Discipline in Coatesville: What are Restorative Practices?

This morning we are so excited to hear from Erin Baugher on Restorative practices! Erin is a parent of two (her oldest is a Rainbow Elementary student) and the Assistant Director for the Partnership of Public Education at the University of Delaware. Erin studied secondary education at Millersville University and earned her MA from the University of Delaware in Political Science and International Relations. Her research expertise is in equity-oriented education policy. Erin teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American politics, public policy, education policy, and political theory. Previously, she was the Policy Coordinator for Good Schools Pennsylvania – a grassroots organization seeking to mobilize parents, students and concerned citizens to advocate for improved public education.

I remember walking into my first restorative practices professional development with skepticism. We all knew why we were there – the disproportionate amount of school discipline data and unhealthy school culture and climate among staff, students, and families. Established methods of punitive discipline were not serving the school or the students. In the room, there were murmurs “is this the circle thing”, “sounds woo”, and of course “the kids will have no consequences”. 

As I continue my own journey as a restorative practitioner, those murmurs remain the most common questions I receive and the most frequent misunderstandings I seek to address. 

First, circles:  Are restorative practices merely circles?  No. Are circles an important part of restorative practices? Yes. 

Circles – and particularly proactive circles – are a powerful tool to foster the connection and classroom community and the space necessary for learning to occur. We can all think back to a teacher (in the classroom or otherwise) that made a true impact on our life. Chances are this person had an impact and the lessons they taught us to remain with us to this day not because of what they taught us but rather the connection/relationship that we shared. At the heart of restorative practices in the belief that it is both connection and challenge which facilitate change/learning. Relationships are at the heart of restorative practices. Through connection/relationships, we foster spaces for learning to occur and should a violation of our space and/or harm arise those same relationships allow us to redress harm and restore the relationship. Circles are a powerful tool to foster relationships, check in on our students and spaces, facilitate instruction, and of course, redress harm when it occurs. 

Second, it sounds woo. Circles, emotions, connection, relationship building – none of it was within my comfort zone. However, I quickly realized that as an educator, restorative practices were already something I strive to do – even if I didn’t have the language for it. I strive to create spaces for learning to occur: to foster a collaborative and inclusive space for my students to thrive; to create relationships with my students as unique individuals; and to foster their collective connection to each other and our classroom. Understood as both a commitment to fostering connection and holding high expectations – high expectations of my students and myself, maintaining an asset-orientation, and delivering rigorous content – many educators already know and engage in the foundations of restorative practices. Being restorative is what we are doing when we are naturally at our best selves as teachers, parents, and leaders. 

Third, kids don’t/won’t have consequences. This last concern is perhaps the most pervasive and persistent misunderstanding of restorative practices. Restorative practices in no way remove consequences. In fact, restorative practices move beyond just consequences as understood in established punitive models and in addition call for restoration. If you can recall as a child (or even as an adult) being held accountable for your actions, reflecting on the magnitude of the harm you caused, redressing that harm, and restoring your relationship(s) (i.e. returning to good standing) this is a very serious consequence for your action. Being accountable and seeking restoration is no easy task and at times being sent away can feel far less daunting. Being punished ends up being easier than facing the impact and harm of our actions. At times, restorative practices may entail a responsive circle and at other times a more formal conference may be required. But the intention is to restore the relationship – between students, student/teacher, students/teachers/families, etc. To fully understand restoration, I draw heavily on my experiences as a parent. In my home, there is no principal, no detention, and no out of school suspension. Of course, there are consequences for actions but equally important, we work to restore and repair our relationship. We discuss the nature of the violation, the harm that was caused, the impact of that harm, what was happening with them at the time, what we have to do to return to good standing, and ultimately we restore and repair our relationship. The ability to address, redress, and return to good standing is as important for our children as it is for us as educators and families.