What is Restorative Practice?

The Heart of Teaching

Dear Colleagues,

At the heart of teaching are imagination, kindness and a manifestation of love to nurture the human spirit.  Human dignity and respect, therefore, are the foundation upon which education must be established.  The philosophy of Restorative Practice is not a new concept.  It certainly is not a new “program” that if implemented, offers perfect compliance by all students.

For years, many teachers have relied on the premise that students, upon making a mistake, must be punished (because how else will they learn).  This premise is really a false promise.  When students are punished, they learn to feel resentment, anger, and frustration.  They feel as if they do not belong. 

Paradoxically, this intentional action – punishment — which fosters frustration and a feeling of being ostracized, goes against one of the basic philosophies of education – all students need to feel a sense of belonging.   The psychiatrist and author of several books on school improvement, Dr. William Glasser, emphasizes the basic human needs of love and belonging in his writings.  At the heart of Dr. Glasser’s work is the foundation of Choice Theory:

“Choice Theory® is based on the simple premise that every individual only has the power to control themselves and has limited power to control others. Applying Choice Theory allows one to take responsibility for one’s own life and at the same time, withdraw from attempting to direct other people’s decisions and lives. Individuals are empowered to take responsibility for their choices and support others in taking ownership of their choices. Negative behaviors reduce in frequency and intensity, relationships strengthen and satisfaction in life increases.”1

The Restorative philosophy teaches students how to become responsible learners by creating and nurturing positive relationships.  Students learn essential social and emotional skills.  They learn to practice kindness, and in so doing learn empathy. The restorative philosophy nurtures both academic learning in a critical-thinking environment and the traits of confidence, kindness, humility, and more.

The author, Robert J. Wicks, in his book Seeds of Sensitivity writes, “For years, there has been a movement afoot in both psychology and spirituality to release people from the chains of unreasonable guilt and undeserved shame.  (Guilt is “I made a mistake.” Shame is “I am a mistake.”)2   The Restorative philosophy believes in maintaining a person’s dignity and respect, always.  Our responsibility as educators compels us to seek and impart truth and knowledge to ensure justice and inspire hope in all students.

I encourage you to participate in a Restorative Practice seminar, and I look forward to sharing ideas with you that will inform and inspire our work as educators.

Bruce J. Stewart

  1. https://wglasser.com/what-is-choice-theory/
  2. *Seeds of Sensitivity, Robert J. Wicks, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Restorative Practice Photo Gallery

Kit, a first-year college student in Laos, reads aloud to children in a rural Lao village. Kit attended a 2-day “Book Ambassador” workshop offered by Big Brother Mouse, a literacy project, where he learned basic techniques of reading aloud: Change your voice. Pause occasionally for dramatic effect. Engage your audience. One admiring boy seems to be thinking that he’d like to do this himself one day.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kit_with_children_-_Big_Brother_Mouse.JPG#file
Early Childhood Education Teacher and Student
True compassion is the ability to be sympathetic and empathetic and giving a helping hand.
Compassion

Be sure to read the most recent blog post, “Teachers: 7 Tips for Greater Satisfaction” on the Teacher Blog page.