Restorative Practices and Emotional Literacy.

Source: (2004) Circle Speak.

One of the biggest issues teachers face is how to manage the day to day difficulties
and disruptions in the classroom or what we commonly refer to as “discipline”.
Standard practices of discipline tend to rely on blame, alienation, exclusion and lead
to disconnection from the school community. A study byMinnesota University found
that students who feel disconnected from their schools are more likely to hurt
themselves, hurt others, abuse substances and fall pregnant (2002). At the worst end
of the spectrum, the one common denominator in all school massacres (committed by
students) was that the perpetrators of this violence had become disconnected from
their peers and their school community. Another common theme was that they had
been bullied or ridiculed in some way by other members of the school. (excerpt)