Catalyst Community: Restorative Practices in Schools

The word “community” is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular interest in common. Catalyst Midland occasionally presents a series titled “Catalyst Community” focusing on different communities — sometimes geographic, sometimes a common interest. 

In this week’s Catalyst, we focus on the behavior of students and what are called restorative practices in our schools

Our teacher is Erica Sprague, a science teacher at the junior/senior high school in Beaverton. She is now in her  20th year in education. Erica is a teacher both inside and outside the classroom. She also has a presence on social media (Facebook) to share home economics ideas.

Article:

Talk to any teacher and they will no doubt tell you that behaviors in school seem to keep getting worse and worse. Students continue to have increasing problems with regulating their emotions and behaviors and with conflict resolution amongst peers and school staff. Unfortunately, the issues that some students have in school seem to be following them into adulthood and their jobs.

Recently, disciplinary actions in school have come under scrutiny. What worked in the past is not working now. Traditional, punitive measures such as detention, suspension and expulsion aren’t having the deterring effects that they used to have, and in some cases, do not address the root cause of the problems. Some schools are exploring restorative justice programs to reestablish positive communication, build up school communities and relationships, and promote conflict resolution that extends beyond K-12 years. 

Some schools are exploring restorative justice programs to reestablish positive communication.
When students are removed from classrooms (and sometimes it is absolutely necessary), they are removed from structure, learning and community. Unfortunately, in many cases, kids are sent home to environments in which they have zero structure, support, proper sleep or nutrition. Subsequently, some students will attempt to return to learning after the disciplinary action and are unable to adjust to the drastic shifts in and out of the classroom, and thus the behavior/discipline cycle continues. 

Restorative practices attempt to address the issue at hand with all affected parties and to encourage face to face communication.  Ideally, the practice produces a resolution so that students learn how their behavior affected everyone, how to behave going forward to stay in school. A restorative circle can build trust, relationships and a sense of belonging and can be led by peers, teachers, administrators and counselors. It should be noted, however, that restorative justice may not be the only action taken and some situations are serious enough that suspension and expulsion are still necessary. 

A restorative circle can build trust, relationships and a sense of belonging and can be led by peers, teachers, administrators and counselors.
It can be a bumpy road to implement restorative justice practices, especially if a school has relied heavily on traditional, punitive measures in the past. Some teachers may be wary about sitting down and talking to a student who has caused serious disruption to the classroom and others’ learning. However, according to NextGen Learning, implementing these practices can “improve attendance, reduce suspensions and encourage a more positive and productive culture”. In that regard, it’s a win for parents, teachers, students and staff. 

I encourage you to find out more about restorative justice practices in your school or where your children attend school. There are many resources online for both parents and teachers to guide children to become advocates of restorative practices as children and as they develop into adulthood!