Shining Lights Week 4, Term 4
.... Restorative Practices at Lumen
In my last edition of Shining Lights I wrote about the development of our pastoral care framework, Its foundational concepts and the virtues we strive to develop with our students. In order for us to bring students to the endevours to build community, develop relationships and show resect, we are renewing our focus for Restorative Justice through Restorative practices.
https://www.rpforschools.net/whats-rp.html
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Traditional approaches to school discipline tend to pose questions about blame and punishment, so we might have asked, What happened, Who’s to blame? and, What do they deserve? Restorative Practices take another direction. The focus shifts to the affect on people and situations when something goes wrong. We require that students focus on the harms done and the emotial responses involved. We now ask, What happened?, Who’s been harmed? and, What needs to happen to repair some of that harm? |
Put simply, Restorative Practices (RP) is a way of viewing relationship-building and behaviour management in schools that works to strengthen community among students and between students, teachers and parents, through educative processes.
It doesn’t just belong to schools either. Restorative Practices can be an important approach to dispute resolution at home too. Begin with the three questions, and follow through with the actions that must arise.
What happened?
Who’s been harmed?
What needs to happen to repair some of that harm?
Be the light of Christ
.... World Teachers Day
So I am writing on World Teachers’ Day, and you probably don’t need full disclosure of my bias. I am also writing at a time when teacher shortages, the nature of teachers’ work, teachers' pay, student “performance,” the esteem, or lack thereof of, in which teachers are held in society, and so on, are in the news.
You don’t stay in teaching unless you are passionate about helping the kids – it’s too hard. You don’t stay in teaching unless you can take a hit (or multiple hits) – kids are kids, sometimes unthinking, sometimes illogical, sometimes self-absorbed, sometimes ridiculous risk takers; but all this comes with the territory. Societal expectations shift, families evolve, there is always a lag between what is happening on the ground and law/regulation (think the cyber world for example). Big picture stuff gets wobbly as it tries to accommodate the many well-meaning “current thinkings.” “Dynamic” is the expression I believe. But as I have said before, schools reflect society – the battles are always when bureaucracy, parents (or public sentiment) and schools are not on the same page. Anyway, all this stuff is always on the table. You don’t stay in teaching unless can celebrate the wins – the kids’ improvement, the kids’ success, the quality of your colleagues, the joy of the hundreds of positive interactions and keep this perspective.
So I take my hat off (if I was wearing one) to all teachers. I acknowledge and celebrate the hours of preparation late at night (after the being a mum or dad shift), the classroom teachers who don’t get the headlines but who are loved by the kids for their commitment to them. I recognise the teachers who volunteer to be on camps and sporting trips, away from their own families, on call 24/7…. I celebrate those who are passionate about change and have the big ideas – we need you. I celebrate and acknowledge the dinosaurs – you’re the rock and we need you too.
At this point, only a goose would single anyone out for the fear of neglecting the others, but I have been called much worse ( see “hit” reference above.)
I would be delighted to put Mr Fragnito and Mrs Dibley forward for any teacher award going. Like teaching in the broader sense, the hundreds of hours of dedication behind the performance of our Music students (the most recent being the Stage 5 Showcase) is perhaps not in the forefront of our thinking when we applaud. They are special.
Mrs Woods and Mrs Reckord are special. I can’t really keep up with their boundless enthusiasm and passion – First Communions, Year 8 Formation Day, Social Justice Advocates, Social Justice Advocates Refugee visit, assistance with Statement from the Heart. This is what they did yesterday.
I am in awe of the Primary teachers. I like to think that I am no shrinking violet, but large numbers of very little kids make me twitchy on the inside. Don’t they know who I am! The primary teachers are special.
I acknowledge and celebrate the non-teaching staff without whom it all comes tumbling down. The smart money is always on people like Mrs Catherine Martino, Ms Barb Gough, Mr Kevin Kelly, Mrs Leanne Fraser or Mr Mark Hudson to win Employee of the Month.
I’ll be a parent for a second. My own two went through LCCC. They’re doing well, thanks for asking. I cannot thank enough all their teachers. In my household names like Mr Thompson, Mr Wilton, Mr Considine, Mr Fish and Mr Fraser are always spoken of with enormous gratitude and respect (and with more respect than I get!)
I would like to celebrate all those teachers who work specifically in Pastoral Care. We know what we do.
Why doesn’t an English teacher, sitting next to a Maths teacher, sitting next to a PDHPE teacher, sitting next to a TAS teacher, sitting next to a Kindergarten teacher, sitting next to a Chemistry teacher not end in a street brawl, given the different personality types/left brains/right brains work etc etc?
Because we are always teachers first.
To quote Chaucer (and annoy the Maths teachers ) let me end with:
And that was seyd in forme and reverence,
And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence;
Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche,
And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.
