Creating rules or creating values, the difference in a restorative classroom
Jun 04, 2010
from Kris Miner's post on Restorative Justice and Circles:
....Rules can be what student do when the teacher is watching. Values are ways of behaving, knowing what we should be doing, versus behaving in a way we want to, or even have to. You’ve got to put the motivation for behavior on the INSIDE. You need a shared concept of community in a classroom. INSIDE that little community is shared concepts of treating each other. INSIDE those little people in the class, you instill the values for behavior.
We talk very little with children about values. Circles are where that talking can take place. In Circles you can discuss and demonstrate trust, respect, honesty and caring. Even when you are talking about other things you can be sharing about these values. Circles bring our character. What you share about shows character. Deep down inside all of us, is our core character, and young people need help. They need help carving out character, and we can do that by teaching and talking about values.
....Values stay with us longer than rules. Values transfer situation or setting. We need rules to offer structure and I think using values as rules is a way to create a restorative classroom. Rules are hard to place in relationships to each other, values are the means to which we treat each other. Next time you are considering the rules, think about the values instead.
