Restorative Justice Practices in the Classroom

By Steve Lesniak

Restorative justice is a relatively new term being used in school settings across the country.  Call it what you want, but simply put, it is good practice.  Before I touch on how I use restorative justice in my classroom, it is important to understand how it connects to Senate Bill 100, passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2015 and put into place for the 2016-17 school year.  SB 100 essentially prevents schools from issuing discipline to students without documentation of interventions along the way.  While this may not be much of a change for many school districts, there is another component of SB 100 that has had a more visible impact on schools.  Unless students put themselves or others in harms way, it is extremely difficult to issue an out-of-school suspension to a student.  As I take time to reflect on SB 100, I see how restorative justice complements its goals very well.  Ultimately, if a student is cutting class, the idea is not to issue an out-of-school suspension.  The logic just doesn’t make sense.  “You’ve been cutting class, so we are going to punish you by not allowing you to go to class.”  Doesn’t this just give the student what they want anyway?  Restorative justice forces that student to stay in school and make up the work he or she missed in class.  More importantly, if utilized correctly, restorative justice will change student behavior.  

In my classroom, like many classrooms, there are students who are lacking motivation or can be a distraction to themselves and their peers.  In the past, many teachers, including myself, would have simply dismissed the student and sent them to the dean.  While this might seem like a quick fix, it really creates more headaches for teachers.  Now, that student has missed the lesson for the day and certainly won’t master any objectives set forth.  How can we utilize restorative justice in the classroom?  First, it is important to build a relationship with students.  Many students who act out have often been met with scolding and ridicule by adults.  While it is sometimes necessary to discipline students, it is also imperative that students know that teachers care about them.  Many of our most troubled students have been beaten down by the education system, and they might have bigger issues going on at home.  Establishing a relationship and showing students that they are in a safe and caring environment will help them to trust that we have their best intentions at heart.   Once that relationship is established, I like to redirect students’ disruptive behavior to questions pertaining to our lesson.  When a student acts out in my World History class, I immediately ask that student, or the entire class, how the people living during the time period we are studying would have handled the situation.  For example, right now we are discussing Absolutism and the Divine Right of Kings.  A student in my class was talking while we were going over a quiz.  I asked the class to share how an absolute ruler might handle the situation of a student showing flagrant disrespect.  It sparked great discussion and was a great segue into our discussion on the Enlightenment.  

While many classes do not have a way to relate their content to disruptive behavior, there are still ways to talk to students and have them assess their own behavior.  Kicking students out of class without following up shows them that we don’t care about their education.  Problem solving and taking time to talk with students is a better way to establish that positive relationship. Equally as important, it teaches students how to improve their behavior and performance in school.  Some may call this restorative justice, while others may just call it good practice.  

A Day in the Life...

By: Rachel Barry

Funny that I should see this post on Twitter just after having conversations last week in the Collab Lab about the numerous "hats" we wear as teachers.  Throughout the average day, there are countless roles that we teachers take on.  Most of the time, this is very exciting and fun.  Every once in a while, it feels that we are balancing too many hats.  One of the reasons that I went into teaching is that no two days are the same.  I feel that I am constantly challenging myself to learn new things each day, which can sometimes mean taking on too much and feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number or roles we play.  Reading this post helped me realize that we all sometimes need to find a balance to wearing all of our hats.

Though I agree with the list presented in the We Are Teachers blog post, I feel that some didn't apply to me (as a high school teacher) and there were some roles that were left out.  Therefore, I decided write this blog to include some additional roles that I feel should be included in this list.

Facilitator
First and foremost, the focus of every day is student learning.  In a previous blog post, I discussed the transition of the teacher role from a dominator to that of a facilitator.  There is a time and a place for each instructional method, however, the role of facilitator is becoming more important to ensure active learning in the classroom.  Therefore, teachers also need to provide students with the resources and facilitate the learning process, instead of simply providing the singular method of direct instruction.

Learner
Teachers need to constantly be learning.  Many teachers take graduate classes to better use technology in the classroom, obtain an endorsement to teach additional classes, or to earn a degree to become an administrator.  At EGHS, many teachers also join in professional learning opportunities that we provide such as Peer Observation Groups or Teaming on Tuesdays.

Curriculum Writer
Teachers design the curricula for a class.  Maybe a teacher has a textbook that he/she follows, yet writes warm-ups, tests, quizzes, and other supplemental materials.  Maybe, if the teacher is like most at EGHS, they write their own digital curricula.  Regardless of the degree to which a teacher writes the curricula for a class, he or she must spend hours designing lesson plans of how to use the provided resources and what resources need to be created.  Then, the teacher must create these resources.

Coach/Sponsor
Many teachers are coaches or sponsors.  An additional stipend is usually provided for the additional time, however, some schools expect you to be involved in some capacity.  As a coach myself, I find this to be an added perk of the job, as I get to see a different side to my students and work with students that I don't teach in my classes.  

Mentor
In many school districts, there is a program in place for new teachers to be paired up with a more veteran teacher.  First this mentor helps with day-to-day things such as taking attendance electronically, where important locations are in the building, and the different roles of various staff members in the building.  Eventually, this role transitions to discussions of classroom instruction, best teaching practices, and observations.  

Life Coach
Many students at EGHS will be the first in their family to go to college.  Accordingly, these students don't always have someone to advise them on some of their major life decisions going forward.  Many planning periods are spent discussing future options with students (past and present) as well as writing letters of recommendation.

Friend
Teachers build relationships with their peers, and rely on them for more than just school-related things.  A school is a community, so when a fellow teacher is pregnant or getting married, we celebrate!  When a peer goes through a loss (family member, house, etc.), we are there to support one another.  I cannot express how fortunate I am to have the collaboration and friendships that I have built here at EGHS.  


I could probably go on with more roles that we teachers carry (some more humorous such as dress code enforcer, relationship mediator, official PDA reducer, etc.), but I think you see the point.  There are many hats worn in this profession.  There are many hats worn in all professions.  Sometimes as the end of a long day, it is helpful to reflect on all of the different roles I played that day.  Maybe I played them well, and maybe I need to work harder at a couple tomorrow.  After all, as a teacher, I am a life-long learner!