The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools: Teaching Responsibility; Creating Caring Climates

by Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Judy H. Mullet

Can an overworked teacher possibly turn an unruly incident with students into an "opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building"?
If restorative justice has been able to salvage lives within the world of criminal behavior, why shouldn't its principles be applied in school classrooms and cafeterias?
And if our children learn restorative practices early and daily, won't we be building a healthier, more just society?
Two educators answer yes, yes, and yes in this new addition to The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series.
They urge a focus on consequences rather than punishment.
They insist that relationships -- far more than rules -- are central to building community, and that community fosters caring and belonging.
They put up with no hypocrisy: teachers and administrators must live restorative practices, too. So how does it all work?
Stutzman and Amstutz offer applications and models. Among them are class meetings for 5th graders; reintegration of 7th- and 8th- graders who were suspended; circle processes, which offer space for all voices to be heard, and also quiet tensions that are building; and community conferencing when trouble shapes up between students and neighbors.
"Discipline that restores is a process to make things as right as possible." This Little Book shows how to get there.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Professional Development, Social Justice, Justice, Social Work

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some well-written, good, practical instructions on why and how to apply Restorative Discipline in a school setting. And I am a fan of the idea. But it seems almost too bulky and definitely too time consuming to be applied and used in a daily manner within a public school. A friend works at a large public school where they are beginning to implement it and I eagerly await the feedback from her experiences. Love and Logic has some similar ideas of taking responsibility and making things right, and I will probably stick to that until I have it confirmed from someone I know that this can truly happen in the public school setting.

[Mira Prater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even after reading this it’s still hard for me to picture this in practice at my school. I worry about the time it will take to make this effective and not an exercise in futility. But of course I want my school to be successful and an inclusive school for all.

[Merin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't say anything I didn't already know, and offers no true pathway for schools or staff looking to incorporate restorative discipline into their buildings. I was expecting there to be more of a detailed breakdown of HOW to do this, rather than just case studies of schools/districts that did. This book is also a lot older than I'd thought - it was published in 2005. I wonder how different it would look if it had been published in the past 10 years.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good information, dry delivery.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read! I think I got some great ideas for my school.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just thought this book was okay. I think school staff would be better served by reading Positive Discipline in the Classroom and The Little Book of Restorative Justice- both mentioned in this book. Those books provide a better understanding of Restorative Justice philosophy and the mechanics of circles in the classroom. Working from that combination would help educators build a good foundation for a restorative school.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book with it's focus on being flexible and using discipline issues as teaching opportunities. I also like the fact that it's short and to the point so that busy teachers will be able to read it. Written in a kind and gentle style that models what restorative practices should be.

Book description:
Can community-building begin in a classroom? The authors of this book believe that by applying restorative justice at school, we can build a healthier and more just society. With practical applications and models.

Can an overworked teacher possibly turn an unruly incident with students into an "opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building"? If restorative justice has been able to salvage lives within the world of criminal behavior, why shouldn't its principles be applied in school classrooms and cafeterias? And if our children learn restorative practices early and daily, won't we be building a healthier, more just society?

Two educators answer yes, yes, and yes in this new addition to The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series. Amstutz and Mullet offer applications and models. "Discipline that restores is a process to make things as right as possible." This Little Book shows how to get there.

[Trina M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://bookloveandmore.edublogs.org/...
The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools was an excellent read. My school is currently a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) school. We do a great job of impacting our behavior in a positive way, BUT this book gives a new light to handling behavior. The concept of restoring behavior is simple yet causes many to have a mind shift with thinking. Sometimes issues, problems or even challenges are handled poorly or not at all. This book takes you through the restorative process for discipline in a school setting. I think it would be nice to try to use the concepts outlined in the book to assist every classroom teacher and staff members in a school by using the solutions approach along with collaboration of individuals for long-term results. This is a great read to anyone who works in a setting with children and adults and behavior opportunities exist. Click the link in the first line if you are in search of a copy, it is worth the read.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm new to education, and this book series has excellent ideas and principles, but I would like more specific, concrete examples of how to implement this in a classroom or daily lesson plans. Again, like The Little Book of Circle Processes, this book was full of helpful information and stories to illustrate how restorative justice can work, but it did get repetitive at times.

My favorite quote from this book is: "When we rely on rules rather than on relationships to guide our responses to harm, everyone loses. Families view the school as uncaring and may contribute less to the school. Victims feel helpless and abused and may invest less in their school work. Bystanders are less likely to say what they saw because nothing changes in the end. Educators and administrators are frustrated because they feel they only have limited options. Wrongdoers blame their victims, and when someone eventually holds them accountable, they don't understand their responsibility or the need to be accountable."

[Kate Mester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so excited that we're going to be formally implementing these practices at my school this year. Many of these ideas I've been practicing in small ways with students, so putting some sustainable and systemic practices in place is huge! I like how this book distilled the essenence of these practices in an easily digestible way. My big problem with this, however, is knowing audience/tone. 7/8 of the examples given were from private and/or small schools. These examples don't equate and aren't applicable to large public schools and districts and that alone will cause many people to check out instead of thinking on how this information could apply to their own school/students/practice.

[Elisa Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about a school that has begun employing restorative justice practices as an alternative to traditional punishment and the “zero tolerance policy,” so I wanted to learn more. I was skeptical at first because it sounded like some feel-good millennial bunk, but the more I read, the better I liked it! This book is just a primer for the topic, but it seems to offer a legitimate alternative to the school-to-prison pipeline. I ordered the companion book as soon as I finished reading! (Social Justice, Education) Dec. 28 – 4 stars

[David Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I might start implementing by brainstorming. My classes are just too big to sit in a big circle and pass around a token. I guess we could use an expandable sphere. But usually, we need to restore justice on the spot so no one is taken advantage of, bullied, or loses out on educational opportunities.
I would recommend this book for someone with smaller classroom size or who has an after school program.

[Allison Holman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book displays what it is trying to portray. I am more on hands on learner and would love to see it implemented but find it very hard to see how it would work and last.

In addition, I work in a special education field and I just don’t understand how this would work for our students in our program. I can see the benefit and how it would help make a peaceful environment but other than that I’m unsure which is why I have a rating of 3 stars.

[Alyssa Peake · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a preschool teacher, these are things we mostly do on a daily basis: talking with kids about what went wrong and how to fix it. Just on a much simpler level. Quick read, but not much use to those teaching younger grades.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book to remind educators to allow students to have a say in creating classroom rules and deciding how to make their wrongs right.

Another good reminder was that the greatest predictor of student success is if they feel they are liked by their teacher. So important!

[Michelle (driftingsong) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very short book, when they say little that's really what they mean, but it effectively communicates what restorative justice is and different aspects about it and it's implementation, so I suppose the book does it's job.

[LeighAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in learning about Restorative Justice in Schools. If you're new to the world of Restorative Practices and RJE, this is the perfect starting point!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, easy read. Helps you understand restorative justice and how to implement it.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, succinct explanation of Restorative Discipline. I read it with a few other teachers at the school where I teach. :)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful but realistic. Will be great to read with my colleagues.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org

[Christine Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Molly Kelchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review of what Restorative Discipline looks like.

[Ro Menendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helps get a basic understanding of Restorative Discipline.

[Mallorie Pollok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and easy-to-digest breakdown of restorative implementation in schools!

[Alyssa Rehder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a work PD, some good ideas but repetitive.

[Ben James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for learning about restorative practices in schools and reflecting on your personal practices.

[Jonathan Lothspeich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro to RJ in schools. Would have loved something like this 8 years ago when I started working more intentionally in this space

[Marika Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great explanation of the theory and philosophy behind restorative discipline in schools. It will not give a lot of direction for practical application, but is critical to read if you want to implement restorative practices in your building. Like the book says, you won't "see it until you believe it". Read this book to be sure you believe it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with much of what the author had to say about 'discipline' (basically her theory involves responding calmly in a calm and understanding way, never yelling and only with approrpiate discipline the student understands like 'how would you feel getting your paper ripped?') It's not a complete cure-all for every possible situation, but 98% of the time it is effective. I had the opportunity to meet the author, Judy Mullet, and it was a joy to have a workshop with her.