Nov. 18, 2019 -- Principal Michael Jenkins says that the definition of learning “is to change behavior. We have the responsibility to teach students these skills.”
The skills he’s talking about aren’t related to reading,
writing, or arithmetic but instead focuses on helping Boulevard students
understand how their actions affect those around them, taking responsibility
for those actions, practicing empathy, and restoring relationships.
These might seem like ambitious goals to teach elementary students
but Principal Jenkins, counselor Betsy Race, and the entire staff at Boulevard
have the tools by which to achieve it: Restorative Circles.
One of several practices known as Restorative Justice, principals
and counselors from every district building were trained in Restorative Circles
last spring. Boulevard has made it a core part of their Building-Level Action
Plan and is currently training the remaining staff members so they’ll be able to
productively mediate social conflicts that students experience.
Whenever an incident occurs, staff members follow the
initial steps of gathering information from each student involved. Adults can
then determine whether or not the infraction is right for Restorative Circle or
whether it warrants a more conventional consequence. Restorative Circles are
best when the issue deals with ongoing relationships.
The involved students then gather to sit in a literal
circle, knees almost touching with nothing to separate them – no tables, no
desks, no barriers to communication. Ms. Race usually starts each session
by saying, “My goal is not to make you
be friends, but to restore this relationship so we can all coexist.”
Each student begins by describing what they believe happened
to cause the conflict. There is no interrupting, as only the child holding the
“talking stick” is allowed to speak. “It’s kind of magical,” says Ms. Race.
“They really respect the stick.”
The adult in charge asks a series of questions that vary
depending on the issue, and whether a atudent is the perpetrator or the victim,
including:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking at the time?
- What have you thought about since?
- Who has been affected by what you have done? In what ways?
- What has been the hardest thing for you?
- What do you think you need to do to make things right?
Unlike traditional models of punishment, there are no
threats and no arbitrary consequences to mete out with Restorative Circles.
“Everything happens naturally,” says Principal Jenkins, especially genuine
apologies. This is not the typical situation where one student growls “I’m sorry” to another simply because they’ve
been told they have to; this is a situation where students are able to truly recognize
how their actions affect those around them.
“It’s a huge paradigm shift when it comes to discipline,” says
Principal Jenkins, insisting that the practice is not about letting kids off
easy, but forcing them to look inward instead of just placing blame on others.
Ms. Race agrees. “We’ve all done Circles where we see that
lightbulb go on. They actually see how what they did impacted others.”
Both the training and the process itself is time-consuming,
but Boulevard is committed to seeing Restorative Circles through. “We have to
grow these little minds so they can really problem solve through the tough
situations in life,” Race continued, “This really does have the power to change
the entire culture of the school. At its core, it’s about empathy. The effect
of that could be huge.”