Mind Shift Monday: Restorative Practices Overview

We have some new & exciting things going on at our school! I'd like to introduce you to...

Restorative Practices

Check out this video to get a little overview of Restorative Practices and to hear our students tell you why they love classroom circles so much! 

 If you are feeling up for it, read on to see my thoughts and how we got started with this awesome practice. There are a lot of components to Restorative Practices, so for right now, I will answer some frequently asked questions...

How did this get started at Beverly?

I started my journey into Restorative Practices a year ago when I attended an 8 week after school PLC (Professional Learning Community) led by another Plano ISD Counselor. I had been looking for a way to integrate more social-emotional learning into our classrooms and this was the perfect fit. I raved about it so much, my principal signed us up for a two-day workshop led by someone from the Restorative Practices Institute. When I came back to school, I asked Kimmie if she would let me experiment using classroom circles & Restorative Practices in her class. She is a rock star, so of course, she said yes!! I cannot even begin to explain how amazed we both were with the results. I couldn't wait to roll it out to the entire staff in the fall. 

After much thinking, planning, and stressing,  I condensed my 30 plus hours of training & experimenting into a 3-hour presentation for the staff. My point in telling you about the training is that the results were overwhelmingly POSITIVE! SO many staff members immediately jumped right on board and are experimenting with ways to make community circles and Restorative Practices work in their classrooms.  

What are Restorative Practices?

They are a framework for building community and for responding to challenging behavior

through authentic dialogue, coming to understanding, and making things right. Visit their website for more information https://www.iirp.edu/

What are Classroom Circles? 

Circles are the foundation of Restorative Practices. They encourage all members of the group to maintain responsibility for the welfare of the group.

  

There are several goals established to build classroom community, but these are my top three:

1. The classroom community will identify specific issues to address and will have honest, authentic

discussions about these issues.

2. Procedures will be established for engaging in restorative dialogues around issues and conflicts.

3. It will be emotionally, psychologically, and physically safe for students to share concerns about

conflicts, issues, and behaviors that are affecting them.

Why do we sit in a circle?

When we sit in a circle we experience a stronger sense of community. Every person in the circle shares responsibility for its functioning. Decisions are made by consensus of the whole group,

and sometimes this means decisions come slowly or take unexpected forms. Sitting in a circle is a fundamentally different experience than sitting in rows, or meeting across a

desk. When we are in rows there is generally someone standing in front, commanding attention.

Clearly, this is the person who is in charge, who has the answers, and to whom the group is

accountable.  

Ok, I'll be back in two weeks with information about Talking Pieces, Circle Guidelines, Circle Starters, and Circle Agreements. Until then...