Next Gen Mentors: March Recap
This session explored one of the most important frameworks being practiced by schools who are leading the way on gender justice and positive masculinity: restorative justice in education. How can we better respond when boys cross the line? How can we engage them as allies while also holding them accountable for harm?
Downloads
Key Themes
Punitive Justice vs Restorative Justice
Although restorative justice has a long history in Canada, so too does punitive justice and zero tolerance policies—particularly within the school system. Engaging in restorative justice principles means being open to changing the way we think about harm, relationships, consequences and accountability. We’re used to thinking about justice as a response for the violation of rules, where people get what they deserve. Restorative calls on us to respond to the violation of dignity, where people get what they need.
If this caught your interest…
Read Pushed Out in Learning for Justice
Or Spare the Rod in APM Reports
Watch the short film Traitor Knight by Joe Smith
RJE as More Than Just Crisis Response
Restorative justice in education needs to be seen as a holistic approach to school culture, with overlapping concern for relationships, equity and conflict resolution that each depend on each other to succeed.
“If a school chooses to focus only on restorative justice as a practice to address incidents of harm while ignoring the learning environment and nurturing healthy relationships, it is possible that agreements reached for addressing harm (usually an outcome of RJ practices) will not be sustainable and may actually cause further harm. If the focus is on nurturing and maintaining healthy relationships and encouraging interconnected classrooms and school communities, but responses to inappropriate behaviour are primarily punitive and rewards-driven, students will experience a double standard that undermines their sense of worth and wellbeing. In the same way, if emphasis is given to creating just and equitable learning environments, but the curriculum ignores the race or religion of some students while privileging others, trust—an essential element of just relationships—will be undermined. Ultimately, a commitment to honouring the worth and interconnectedness of human beings must be evident in all areas of education.” — Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering
If this caught your interest…
Read The Little Book of Restorative Justice In Education by Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering
Listen to The Little Book Club of Restorative Justice in Education, a podcast series that goes through the book
Read Essential Elements for Non-Punitive Accountability from the organization Courage to Act
Boys Have Their Own Boundaries Disrespected
Recognizing that not everyone has a role in which they can significantly impact school culture, I also wanted to bring up a few practical strategies and frameworks that educators can use to practice restorative in action while working directly with students.
If this caught your interest:
Use We Are Teachers’ roundup of resources, What Teachers Need To Know About Restorative Justice
Use of the resource Calmer classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children from the Child Safety Commissioner in Australia
Watch the TEDx Talk Repairing our schools through restorative justice