are examples to the whole school. They are proud, more reflective, open, and sustain positive relationships. Ultimately it’s about creating a safer space for kids. Our peer advocates can do that better than adults—they can really relate and empathize with one another. It’s a huge honor to do this work as a teacher, and I’m so thankful for LAEP’s support.”