"I want him to acknowledge that what he did was wrong."
When we think of restorative justice, we think of it as a practice, but, in this class. you will come to understand that restorative justice is actually a mindset, a way of being. Restorative Justice has been taking schools across the country by storm, but do people really understand the definition and theories behind it? In this class, we will unpack the meaning of restorative justice, gain the knowledge of what it looks like to have a restorative mindset, unpack the roots of restorative justice from Indigenous peoples, and understand how we, as educators/parents/community members can implement best practices for creating a restorative and relational approach to repair the harm caused by wrongdoing. Participants will be asked to participate in exercises aimed at changing our mindset and examining our own beliefs about what justice really means and how it impacts the youth we teach. You will also have the opportunity in this class to observe a restorative circle, which is an exercise you can use in your classroom.