In “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy,” Ladson-Billings discusses how academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness are constantly changing depending on the “evolving needs of dynamic systems.” Understanding these pedagogical choices that coincide with theoretical frameworks can help all teachers help all students achieve success with support from philosophy. In Toward a Restorative English Education, Winn argues for the use of literature as a way for students to “seek justice and restore peace” beyond their classrooms. Instead of promoting an environment where students are constantly being watched and labeled as ‘delinquents,’ schools should be using literature as a way to give students a voice against injustices and think of solutions for their communities. In the “Maker Movement” vimeo, Buechley discloses that in the maker movement, people are encouraged to display their creations and hard work but there is 0 representation of people of color. Buechley argues that the statistics don’t represent what the organization promises, it only continues to support the people who already have a voice and access to most opportunities. In order to promote that everyone has the chance to create and participate in this social movement, underrepresented populations need to actually be given the opportunity to showcase their innovations. In “Can Restorative Justice Save the Internet?,” Sackton argues that in order for restorative justice to happen, we need to find other interventions that will help people, not cause them more harm. The same goes for restorative justice online, we need to find better ways to understand and work with them to change their behavior.
The last podcast caught my attention because I can agree with what the speakers are saying. We can’t decrease crime rates or ensure people’s safety by punishing people who engage in these acts. The only way to actually fix something is to help the person understand why it was wrong in the first place, otherwise they’ll never see what the problem is and they’ll most likely engage in it again. This happened a lot during grade school where the “bad” kids would be given detention or be expelled. It was like a cycle because on the first day back at school they were still acting out and would be expelled or given detention once again. I truly believe that the only way to improve a community is to help people understand why something may not be appropriate and what they can do to improve their actions.
What forms of restorative justice, if any, did you have in k-12?
Graciela Rivera 