In the past three years, the district has implemented positive “restorative” measures to engage students to become better citizens, gain perspectives on how to engage one another in a positive manner, and respect classmates when difficulties arise. It is a direct process to allow students to work through interpersonal issues and create opportunities for understanding and collaboration. The process is simple, but effective.
The core principles of the restorative program are to create healthier relationships, develop empathy, and improve interpersonal communication. All three areas are important for student growth, both from an educational and social-emotional standpoint. The main priority is to help strengthen the school community while minimizing behavioral issues.
According to the FFCSD Assistant Principal Mr. Roberts, “The restorative approach relies on building relationships with students and enabling students to approach and trust staff in the process,” he said. “At Fonda-Fultonville, we have a community that cares and wants to build opportunities not only through academics but through social-emotional connections to have students become better citizens and improve themselves every day.”
As students’ progress through elementary to middle school, situations arise that involve simple disagreements, conversations, or differences of opinion. Restorative practice can be put in place to better understand how to diffuse those scenarios.
To put it into perspective, the restorative program is implemented in the middle school through a period called “exploration stations” monthly. Every month has a different focus, such as accepting differences in culture, creating conversation surrounding bullying, and identifying ways to problem-solve peer-to-peer conflict. Students participate in diverse groups based on homeroom assignments and teacher recommendations. Teachers oversee circles of conversation, introduce game workshops to better understand sensitive topics, and introduce mediation activities to resolve disputes. The goal of this interaction is to utilize these “learning” moments to allow students to be good citizens inside and outside of school.
Additionally, the activities are introduced into the academic curriculum, allowing students to experience the social-emotional aspect and allowing them to collaborate with teachers to be better school citizens. Some examples are the creation of “entry circles” in a classroom, which helps introduce a new student to the district or provide a student with a chance to share individual experiences related to learning or something happening in their life that might be affecting their day.
“By utilizing restorative outreach, Fonda-Fultonville is enabling students to engage with one another and build the skillsets to counter one-on-one issues and keep their composure in difficult times or situations,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. DeMallie. “It all relies on trust and two-way communications. That is the key to having this program become an effective opportunity to allow students to stay engaged academically and understand one another.”