Julia Steiny on Restorative Justice Practices
Published by EducationNews.org — The end result of bad discipline strategy is prisons stuffed with high school drop-outs.
Recently Eva Moskowitz took to the Wall Street Journal to blast New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for promoting what she calls “lax discipline” in City schools. Her op-ed outright sneers at his efforts to expand disciplinary strategies beyond suspension. As the founder of the Success Academies, famous for their high test scores and strict, traditional discipline, Moskowitz clearly feels she has the cred to malign discipline alternatives.
The problem is that she, along with so many others, confuse discipline with punishment and kicking kids out. Discipline means to teach. Yes, as a culture we’ve lost our compassion for children and developed zero tolerance for truly bad or even misguided behavior. Suspensions teach intolerance of the behavior. But where’s the lesson on how to behave cooperatively? The practice sessions? Is mere compliance…
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