Praxis of Restorative Justice

It's been a while since my last update. Things got a bit crazy last year. I have to say that I was happy to have it be over. Looking back, I am really happy that we started and are continuing a restorative justice program at my school. Over the summer, I taught summer school and I did 2 RJ classes. The two classes couldn't have been any more different.

The first class was with students that had been in the school last year. This class was really amazing. We got deep and I was able to connect to these students in a way that I am not normally able to do. That's one of the things that I like best about RJ is that it helps create a community. Students brought up topics and issues that we discussed as a group and it was real. When I speak to the kids in my normal speech they listen better. I thought that was important too because I am always talking to them about code switching and so they found it interesting and surprising to listen to me talk when I'm not trying to be a "teacher". The informal communal nature of it also allowed me to bust on kids in a caring but real way. I was able to express my frustrations with them and they were able to really hear me and know that what I was saying was coming from a good place. The class also allowed for us to talk about relationships and offer advice based on our experiences.

The other class was painful. It was like pulling teeth. There were some young boys coming in as freshmen and I had forgotten how young freshmen boys could be. They had very little to say and didn't have very many thoughts on issues and the topics that I would bring up. There were a couple of students that wanted to talk about the issues and topics but it quickly became a very small discussion among me and the 2 students. The rest just sat there. In short, it was painful. I was reduced to asking them very basic getting to know you type questions. Questions that I got from the book "Moving beyond icebreakers". I didn't want to do a questionnaire type class but there was very little participation and interest in really going any deeper. The students that did want to talk expressed their frustration about no one speaking...but what could they do.

Looking back at RJ at my school, I think that there needs to be some things that we do to make it more successful. First, I think that teachers need to participate more in the circles. We ran circles but we tried to have students run the circles. When students were running other students a number of times it just descended into apathy or chaos. I think when teachers are in the circles it sets a different tone and creates a different atmosphere. Students need teachers to model appropriate behavior and we have not been doing the RJ circles long enough for students to know how to act appropriately within the circles. As a result, some of our student led circles were less than successful. Second, I think that us teachers need to have RJ circles together to talk about our issues. Restorative Justice is something that all of us need not just the students. When teachers sat in and had circles together it was powerful and there was greater buy-in. The kids aren't going to buy it if we don't. Third, teachers need to start using RJ circles within their own classes and CTMs. I started to use the circles but I was the only one. I found them to be very useful and very helpful in my classes and CTM, but the other teachers didn't do them. This was weird too because everyone bought in to the idea, but what was missing was the praxis.

Self and community transformation ain't easy. It takes work. School starts tomorrow without the kids and the next week they come in. It's going to be a hard year because we are losing one of our most amazing teachers. She is leaving to take an administrative position at a middle school. I am going to miss her a lot. She is an inspiration to me and someone that I respect greatly. I marvel at her energy, rapport with students, and commitment to social justice. I am jealous of the school that is going to get her, but so happy for her because she will do amazing things with her greater position and role at the new school. Also, we are scrambling to look for another math teacher. The teacher that we had last year didn't find favor with the boss lady. She was looking to replace him but didn't tell any of the staff except the one leaving. I went into school on Friday and was told that math teachers were being interviewed. We have a staff of 8 people and we are looking for 2 new teachers. This is some fucked up shit. When I first got there it was a 4 person turnover. Things were crazy. When the math teacher came in last year in the middle of the year it was crazy. We have 2 new teachers that are going to be hazed and have to get used to the school and students that I work with. The other fucked up thing is that the math teacher doesn't know that he is being replaced. In fact, he joined us in a RJ training on Thursday.

As much as I enjoy the work that I am doing and love the staff, I am really disturbed by the system that we have. We are under-resourced and always seem to be putting out fires. If it's not one thing it's another. The teacher turnover rate is too high and we don't have the resources to keep good teachers. If I went to work at the regular old public school in my school district, I would immediately get about a $10,000 raise, more benefits, and do less work. It kind of fucking ridiculous. I love my work there, but sometimes it can be quite disheartening.