Volume 30 Issue 14 21 May 2021 10 Sivan 5781

Teshuvah – restorative justice

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

Restorative justice practice is the fundamental value of behaviour management at Emanuel. In all instances of behaviour management, the Teshuvah process (restorative justice) is utilised by teachers to enable students to:

  • Recognise what they have done wrong.
  • Express regret for their mistakes.
  • Reconcile with the person they have wronged.
  • Refrain from making the same mistake again.

The Teshuvah discussion is a way of thinking, interacting, teaching and learning – with relationships at the centre of what we do. At Emanuel, we view discipline as an educational process, in which we aim to support students to recognise mistakes, be accountable for their actions and learn for next time.

Whilst consequences for poor behaviour are important, if students are able to recognise and reflect on this behaviour they are less likely to repeat it in the future.

The Teshuvah process also teaches and models communication skills so that students are exposed to the sharing and listening to diverse opinions. If you are interested in implementing the Teshuvah process (restorative justice) at home with your child, these are the standard questions from ‘Love Parenting’ when responding to challenging behavior, in order to help them and others process their thoughts and feelings:

  1. What happened?
  2. What were you thinking about at the time?
  3. What have your thoughts been since?
  4. Who has been affected by what you did?
  5. In what way have they been affected?
  6. What do you think needs to happen next?

 

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