Here is another picture: A place where people listen to each other in order to understand the other person's point of view.
This is a place where people have learned that when conflict occurs, it is an opportunity to learn and grow. It is a place where people cooperate - adults with adults, adults with students, children with children - instead of acting aggressively or coercively.
This is a place where people's rights are supported and responsibility is promoted as a value.
This is a place where peace is viewed not as a passive state of being, but as an active process carried out day after day and moment by moment.
This is the vision of the peaceable school. This is the vision of PALS (Peace and Love in Society) Jamaica.
five 'Ps' of creating and maintaining a safe school
To achieve a peaceable school, attention must be paid to the five 'Ps' of creating and maintaining a safe school. These Ps are: Physical safety; Psychological safety; Policy; Programmes and Partnerships. Central to this comprehensive approach is the creation of an environment of cooperation and the use of conflict-resolution strategies. Also pivotal is the role of leadership.
In a peaceable school, students are introduced to the concepts of building peace. The time it takes to integrate conflict-resolution curricula into the school's mainstream curricula is time well invested.
The return on that investment is greater acceptance of responsibility by students, resulting in less need for adult involvement in student-behaviour management.
Many of the challenges faced by teachers in managing the disruptive behaviour of older students is as a result of effort not being expended on the young learner. Hence, the amount of time teachers spend on trying to get compliance as students move through the system from year to year.
Develop student responsibility
Teachers who do not spend time early in the term to develop student responsibility will spend more time throughout the year on problems associated with student behaviour. The issue is not whether a part of the school's mission is to teach responsibility; rather, it is one of timing - pay now or pay later. And, just like in other situations in life, when we choose to pay later, the interest accrues.
What is meant by the 'peaceable' school? It is the creation of a school environment that is disposed to promoting peace. Of the many attributes associated with the concept of peace, perhaps the ones most valuable are those which speak to the creation of an environment in which everyone is able to thrive without being hampered by conflict, violence, hatred, prejudice, a lack of respect or injustice.
The PALS programme teaches that peace is not a static state of being. It is an ongoing process of interaction based on a philosophy that espouses non-violence, compassion, trust, fairness, cooperation, respect and tolerance.
In the peaceable school, conflict is recognised, managed and resolved in ways that allow the needs of individuals to be met. Human dignity and self-esteem are valued.
- PALS Jamaica- www.palsjamaica.org