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Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management
Classroom management is traditionally a matter of encouraging good behavior and discouraging bad by doling out rewards and punishments. But studies show that when educators empower students to address and correct misbehavior among themselves, positive results are longer lasting and more wide reaching. In Better Than Carrots or Sticks, longtime educators and best-selling authors Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey provide a practical blueprint for creating a cooperative and respectful classroom climate in which students and teachers work through behavioral issues together. After a comprehensive overview of the roots of the restorative practices movement in schools, the authors explain how to * Establish procedures and expectations for student behavior that encourage the development of positive interpersonal skills; * Develop a nonconfrontational rapport with even the most challenging students; and * Implement conflict resolution strategies that prioritize relationship building and mutual understanding over finger-pointing and retribution.Rewards and punishments may help to maintain order in the short term, but they're at best superficially effective and at worst counterproductive. This book will prepare teachers at all levels to ensure that their classrooms are welcoming, enriching, and constructive environments built on collective respect and focused on student achievement.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2015
486 people are currently reading
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August 6, 2019
If you are looking for either an introduction to restorative practices or a refresher course on best practices, this is the book for you. If you are looking for more intermediate fare, look elsewhere.
The authors made so many great points, I wanted to take this book to work, hold it up while shaking it, and shout, "See? Offering rewards all of the time is not helping our kids!" We are entering a new era in the classroom and today's students are not the same learners we were. Teachers are having to scramble to rework their entire approach to teaching, including adding character education which was formerly taught by parents at home (and still taught by some).
The authors make great points. Although this book is geared toward K-12 students, I felt that several of these techniques could not be accomplished at the elementary level, particularly in the primary grades. The success of these techniques are also heavily influenced the school, location, and parent involvement as well.
I agreed with most of the points made in the book. There were, however, a few points I either disagreed with or didn't see how they could work in my workplace. One of the assertions made by the authors was that the classroom teacher shouldn't be facilitating the peacemaking circle but rather another adult trained in the practices should. I don't know where these authors work but I've never worked in a school that had extra staff members that are on-call waiting to lead a class discussion on appropriately interacting with others. Another declaration that the authors continually made was that schools shouldn't be punitive but restorative. I don't disagree with that in theory but there are so many instances of students destroying items or hurting others in ways that can't be restored. I can't think of any logical solutions to righting these wrongs and the authors don't touch on this at all (if they did, they would offer solutions for high schoolers which would be useless for elementary schoolers).
Overall, I found many helpful tips in this book.
The authors made so many great points, I wanted to take this book to work, hold it up while shaking it, and shout, "See? Offering rewards all of the time is not helping our kids!" We are entering a new era in the classroom and today's students are not the same learners we were. Teachers are having to scramble to rework their entire approach to teaching, including adding character education which was formerly taught by parents at home (and still taught by some).
The authors make great points. Although this book is geared toward K-12 students, I felt that several of these techniques could not be accomplished at the elementary level, particularly in the primary grades. The success of these techniques are also heavily influenced the school, location, and parent involvement as well.
I agreed with most of the points made in the book. There were, however, a few points I either disagreed with or didn't see how they could work in my workplace. One of the assertions made by the authors was that the classroom teacher shouldn't be facilitating the peacemaking circle but rather another adult trained in the practices should. I don't know where these authors work but I've never worked in a school that had extra staff members that are on-call waiting to lead a class discussion on appropriately interacting with others. Another declaration that the authors continually made was that schools shouldn't be punitive but restorative. I don't disagree with that in theory but there are so many instances of students destroying items or hurting others in ways that can't be restored. I can't think of any logical solutions to righting these wrongs and the authors don't touch on this at all (if they did, they would offer solutions for high schoolers which would be useless for elementary schoolers).
Overall, I found many helpful tips in this book.
July 29, 2018
This isn't really a review, but here are my notes from the book in case they might be helpful.
In the restorative philosophy, “classroom management” is about “building relationships with students and teaching social skills along with academic skills.” Traditional discipline is focused on rewards and punishments, whereas the restorative approach emphasizes accountability: Offenders expected “to repair any harm they've caused and work toward a positive outcome.”
Punishment
• causes shame/humiliation
• takes agency away from children
• teaches them that exerting power is how to get results as opposed to practicing empathy
Because wrongdoing is seen as a violation of relationships, rather than a violation of rules, it makes sense that relationship-building is emphasized in this model. 2 x 10 strategy: spend 2 minutes a day talking to a student about anything non-school-related for 10 consecutive days. “Students know when they are loved and can tell when they’re just being tolerated.”
Begin with quality instruction: formative assessments, gradual release of responsibility, purposeful learning (understanding what they’re expected to do and why), collaborative learning.
People all need relatedness, competence, autonomy. Worth remembering: We all behave in certain ways either to get something or to avoid something.
Strategies: circles, individual conferences, classroom meetings
Empowerment is central. Everybody involved in a conflict must contribute to its resolution.
Conflict solving: Teacher asks student for each student’s version of what happened. Teacher shares feelings. Teacher reminds students of accountability to others and suggests ways to solve problem.
Use affective statements and questions: “I felt [emotion] when [behavior or event] because [reason].”
"Peace table" statements: Each student writes down
1. explanation of the disagreement
2. “I” statement of writer's feelings
3. “I would like…”
Then students silently read each other’s.
In the restorative philosophy, “classroom management” is about “building relationships with students and teaching social skills along with academic skills.” Traditional discipline is focused on rewards and punishments, whereas the restorative approach emphasizes accountability: Offenders expected “to repair any harm they've caused and work toward a positive outcome.”
Punishment
• causes shame/humiliation
• takes agency away from children
• teaches them that exerting power is how to get results as opposed to practicing empathy
Because wrongdoing is seen as a violation of relationships, rather than a violation of rules, it makes sense that relationship-building is emphasized in this model. 2 x 10 strategy: spend 2 minutes a day talking to a student about anything non-school-related for 10 consecutive days. “Students know when they are loved and can tell when they’re just being tolerated.”
Begin with quality instruction: formative assessments, gradual release of responsibility, purposeful learning (understanding what they’re expected to do and why), collaborative learning.
People all need relatedness, competence, autonomy. Worth remembering: We all behave in certain ways either to get something or to avoid something.
Strategies: circles, individual conferences, classroom meetings
Empowerment is central. Everybody involved in a conflict must contribute to its resolution.
Conflict solving: Teacher asks student for each student’s version of what happened. Teacher shares feelings. Teacher reminds students of accountability to others and suggests ways to solve problem.
Use affective statements and questions: “I felt [emotion] when [behavior or event] because [reason].”
"Peace table" statements: Each student writes down
1. explanation of the disagreement
2. “I” statement of writer's feelings
3. “I would like…”
Then students silently read each other’s.
July 13, 2018
I was disappointed with this book overall. If you were unfamiliar with restorative practices and why they were important, this would be a good book for you. However, my school has spent a lot of time over the last few years building school-wide capacity with these practices. I was hoping for some practical ideas I could use to build my classroom management plan, and while I did get a few new ideas and reminders of some of the good things I've done in the past that work, it was just not what I was hoping for. It was a short read and it helped reinforce the importance of being preventative and responsive rather than reactive when dealing with students, but again, if you are familiar with restorative practices, this is not the book for you.
January 25, 2016
In the opening chapter of Better Than Carrots or Sticks, the authors provide a chart that contrasts traditional approaches to discipline to restorative approaches:
Traditional Approaches Restorative Approaches
Accountability is defined as punishment Accountability is understanding the impact of the
offence and repairing the harm
Schools and rules are violated People and relationships are violated
Justice is directed at the offender and the The offender, victim, and school community all have victim is ignored direct roles
The authors also make some important points about rewards and punishments, which are associated with traditional disciplinary approaches. First, they state that “Rewards and consequences don’t work – or at least, they don’t teach. They may result in short-term changes, but in reality they promote compliance and little else.” (6) They also add that research has indicated that rewards can actually undermine motivation. In way of illustrating the counter-productive effect of traditional consequences, they explain that student suspensions and expulsions merely “undercut [school’s] efforts to boost attendance.” (15)
The focus of Chapter 2 is relationships, which are at the heart of a restorative classroom or school culture. Teachers should develop an “intentionally inviting” relationship with their students by adopting a growth mindset, being consistently positive, and showing sensitivity to individual student needs and being responsive to those needs. (23) To build trusting relationships, teachers should begin by making it a priority to know their students’ names. The authors emphasize that students “expect that those who care about them will remember” their names. (25) Other relationship-building strategies teachers should use include getting to know students’ interests, attending extracurricular activities, and most importantly, engaging students with quality, meaningful instruction.
In Chapter 2, the authors argue that social-emotional learning is also an important component in a restorative school climate. They list the 5 social and emotional competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning:
• Self-awareness - knowing one’s values, feelings, strengths, and possessing self-confidence;
• Self-management – regulating one’s impulses and emotions;
• Social awareness – being able to understand and empathize with others;
• Relationship skills – being able to build healthy relationships and resolve interpersonal
conflicts; and,
• Responsible decision making – making decisions based on ethical standards.
Chapter 3 examines classroom procedures and teacher expectations that contribute to a restorative culture. Teachers need to realize that their classroom-management strategies and skills will either help or hinder the development of an overall restorative school culture. As well, when establishing classroom management procedures, teachers should keep in mind the developmental needs of their students. For instance, the same restrictive measures that are necessary for primary-age students are inappropriate for secondary level students.
Also included in Chapter 3 is a great discussion on what the authors call the ABCs of behaviour: “the antecedents to the behavior, the behavior itself, and the consequences of the behavior.” (67) They emphasize that educators must avoid the temptation to focus solely on the behaviour itself; instead, they need to examine the trigger to the behaviour so that the causes or functions of the behaviour can be addressed effectively through appropriate supports and consequences. As they write, “Developing the habit of trying to discern the intended function of a behavior can provide teachers with a frame for deciding on how to intervene.” (70)
The chapter on procedures and expectations concludes with some advice for teachers on de-escalating inappropriate behaviour. The key is to respond “along a continuum based on the severity or intensity of the issue.” (78) For example, for minor misbehaviour, the teacher can simply make eye contact with the offending student or talk quietly with the student. Some additional techniques for de-escalation include:
• Speaking in a soft tone;
• Acknowledging the student’s feelings; and,
• Keeping hands where the student can see them.
Several informal peace-building strategies associated with a restorative school culture are introduced in Chapter 4. The first, the 2 x 10 strategy, is great for building relationships: “spend 2 minutes talking with a student about anything other than school for 10 consecutive days.” (83) Identity-building statements, whereby the teacher refers to students according to a success-oriented category (ie. scholars or scientists), is effective for helping students build positive self-images and a sense of agency. Central to restorative practices are affective statements. These help both teachers and students to express their feelings without negatively labeling other students. The formula for an affective statement is “I felt [emotion] when [behavior or event] because [reason for the emotion].
Informal classroom circles are an important restorative practice that can be used proactively to prevent conflict. Some important aspects of effective circles are that everyone is given an equal but strictly voluntary opportunity to speak while all others listen without interruption and the process is not rushed or dominated by the teacher. When students are very upset, writing is often a good strategy that provides reflective and “cooling-off” time for them. When lost for how to get started writing, students should be provided with sentence stems such as “I’m angry because ...” and “It hurt me when ...” (101)
Chapter 5 deals with formal peacemaking strategies. Before discussing these strategies, the authors share some thoughts on overcoming any resistance by school staff members to restorative approaches. It is critical to deal with their opposition as these strategies will not be effective unless there is consensus among the adults in the school on the restorative philosophy. All staff must believe in the importance of restitution and reintegration, and not focus on consequences and marginalization.
When harm is done in schools, the authors recommend that J. H. Mullet’s three-phase process be followed, in order to repair the relationships, address the harm, and support everyone involved:
• Phase 1: Unwind – Those who were harmed voice their feelings in private and suggest ways to allow for restitution;
• Phase 2: Rewind – The offending student is encouraged to reflect on his/her behaviour, develop empathy, and accept responsibility for his/her actions; and,
• Phase 3: Windup – Observers of the harmful behaviour share their perspectives and support both the victim and the offender.
The formal classroom circle is a strategy that can be used for the Windup stage of the process as everyone in the learning community can have his/her say. Formal circles should be conducted by trained facilitators (not the teacher), and a “talking piece” should be used to signal that one person speaks at a time and that everyone else listens “with mind and heart”. (118)
When a conflict involves a small group of students, a victim-offender dialogue is an effective strategy. Before the dialogue occurs, both parties should be given time to unwind, and the facilitator should also meet with each student separately. Most importantly, both students must be willing to participate in the dialogue.
At the conclusion of Chapter 5, the authors outline some key steps in a re-entry plan for a student returning from having engaged in harmful or inappropriate behaviour. These include rehearsing the student and identifying a life-line (a fall-back plan if the student feels anxious on returning to class).
In the final chapter, the authors emphasize that all staff in a school must have the right mindsets in order to create a truly restorative culture. First, they must have a welcoming mindset, which begins with a friendly atmosphere in the front office and includes adults in the school greeting students with smiles and handshakes at the door and being “present in places where students tend to congregate” outside of class. (134) A preventative and “early warning” mindset is also important, with the main goal that teachers identify early students who are “heading for trouble”. (142)
Traditional Approaches Restorative Approaches
Accountability is defined as punishment Accountability is understanding the impact of the
offence and repairing the harm
Schools and rules are violated People and relationships are violated
Justice is directed at the offender and the The offender, victim, and school community all have victim is ignored direct roles
The authors also make some important points about rewards and punishments, which are associated with traditional disciplinary approaches. First, they state that “Rewards and consequences don’t work – or at least, they don’t teach. They may result in short-term changes, but in reality they promote compliance and little else.” (6) They also add that research has indicated that rewards can actually undermine motivation. In way of illustrating the counter-productive effect of traditional consequences, they explain that student suspensions and expulsions merely “undercut [school’s] efforts to boost attendance.” (15)
The focus of Chapter 2 is relationships, which are at the heart of a restorative classroom or school culture. Teachers should develop an “intentionally inviting” relationship with their students by adopting a growth mindset, being consistently positive, and showing sensitivity to individual student needs and being responsive to those needs. (23) To build trusting relationships, teachers should begin by making it a priority to know their students’ names. The authors emphasize that students “expect that those who care about them will remember” their names. (25) Other relationship-building strategies teachers should use include getting to know students’ interests, attending extracurricular activities, and most importantly, engaging students with quality, meaningful instruction.
In Chapter 2, the authors argue that social-emotional learning is also an important component in a restorative school climate. They list the 5 social and emotional competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning:
• Self-awareness - knowing one’s values, feelings, strengths, and possessing self-confidence;
• Self-management – regulating one’s impulses and emotions;
• Social awareness – being able to understand and empathize with others;
• Relationship skills – being able to build healthy relationships and resolve interpersonal
conflicts; and,
• Responsible decision making – making decisions based on ethical standards.
Chapter 3 examines classroom procedures and teacher expectations that contribute to a restorative culture. Teachers need to realize that their classroom-management strategies and skills will either help or hinder the development of an overall restorative school culture. As well, when establishing classroom management procedures, teachers should keep in mind the developmental needs of their students. For instance, the same restrictive measures that are necessary for primary-age students are inappropriate for secondary level students.
Also included in Chapter 3 is a great discussion on what the authors call the ABCs of behaviour: “the antecedents to the behavior, the behavior itself, and the consequences of the behavior.” (67) They emphasize that educators must avoid the temptation to focus solely on the behaviour itself; instead, they need to examine the trigger to the behaviour so that the causes or functions of the behaviour can be addressed effectively through appropriate supports and consequences. As they write, “Developing the habit of trying to discern the intended function of a behavior can provide teachers with a frame for deciding on how to intervene.” (70)
The chapter on procedures and expectations concludes with some advice for teachers on de-escalating inappropriate behaviour. The key is to respond “along a continuum based on the severity or intensity of the issue.” (78) For example, for minor misbehaviour, the teacher can simply make eye contact with the offending student or talk quietly with the student. Some additional techniques for de-escalation include:
• Speaking in a soft tone;
• Acknowledging the student’s feelings; and,
• Keeping hands where the student can see them.
Several informal peace-building strategies associated with a restorative school culture are introduced in Chapter 4. The first, the 2 x 10 strategy, is great for building relationships: “spend 2 minutes talking with a student about anything other than school for 10 consecutive days.” (83) Identity-building statements, whereby the teacher refers to students according to a success-oriented category (ie. scholars or scientists), is effective for helping students build positive self-images and a sense of agency. Central to restorative practices are affective statements. These help both teachers and students to express their feelings without negatively labeling other students. The formula for an affective statement is “I felt [emotion] when [behavior or event] because [reason for the emotion].
Informal classroom circles are an important restorative practice that can be used proactively to prevent conflict. Some important aspects of effective circles are that everyone is given an equal but strictly voluntary opportunity to speak while all others listen without interruption and the process is not rushed or dominated by the teacher. When students are very upset, writing is often a good strategy that provides reflective and “cooling-off” time for them. When lost for how to get started writing, students should be provided with sentence stems such as “I’m angry because ...” and “It hurt me when ...” (101)
Chapter 5 deals with formal peacemaking strategies. Before discussing these strategies, the authors share some thoughts on overcoming any resistance by school staff members to restorative approaches. It is critical to deal with their opposition as these strategies will not be effective unless there is consensus among the adults in the school on the restorative philosophy. All staff must believe in the importance of restitution and reintegration, and not focus on consequences and marginalization.
When harm is done in schools, the authors recommend that J. H. Mullet’s three-phase process be followed, in order to repair the relationships, address the harm, and support everyone involved:
• Phase 1: Unwind – Those who were harmed voice their feelings in private and suggest ways to allow for restitution;
• Phase 2: Rewind – The offending student is encouraged to reflect on his/her behaviour, develop empathy, and accept responsibility for his/her actions; and,
• Phase 3: Windup – Observers of the harmful behaviour share their perspectives and support both the victim and the offender.
The formal classroom circle is a strategy that can be used for the Windup stage of the process as everyone in the learning community can have his/her say. Formal circles should be conducted by trained facilitators (not the teacher), and a “talking piece” should be used to signal that one person speaks at a time and that everyone else listens “with mind and heart”. (118)
When a conflict involves a small group of students, a victim-offender dialogue is an effective strategy. Before the dialogue occurs, both parties should be given time to unwind, and the facilitator should also meet with each student separately. Most importantly, both students must be willing to participate in the dialogue.
At the conclusion of Chapter 5, the authors outline some key steps in a re-entry plan for a student returning from having engaged in harmful or inappropriate behaviour. These include rehearsing the student and identifying a life-line (a fall-back plan if the student feels anxious on returning to class).
In the final chapter, the authors emphasize that all staff in a school must have the right mindsets in order to create a truly restorative culture. First, they must have a welcoming mindset, which begins with a friendly atmosphere in the front office and includes adults in the school greeting students with smiles and handshakes at the door and being “present in places where students tend to congregate” outside of class. (134) A preventative and “early warning” mindset is also important, with the main goal that teachers identify early students who are “heading for trouble”. (142)
November 3, 2024
As with most books related to education, it’s got some good ideas and some that made me giggle. Many of the ideas were back with anecdotal evidence vs research.
April 2, 2022
“Whereas justice is by its nature reactive, restorative practices also include preventive measures designed to build skills and capacity in students as well as adults” (4).
This is the central idea that makes this book worth any teacher’s time. It’s an idea that I wish more teachers could embrace. Discipline is not a time for educators to brandish authority; it’s an opportunity to teach.
As a classroom teacher, I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with the consequence argument. Although I love and respect my colleagues with whom I’ve had this debate, I just don’t see any merit in the idea that our best teaching tools, the accumulation of all our expertise and classroom experience, all our professional knowledge and pedagogical prowess, are failing, suspending, expelling, and otherwise punishing our students. The data is in. The most likely outcome of this kind of teaching is perpetuating the cycle of failures, suspensions, expulsions, etc., and if we push it hard enough, an early dropout. If these are such effective teaching tools, why are we still using them so often, with so many of the same kids? I’m likewise tired of the “who’s to blame” arguments. It may be true that mom, dad, parent, or guardian needs to step up and do a better job, but that’s not something I can control. What I can control is making sure my own approach to discipline is positive and not reactive.
“Rewards and consequences don’t work—or at least, they don’t teach. They may result in short-term changes, but in reality they promote compliance and little else” (6).
I want my students to learn to be respectful, professional, and responsible, but I’m not interested in compliance. I want them to think critically, to contribute, to take ownership over their behavior and their mistakes. But if the only tool I have to motivate them is compliance, I want them to know better than to trust me as an adult and a role model. I want them to look to, and eventually become, the kind of leaders who teach and inspire, not the kind that govern by mandates and ultimatums. These are some of the ideas this book promotes, which I’m better equipped to act on as a result of reading.
To be fair, there wasn’t a lot in this book that I found to be startlingly new or unique. But like many of Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and friends’ works, it’s strung together in a way I find compelling and useful. The ideas present a practical path forward. I’m eager to apply them in my classroom right away. Although there’s plenty in this book that I can use to improve my own practice, many of the ideas require buy-in and investment from the whole school. I would love it if these ideas were implemented at my school or district across the board, but I think that may be unlikely to happen any time soon. Unfortunately, as educators, we can't do everything all at once. Still, it’s a short, quick, educational read, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a more holistic approach to compassionate, teaching-based discipline.
This is the central idea that makes this book worth any teacher’s time. It’s an idea that I wish more teachers could embrace. Discipline is not a time for educators to brandish authority; it’s an opportunity to teach.
As a classroom teacher, I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with the consequence argument. Although I love and respect my colleagues with whom I’ve had this debate, I just don’t see any merit in the idea that our best teaching tools, the accumulation of all our expertise and classroom experience, all our professional knowledge and pedagogical prowess, are failing, suspending, expelling, and otherwise punishing our students. The data is in. The most likely outcome of this kind of teaching is perpetuating the cycle of failures, suspensions, expulsions, etc., and if we push it hard enough, an early dropout. If these are such effective teaching tools, why are we still using them so often, with so many of the same kids? I’m likewise tired of the “who’s to blame” arguments. It may be true that mom, dad, parent, or guardian needs to step up and do a better job, but that’s not something I can control. What I can control is making sure my own approach to discipline is positive and not reactive.
“Rewards and consequences don’t work—or at least, they don’t teach. They may result in short-term changes, but in reality they promote compliance and little else” (6).
I want my students to learn to be respectful, professional, and responsible, but I’m not interested in compliance. I want them to think critically, to contribute, to take ownership over their behavior and their mistakes. But if the only tool I have to motivate them is compliance, I want them to know better than to trust me as an adult and a role model. I want them to look to, and eventually become, the kind of leaders who teach and inspire, not the kind that govern by mandates and ultimatums. These are some of the ideas this book promotes, which I’m better equipped to act on as a result of reading.
To be fair, there wasn’t a lot in this book that I found to be startlingly new or unique. But like many of Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and friends’ works, it’s strung together in a way I find compelling and useful. The ideas present a practical path forward. I’m eager to apply them in my classroom right away. Although there’s plenty in this book that I can use to improve my own practice, many of the ideas require buy-in and investment from the whole school. I would love it if these ideas were implemented at my school or district across the board, but I think that may be unlikely to happen any time soon. Unfortunately, as educators, we can't do everything all at once. Still, it’s a short, quick, educational read, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a more holistic approach to compassionate, teaching-based discipline.
April 6, 2023
overall, this was a really well-written book that takes complex ideas and breaks them into fairly simple and practical steps. many of the ideas work with a smaller group that you would have more time with (think, elementary or block scheduled classes), but the priniciples of positive reinforcement and using community-building techniques to minimize behavior issues can be applied in just about any classroom.
July 17, 2019
The writing in this book was concise and informative. It was a good refresher on restorative practices and also gave some solid strategies.
January 24, 2023
A good read. Informative. Could use follow-up research. Would like to see the data on some of these techniques in practice. Don't fully agree with everything suggested in this book. For instance, I could see how high-stakes conferences or victim-offender dialogue sessions could upset parents or could embarrass students.
April 18, 2020
Not just for classroom teachers!
July 9, 2025
A great book to read for classroom management strategies as well as building relationships in those tough moments.
March 3, 2019
Thanks Amy - this is everything Malik is coaching us to do!!
January 1, 2022
I liked the concepts that were in this book. My issue was that I felt that in order to really make these strategies work, I needed more time in my day than I have. I believe these practices could be beneficial but unfortunately my district schedules every minute of my day so the meetings and restorative practices would take time that I do not have. At the start of the year I really wanted to commit to try some small practices from this but then the start of year 2 pandemic teaching started, things got crazy and my good intentions fell by the wayside.
March 19, 2022
This book did finally sell me on the philosophy, but it didn't do enough to help me turn the ideas into reality. It has plenty of inspirational stories and ideas, but not much in the way of real-world application.
I would love to have a class that runs smoothly without any system of reward or punishment, but I have yet to see a teacher pull it off.
I would love to have a class that runs smoothly without any system of reward or punishment, but I have yet to see a teacher pull it off.
November 1, 2019
Despite being a veteran classroom teacher, this year I have struggled with how to best reach one challenging group of students that I serve. I picked up this book, desperate for ideas in how I can improve my classroom climate.
Although I appreciated the research-based information Smith, Fisher, and Frey shared in this book, little to none of the information that was shared was new to me. However, there are a few important pieces of information that I was reminded of when reading this resource:
1. Even with positive relationships with their teachers, if instruction isn't highly engaging and relevant to students lives, students are still at-risk of misbehaving
2. All people have three innate psychological needs: relatedness, competence, autonomy
3. It could be helpful to have students weekly self-monitor factor that they have control over
Although I appreciated the research-based information Smith, Fisher, and Frey shared in this book, little to none of the information that was shared was new to me. However, there are a few important pieces of information that I was reminded of when reading this resource:
1. Even with positive relationships with their teachers, if instruction isn't highly engaging and relevant to students lives, students are still at-risk of misbehaving
2. All people have three innate psychological needs: relatedness, competence, autonomy
3. It could be helpful to have students weekly self-monitor factor that they have control over
December 12, 2017
3.5 - I really want to rate it four stars but I didn't always like the tone of superiority and judgement that the authors had at times. I will also say that only about a third of the book actually walks you through the details of restorative practice. The rest is the theory and ideology, which is beneficial but I was hoping for a little more discussion of implementation.
I did get some good ideas and made myself a "cheat sheet" with reminders on how best to approach situations.
I did get some good ideas and made myself a "cheat sheet" with reminders on how best to approach situations.
July 24, 2022
A really great overview of restorative practices with tools to get started within your school or site. Includes specific examples to demonstrate strategies in action. So useful that I ordered a copy to keep after I finished reading this copy from the library.
September 15, 2024
Easy to get through and contains essential knowledge around restorative justice in education. I won’t be selling this one back.
July 14, 2025
I thought this was a good book to read going into my first year of teaching, but I wish there were more examples of these practices in lower elementary grades.
February 3, 2019
The ideas in this book could change the world.
November 4, 2019
Read for work. A lot of good ideas for using positive reinforcement in the classroom.
July 12, 2025
I found this book extremely helpful and was actually able to use some of what I learned to help resolve an issue that arose at camp. It’s not getting a 5 because the example stories felt really generic and almost fake.
January 5, 2021
My classroom management Bible. Restorative justice is the shit.
August 23, 2019
Audience: Adult
Format: Kindle/Owned
This book has some great material. I love the restorative practices for classroom management approach. The basic idea is to create a respectful classroom environment and teach students how to work through issues and resolve conflicts. Classrooms should be welcoming, constructive environments built on mutual respect and focused on encouraging student achievement.
The authors provide practical suggestions for how to implement the suggested practices and strategies. There is a lot of focus on building relationships: students to students & student to teacher.
This book is a must-read for any teacher - we must focus on developing compassion, relationship skills, and empathy in our students. We want them to learn more than just reading, writing & arithmetic (and tech skills). We want to help develop thoughtful, respectful, and intuitive adults.
Format: Kindle/Owned
This book has some great material. I love the restorative practices for classroom management approach. The basic idea is to create a respectful classroom environment and teach students how to work through issues and resolve conflicts. Classrooms should be welcoming, constructive environments built on mutual respect and focused on encouraging student achievement.
The authors provide practical suggestions for how to implement the suggested practices and strategies. There is a lot of focus on building relationships: students to students & student to teacher.
This book is a must-read for any teacher - we must focus on developing compassion, relationship skills, and empathy in our students. We want them to learn more than just reading, writing & arithmetic (and tech skills). We want to help develop thoughtful, respectful, and intuitive adults.
May 25, 2021
This book provided a good basic overview of restorative practice. It was well based in research, as well.
However, many of the sample conversations with students felt unrealistic and like overly idealistic examples. The book did not address questions like: “What if a student does not believe they did anything wrong? What if a student does not feel led to apologize or seek restoration?”
Lastly, this book wasn’t super applicable to someone who works in a higher income or private school setting that doesn’t face many of the daily challenges given in the examples, but rather, who face issues of entitlement, etc.
However, many of the sample conversations with students felt unrealistic and like overly idealistic examples. The book did not address questions like: “What if a student does not believe they did anything wrong? What if a student does not feel led to apologize or seek restoration?”
Lastly, this book wasn’t super applicable to someone who works in a higher income or private school setting that doesn’t face many of the daily challenges given in the examples, but rather, who face issues of entitlement, etc.
July 18, 2018
It really shouldn’t have taken me this long to finish this. I think this book presents an excellent intro into why we should be using restorative discipline in education, but I want more detailed ways to address behaviors that are repeated and intense. This book presents kids as calm and able to express themselves easily. I would like a more in-depth look at working with students with disabilities or who have suffered trauma. I think the HUGE benefit in this book is the descriptions of teacher training and ways to change the modes of thinking from lunatics to restorative.
May 4, 2021
I agree with Restorative practices, but this not a good book if you are looking to understand behaviors and how to address them in the school setting. The studies and research that is used is outdated and subjective. The anecdotes are clearly made up. Students do not talk the way the author portrays them. Like many of the "self-help" for teachers, there is no real value to the talking points.
July 1, 2021
This short little book is a dense primer on strong classroom management. Of course, it's all about the relationships -- but this one has specific, actionable steps regarding supporting student learning and not spurring oppositional behavior. (And, to be honest, it's a lot like the parenting books I was devouring for years starting in the '90s.)
April 6, 2018
Some helpful information about specific practices that teachers can implement. There was, however, a lot of repetition about the beliefs that go along with the implementation of restorative practices: repair harm rather than impose punishments.
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