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00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 Welcome back to your Morning Boost, school leaders, and a warm,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 happy Wednesday to all of you.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 Yesterday, we dove into a restorative way to handle a student that was caught
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 vaping. Today, we're facing a more in-your-face challenge.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 A student gets mad and hits another student on the playground, leaving them bleeding.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 This kind of thing leads to a quick, harsh punishment often.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:31 How can we, as leaders, embrace restorative practices and turn this one into
00:00:31 --> 00:00:36 a chance for healing, taking responsibility, and truly learning about solving conflicts.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 All right, let's tackle this tough situation. During recess,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 two students will call them Liam and Noah. They're playing a game.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 Liam gets totally frustrated and in a moment of anger shoves Noah,
00:00:52 --> 00:00:56 who falls and scrapes his knee badly enough to bleed. This never happens, right?
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 Issues on the playground are almost a daily occurrence. Now,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 Noah is understandably upset and crying.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 Here's how a restorative approach might play out in a scenario like this.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 First and foremost, of course, separate the students right away to make sure
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 no one else gets hurt, both physically and emotionally.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:21 Take care of Noah's injury immediately. Give him first aid and comfort.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 And once both students are calm, we want to talk to them separately.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:31 Ask Liam, what happened? What were you feeling right before you pushed Noah?
00:01:31 --> 00:01:35 And ask Noah, how are you feeling right now? What do you need?
00:01:35 --> 00:01:40 After those first talks, have a separate private restorative conversation with Liam and Noah.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 With Liam, really focus on helping him grasp the impact of his actions.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 When you push Noah, he fell and got hurt. How do you think he feels right now?
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 What kind of ripple effect did your actions have on Noah, on the game,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 and on the safety of the playground.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 Guide him to own his own choice and the harm that he caused,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 helping him work through the anger that led to the physical action by asking
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 things like, what could you have done differently when you felt angry? Owning the part that.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:18 Owning the fact that he was angry. With Noah, validate his feelings of hurt and anger.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 It's totally understandable that you're upset.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 What do you need to feel safe and better right now?
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 Once both students are calm and have had a time to think on their own,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 and only if Noah feels safe and is willing,
00:02:31 --> 00:02:35 this could be an opportunity to bring them together with a trained facilitator,
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 maybe a school counselor, an administrator, or a teacher who knows their way
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 around restorative circles.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 The whole point of this restorative circle or conference is for Liam to hear
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 directly from Noah about how his actions affected him and for both of them to
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 work together to figure out how to fix the harm.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 Things like this is where restorative practices can really shine.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:03 The point here though is only if Noah is prepared and safe and feels willing to do this.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 The facilitator in this case would guide the chat with questions like,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 Liam, what happened from your point of view?
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 Noah, how did Liam's actions affect you?
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 Liam, hearing what Noah just said, what thoughts come to mind?
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 Noah, what do you need from Liam to feel better or for things to be right?
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 And Liam, what are you willing to do to make things right for Noah?
00:03:26 --> 00:03:30 This plan of attack of questions not only helps guide the conversation,
00:03:30 --> 00:03:35 but really gets to the feelings that each student had during this situation.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 The plan to fix things should be something they both agree on And should directly
00:03:40 --> 00:03:44 address the harm This could mean a genuine spoken apology from Liam to Noah
00:03:44 --> 00:03:48 Liam could also make amends by helping Noah I know,
00:03:48 --> 00:03:52 carry a backpack if that's what he wants to do Or assist with a classroom task
00:03:52 --> 00:03:56 Maybe even just writing a reflective letter that acknowledges the harm And promises
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 to resolve conflicts without violence If it feels right,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:04 Liam could even help clean Noah's wound, maybe No chance you.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:11 Both students, especially Leah, might really benefit from sessions with a counselor
00:04:11 --> 00:04:16 on managing anger, controlling impulses, and peaceful ways to solve problems.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 A clear plan for how they'll interact going forward, maybe starting with a little
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 supervised play and gradually getting back to normal interactions,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 that might also be very important.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 Finally, talk with both sets of parents, of course, explaining what happened
00:04:30 --> 00:04:34 and the restorative practices that you've taken. For Noah's parents,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:41 highlight the support and care given to their child and the steps taken to fix the harm.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:46 For Liam's parents, explain how the school is guiding their child to take responsibility
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 and learn from the experience.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:52 Make sure to point out the repair plan and how they can support it at home.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 In some cases, and with the students' and parents' agreement,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 the student might even lead part of that conversation with their own parents,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 explaining the incident and the steps they are taking to make amends.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 That truly drives home that accountability.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 When a physical fight breaks out, it's not just about stopping the behavior.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 It's about understanding the feelings behind it, teaching empathy,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 and building skills for peaceful solutions.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 This restorative approach puts healing for the person harmed first,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:28 real accountability for the one who caused it, and a commitment to mending relationships
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 within the school community.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 It's a powerful way to reinforce the message that every action has an impact
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 and we're all responsible for making things right.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 Thanks for listening. Have a wonderful Wednesday. A couple more scenarios that
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 we will get into this week on restorative practices.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:51 Look forward to sharing those with you as we get through the rest of this week.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 But again, thank you for listening. We'll chat with you again tomorrow.