Last year, I took a job at a no excuses charter school, sight unseen. I hadn’t visited or asked many questions before signing my contract, which left me uneducated about the practices associated with this type of school. In short, a "no excuses" charter school usually enrolls low income and minority students, features high expectations for academic standards, demonstrates strict disciplinary practices and mandates extended time for instruction. My school fit this mold perfectly being a Title 1 school serving primarily African American students in an impoverished community.

Even before the school year began, I observed that many planning conversations and professional development time was spent discussing one topic: suspensions. Essentially, my school’s approach to behavior management was simple, yet punitive. Teachers were told to keep students in the room for as long as possible, first by ignoring distracting or inappropriate behavior, then offering three warnings and an opportunity to reflect. Once those requirements were checked off the invisible “must do” list, the child was immediately sent out of the room, to the office, and almost always suspended.

Students were suspended for a multitude of reasons, ranging from disruptive behavior to threatening to bring a weapon to school. My personal favorite (please note the sarcasm) was suspending students for being absent too many days. Because when a student has missed a lot of school, why not have them stay home longer to “learn their lesson”? We know that students of color are 6 times more likely to be more harshly punished than their white peers for the same offenses.

For a full year, I lived that nightmare. Imagine going into an affluent all white school and suspending a student for dancing down the hallway or having too many tardies. It just wouldn’t happen. With every suspension, I saw a negative shift in my classroom culture. Each time a student was told to stay home, he or she missed not only instructional time but the essential moments throughout the school day where teachers and students have tiny opportunities to build relationships outside of the rigid structure of a lesson.

If you couldn’t tell by the tone in my writing, I didn’t last more than a year at this school. Sometimes I’m surprised that I made it that long.

For the upcoming year, I have moved to a new school that offers an entirely different approach to behavior management. On top of the social and emotional learning that is embedded in every lesson, there is a large emphasis on restorative justice. As teachers, we have shifted our mindsets from punitive consequences to restorative practices. We focus now on having positive and kind relationships with students, instilling a sense of hope and optimism while keeping a safe and orderly classroom.

With these strategies, no student goes unnoticed or uncared for. US Secretary of Education John King said it best: “as teachers and a society, we have an obligation to give kids second chances. Don’t throw any child away”. With that, here are the concrete steps I am taking everyday as a classroom teacher to eradicate exclusionary discipline practices for minority students:

1.     Being actively attentive to the needs of all my students

2.     Proactively teaching conflict resolution, social, and emotional skills throughout the school day

3.     Seeking frequent feedback from educators who have come before me, especially those more trained in restorative justice

4.     Adopting a growth mindset with and for, every child

5.     Changing the questions I ask students in moments of conflict from “why did you do it?” to “what happened, what impact did this have on you and others?” (for a complete list of questions for both the harmed and the wrongdoer see Figure 3 from this site: http://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/April-2012/Enhancing-Respectfulness-Through-Restorative-Pract

6.     Consistently using affective statements i.e. “Student A, I feel sad when you say something like that to Student B” or “I was shocked when I realized that you, Student B did something hurtful to another friend in our class”

There is still much to be done in the way of ending the school to prison pipeline. However, each minor change or mindset shift is a step in the right direction. I am optimistic about the future of our students knowing that we are moving towards positive practices that will benefit all involved.