"Restorative Justice (RJ) emphasizes community building and commits to restoring relationships. Restorative
practices promote and strengthen positive school culture. Moreover, pro-social relationships
also improve within the school community."-LAUSD Bulletin.
Our school district has implemented RJ practices.
We are lucky to have a RJ teacher assigned to our school.
One of the practices we have been trained to use are RJ Circles.
Although there are specific protocols for the circles,
We have modified them for our ETK classroom.
The focus for my very young students this year is to practice speaking, listening, and taking turns.
What I hope to do is create a community where students feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings.
We are STILL working on listening and taking turns...
Initially, we would do RJ circles once a week.
There is a talking piece (a special object) that is passed around.
The person that holds that piece is the only one that can speak.
My team partner and I provided the pieces we used in the beginning,
but now, almost daily, a student will bring in a talking piece to use for circle.
Initially, it went something like this during check ins...
"How are you feeling today?"
-I like chicken nuggets.
-I feel happy because I went to the park.
-I like when my mom buys me stuff.
Today I realized that they can now answer the question and state a reason (evidence) without prompting, and more students are moving beyond just saying what makes them happy, and sharing deeper feelings inside.
"How are you feeling today?"
We are lucky to have a RJ teacher assigned to our school.
One of the practices we have been trained to use are RJ Circles.
Although there are specific protocols for the circles,
We have modified them for our ETK classroom.
The focus for my very young students this year is to practice speaking, listening, and taking turns.
What I hope to do is create a community where students feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings.
We are STILL working on listening and taking turns...
Initially, we would do RJ circles once a week.
There is a talking piece (a special object) that is passed around.
The person that holds that piece is the only one that can speak.
My team partner and I provided the pieces we used in the beginning,
but now, almost daily, a student will bring in a talking piece to use for circle.
Initially, it went something like this during check ins...
"How are you feeling today?"
-I like chicken nuggets.
-I feel happy because I went to the park.
-I like when my mom buys me stuff.
Today I realized that they can now answer the question and state a reason (evidence) without prompting, and more students are moving beyond just saying what makes them happy, and sharing deeper feelings inside.
"How are you feeling today?"
D: I’m scared because the world is going to end.
N: I’m scared I’m going to die when I get old.
Y: I’m mad because my mom won’t play with me.
B: I’m mad because my mom won’t buy me chicken nuggets.
U: I’m sad because I miss my mom.
Real concerns for 4-5 year olds.
We were able to validate their feelings and friends were able to give hugs and words of support.
I know teachers of older students have had many serious issues come to light in circle.
It can be uncomfortable.
But it is important for our students to know that we are not hear to judge them.
We are here to support them, accept them, and validate who they are and how they feel.
#thewholechild
