Michigan Department of Education Segment 5: RJ Informal Interventions

1. Introduce Restorative Justice (RJ) Practices on the Informal segment of the RJ Continuum. 2. Show an example of how RJ applies to common situations in schools. 3. Possible use of some of these practices in your school.

Informal Formal Affective Statements Affective Questions Small Impromptu Conference Restorative Circle Restorative Conference Sentencing Circle Victim-Offender Mediation Based on the IIRP’s Restorative Practices Handbook Page 12 Community-building Circles Restorative Philosophy Re-entry Circle

 In any social setting, people have conflicts and sometimes misbehave. Lucky for us, schools offer countless opportunities to address conflict and misconduct restoratively!  This video (SEGMENT 1) depicts one interaction at a Michigan high school, in the hallway outside Mr. Tims’ room.  Think about how you could help these students address their concerns and move beyond the conflict.

 Whether your school has adopted a restorative paradigm or not, you can choose to apply the RJ philosophy to your work by using affective statements and questions when you’re faced with a conflict or situation of misconduct.  Commonly called “I statements,” affective statements simply express how you feel or perceive a situation. They don’t make any judgment or offer any solution.  Rather, they state your experience and open the possibility for discussion so others can share their perspective as well.  As with all RJ interactions, Affective Statements and Questions should be delivered in a respectful manner. Of course, the response they generate must also be received as respectfully as possible.  The following slides offer some examples of Affective Statements.

Common Response Affective Statement  Stop teasing Sandy  Stop talking during class.  You shouldn’t do that.  Sit down and be quiet!  I don’t want to see you fighting with him/her.  It makes me uncomfortable when I hear you teasing Sandy.  I am frustrated that you aren’t listening to me.  I feel sad when I hear you say something like that to John.  I get angry when you talk and joke during my lectures.  I was shocked to see you hurt Pete.

 “If a teacher sees a student behaving in ways that raise flags of concern, then the teacher voices his or her concerns to the student: ◦ I care that you feel safe in the school. ◦ I see that you are late for gym class and that you flinch around certain students. ◦ I feel uncomfortable, and I worry that you may be bullied or scared of these students or that the locker room is not safe for you. ◦ I’m listening: What do you think? ◦ I want you to be safe, and I am wondering if you might want to talk further about this, perhaps with the counselor or nurse. ◦ I will go with you if you want to talk to the counselor. You think about what you want to do, and I will check back with you in a few days.” P. 59, Circle in the Square

 “Belinda Hopkins, a pioneer in restorative approaches in the United Kingdom... coaches students, teachers, and administrators on encouraging conversations: ◦ “Ask the question, and then listen. ◦ Give sounds of encouragement, such as ‘humhm,’ or invite further reflection by saying, ‘tell me more.’  “Here is how she outlines the restorative frame of understanding that informs the questions: ◦ “Each person’s perspectives are unique and equally valued. ◦ Thoughts influence emotions, and emotions influence subsequent actions. ◦ Empathy and consideration for others motivate the conversation. ◦ Identifying needs comes before identifying strategies to meet these needs. ◦ The dialogue aims to build trust and promote empowerment.” --Circle in the Square, pp. 57 & 58

 What Happened?  What were you thinking at the time?  What have you thought about since?  Who has been affected by your actions and how have they been affected?  How can you make things right? When Challenging Someone’s Negative Behavior

 What did you think when you realized what had happened?  What impact has this incident had on you and others?  What has been the hardest thing for you?  What do you need to feel things are right? Or What would you like to see from this? When Helping Someone Negatively Affected

 Tell me what’s been happening. What has not been working for you?  What are you thinking about this situation?  How are you feeling about this situation?  How is this getting in the way of your learning? Feeling okay about school? Being the person you want to be at school?  What do you need to learn/to do to make things better? Make things right? Reset and get back on track?  What can we do to support you?  What might you do differently the next time you find yourself in this situation? Suggested by Engaging Schools, author Carol Miller Liebler from the Summer 2014, Teaching Tolerance article Restoring Justice available at /feature/restoring-justice /feature/restoring-justice

 Affective Statements and Questions lend themselves well to informal RJ interventions known as impromptu circles.  Whether delivered in a casual or more serious manner, they engage participants in thinking about the situation of conflict or misconduct and can provide a safe space for them to resolve it immediately and informally.  When engaging others in a circle, it’s essential that you treat everyone with equal respect and give all participants an equal opportunity to answer the questions. All those affected should have a voice in the process and in the resolution.

 In video SEGMENT 2, notice how Mr. Tims uses an impromptu circle to address the hallway interaction we observed earlier in this segment.  Pay special attention to how he uses an RJ Philosophy (rather than a zero-tolerance approach) to addressing this situation with the young men.  How many times does Mr. Tims use practices from the Informal RJ Continuum?

 If you are taking this training alone, skip to the questions at the bottom of this slide and think about their answers. If you are in a group, arrange your chairs in a circle with everyone facing into the center.  Taking turns so that only one person speaks at a time, go around the circle so that each person answers the first question listed in bold below.  Once everyone has answered the first question, follow the same process to answer the remaining two questions. Keep track of the time you have—if necessary apply time limits to each answer so everyone has the same amount of time to speak. ◦ What is one thing you noticed about Charlie’s and Tony’s reaction to the collision? ◦ What is one change you observed in the students’ demeanor when Mr. Tims intervened? ◦ Name one situation in your school that would lend itself to small impromptu circles.