History

“Restorative justice is not a map. The principles of restorative justice can be seen as a compass pointing in a direction. At a minimum restorative justice is an invitation for dialogue and exploration."

( Zehr,2015, p.13)

Introduction

The history of Restorative Justice (RJ) starts with indigenous communities around the world. Long before RJ practices were implemented within the criminal justice system or in western schools, Indigenous peoples practiced Restorative Justice within their communities. These practices included meeting in peacekeeping circles, sharing leadership, and resolving conflict together as a community ( Brown, 2021). Navajo peoples have long used peacekeeping Circles to solve problems within their communities. Indigenous peoples around the world perceive harm as a symptom of disconnection amongst the community as a whole not just between two people (Evans & Vaandering, 2016). Zehr (2015) adds that most cultures throughout the world highlight the importance of community. A saying familiar to many is, “a harm to one is a harm to all.” The idea of a web is often used to describe a community where all people are connected. A school is a web. A web of teachers, students, parents, administrators, custodians, paraprofessionals and specialists teachers. Every entity of a school is connected. Restorative Practices in schools rely on the positive relationships that weave a school web together (Brown, 2021).

Restorative Justice in Education

The beliefs and values of Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) come from the beliefs and work of Indigenous peoples from today and centuries ago. Within The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education, the authors, Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering (2015) define two key beliefs when it comes to RJE.

Human beings are worthy.

Human beings are interconnected with each other and the world.

Surrounding the beliefs discussed above, Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering go on to define three core values of RJE, Respect, Dignity, and Mutual Concern. When considering if our lives align with these values, Evans and Vaandering pose the following questions.

Respect

Do I give respect to those by accepting who they are or do I want to change them to be more like me?
Do I put myself in another person's shoes before I respond?

Dignity

Do I treat others with dignity and engage to promote the best in them?
Do I notice what people need to thrive?

Mutual Concern

Do I know when I am preventing others' well-being?
Can I see how this supports who I am? (Evans & Vaandering, 2016)

Ripples of Relationships is an informative video that gives viewers an overview of Restorative Justice philosophies and practices within education. Within this video, you will hear from prominent voices such as Kay Pranis.

Journal Prompt 1:

Read through the previous questions. How does your life align with these values? What value do you struggle upholding? What value comes naturally to you?

The 'Why' of Restorative Practices

This short video will lead viewers through the 'why' of restorative practices by interviewing staff at Spokane Public Schools. This video shows restorative practices in action and gives viewers a look at how this school resolves conflict, builds relationships, and uses Circle practices.

Are You Ready For a Paradigm Shift?

Watch Dr. Rosemarie Allen speak on school suspensions, zero-tolerance policies, and dealing with difficult behaviors. Dr. Allen's thought-provoking presentation asks audience members to focus inwards when handling problematic behaviors in classrooms and schools.

Love at the Center

As teachers begin their journey's implementing RJE into their classrooms it is critical for them to understand that the success of implementing RJE comes from a shift in mindset, a paradigm shift (Brown, 2021). Thorsborne and Blood (2013) state that implementing RJE is about changing the hearts and minds of people. Within schools, there needs to be a focus on cultivating and repairing relationships with love at the center. The success of restorative practices in schools relies on the positive relationships that students and teachers have with each other (Thorsborne & Blood, 2013).

Relationship Matrix

Power directly impacts relationships. Honoring students’ inherent worth sends a message that power can be shared. Shifting away from the belief that teachers need to have all of the power is a new mindset that takes constant reflection. Approaching students with this mindset, teachers have the opportunity to engage with students as they problem-solve, restore harm, and learn (Evans & Vaandering, 2015) (Brown 2021). A relationship matrix from Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering’s work can be used to depict how teachers and students are in relationship with one another. Teachers should strive to be in the ‘with’ quadrant where there is unconditional acceptance at all times (Brown, 2021).

"Restorative Practices are predicted on the positive relationships that students and adults have with one another. Simply said, it's harder for students to act defiantly or disrespectfully towards adults who clearly care about them and their future."

(Smith. et al, 2015, p.4)

Journal Prompt 2:

Reflect on the Traditional vs. Restorative approaches to discipline table above. Within your teaching practices where does your forms of discipline fall under? Are you approaching discipline within your classroom or school restoratively or more traditionally?

To effectively implement RJE into classrooms and schools, teachers and administrators must take the time to learn about the history of RJE and truly reflect on their own beliefs surrounding classroom management, discipline, and behavior. To create dynamic and healthy learning environments grounded in Restorative Practices, the development and maintenance of strong relationships is essential. To fully implement RJE teachers will respond to undesirable behavior with love and compassion (Brown, 2021).

" Even in the face of a young person constantly calling you out, cursing you out, or throwing a chair, you be love in a response that disciplines rather than punishes. You be love by modeling healing over harm. You be love by restoring community instead of excluding from community."

(Shalaby, 2015, p. 172)

Circles

Brown, E. (2021) How can Restorative Practices be Utalized to Create a Positive Classroom Climate in a K-2 Setting? Unpublished Manuscript, Hamline University.

Evans, Katherine, and Dorothy Vaandering (2016). The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools. Good Books.

Evans, Katherine, and Dorothy Vaandering (2016). Image. The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools. Good Books.

Micah. (2015, Dec. 1).Ripples of Relationships [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFFd8X-wuGA

Shalaby, C. (2017). Troublemakers: lessons in freedom from young children at school. The New Press.

Smith, D., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2015). Better than carrots or sticks: restorative practices for positive classroom management. ASCD.

Spokane Public Schools. (2017, Oct.13). The Why of Restorative Practices at Spokane Public Schools. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUIRkuOFtw0.

TesXTalks. (2016, Aug.1). School Suspensions are an Adult Behavior [Video].Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8nkcRMZKV4

Thorsborne, M., & Blood, P. (2013). Implementing restorative practices in schools a practical guide to transforming school communities. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Zehr, H. (2015). The Little Book of Restorative Justice: revised and updated. Good Books.

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