Restorative Justice Practices

Over the next three days, Ms. MacDonald, Mr. Harris, Mrs. Halycz, Mrs. Agro-DeRosa (Vice-Principal at Bishop Reding), Ms. Stevenson (Religion Consultant) and yours truly will become internationally certified in Restorative Justice Practices by the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

Restorative Practices stem from the discontent among the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It reflects their tradition that the individual’s family and community should be directly involved in any response to wrongdoing and conflict, a practice typical of most aboriginal or indigenous people.

Restorative Practices has the potential to transform our Catholic Learning Community. This progressive discipline and safe schools strategy employs a talk-it-out approach to foster dialogue between aggrieved students rather than meting out punishments. Students are taught basic social skills to problem-solve and lower the tension in school. One premise of the strategy is that kids feel safe when there is cooperation instead of hostility; another is that kids who feel values and connected at school are less likely to act out. Several boards around the province are investing in restorative practices programs to build a healthy school climate in hopes of fending off violence and improving academic performance.

Restorative Practices places responsibility on the students themselves rather than relying on zero tolerance and authoritarian control. It uses a collaborative response to wrongdoing which is intended to be supportive, gospel values based and not demeaning.

How it works

When a discipline problem arises, all the parties assemble in a circle. They present their sides and work to resolve the issue and restore their relationships. The emphasis is on repairing the harm rather than punishing the offender—although accountability is part of the process.

The facilitator brings participants together and creates a safe and supportive environment. The process is focused and records the decisions of the group. The facilitator does not make or influence the decisions but simply guides the process.

The script is at the heart of the circle or a conference if the situation is at the end of the Restorative Practices Continuum. It is a simple, reliable tool which allows a facilitator to run a circle/conference successfully without extensive mediation or counseling training. The script prescribes a series of open ended questions which encourage people to respond “affectively” (re: how they were affected by the issue).

Participants exchange ideas, develop a plan to address the conflict or wrongdoing, and repair the harm that resulted. In the event of a conference, a contract will be drawn up by the facilitator with feedback from all participants. The contract will usually dictate how the parties will interact in the future and the consequences if these parameters are breached.

At the core of restorative practices is the belief that people will make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them. Students accept decisions more readily if they have input.

While punishment may spur a temporary change, a more lasting solution is to help kids see how their actions impact others and how they can learn to control negative impulses. When students hear a person was frightened or hurt, they gain some empathy and they are more dramatically affected than by punishment.

Focus on Faith

Restorative Practices will dovetail into our Focus on Faith Theme (Hear the Word of the Lord, Learn to do Good, Seek Justice). Specifically, the collaboration and sharing of emotions and interests speaks to maintaining the dignity of the individual, image and likeness of God, and the sense of community as a support. In addition, Restorative Justice Practices speak to our Catholic Graduate Expectations which are part of our students daily curriculum.

Restorative Practices has students recognize that there is more grace in our world than sin and that hope is essential in facing all challenges. This is fostered by separating the deed from the doer, disapproving of inappropriate behaviour and acknowledges the intrinsic worth of the individual.

Restorative Practices makes students accountable for their own actions but allows them to seek and receive forgiveness.

Next Steps

Our team will prepare a training presentation for the Georgetown Family of Schools as a pilot. The goal is to train the Elementary Administrators and Department Heads who will in turn be authorized to train their staff in Restorative Practices.

Our team will train the entire board based on a strategic plan that will be endorsed by the trustees, and senior administration for the 2010-2011 school year.

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceeding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Nexus to the School in Bluefield, West Virginia

The umbrella for school behaviour includes matters which fall under the category of "nexus." Nexus means relevant. The student's behaviour off of school property and/or outside the school day may have a relevant and related impact on the safety and well-being of the school community.

The concept of "nexus to the school" is outlined in our school code of conduct, the HCDSB's code of conduct and in the Education Act.

There have been many instances at CtK where we have suspended students for conduct that is injurious to the moral tone of the school that took place off of school property. Possession or use of drugs, alcohol, physical altercations and general misbehaviour are common examples.

We have espoused at CtK that one of the highest expectations of our students is their conduct in the community as it will always be construed as a reflection of the school. Students need to know that our staff is held to the same expectations and do a wonderful job upholding such a standard.

Why am I blogging about nexus? Why am I focusing on our behaviour as a Catholic Learning Community off of school property? Why is it important?

I hope you had an enjoyable time with family and friends over the March Break? Our family went to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

We were on our way back home Saturday, March 20th and made one of our frequent stops with a van full of kids at a Wendy's Restaurant in Bluefield, West Virginia.

We were just settling down to eat a "nutritional" meal when a young man came up to me and said.."Hi Mr. DeSantis." I must have been startled as the young man went on to explain that he is a Grade 9 student at CtK. I could not believe the odds of bumping into one of my students in of all places Bluefield, West Virginia! It turned out that this young man and his family were coming back from Florida! I wished he and his family a safe trip home as they left the restaurant and we began to eat.

Hence....the onus of being a good citizen wherever you are came to mind as I was eating some sort of Grill Chicken wrap. You never know who you are going to meet, what people will perceive or what impression you make when others observe your behaviour whether you are in school or on vacation.

The best way to represent your family and our school is to try your best to simply be polite, respectful and considerate as a standard way of life. You never know who will be watching! Note to self...I do get around....ask the young man in Grade 9!

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Dreams Versus Drugs

A trusted colleague of mine recently sent me this quote by John Holt:

Fish swim, birds fly; man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to ‘motivate’ children into learning, by wheedling, bribing, or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom; give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest.

As a parent, as a student, as a educator....do you agree with the above position?

We work hard to create the culture that we put in place at CtK. We strive to embrace student success and excellence. We aim to "…bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom."Yet I do struggle with "we can trust them to do the rest?"

We have suspended an inordinate number of students in the last few months for possession of marijuana and/or drug paraphernalia. This is of great concern to both the administration and our staff.

We try and do the right thing and ensure that the student continues a semblance of his/her studies at home or at the Suspended/Expelled Students Program. In addition, we arrange for drug counselling through ADAPT and ensure that there is contact with a social worker and/or child youth counselor during this process.

This is a major reason that I struggle with the "trust" issue for our students? What is happening to our students at school? What is happening to our students when they go for lunch? What is happening when they go home? Where do they go on the weekends? How are they getting access to these drugs? Most importantly, why are they doing drugs?

We all have logical responses to the above questions with varying degrees of veracity. Where does "trust" play a role in the equation of accountability and responsibility in our youth?

We had Keith Hawkins with us recently. He has been to our school several times now as a motivational speaker. His most recent topic was coined:

Dreams versus Drugs

He stated that every kid knows not to do drugs. “The message has to be something bigger than drugs…something that burns deep inside a young person’s heart…like a dream!” He cited that "When a young person is involved in activities or finds something they really like, it makes them happy, it gives them self-worth. When a student sees and feels that type of value, they’re not going to let drugs or alcohol get in their way.

"His focus on "The Power of the Dream" seemed to resonate with our student population. They were very attentive and participative throughout his presentation. Our students were very engaged.

We continue to allocate as many resources to our Catholic Learning Community to help our students reach their dreams.

I pray and hope that the partnership between home, school and church will support our students as we "trust them to do the rest."

CtK Cares Foundation

My Sunday morning ritual usually includes the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Charles Osgood.

My wife tells me that I am enamoured with this show due to the exhilarating trumpet introduction. This is predicated on the fact that I am a huge fan of brass instruments and played the tuba from Grade 7 to Grade 13. She may be right?

In any event, I love this show primarily due to the eclectic stories that are presented. Stories that hit every emotional chord...stories from the sublime to the ridiculous....stories that are political, social, economic and entertaining...stories that happen in our backyard to the far reaches of our globe.

One segment on this week's show addressed actor Sean Penn and his effort to help the nation of Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that took place in January. You see him with his two children physically bringing in food, medical supplies, medical personnel, building materials and apparently over one million dollars in cash in nap sacks for immediate infusion into the Haitian economic recovery efforts. He joked that his own monetary contributions have precipitated the need to find work in Hollywood very soon.

The interviewer asked him about what his thoughts were regarding the skeptics who wondered what his ulterior motives were. His response that "the greatest gift from service to others is the act of serving" clearly indicated that he wanted his actions to stand on their own and felt that he was not required to justify why he felt compelled to help.

Originating from our own students with the support of key staff members, CtK has created our own "act of service" known as the CtK Cares Foundation. In a nut shell, this foundation uses the proceeds from civvies, fundraisers, volunteer services and community pledges to give back to those within our own Catholic Learning Community and in the community of Georgetown.

Similar to Mr. Penn, our justification as a faith based learning community is the act of serving those most in need.

Thanks for reading.

Character

I spent most of my weekend in school gymnasiums watching my three daughters play basketball. It was during a game at Barton Secondary School in Hamilton where I noticed a quotation from a former principal that was adorning their scoreboard. It stated that "sport doesn't build character....it reveals it." Our Canadian Olympic Athletes revealed their character from the moment the games began to the final punctuation mark with Sidney Crosby's mythical goal! Character that emanated perseverance, an exemplary work ethic, attention to detail and a commitment to excellence.

I can't help but draw parallels to what we espouse in our Catholic Learning Community. The inspiration drawn from the character revealed from our Olympic Athletes should motivate us to do our very best.

To our Grade 12 graduating students....how will you reveal your character as you punctuate your final year!?

To our Grade 11 students...will you reveal your character in the form of our potential student leaders?!

To our Grade 10 students...will you reveal your character in eclipsing the excellence your predecessors established in last year's OSSLT?!

To our Grade 9 students...will you reveal your character in setting levels of achievement in the EQAO Math Assessment that will be the standard to match for years to come?!

In the end, your character will define who you are, what you value and what you are prepared to do.

Thank you for reading my first blog. New blogs will be posted at the beginning of every week. My blogs will range from commentary to school news regarding our academic and co-curricular pursuits. Please feel free to post your own comments/questions about this topic or anything else concerning the Catholic Learning Community at CtK!