Closing Thoughts and Final Reflections
Throughout this inquiry, not only did my students and I come to value and understand the restorative process, but we were exposed to its challenges as well. One of the biggest external barriers that we faced as a whole was school culture and subsequently, consistency. Though this was expected, I was not aware of how much conflicting approaches or ideals in school disciplinary models and overall culture could impede on the effectiveness of the model. But I quickly learned and it raised questions for me in terms of how this model could be utilized and implemented within specific schools.
As far as internal barriers, I came to realize that I may not see the growth that I desired; some things are simply a matter of time. This group of students, as well as so many others, face enormous challenges individually and collectively that as teachers, given our responsibilities and expertise, we simply cannot address. Not to say that I am raising my hands in the air and giving up, but the reality of the situation is that all I and we can do as educators is what we have already been doing. We just have to continue to have faith and try to feed into the potential that we see in each and every one of our students. This is one of the hardest things to do as teachers-understand that there are some things we can and cannot control. What we can control is our own actions, not necessarily how our students interpret and respond to them.
In many ways this is something that my inquiry delved into. As I attempted to provide my students with opportunities to reflect on their behaviors, it was their own desire, will, and motivation that would drive their response.
click video to listen to students' final reflection on the restorative process
As far as internal barriers, I came to realize that I may not see the growth that I desired; some things are simply a matter of time. This group of students, as well as so many others, face enormous challenges individually and collectively that as teachers, given our responsibilities and expertise, we simply cannot address. Not to say that I am raising my hands in the air and giving up, but the reality of the situation is that all I and we can do as educators is what we have already been doing. We just have to continue to have faith and try to feed into the potential that we see in each and every one of our students. This is one of the hardest things to do as teachers-understand that there are some things we can and cannot control. What we can control is our own actions, not necessarily how our students interpret and respond to them.
In many ways this is something that my inquiry delved into. As I attempted to provide my students with opportunities to reflect on their behaviors, it was their own desire, will, and motivation that would drive their response.
click video to listen to students' final reflection on the restorative process