building a relational culture

Redeemer UC Education Class:Monday, November 26, 2012 3:00-5:00 pm

Introduction to Restorative Justice in Elementary Schools

Building a Relational Culture

CHECK-IN CIRCLE.

Enduring Understanding:

Restorative Justice in education cultivates relational school cultures that nurture the well-being of all.

Essential questions:

Am I measuring? Am I honouring?

What message am I sending?

Restorative Justice @ JKCS

A Paradigm Shift For JKCSFundamental Changes!

Line-ups to the principal’s office set a change in motion – it sas thought that there must be a better way to “do discipline”!

Restorative Justice Allows for Discipling to Take Place!

JKCS has been a restorative community for approximately 8 years.

Imagine a Student Who Does Not Understand Integers.

We don’t send them home for a few days and then allow them back, hoping they get it now!

We teach them and we walk alongside them to help them grow in knowledge! RJ does the same for behaviours!

Change from Rule-based to Relationship-based Cultures.

Times have changed! The way we view discipline needs to change too!

The way we view the students, the parents, and our fellow staff, and the language we use to bring forth restoration all need changing!

Adversarial switch to Honouring (RJ): - What law or rule was broken - Who has been hurt? - Who broke it? - What are their needs? - How should they be punished? - Who is responsible for making things right?

Restorative Justice is Biblical!

A perfect example in Christ Jesus has been given to us!

Biblical Perspective to Restorative Justice

When someone does something wrong against us, we want to see that situation righted. For many, a quick punishment is desired in order to have someone pay for what they did wrong. Punishment does not automatically equal that a situation has been made right. Often hurt feelings remain because the punishment has not ensured that relationships have been restored. A school-wide approach to discipline that is built around restorative justice seeks to ensure that hurt feelings can also be dealt with by focusing on the people involved in discipline situations. Grace is at the heart of restoring relationships and this is very biblical.

When mankind fell into sin, humanity suddenly deserved the punishments that god immediately put into place. It is because of grace that God intervened in order to restore the broken relationship between Himself and His children. God’s sending of His son to be our redeemer is meant for restoration. We too can follow this biblical example of restoration in our earthly relationships. We are sinful by nature and we are bound to hurt one another.; I see it here at JKCS. By using restorative justice with our students, we work at holding children accountable for their actions, just as any punitive consequence would, but we do much more than that. We teach students to understand that our actions cause reactions, and we hold children accountable for those as well! It is amazing to be a part of the restorative process, because students learn that they have the potential to fix situations of brokenness, and they want to do just that! (Meinema, 2008)

What is Restorative Justice?Restorative justice acknowledges: • Justice as honouring the inherent worth of all• and is enacted through relationship.• When something occurs that undermines the well-being of

some, a space is provided for dialogue whereby the dignity of all involved and affected can be restored

• so that each one can once again become a fully contributing member of the community of which they are a part (Vaandering 2011)

People as humans not objectsCore values & beliefs

RJ RelationshipTriangle

Morrison, 2007; Hopkins, 2011; Vaandering, 2011

Relationships First-August 13-24, 2012 D. Vaandering dvaandering@mun.ca 12

RebuildingFull conference

Repairing Problem-solving; informal chats;

small group; classroom mtgs

Making Check-ins, ups, outs; cooperative learning;

curriculum; pedagogy; environment

FEW 1-5 % W

HOLE SCHOOL

PROAC

TIVE

R

EACT

IVE

What lenses am I wearing?

AM I MEASURING?

What message am I sending?

AM I HONOURING?

What message am I sending?

Relational Culture

“The stronger the relationship, the less likely we are to act inappropriately toward one another.” (IIRP, 2000)we acknowledge our interrelatedness.Questions asked: Who has been hurt? What are their needs? What needs to be done for the harm to be repaired?

Relationship based-honouring

Adversarial Culture

“The more you punish, the less likely they will do it again”

we set blame

Questions asked: What rules have been broken? Who did it? What do they deserve?

Rules based- measuring

FOR

TO

NOT

WITH

Relationship WindowAdapted from: Social Discipline Window: Paul McCold, Ted Wachtel 2000

high

low highSupport

Expe

ctati

ons

15

A three-legged stool

✓ Offender

✓ Victim

✓ Community

Adapted from McCold and Wachtel, 1999

A Continuum of Practice

•Adult interaction—board/admin/staff/parents

•Staff meetings•Committee meetings•Pedagogy•Curriculum units•Integrated into curriculum

•Affective Statements•Affective Questions•Small impromptu conference•Large group•Formal Conference

PROACTIVE -----REACTIVE----- PROACTIVE

•Classroom Meetings

•Check-in, up, out circles

•Physical Environment

•Active Listening

•Cooperative Learning

•Etc.

Relationships First-August 13-24, 2012 D. Vaandering dvaandering@mun.ca

What Does this Look Like In Christian Schools?

John Knox Christian School: Woodstock

When harm is done, who is on the margins?

Building a Restorative School Environment:A Whole School Approach

Restorative Justice in schools is about attending to the unique needs of each:

• The person who was harmed• The person who caused harm• The community

Building a Restorative School Environment:A Whole School Approach

Greeting at the Door! Proactive Community Building

We as a staff are present in the morning!

The staff is present at recess time (parents too!) and at the end of the school day.

We are all a part of this community.

Students are greeted at the door by the teachers in the morning.

Parents are greeted in the hallways in the morning.

Bus duty teachers and the principal are outside at the end of the day to wave the buses off.

Everyone has been (and continues to be ) included and / or trained

(Community Initiative)!

The teaching staff at JKCS has been trained in Restorative Practices – and we continue to train! We have just introduced “check-in circles” at staff meetings!

The bus drivers had training sessions, and all bus guidelines have been updated to reflect RJ!

The board and committees are continually informed about Restorative Practices and all policies have been worked and re-worked to be in line with RJ!

The greater community continues to be informed about RJ and we constantly update in membership meetings, written pieces that go out to the community, etc.

Circles

Proactive: Check-in circles, Talking circles, Celebration circles etc.

Reactive: Conflict circles, Healing circles, Reintegration circles, etc.

Formal vs. Informal Circles

Video: “Planting the Seeds”RCMP Pacific Region Training – Community Justice Forums

Recommended Books/Resources• OACS e-curriculum site Choices and Decisions• Circle In The Square, by Nancy Riestenburg• The Restorative Classroom, by Belinda Hopkins• The Little Book of Restorative Justice, by Howard Zehr• The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools, by Larraine Stutzman

Amstutz et. al.• The Little Book of Circle Processes, by Kay Pranis• The Little Book of Biblical Justice, by Chris Marshall• Angel Child, Dragon Child, by Michele Maria Surat• The Jorney Toward Reconciliation, by John Paul Lederach• Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice, by Howard Zehr• Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, by Alfie Kohn• The Respectful School, by Stephen L Wessler• Don’t Step on the Rope, by Walter C. Wright

Your Restorative Story

Mary Finds Some Money

IIRP

Mary was coming home from school one day

….when she found two hundred dollars on the footpath near her home.

She thought about all of the things she could buy.

Mary was excited.

Why has Mary got this look on her face?

She went to her room and hid the money in her desk drawer.

She spent $5 the next day on a drink and candy.

She looked at the “Toys R Us” catalog to help her decide how she would spend the rest of the money.

Mary overheard her neighbour Mr. Murray telling Mary’s mom that they had lost $200 yesterday. The money was for their holiday. Now they could not go.

What is Mary thinking about?

Who should Mary have given the money to?

Who is going to be upset when they find out that Mary spent some of the money?

Mary’s mom and dad.Mary’s brother and sister.

Mr. and Mrs. Murray.

Their daughter, Amy.

Mary’s mom broke her pencil and asked Mary for a sharpener.

Money

What is happeningbetween Mary and her mom?

Mary told her mom the truth.

How is Mary feeling now?

How is her mom feeling about what Mary did?

What should happen with Mary now?

Mary’s mom told Mary to go to her room.

What will Mary’s do while she is in her room?

What will Mary learn from playing?

Why is Mary playing?

What does Mary need to do to make things right?

How is Mary going to get $5?

What are some of the ways that Mary might say sorry and give the money back?

What would be good about having a meeting?

How do you think Mary’s parents are feeling now?

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

?CHECK-OUT CIRCLE.

THANK-YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY!