Repairing our schools through restorative justice: Jean Klasovsky at TEDxWellsStreetED

Relying on suspensions and zero-tolerance discipline doesn't deter misbehavior in schools--in fact, it makes matters worse. Teacher Jean Klasovsky shares Farragut High School's story, a model for how schools can improve climate and discipline by using restorative justice practices such as peace circles and peer juries. Such practices lead to reduced dropout rates and greater student achievement.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@samanthamartin6475]

We have a peace room at my job. I love it, and It has been doing so much for our students. I work in CPS. Things are changing... :)

[@leeleeeleni2175]

Thank you, Samantha! I always wanted to learn and get involved with restorative justice seminars! How are things going?

[@leeleeeleni2175]

Where are you at CPS? CONGRATS!!!

[@johnbull9195]

Things are changing for the worse in Scotland since this disgracful nonsense has been introduced.

[@lanebatts26]

Way to go... They will really be prepared for the real world lol

[@sophiamugridgeenglish]

This is why I love teaching Online ~ Just sit and do your job. All my students are keen to study and eager to do what I say. 😀👌

[@Funandconsciousness]

The "care room" concept sure sounds practical to me. I would love to see this widely adopted. Excellent presentation, Jean!

[@Rachell333]

What if the kids just sit in there and do nothing? Put their headphones on and tune out more. Get out of class free pass.

[@charleshuston3751]

@@Rachell333 I was going to say this too. Some of the kids that do this stuff just genuinely don't give a damn. They would rather not be in school etc. It sounds great on paper, but practice in the real world doesn't always work out.

[@josephmccray480]

I work as a peace ambassador for my job 💯and this video is very interesting 💯🔥❤️

[@RetroCountryRules]

Sounds good on paper. That's what scares the Realist in me.

[@jmomm]

My school started this in the fall and behaviors have spiraled out of control. No responsibility and many more fights.

[@Bethsbeautydiary]

Jean Klasovsky is a great speaker. Thank you for sharing!

[@michellesweightlossjourney6599]

Parents and Schools need to feed their kids healthier meals and remove the foods (and the horrible caffeinated drinks), loaded with toxins and dyes in them because they alter the emotions. These foods and many drinks are endocrine disruptors and often, they are pushed on these kids. Then you have children with trauma in their homes......so until we get to the individual issue of these children, they will contine to get worse. We need informed or experienced teachers who know how to deal with children. We expect them to sit all day when adults have a 15 min attention span. Children who come from lower income homes with a lot of trauma, will have more challenges growing up. But teachers need to learn to listen to these kids instead of just punishing them. As a mother of 5, I'm shocked at the stories I hear. It's like the teachers don't know how to listen to 2 sides of a story and come up with a fair decision and often, they are unfair or come up with harsher punishment (in the situations I've experienced). But I can't say I didn't see this coming 20 years ago. The public school system definitely needs to change its approach because we are tired of the School to prison Pipeline and I don't think the schools realize what they are doing when they deal so harshly with these students. This is exactly why we decided to homeschool. Best thing for our kids as they also didn't like the disruptive environment at school.

[@scotashton766]

It is a theory. It is an idea on paper. What about the school districts who had this and did away with it? And restorative practices or so-called restoration, disruptive students can get by with as much as they want while data is collected. The few will ruin it for the many ..... and that small percentage of kids are mocking and distorting the lines of right and wrong. This is taking away time from the curriculums and it is so utopian it’s nauseating .

[@naughtyskywalker9292]

THANK YOU. Cant stand people who sing the same tune of people who decide to cram new theories.

[@obamos3399]

This is a late school, they exist already, it’s called community schools

[@yaimavol]

The problem is students are more street smart than she is. They know how to sit in a room and tell adults what they want to hear. It's a joke to them.

[@naughtyskywalker9292]

*It wont work. Never has.*

[@XavierKatzone]

"Tension building between students of different racial backgrounds"? But ... "diversity is our strength"! But - a heartfelt talk. Thx.

[@ec1628]

This is a complete joke. Kids who do truly egregious acts are back in class. This creates the mentality amongst other students that they can get away with anything. Since this policy was adopted in my district, the schools are not the same. Bring a knife? No big deal. Caught smoking pot with a bong you brought to school. Three day suspension but you’re back! Tell a teacher to F off. You’re in school the next day. Steal items from student’s lockers. Back the next day. This policy is setting our school up to fail. We owe it to the “good kids” to keep the schools safe from nefarious activities.

[@jmomm]

Same in my district...spiraled downward at an alarming rate.

[@Rachell333]

Imagine if the airlines adopted this policy how safe flying would be.

[@johnbull9195]

Don't forget about the teachers who have to put up with this. It is certainly one way to cause a recruitment crisis in teaching.

[@lanebatts26]

This is true

[@JuliaBAggio-md4qn]

the idea is not to tell offending students that its 'no big deal'. it is to provide an environment where they can listen to their victims perspective on the harm they have done to them, with 3rd parties that are trained in restorative justice dispute measures, to then give the chance for the offender to reflect on all the information given to them... it has been shown in studies, that behavioral changes are likely to happen when offenders learn their mistakes through a conversation in a more intimate/emotionally open setting. then, in order to restore the trust that the victim has lost, all parties come up with a solution that the victim agrees on and agreements are signed, and the offender has to comply with it. i am currently writing my dissertation on this, and there is overwhelming evidence that shows that RJ works in schools if implemented correctly - the gap in knowledge is how to insure the correct implementation of RJ to all schools, since all schools have their own unique environments and social structures and issues. i can go into more detail if you'd like but for now, i'll leave it on this note

[@mr.m.o.g.o.m.]

Then the real world started...

[@jefftube58]

This is just another way for school administrators not to have to do their job. The worst behaved students need to be cast out of schools. Not just suspended. No chance to come back to school at that school. No type of misbehavior, even relatively mild disobedience to teachers, should be tolerated. Administrators don't usually care how bad the violence in classrooms gets as long as they can crunch their numbers.

[@Luka1180]

What she said about lectures is a large falsity. It depends on what level you're teaching and how old the students are. Even if it's a joke, it just needs to be said.

[@lanebatts26]

She's not that smart. Prob taught for just a couple years

[@milzmusician]

“Lecturing” isn’t engaging at all

[@LamneYokaMou]

More pie in the sky American fantasy.

[@MrSwaggonten]

It's working.... do your research.

[@lanebatts26]

@@MrSwaggonten BS... No it's not. See it every freaking day.

[@mrs.jordan9511]

It always seems to lead to race. How about we leave race out of it and just teach our kids empathy and kindness for everyone without mentioning the color of their skin....cause honestly, we are all the same under our skin.

[@aliiwooF]

You cannot leave race out of it when so many children experience disadvantages because of their race. Inequities and privilege need to be acknowledged, not ignored.

[@mrs.jordan9511]

@@aliiwooF rural America and urban America are statistically the same in poverty, incarceration, drugs, single parent/grandparents raising kids, and crime. Types of crime differs as does the majority population. We have no privilage or advantage here. As a matter of fact, urban America gets more help federally for schools than rural America does because urban America's population is majority minority. In rural America we have to beg our community to pay more taxes...that they obviously don't have, to support our schools via levy. Thats a disadvantage for rural America.

[@oaxacaguera]

When racial disparities in discipline between races for the same offenses disappear, we will no longer have to discuss this issue through a lens of race. That time is not now.

[@heightsofsagarmatha]

​@@aliiwooF failing public schools are the main source of systemic racism today. Leftists act like you know all the answers and are the saviors, but you're actually the problem.

[@christopherbedenbaugh797]

Blah blah blah

[@JoseMendez-hb8dg]

Thank you for leaving a comment! This will cause KZbin’s algorithm to suggest this video to more people so they can learn about restorative practices.

[@heightsofsagarmatha]

​@@JoseMendez-hb8dgwhich failing public school system do you work in

[@lanebatts26]

This is a joke

[@JoseMendez-hb8dg]

Hahaha Hey for some reason, it seems like this made you mad...

[@heightsofsagarmatha]

What's not a joke is rogue "educators" like this are in schools now. They are the problem but think they are the solution.