- When it comes to the concept of Do No Harm, I believe that students deserve a safe space to learn. One of my goals each year as an English teacher is to make sure that students walk out the door with at least the same attitude toward reading as they had when they came in. I hope that each students finds a book, or creates a habit of reading, but I hope even harder that I have not completely turned anyone off from the idea. Taking this attitude and thinking about school culture can work. Students should come to school and feel at least as safe as they do outside campus.
- Future sphere of influence, as the school leader, how would my beliefs be reflected in discipline policies and practices? Discipline policies and practices would be designed to support teachers, and to instill an environment of restorative practice. To do both of these, there needs to be consistency. Teachers need to be equipped with the tools and skills to manage their classroom in a way that suits them, while keeping consistency across the school. Of course each teacher will have his or her own style, but there need to be things that everyone can agree on and regulate.
- Future sphere of influence, as the school leader, how would my beliefs be reflected in program practices and initiatives? One of the initiatives I would focus on would be creating a system of restorative practices. Schools should work with students to address problems and work to see how they can be avoided in the future, and not just doling out punishment again and again. My school site focused on this a lot in our planning time before the year started, and teachers came together for hours of PD on this subject. Then, we had a few incidents and 5 students were expelled from our school in the first 3 months. Consistency is needed, and a true dedication to helping our students should be central to restorative justice.
- Future sphere of influence, as the school leader, how would my beliefs be reflected in our professional development as a community of learners? Professional development should be something that builds and allows for experimentation time. It should not be something that is thrown together each week to address what small concerns the staff is experiencing that week. The staff, or leadership team, should decide on a few things to develop over the year and intentionally develop the skills necessary, build in time for support that the teachers need, and allow for failure in the classroom.
- Is the concept of teaching students to “first do no harm” integrated into the culture of your school (or workplace)? I would have to answer, somberly, that it is not. Our school is still caught up in the type of rules that the How to Create a Culture of Achievement text describes as "hard and fast...of questionable utility because these rules require adults to assume the position of power and apply rewards and consequences based on student behavior" (p. 44-45). Our administration spends a lot of time micro-managing student behavior, and it is exhausting for staff and students.
- How does your answer to the previous prompt sit with you? I wish it was different. What is frustrating is that the regulations come from the top level on campus. It is not an isolated classroom, or teacher that needs redirection, it is systemic. Teachers are frustrated. Students are frustrated. This creates inconsistency in how rules are controlled, which creates even bigger problems.
- Current sphere of influence: Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school a more positive restorative place.
- Honest conversations- talk to students when they are frustrated about school rules. Not only about why they should follow the rules, but about why they think the rule is there at all.
- Set an example - Never use the "Do as I say, not as I do" excuse.
- Create a safe space where all students feel safe.
- Listen - take in what is happening in my environment.
- Work for a system of true restorative practice.
References
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Pumpian. I. (2012). How to Create a Culture of Achievement In Your Schools and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD