Key points:
It’s hard to overstate the influence of school on a student’s social-emotional development. Outside of their immediate family, a student will spend most of their life among a teacher and classmates. This small circle of peers will be the defining force in their social life, and the experiences they encounter within will ultimately shape their behavior for years afterwards. This puts an enormous responsibility on educators who strive to make their classrooms a place where every student feels seen, encouraged, and respected.
Kids are, well, kids. They are going to be messy. They are going to make mistakes. There are going to be tears and fights and miscommunications and all the drama that comes with young people as they grow. The good news is that teachers can help students navigate these awkward and frustrating moments by pointing them towards a positive resolution. The key lies in addressing each conflict with a thoughtful set of restorative practices.
Restorative practices are strategies that focus on repairing harm and rebuilding student relationships. The principles of Restorative Practices include:
- Relationship: Building strong relationships within the community
- Respect: Treating others with respect
- Accountability: Taking responsibility for your actions
- Repair: Fixing the harm that has been done
- Reintegration: Reintegrating the student into the community
While discipline certainly has an important place in a school community, it doesn’t always lead to a change in attitude or address underlying problems. Restorative practices focus on mending connections between students, not just fixing the behavior. Best of all, they allow educators to approach problems with more flexibility and give students the opportunity to understand and take ownership of their behavior.
Still, even with the right mindset, restorative practices can be difficult to implement without some initial guidance. Here are just five strategies that can help teachers start restorative practices in their own classrooms:
1. Rude, Mean, or Bullying? Using a community circle, guide students through exercises that help them understand the differences between when something is rude, mean, or bullying. Start by defining the three categories so students can discern between an accident and intentional, aggressive behavior. Next, present them with different scenarios (someone says something unkind, someone bumps into you, etc.) Finally, ask students to identify whether the example is rude, mean, or bullying. This allows them to recognize and respond to future conflicts appropriately.
2. Scale the Problem: In this role-play activity, students learn how to identify the size of a problem. Divide students into groups and assign each group a problem size (very small, small, medium, big, very big). Have each group create a scenario based on their problem size and act it out for the class. Once finished, have the class discuss the problem sizes and how they should react to each.
3. Restorative Questions: The restorative questions activity isa positive way to approach an existing conflict, and it allows all parties involved to be heard. Have one student answer the following five questions. Once they have finished, ask the next student the same questions. This gives each student a chance to speak while also supporting de-escalation.
- 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 way?
- What do you think you need to do to make things right?
4. Restorative Circles: Restorative circles can serve as a quick check-in and as a way for a teacher to take the temperature of the room before starting a lesson. Ask students how they are feeling, invite them to share their thoughts, and be ready to engage any problems that might be brewing among classmates.
5. Sentence Stems: Students can use sentence stems to communicate with one another in a way that is both meaningful and straightforward. This exercise can help prevent conflicts from growing out of control and allow teachers to steer the conversation in a healthy direction. Some examples include:
- I feel (emotion) when (situation).
- I feel (emotion) when (situation), and I would like to (action).
- I want (helpful action).
Incorporating restorative practices into the classroom allows teachers to manage conflicts while creating a culture that respects and values each student. By focusing on relationship-building, accountability, and mutual respect, educators can help students navigate common challenges and equip them with the emotional knowledge they’ll need to succeed as adults. Though they may take time, the rewards are worth the effort.
