I am troubled by all the violence in the world. It is weighing heavy on my heart.
I am sure you have heard about the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (unless you live under a rock). Charlottesville is not an isolated incident; it is one of many that we have witnessed just this year alone. It almost seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about violence occurring somewhere in our nation. I have found myself wanting to boycott the news, not watch it anymore, as if that is the solution to the problems our nation is facing. While that is sometimes what I feel like doing I know it will not solve anything.
What will? How do we begin to move away from all of this violence? Is it even possible anymore or has it gone too far? Can one person make a difference?
YES! One person can make a difference. As educators we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of the students we are charged with educating.
There are so many things we can do to impact the lives of children, no matter their age. Two ideas to embrace:
1. As adults we must cultivate a growth mindset. We have to stop saying, "This is how it was done in my day and it worked for me." In case you haven't noticed this generation is different, we can't make them who we were. Be open to who they are.
2. It is our job to serve this generation. We all came into this world owing everything to everybody. When we die we should leave this world in such a way that they are indebted to us. A.W. Tozer said: "You cannot serve the last generation, because it is gone. In addition, you can only indirectly serve the next generation, but you can serve this present generation."
Embracing these two ideas (among others) can create a synergy that can be the catalyst to the change needed to grow a generation of kids ready to make a positive difference in the world.
I want to make a difference. I want to serve this generation.
I am an Assistant Principal at an elementary school which means one of my many responsibilities is discipline. After 6 years of pretty much following the same procedure (discipline referral leads to consequence such as time out, detention, ISS (In School Suspension) or OSS (Out of School Suspension), I began to feel an unrest and knew that we could not continue to do what we have always done because we would continue to get what we always got. What we have gotten every year is an increasing number of ISS and OSS days. Neither of which options were making an impact in the lives of our students as most of them were going on to the middle and high school receiving the same consequences because there was no behavior change. I am not satisfied with the status quo.
Then one morning while at Starbucks I participated in the #LeadLAP twitter chat when the words "Restorative Practices/Discipline" caught my eye and caused many thoughts to start firing through my synapses.
What is Restorative Practices?
The restorative approach to discipline incorporates principles of the SWPBIS approach to focus on prevention through relationship building by drawing on the collective strengths of the community to help individuals in trouble regain their footing in a nurturing environment with consistent classroom practices and high expectations. Most of all, restorative practices draw their strength from communication tools: adults use language that builds agency and identity and facilitate class discussion in a way that encourages affiliation and resolves problems. Restorative practices represent a positive step forward in helping all students learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness (Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, Smith, Fisher, Frey).
I am just beginning to learn about Restorative Practices and how it can impact the students in my building. I am hopeful that if we can begin implementing some of the practices we can teach our students to "learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness."
Is it grasping at straws to think this could help this generation handle conflict in a peaceful way so that we have fewer incidences like what happened in Charlottesville, Va? Don't we owe it to this generation to try?
