Connections Quarterly Winter 2019 - Restorative Practices | Page 16

JUST ICE ISN’ T BLIND Continued from page 13 why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter in all aspects of our work. Would you design a house without win- dows... and mirrors? Who were you being at the time? Students learn self-regulation best when they feel connected and safe, and they feel connected and safe when educators focus on building empathy instead of doling out punishment. –Nathan Maynard & Brad Weinstein As we do work with our faculty and con- sultancy with other schools, we ask educa- tors to consider the diversity of their teams. Who reflects the student community and what are the myriad of social dynamics that may be at play, including sexual orientation, socio-economic status, race, and gender? Are there faculty members of color? What affinity groups exist? We all have biases, and have experienced bias, so how can we make sure that we disrupt our own patterns of thinking in order to support one another? 3 Whether we are making advisory lists, cre- ating student groupings, or revamping cur- riculum, we consider the ways our young people’s identities will be reflected and sup- ported. This now includes our approach to behavior and consequences. Inspired by Bryan “Whether we are making advisory lists, creating stu- dent groupings, or revamp- ing curriculum, we consider the ways our young people’s identities will be reflected and supported.” Stevenson’s seminal work on the justice sys- tem, Just Mercy (2014), and a commitment to anti-bias work, we guide students and faculty so that when we make mistakes and experience conflicts there can be opportuni- ties for redemption and reflective growth. 4 When individuals have different perspec- tives and/or interpretations, and when they communicate with each other, they are obviously likely to arrive at better so- lutions than they might in isolation from each other. –Dr. Scott E. Page One size does not fit all: Does the conse- quence help us grow? We continue to evolve as a school and con- sider all learners by incorporating Universal Design for Learning into our teaching prac- 3. Consider Jennifer Eberhardt’s text Biased (2019) that analyzes social biases that impact American education and society. 4. In 2017, as part of our diversity, equity, and inclusion work, we read excerpts from Just Mercy and watched the docu- mentary, Thirteenth (Netflix, 2016) as a school faculty to discuss the impact of racial bias and systems of inequality that have influenced our American justice system. Page 14 Winter 2019 CSEE Connections