I got the chance to check out several sessions today at SXSWedu and here is a picture from one titled "How Restorative Justice Can Impact Your Community". The most powerful member of the panel was a student who shared her stories of being given up on by everyone in her life (including her teachers) and how the power of restorative circles truly changed her trajectory. My favorite story involved a food fight and then a restorative circle where, after students listened to the custodian about working multiple jobs and taking pride in keeping the school clean, the kids stepped up and decided they would need to clean up the cafeteria themselves. No one was suspended and lessons were learned. Harder lessons than simply just being punished.
