GOAL #4

Goal #4: Restorative Practices: building relationships

            All of my experiences throughout the Masters of Education program have culminated in this final program goal.  As the program has progressed, my pedagogical approaches have shifted and changed to reflect what is at the heart of my teaching practices: building relationships.  In essence, every project that I have completed for this program has impacted the ways that I interact with my colleagues, students, parents and the greater community.  From the very beginning, EU501: Research and Praxis, demonstrated the importance of building relationships through circle discussions and how this method can enhance personal, professional and community relationships.  I have come to recognize the power of conversation to build relationships and affect change in the classroom and school culture.  I have begun a journey to use restorative circles in my classroom, based on research that shows the significance of giving voice to those who may not have the opportunity to share their ideas when lost in the bustle of everyday classroom activities. 

            My artifact for this portion of my journey is not tangible, but is an experience that has impacted my pedagogical approach.  The learning I have done around culturally responsive teaching has encouraged me to incorporate restorative circles into my classroom in order to honour the voices of all of my students.  My artifact is the circles themselves, and how they have changed the dynamic of my classroom and furthered my understanding of how to build meaningful relationships with students.  The greatest understanding that has emerged from my learning is that the role of the teacher is not to have power over thestudents, but to have power WITH the students to facilitate each classroom community member’s learning so that they are a contributing member, not just in one classroom, but as a member of the school community and greater community (IIRP, 2015).  To actually meet the goals of the International Institute of Restorative Practices goals sounds rather lofty and somewhat impossible to achieve in one small school.  One has to wonder: how can letting kids share their ideas impact a whole community? 

            Restorative Practices (RP) are described by the International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP) as the ability to:

build the capacity of the student and the school community to develop internal and external assets, and healthy relationships; they are the foundation of preventing bullying behaviour.  Restorative Practices use a spectrum of proactive and responsive strategies including the use of emotional expression (sharing thoughts and feelings), classroom circles, small impromptu conferences and formal conferences.  Restorative Practices support the whole school approach to positive school climate and bullying prevention/intervention by engaging the community to adopt a unified set of practices that enhance respectful relationships, build empathy and compassion and strengthen acceptance and responsibility. (IIRP, 2015)

Restorative Practices fits into the pedagogical approach that I have been striving to achieve as I have reflected on my practices throughout the Master of Education program.  Firstly, I have been exposed to Restorative Practices in a variety of ways throughout my formal education.  During my Bachelor of Education, we used circles in our classes and also participated in Healing Circles lead by an elder of the Mi’kmaq nation.  From the very beginning, I felt the power of circles to develop and restore relationships through the simple act of creating a circle where everyone is equal; the sheer power of a circle is to create equality amongst its members.  Going forward, I participated in circles in EU501: Research and Praxis that helped the class to bond as a cohort and demonstrated, yet again, the ability of circles to give participants a voice.  Yet, I never considered introducing circles into my own teaching practices until recently.

I was invited to attend a professional development session to learn more about Restorative Practices and how to integrate this philosophy into the classroom.  After knowing the power of circles for so long, I knew this was the opportunity I had been waiting for.  I was able to build my knowledge around the purpose and techniques required to facilitate a circle and developed a more finite understanding of the necessity of building relationships with my students and allowing them the time to build relationships with each other.  Through my understanding of these practices, I am able to integrate student-centred learning at more levels in the classroom and create the classroom culture that I have longed to develop for many years. 

One of my many goals as an educator is to build community at all levels.  To do this, I encourage students to share their thoughts and feelings academically, but also personally and socially, to build relationships and, ultimately, facilitate their journey as a student and a member of the school/greater/global community.  Through circles, students are able to find a voice to share their concerns and celebrate their successes in a way that is not possible without the use of Restorative Practices. 

At a collegial level, I am a part of a collaborative inquiry that brings teachers from all disciplines, the elementary level and community partners together to share ideas and develop Restorative Practices to implement in the classroom.  Through this inquiry, we are able to support and mentor each other as we learn more about Restorative Practices and how they affect classroom culture. In the inquiry, we are investigating how the use of circles can impact students' understanding of diversity in the classroom.  So far, I have very preliminary data in regards to socio-economic status, but see in these results that there is work that can be done using circles as a way to take time to address issues of diversity in the classroom and greater community.  Having the opportunity to participate in this inquiry process shows the importance of giving teachers time to share their thoughts and feelings to enhance their own learning; we are students too and have the same needs. 
My learning around Restorative Practices is significant and continues to be an area that I wish to master.  This is why I chose to discuss Restorative Practices as my Master's Class in EU598: Capstone.  I invited a colleague, Jodie Dobbie, to come and share her experiences as a veteran of Restorative Practices with our class.  Together, Jodie and I, shared insights into how RP builds relationships in any work place.  

Through this process, I have noticed that when teachers are given a voice, it acts in the same way as students; teachers want to have a voice as well and see themselves reflected in the learning.  Because of this belief, I have shared my learning with my school community at staff meetings in order to showcase the importance of relationship building and ways that teachers can implement Restorative Practices into their own teaching.  Of course, there is the potential for tension when sharing new ideas with colleagues.  I have reflected on how to share this information and realize that implementing circles into the classroom is not for everyone and that each teacher is on their own professional journey.  I know how long it took me to finally recognize the need to incorporate Restorative Practices into my own pedagogy, thus, I believe that exposure to these new ideas might spark action in some teachers and may be ignored by others.  My goal when attempting to advance knowledge is merely to share successes and failures in order for my colleagues to find their place in the learning and potentially take the same risks I have taken to try something new.  I still see the sharing process as an advancement of knowledge for my colleagues since knowing about different practices can ultimately lead to reflection on their own practices.  I might create a spark.

While pointing ahead of myself, I have taken the time to reflect back , as well and I see the importance of taking time out of the busy curriculum-driven whirlwind that is the school year.  One of the greatest lessons I have learned through this learning journey is that taking time to develop relationships with students will result in more learning.  In the past, I was concerned about the obligations of curriculum, but now realize that developing relationships in the classroom does not slow down the learning, but enhances it.  I have more learning to do around these practices, but see this as yet another reflection of George Bernard Shaw’s adage to “point ahead of myself” and take risks in my own learning so that students can feel safe, included and valued, not only in my classroom, but as part of the school community and beyond.