The authors of the text suggest that discipline correlates with academic achievement. It also suggests that "children today are not the same as we were during our school years (p.13)." Therefore, our approach has to be different. While I believe children should have consequences for their actions, using a restorative approach provides an opportunity for dialogue, reflection, and repairing. These moments will strengthen relationships between students and staff, and build more healthy relationships; ultimately to increase student achievement.
Yes, Demitria...This directly relates to the conversation we were having the other day:) Children are not the same as we were during our school years and what can we do to support them. Using a restorative approach consistently may be one tool to support our students with challenging behaviors and disrespectful attitudes.
I agree that a restorative approach can help our students learn to better empathize and communicate with each other and that we need to be open to new approaches to meet changing student needs.
I agree with Demitria in that students absolutely do need consequences for their actions, but they can given in such a way that encourages and models empathy. Our students are so quick to react to things that they forget to reflect on our own behaviors and self regulate. Restorative justice encourages students to talk through their problems, figure out appropriate solutions, and encourage them to be more accountable for their actions with the intention that they'll think about those actions before they act out the next time.
I agree with everything you wrote in your post. The reactions are often quick. Sometimes responses are too. It is important to help them work through the issue and find a resolution. Encouraging accountability and maintaining relationships at the same time.
Restorative justice will support our positive classroom climate and school wide culture we have created already as a staff. It will improve our communication and promote collaboration around managing student behaviors school wide. One quote from the chapter that particularly caught my attention was, “Emotional regulation isn’t instinctive; it is learned” (pg. 12). Although I knew this, I think sometimes we can forget that children may not have learned appropriate ways to express their feelings; therefore, resulting in inappropriate behaviors. As adults in these children’s lives, we need to be positive role models and teach our students how to behave through respectful interactions and communication. They may not have the opportunities to learn these positive interactions elsewhere. With that being said, I firmly believe students should be held accountable for their actions and have consequences, in hopes they are given proper tools to manage their behaviors in the future.
Yes that quote...students aren't getting those good examples of emotional regulation. They bring in what they live. So it's up to us to show them those appropriate ways to respond and deal with feelings and to move with appropriate behaviors. I wish we had 100% positive parenting but we don't. It's an irritant to me! But at least WE can be the model for them in the time we have them.
I feel like we need restorative justice at our school because we deal with tough dynamics when it comes to some of our students. A lot of us feel like the challengers greatly disrupt our classes and why should they stay and not go to ATS? I do hate sending out such students because they do miss the teaching. It's a back and forth situation. I've heard lots of good things about this book and all it stands for. Maybe it CAN help a teacher to take back control of their classrooms while connecting with those students who need positive connections. This in turn, would eliminate the disruptions. Looking forward to reading about these hacks. Changes need to happen and perhaps this book can teach us how to change our approaches.
I do feel like we need restorative justice at our school. School is different now than when we went to school. Kids today need more empathy and understanding. Communication and clarification of the misbehavior is key in order to move forward. Punishing students is not always the answer. Our students deal with a great deal of adversity and teachers need to be sympathetic to this. Having positive and genuine connections with kids is key.
I feel like we need restorative justice at our school because it seems like the same children year after year are the ones that are getting into trouble and spending time out of the classroom. This group of children is losing a lot of class time and academic learning often times going to the next grade unprepared. Restorative justice could help those students in the primary grades to not be the same students getting disciplinary actions in the intermediate grades. We need to give them a sense of belonging and feeling like part of our community by building relationships.
I agree that removing students from the classroom feeds the downward cycle. The students feel ashamed and like they don't belong because they do not know the lost content that their classmates seem to know. They would rather act out and be sent from the room than be embarrassed by their lack of knowledge in front of their classmates.
I agree that restorative justice can be a means to disrupting the cycle of the same students continually disrupting/finding themselves in conflict with peers and hopefully help these students stay and feel successful in the classroom.
I agree- It is the same students year after year, often beginning in the primary grades. They do lose a lot of class time and instruction and are often under performing. For many, they do not feel successful in the classroom, and would prefer to be sent out, starting that cycle of behavior.
The authors "believe all schools can become physically and emotionally safer--which will help us launch our students into healthier and more productive lives" (p.13). Many of our students feel unsafe in their outside-of-school lives and have not been taught skills to self-regulate their behavior or think about how their behavior affects others. Learning empathy and responsibility is as critical to their success in life as reading and math.
I believe that establishing Restorative Justice at our school can help give students the tools to become more successful communicators. If our students can learn to communicate their own needs and become good listeners who can acknowledge the feelings of others, it will reduce conflicts and empower students to take ownership of their actions and ultimately improve general school climate.
I agree Lisa, learning to communicate is important. I also agree with your statement about improving the general school climate. This needs to be modeled by staff for students to learn.
I agree on the importance of being a good communicator. IT is important not only when things are going well, but when they are not. Learning how to manage emotions appropriately and working through them in a way that is appropriate and meaningful is a life skill. I also agree with you that addressing some of these conflicts and empowering students will help school climate. The kids (and teachers) want themselves and their peers to be happy and have successes (no matter how big or small)!
I believe we need to promote restorative practices to help understand our students' feelings and to better meet their needs. Many of our most challenging behaviors come from the same few students. It is a pattern of behaviors that continue to occur, using our current system of discipline and consequences. Restorative practices would allow us to acknowledge feelings, perhaps find the cause of the behaviors, and help to empower the students to improve their own behavior.
We need restorative practices because of its focus on relationships. We often look only at giving a consequence for an undesired behavior and seldom look at the damage done to relationships. I think getting students and teachers to look more closely at how their actions either build up or break down relationships is important. Current practices don't help students to see how some actions damage relationships and how they have to take responsibility for repairing relationships they have damaged.
Restorative practice promotes positive relationship-building and problem solving. It is important that all teachers have a rapport with their students so that they can better understand them when issues occur. It is our hope that with our positive relationship building that we will decrease the amount of behaviors that are exuded from students throughout the school day. Henceforth, restorative practices are set principles that encourages our students to take responsibility of their own behavior and facilitates them thinking it through using the cause and consequence theory. There should be clear goals that are implemented school-wide and goals that are also indicative to each classroom. When need restorative practice to support prevention and responses. At school 9 it allows us to focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships after a transgression has occurred.
Restorative practice will help build and promote many things at School 09. Student relationships with each other and with their teachers, and growth of life skills such as managing emotions, and being a good communicator will develop as a result of using restorative practices. It will help us to meet the needs of more of our students including some of the ones who are known to have "more challenging" behaviors or who are removed from class on a more frequent basis. It will allow us to grow together and foster a greater sense of community and belonging.
I feel we need restorative justice at our school because of the overwhelming data that supports it. It gets to the root of the cause of problem behaviors through meaningful discussions. It creates a sense of equality in the classroom between the students and adults.
I agree, our data does show it's needed. It's important to acknowledge that kids aren't the same as when we went through school, so we can't continue to go about things the same way. Restorative justice gives more voice to students, aims at getting to the root causes of the behaviors, and develops problem solving skills. Lastly, as the author states, restorative practices "directly correlates with student achievement."
Our focus at school 9 is building relationships! Relationship matter! Restorative Justice is about building community and relationships. It helps strengthen relationships between students with staff and other students. This leads to a positive school community...leading to improvements academically and socially!
Restorative justice helps empower students to resolve conflicts on their own and with their peers. Through the use of Hacking school discipline and restorative practices we can strengthen the school 9 community, prevent bullying, and reduce student conflicts.
The authors of the text suggest that discipline correlates with academic achievement. It also suggests that "children today are not the same as we were during our school years (p.13)." Therefore, our approach has to be different. While I believe children should have consequences for their actions, using a restorative approach provides an opportunity for dialogue, reflection, and repairing. These moments will strengthen relationships between students and staff, and build more healthy relationships; ultimately to increase student achievement.
ReplyDeleteYes, Demitria...This directly relates to the conversation we were having the other day:) Children are not the same as we were during our school years and what can we do to support them. Using a restorative approach consistently may be one tool to support our students with challenging behaviors and disrespectful attitudes.
DeleteI agree that a restorative approach can help our students learn to better empathize and communicate with each other and that we need to be open to new approaches to meet changing student needs.
DeleteI agree with Demitria in that students absolutely do need consequences for their actions, but they can given in such a way that encourages and models empathy. Our students are so quick to react to things that they forget to reflect on our own behaviors and self regulate. Restorative justice encourages students to talk through their problems, figure out appropriate solutions, and encourage them to be more accountable for their actions with the intention that they'll think about those actions before they act out the next time.
ReplyDeleteI agree that kids need to talk through their problems. Adults can help the child through issues that many kids have a hard time dealing with.
DeleteI agree with everything you wrote in your post. The reactions are often quick. Sometimes responses are too. It is important to help them work through the issue and find a resolution. Encouraging accountability and maintaining relationships at the same time.
DeleteRestorative justice will support our positive classroom climate and school wide culture we have created already as a staff. It will improve our communication and promote collaboration around managing student behaviors school wide. One quote from the chapter that particularly caught my attention was, “Emotional regulation isn’t instinctive; it is learned” (pg. 12). Although I knew this, I think sometimes we can forget that children may not have learned appropriate ways to express their feelings; therefore, resulting in inappropriate behaviors. As adults in these children’s lives, we need to be positive role models and teach our students how to behave through respectful interactions and communication. They may not have the opportunities to learn these positive interactions elsewhere. With that being said, I firmly believe students should be held accountable for their actions and have consequences, in hopes they are given proper tools to manage their behaviors in the future.
ReplyDeleteYes that quote...students aren't getting those good examples of emotional regulation. They bring in what they live. So it's up to us to show them those appropriate ways to respond and deal with feelings and to move with appropriate behaviors. I wish we had 100% positive parenting but we don't. It's an irritant to me! But at least WE can be the model for them in the time we have them.
DeleteI feel like we need restorative justice at our school because we deal with tough dynamics when it comes to some of our students. A lot of us feel like the challengers greatly disrupt our classes and why should they stay and not go to ATS? I do hate sending out such students because they do miss the teaching. It's a back and forth situation. I've heard lots of good things about this book and all it stands for. Maybe it CAN help a teacher to take back control of their classrooms while connecting with those students who need positive connections. This in turn, would eliminate the disruptions. Looking forward to reading about these hacks. Changes need to happen and perhaps this book can teach us how to change our approaches.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like we need restorative justice at our school. School is different now than when we went to school. Kids today need more empathy and understanding. Communication and clarification of the misbehavior is key in order to move forward. Punishing students is not always the answer. Our students deal with a great deal of adversity and teachers need to be sympathetic to this. Having positive and genuine connections with kids is key.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we need restorative justice at our school because it seems like the same children year after year are the ones that are getting into trouble and spending time out of the classroom. This group of children is losing a lot of class time and academic learning often times going to the next grade unprepared. Restorative justice could help those students in the primary grades to not be the same students getting disciplinary actions in the intermediate grades. We need to give them a sense of belonging and feeling like part of our community by building relationships.
ReplyDeleteI agree that removing students from the classroom feeds the downward cycle. The students feel ashamed and like they don't belong because they do not know the lost content that their classmates seem to know. They would rather act out and be sent from the room than be embarrassed by their lack of knowledge in front of their classmates.
DeleteI agree that restorative justice can be a means to disrupting the cycle of the same students continually disrupting/finding themselves in conflict with peers and hopefully help these students stay and feel successful in the classroom.
DeleteI agree- It is the same students year after year, often beginning in the primary grades. They do lose a lot of class time and instruction and are often under performing. For many, they do not feel successful in the classroom, and would prefer to be sent out, starting that cycle of behavior.
DeleteThe authors "believe all schools can become physically and emotionally safer--which will help us launch our students into healthier and more productive lives" (p.13). Many of our students feel unsafe in their outside-of-school lives and have not been taught skills to self-regulate their behavior or think about how their behavior affects others. Learning empathy and responsibility is as critical to their success in life as reading and math.
ReplyDeleteI believe that establishing Restorative Justice at our school can help give students the tools to become more successful communicators. If our students can learn to communicate their own needs and become good listeners who can acknowledge the feelings of others, it will reduce conflicts and empower students to take ownership of their actions and ultimately improve general school climate.
ReplyDeleteI agree Lisa, learning to communicate is important. I also agree with your statement about improving the general school climate. This needs to be modeled by staff for students to learn.
DeleteI agree on the importance of being a good communicator. IT is important not only when things are going well, but when they are not. Learning how to manage emotions appropriately and working through them in a way that is appropriate and meaningful is a life skill. I also agree with you that addressing some of these conflicts and empowering students will help school climate. The kids (and teachers) want themselves and their peers to be happy and have successes (no matter how big or small)!
DeleteI believe we need to promote restorative practices to help understand our students' feelings and to better meet their needs. Many of our most challenging behaviors come from the same few students. It is a pattern of behaviors that continue to occur, using our current system of discipline and consequences. Restorative practices would allow us to acknowledge feelings, perhaps find the cause of the behaviors, and help to empower the students to improve their own behavior.
ReplyDeleteWe need restorative practices because of its focus on relationships. We often look only at giving a consequence for an undesired behavior and seldom look at the damage done to relationships. I think getting students and teachers to look more closely at how their actions either build up or break down relationships is important. Current practices don't help students to see how some actions damage relationships and how they have to take responsibility for repairing relationships they have damaged.
ReplyDeleteRestorative practice promotes positive relationship-building and problem solving.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that all teachers have a rapport with their students so that they can better understand them when issues occur. It is our hope that with our positive relationship building that we will decrease the amount of behaviors that are exuded from students throughout the school day. Henceforth, restorative practices are set principles that encourages our students to take responsibility of their own behavior and facilitates them thinking it through using the cause and consequence theory. There should be clear goals that are implemented school-wide and goals that are also indicative to each classroom. When need restorative practice to support prevention and responses. At school 9 it allows us to focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships after a transgression has occurred.
Restorative practice will help build and promote many things at School 09. Student relationships with each other and with their teachers, and growth of life skills such as managing emotions, and being a good communicator will develop as a result of using restorative practices. It will help us to meet the needs of more of our students including some of the ones who are known to have "more challenging" behaviors or who are removed from class on a more frequent basis. It will allow us to grow together and foster a greater sense of community and belonging.
ReplyDeleteI feel we need restorative justice at our school because of the overwhelming data that supports it. It gets to the root of the cause of problem behaviors through meaningful discussions. It creates a sense of equality in the classroom between the students and adults.
ReplyDeleteI agree, our data does show it's needed. It's important to acknowledge that kids aren't the same as when we went through school, so we can't continue to go about things the same way. Restorative justice gives more voice to students, aims at getting to the root causes of the behaviors, and develops problem solving skills. Lastly, as the author states, restorative practices "directly correlates with student achievement."
DeleteOur focus at school 9 is building relationships! Relationship matter! Restorative Justice is about building community and relationships. It helps strengthen relationships between students with staff and other students. This leads to a positive school community...leading to improvements academically and socially!
ReplyDeleteRestorative justice helps empower students to resolve conflicts on their own and with their peers. Through the use of Hacking school discipline and restorative practices we can strengthen the school 9 community, prevent bullying, and reduce student conflicts.
ReplyDelete