The action is 'in the room'. Student mediators should practice patience and tolerance and believe that, by allowing the disputants time to explore their uncertainty and confusion, they will eventually find opportunity for supporting disputants' confidence and decision-making. Stay focused and present. By avoiding this, a student mediator will remain alert to the cues for recognizing feelings and self-determination. A school mediation model that stays focused on present efforts will notice an empowered student body with stronger decision-making skills and a better perspective of human interaction.
Conflict is an ongoing process.
The student mediator should remember that the present mediation is only one moment in an ongoing interaction between the parties. By maintaining this view of conflict, students will be less likely to be directive and look for solutions. Schools should look at conflict as normal and inevitable, an opportunity for growth and learning. Small steps count. Student mediators should feel, and share with the disputants, the belief that a successful mediation has happened when the disputants have gained better understanding of each other and the situation, even if only in small doses.