Is it weird that some of my favourite times with my students was when my students came in in their snowsuits, snow everywhere, with deep anger and frustration showing on their faces? This is the best time to teach restorative justice in schools, and I am delighted when there is an authentic opportunity to sit down and facilitate problem solving in relationships with my students.
Restorative justice in schools contrasts with more traditional methods of discipline which point the finger of punishment at one student. Restorative justice in schools is a philosophy and framework that focuses on repairing harm and restoring relationships after a conflict or wrongdoing.
The purpose of this post is to examine how you can develop restorative justice in schools which will transform your classroom dynamics. The result will be a more harmonious, accountable, and supportive classroom community and learning environment.
What is Restorative Justice?
Let’s start with a definition and some principles of restorative justice in schools.
Core Concepts:
Restorative justice practices in school focus on:
- addressing harm
- teaching accountability
- developing community involvement
- providing conflict resolution
- healing relationship issues and possibly other traumas
Comparison to Traditional Discipline:
Traditional discipline focuses on:
- identifying an aggressor
- punishing the aggressor
Discipline, as traditionally considered to mean punishment, can alienate and stigmatize while restorative justice practices in schools bring healing, develops mutual understanding and creates inclusion.
How to Implement Restorative Justice in the Classroom
Getting started with restorative justice in schools is an easy process. So easy, that it came together naturally in my classroom before I even realized there was a name for what I was doing. 😆
There are 3 basics steps:
1. Establish Classroom Expectations Together
When we establish strong classroom expectations together we are setting the stage for student ownership of the classroom culture, and we are providing a common language for communication when conflict resolution is required.
Because classroom expectations were established on the morning of the first day of school, and then reinforced consistently until they were well adhered to, I rarely needed to resolve conflicts during learning time.
2. Establish Circle Discussions:
Circle discussions, at their best, promote opportunities for participation, equality and openness. If circle time is a daily, or at least consistent, part of your schedule, then students will become more comfortable with sharing with others openly. As your students’ comfort with circle discussions increases so too does the opportunity for open and honest restorative justice practices in schools.
Circle time was a daily experience in my classroom. and always we started with greeting each other one at a time around the circle, sometimes there was a question of the day, listening to our Star of the Week, and then praying together.
At the end of the day students shared their prayer requests and then we prayed for each other.
3. Follow the Steps for Mediation Sessions:
- Establish a safe environment
- Begin with introductions. If the incident involved students from more than one classroom make sure they know each other, and the incident you will be discussing.
- Story sharing
- Reflective listening and validation
- Define the core issues
- Facilitate dialogue
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Agreement creation
- Closure and follow-up
Because you have consistently implemented steps 1 and 2 in your classroom, much of the work of restorative justice in schools has been done before you sit down.
Then, by following these steps, you have an environment where it is possible to just sit and chat with your students. Collaborative problem-solving is an expected part of the process if you have established your classroom expectations well.
Example of Restorative Justice in the Classroom
My classroom was typically a pretty calm collaborative place. When my students interacted they were generally fairly kind and supportive of each other.
However, after recess, I definitely heard about the transgressions that occurred outside.
My response was always similar, “ I can understand why you are (insert feeling here). Let’s have everyone meet at my desk with their snacks (or lunch) to discuss it.
As we sat at my little kidney table desk (the closest thing to a circle I had) I :
- Gave everyone a chance to share their own version of the story.
- Intervened on interruptions
- Gave reminders that everyone would get their own turn
- Acknowledged feelings
- Asked everyone how they could have handled things differently
- Helped them to learn the perspective of the other person
- Initiated brainstorming for how to get everyone back to a place where they felt safe and respected
- Sometimes the resolution included apologies, and sometimes it did not.
Note: I never forced apologies. To be truly sorry a person’s actions must align with their words. I cannot force a child’s actions.
So, while the process outlined in the 3 steps above for establishing restorative justice in schools may seem daunting, it really isn’t. My students actually loved coming to my desk and sorting things through.
Benefits of Restorative Justice in Schools
1. Positive Classroom Community
When I facilitated restorative justice practices in school I always wanted the students to feel like they had someone standing with them.
Even if I had six kiddos sitting around my desk, I wanted them each to feel like I was their advocate. I wanted each of them to know that I understood their pain.
With this approach I was creating a safe environment for my students to express what was on their hearts without reproach or interruption.
As I facilitated these discussions in this manner my goal was to build respect between the students and myself, and between each other. When I did this I was creating respect and trust within my classroom. Those who were watching the process were learning as much as the students with whom I was having the conversation at my desk.
2. Conflict Resolution Skills:
By teaching these skills we are:
- Empowering our students with lifelong skills to manage and resolve conflicts independently.
- Developing essential personal and professional skills like empathy, active listening and negotiation.
3. Improved Academic Outcomes
Restorative justice in schools is an inclusive process, so students miss less class time leading to greater academic achievement. Amongst other reasons, students spend less time sitting in the office and more time learning.
4. Restorative Justice in Schools Establishes Access to Equitable Learning
In addition to the obviously beneficial impacts of these lifelong skills, restorative justice in schools can heal many of the impacts students experience in their home or culture.
In their article, ‘Use of Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices at School: A Systematic Literature Review’, Ernesto Lodi et al determined that restorative justice in the classroom can, ‘. . . contribute to a significant reduction in school exclusion and inequalities of gender, race, and socioeconomic status.
What is Restorative Justice in Schools?
Restorative justice in the schools is a powerful tool for creating a positive classroom community. With the focus on healing and repairing relationships rather than meting out punishments, you can create a space where your students feel seen, heard and valued.
In addition to the impact on your students’ classroom experience with you, they will have learned skills that they can take with them when they leave your classroom and throughout their lives.
This intentionally supportive, inclusive and respectful classroom contributes to so much more than just clamping down on post recess relational breaches:
- Better classroom community makes for easier classroom management
- Mitigates disparities from differences in socio-economic status, race, or gender giving everyone a more equal learning experience
- Academic performance can improve
- Personal development is increased
Restorative justice in schools supports students in becoming collaborative members of your classroom community all the time, not just during conflict resolution. Your students will grow in empathy, and you will have created a safer classroom environment for everyone.
