A DIFFERING VIEW: 'Restorative justice' unfair to the kids who behave
The Rocky’s editorial, “Keeping them in school/ ‘Restorative justice’ just might work,” ignores other stakeholders. While solving the offender’s problems is ideal, detracting from the other 35 students’ education is wrong.
Anyone who has been in a classroom knows that one persistent offender can effectively keep other students from learning anything. With two offenders, you might as well send everyone home. With three, you have a circus.
The Rocky notes that several schools already use restorative justice or something like it. Yet teachers asked for more tools. That indicates that restorative justice isn’t working well. Otherwise, test scores would have improved.
If you were one of the other 35 students in the class, what would you do if you wanted to learn? If your child reported persistent troublemaker(s), what would you do?
Restorative justice isn’t fair to anyone else.
Ultimately, it is not even fair to the offender. The subtle approaches convince the parents and students that everything is OK.
When the Rocky Mountain News has employee problems, does John Temple use restorative justice, three- strikes-and-you’re-out, or one-strike-and-you’re-out?
If the offender’s problems are that bad, then put him with a teacher who has specialized skills.
Yaakov “Jim” Watkins is a resident of Denver.
Yaakov, Yaakov, you need to be better informed on how educations works today. every child has to feel good about themselves and what they are doing. it is the schools responsibility to make sure that their time in school is free from responsibility and restrictions. if you are thinking your kids are there to learn anything I am sad to let you know that is not their job any longer.
Posted by on October 1, 2007 06:52 AMI love the new PC words , restorative justice.
Isn't that the same as letting the kid get away with anything?Just have a talk with him or her and tell them they are behaving badly and it is not good for them.
Keep repeating this procedure through the whole school year ,but sometimes take the disruptive kids out and, GASP! make them sit in the office. Worse yet call their stupid tuned out parents and tell them how badly the child is behaving and disrupting class! Oh, Boy! they are in trouble now!
Restorative justice has no place in school class rooms. One strike and your out!
I send my children to learn in school. They know that misbehaving and not following school rules is non-negotiatable.They know doing their best everyday is non-negotiatable.
They know doing homework as soon as they get home is non-negotiatable.They know ANY acting out or DISRESPECT in school and I will deal with them ,and I've warned them it won't be pretty.I do not spank,so don't even go there.
I would like to see these kids who continue to act up in class removed. I don't care if they have to put them in a broom closet!Get them out of the class.
Children that are in school to learn and follow the rules should not have to be constantly interrupted by kids who can't.
The time has come to let the kids who want to learn be in class. The kids who don't let sit and do nothing in a little room all day.Their parents don't care whether they get an education or not. I do care whether my kids get an education.
It's time for the school to stop pandering to students that disrupt classes.
Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on October 1, 2007 08:14 AMClass clowns and general troublemakers are nothing new.
Maybe we should look at the possibility of removing the offenders from the classroom so that other students can concentrate, teachers can teach and would-be followers will be warned. A separate classroom, staffed by a skilled teacher and allowing minimal interaction between students might be the way to go.
I remember when my son was in school, the parents of a troublemaker were required to attend classes with their son for one week. They were warned that failure to do so would result in their son's suspension. His parents were forced to use vacation time from work and were not happy at all with their son. His behavior improved remarkably.
Posted by Michael R on October 1, 2007 06:23 PM