I recently listened to an Invisibilia podcast called “Becoming the Batman,” in which the hosts discuss the concept that blindness is a social construction. They talk to the author of the book The Making of Blind Men, Robert Scott, who explains it simply: “The disability of blindness is a learned social role.” He goes on… read more
School systems use standardized “codes of conducts” (COCs) to govern student behavior and conduct as well as what responses should follow these behaviors. These codes must formally comply with federal, state, and local laws, and are often informally amenable to student, teacher, staff, and parent needs. Present example justifications from two districts’ COCs include: “Educated… read more
Many schools see the value of teaching social and emotional skills so that their students will succeed in their personal and academic lives. Although there are a variety of ways to promote this type of well-being, many federal, state, and local education agencies mandate that schools implement programs based on the social and emotional learning… read more
My last post covered eight prominent concerns that can hold schools back from adopting restorative practices (RPS). Many of these concerns can be proactively addressed, making it easier for schools to implement RPS. Starting suggestions, by concern: 1.) Schools are not ready for restorative practices Although an administrator may have legitimate organizational preparedness concerns and… read more
Given the reasons that restorative practices in schools could be a good idea (see those reasons here, here, and here), why aren’t all schools adopting restorative practices? Based on my experiences in restorative practices—teaching, researching, and consulting with schools—I’ve come to see eight prominent concerns. 1. Schools are not ready for restorative practices There likely… read more
In a previous post, we’ve introduced in-school restorative practices as tools to address discipline in a way that keeps students engaged in learning. We’ve situated restorative practices as components of developing person power, and components of a constructive program that envisions alternatives to punitive responses to behaviors. We’ve also addressed two common misconceptions about restorative… read more
I wrote the following letter for a student to be placed in her time capsule to open her senior year. The assignment asks students to get a letter from an important adult in their lives, and to have the adult seal it so the students don’t know what it’s about until they open it in… read more
I just returned from Philadelphia, where I was invited to talk about peace at the Humor Academy lunch at the Association for Applied Therapeutic Humor (AATH) annual conference. The AATH is an organization of professionals from various fields who integrate humor into their lives and work to promote health and well-being. My talk was entitled… read more
