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Scenario 6: Damaged Goods
You teach at a low-income urban school that has a hard time retaining teachers. You were hired mid-year to replace the third teacher that had left the post this year. You have been using your trauma-informed practices, developing community, and honoring student voice by designing lessons that are culturally responsive. You feel like you are developing trust and rapport with your students.

As you are gathering your set of 50 art markers for an activity, you notice that each one of the marker tips has been cut off/destroyed. Upon further investigation, you happen to notice all of the marker tips in a student’s desk.
________________________________

I think it would be really natural to know the history of the classroom and to see all of the pieces of this scenario and jump quickly to assumptions about your students. Because, in the scenario, I have been working specifically to implement trauma-informed practices, developing community, and working to honor student voices this could feel like the end of the road. Perhaps like the attempts made were trivial and hopeless. That is specifically why I chose shift 2 to examine in response. Developing cultural competency forces me to recognize the bias I brought into a “challenging” classroom. It also forces me to recognize that three teachers in a classroom within a school year in and of itself is traumatic for students and it is unsurprising that it would be difficult for students to develop trust with you and may challenge you. This is a means of protection for the students and is a chance for you, as a teacher, to prove that you mean to stay. And that you will use accountability, relationships and trauma-informed strategies in this moment to develop beyond this incident.

This leads me to the second shift that I think is critical for this scenario. Shift 4, which moves the paradigm from Punishment to Development, is a huge opportunity. It would be significant to make some critical decisions right now. Can I sit with the student and ask for their perspective without making assumptions?  Can I understand that there is a story behind the face that I see in the classroom? Can I meet with the student one on one to find a solution instead of sending them to the office or calling the resource officer? The student is not actively disrupting the class so there are minimal grounds I see for sending them away from class during another time period. The student is likely challenging the teacher in that moment to see how they respond. One possible reason for this is to have a moment where they can confirm their suspicions that you are another adult who will discipline them and reject them. We do not know the reason or the trauma the student is processing. This is why I think it is such a good opportunity to reframe management and instead of punishing them, developing a strategy that gives them a path to change.

When I think about conceptualizing a strategy, the two ideas that really interest me in this particular scenario are Maintaining student dignity and good personal relations and Using the situation to help the students develop a sense of greater responsibility and self-control. My philosophy is to treat students with respect and dignity which to me means to communicate and reason with them. You maintain their dignity by pulling them aside privately instead of dealing with an issue in a public way that could embarrass them. In that conversation you can discuss the cost, financially, but also experientially. You can discuss how important those markers are as a resource for their peers to create, but also, emphasize how you value that individual student’s work and need those resources in order for them to succeed as well. In this way the solution is discussed relationally instead of only through consequences and punishments.

You can use this opportunity to give the student opportunities to model responsibility and self-control by offering different routes of solutions. There can be choices for the student for how we heal and mend the problem resolved: none of which is condemning, but also not ignoring that there was an offense caused. This allows the student a chance to practice their agency by choosing an option and committing to this. This allows for restorative justice, relational development, and a chance to practice responsibility and control. It is important that I commit to believing the student and moving forward once there is a resolution instead of holding the issue over their head.

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You are a teacher working in an urban public school with a class size of 37. You like to have students work in groups and in partnerships, but because of social dynamics there seems to always be one student that is hard to place. Many students tell you that they don’t want to work with this student, and when you do put them into a group there is inevitably a blow-out (preempted by a trigger for this individual). In class today when the student had a blow-out, they destroyed the work that the group had done.

The two shifts that came to mind immediately when reading this scenario were 4 and 5, moving the paradigm from To some extent, it would be natural to be frustrated with this student, and to be upset on behalf of the classmates whose work was destroyed. They deserve sympathy and care in this situation, and so does the student who had the outburst. In that regard, one of the first things to establish for everyone is that no one is going to get graded down because the work was destroyed, and everyone will have a chance to make it up or come to some alternative solution.

Hopefully, that would establish enough calm among all the students to then be able to take some one-on-one time to talk with the student who had the outburst. This is the opportunity to find out more about them (shift 2, know your students.) Are there stressors at home that affecting them? How are their other classes going? Are there any that they like or feel are going fairly well? Do they have any friends at school here? What about outside of school: what do they like to do, and who do they like to spend time with?

Hopefully, talking about some of those things could help them calm down, as well as cluing me into some things that they might be proud of, or that I can offer praise for. Then, we could circle back to what had actually happened in the classroom. What led up to the outburst? Were they feeling frustrated with the work, or like they didn't understand it? Are they feeling under pressure in some way?

At the start of the year I would have had the whole class work on a community agreement for classroom norms, so this would also be an opportunity to revisit that and see if students think that anything needs to be added to it, and if it can provide us with any guidance on moving forward. (Strategy 7: reference norms and policy.)

Equipped with those answers, I would ask the student what they think is a fair way to address the situation now, before offering ideas of my own. What do they think would be an appropriate way to figure out how to help their group members make up the assignment? Would they be willing to do a restorative justice circle of some sort with their classmates in the group? (Strategy 5: ask a question.) If so, I would lead that circle using some of the strategies we've talked about in class. From there, I'd work with the whole group to figure out a plan for their work.

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Lauren Smith: Scenario 5: Not going to school 

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Lauren Smith: Scenario 5: Not going to school 

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You are a new teacher at a public K-8 school in Portland. You are concerned about a student in your 6th grade class that has been absent several times during the semester. Most days of the week the student shows up 5 -10 minutes late, and sometimes doesn’t come to school at all. This student is not able to complete the work that is assigned, and even with extensions will not turn anything in. The principal wants you to call home and talk with parents, but the teachers that have had this student tell you that “the parents are no help”

When dealing with this scenario I feel like shift 2 directly relates.  Shift 2 asks one to "Know yourself and develop cultural competency".  In this particular situation, it may be easy to automatically assume that your student is being truant or that they do not care about their school work/grades.  However, as a teacher it is important to be aware of any personal biases we may have and focus on how to  overcome them.  This could include having a conversation with the student and discussing with them why their attendance is so poor and coming up with a solution with them to help them get back on track.  Teachers only have a little window into their students lives and unless they intentionally strive to get to the root of whatever may be holding their students back, they may form unfair opinions.  Getting to know your students families and cultures could also provide you with more insight on the situation and also may make it easier to reach out and connect to a parent or guardian.  It is also important to be aware that the student may be dealing with or experiencing trauma and that is potentially why they are missing so much school.  Perhaps instead of berating or ignoring a student when they do make it to school, the teacher could welcome the student warmly and (in a sensitive matter) pull the student aside to check in and have a conversation with them to discuss their concerns and figure out how to get the student to school more often and complete their work. It is very possible that the student may not want to open up to the teacher and does continue to miss class and ends up failing the class.  Some students may not feel comfortable enough to tell their teacher what is actually happening that is preventing them from coming to school.  It is also possible that the parent or guardian won't be an ally in creating a solution. However, it is also possible that the student will feel supported and valued by their teacher and will want to try and get to class more often.  Another success could be that the student may not specifically open up to the teacher that brought up the conversation but will know that they can trust teachers at the school and be more willing to find someone who can work with them.

The other shift that relates to this scenario is Shift 5.  This specific shift asks the teacher to resist the criminalization of school behavior.  In the instance that the student is purposely ditching school it is important to question whether the student is pushing boundaries or committing a crime.  In this case, the student is just testing the boundaries and although they need to have consequences for their actions, the consequences should be fair.  If the student is removed from class, that is going to just encourage them to continue to miss and most likely not come back to school.  The more time a student misses, the less likely they will be able to catch up or feel like they belong.  It is also important to be mindful that the student missing so much school could be directly out of their control.  They could have to care for siblings or have inadequate transportation.  To punish a student for something out of their control would lead to distrust in adults or even embarrassment or shame.  A possible strategy would be to first talk to the student and figure out a plan with them about their attendance and turning in missing assignments.  In this conversation the teacher could more properly asses if the student is missing on purpose or not and let them know the specific consequences if they are indeed ditching on purpose. This will help the student be more accountable yet not criminalizes them for missing school.

The only way to prevent the misbehavior in this particular scenario from happening would be to devise a plan with the class so that they know how important their attendance and completion of assignments are. The class could also be made aware of the protocols if they are absent and the consequences for not showing up without an excuse. Maintaining student dignity and good personal relationships is important here so that the teacher can ensure that the student does feel safe in their classroom and that they can have an open conversation with them about catching up from their absences. Finally, I think it is important for the teacher to use follow up procedures in order to prevent the recurrence of misbehavior. The teacher could find a way to directly contact the student if they do miss class, and could show the student praise for improvement and effort.

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Kristina is a student in your class.  You don’t know this student very well, she is very quiet and rarely talks to her classmates, makes comments, or asks questions.  She often times seems to be disengaged in what is going on in the classroom.  She does not turn in assignments, and when she is asked claims that, “I did it, but it’s at home”.  You are not getting much support from admin on this one because there really isn’t anything they can do at this point, and parents haven’t been very helpful with being involved.

(I bolded the shifts and strategies used for sake of clarity)

I chose this scenario because I have both encountered this student and have been this student. Honestly all of the shifts mentioned on the Teaching Tolerance apply to this student in some way, but really I think this scenario has much to do with shift 1: Adopt a social emotional lens mostly in regards to implementing social emotional learning (SEL) into teaching. Especially around SEL's emphasis on relationship building/ skills. Also, efforts in collaboration, another component of SEL could be made around identifying the barriers that inhibit the student from getting their work turned in.  Like finding more ways to assess the student during class in ways that are strengths based, and encourage student voice. Taking more time for teacher- student and student- student relationship building would likely encourage this student to open up and engage with peers a whole lot more than before. Not knowing the student, and a student not talking much are likely related and  can easily be reversed- especially in thinking about the behavior I convey and model for my students. SEL values empathy and emphasizes gratitude- and in doing so create a culture of kindness within the classroom that builds community and rapport among students. The student might feel nervous or shy around asking questions, but when student voice is encouraged, especially in ways that aren't necessarily overt - through lens of SEL focused instruction, this student would likely open up in so many ways. Although it does take time. But is so worth it! This also teeters a bit on shift 2: know your students and develop cultural competency and it's focus on trauma informed care, especially in how I can be an ally and show up for this student extend and build trust. Or even just in thinking about what I can do to get to know this student better and create a space in which they feel safe and willing to engage with myself and their peers.Shift 3, similarly to shift 1 is also relative because of how important it is for this student to feel seen and represented within my class. Also in thinking about who does the talking and how talking is invited in form of discussion and peer to peer engagement. Perhaps this student doesn't talk much because I'm doing all the talking! This has to be considered. Discussion has to feel both genuine and accessible for students, not forced or tightly managed. While there might be opportunities for me to facilitate discussion, or provoke thought and dialogue- I am confident that my students can do the same especially with cooperative and collaborative learning. Perhaps with more student discussions, this student might feel more encouraged to speak up. I will say though that this student might have aversions to speaking in class- and I would never want to force them into speaking- luckily there are so many ways for students to use their voices beyond that of speaking! Reflective assignments are so great because they invoke thought, don't have to be hyper focused on academic writing, and allow the student to open up in ways they might not feel comfortable verbalizing through speaking and need to honor her social and emotional safety. Plus, reflective assignments can easily be done in- class which would be great, because you can learn so much about them and gain insights into their lives, without assigning it as homework which some students, like Kristina might not turn in! Lots of ways to modify assessment that don't involve homework. Hello values-based assessment, evaluation and grading! Also I want to point out that this student is showing up to class so clearly, she want's to be there!

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You have student in your class who often uses offensive and inappropriate language.  He has a reputation that follows him and labels him as a “loudmouth”, “annoying as hell!”, and “just a jerk!”.

You are aware that several of his peers are intimidated by him because he might make them the target of his attention. You notice that lately you are increasingly anxious as you have to deal with this student every day.  Today he walks right in, slams his stuff on the desk, and loudly exclaims “I f’n hate this school!”.
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The first that resonated with me to use to best support this type of student is shift #3 "Plan and deliver effective student centered instruction." The reason why this connected to me is because there is a student who is voicing the fact that they hate school and is using profanities to express that as well as taking the attention of everyone on shining it on themselves would suggest that they are not enjoying school because there is nothing for them to connect to so they feel excluded. Because the student feels disconnected from the class things multiple things should change so that they see the teacher cares about them or that there is something for them to connect in the curriculum. For example; if the student had a passion about cooking then I would shift some of the curriculum to include this interest. In my band class I would have the students provide cultural examples of a foreign composer so that we could better understand them and in that moment I would encourage the student to explore the food of the composers nationality so that the class better understands. By doing this I have provided my student with the opportunity to connect to the material with something they have interest in. Also, by having the student be in a presenter situation this will provide the opportunity for the student be in a moment of having everyone's attention on them in a "healthy" way. By healthy I mean a position where they will be in the spotlight but will be talking about something they like so that they will not be using profanity to discuss things and will provide the fellow students with an opportunity to see their class mate in a new light so that they see this person as not a loudmouth or jerk
The other shift that I would consider using in my practice is shift #1adopt an emotional lens. By adopting this lens I would examining how my actions affect the student emotionally. An example of how that would look would be a self reflection of what I am saying and my body language towards this student. In terms of what I am saying could be what I am not saying. For example; if every teacher is misusing their pronouns then this could be traumatizing to the student to the point where the they hate the environment they are in causing them to stand out. Another example would be my body language. If I always show body language that shows lack of interest then I am showing them that I do not care about them. Now if I am not the only teacher doing this then that would mean that the kid is getting a full treatment 8 hours a day of teachers showing a lack of interest which may be causing them to act out. By self reflecting what I say and how a move and by acting upon my self reflection I can then change my language towards the student so that it is more welcoming so that they see someone does care about them in their environment which can open the door into aiding them in working towards a place where they feel the need to not speak negative things to make their classmates uncomfortable.

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You have student in your class who often uses offensive and inappropriate language.  He has a reputation that follows him and labels him as a “loudmouth”, “annoying as hell!”, and “just a jerk!”.

You are aware that several of his peers are intimidated by him because he might make them the target of his attention. You notice that lately you are increasingly anxious as you have to deal with this student every day.  Today he walks right in, slams his stuff on the desk, and loudly exclaims “I f’n hate this school!”.
_______________________________

For a student who has a hard time with impulse control, I would highly recommend using a specific strategy that centers around that student to get to the bottom of the problem. The shift that would fit this specific situation would be shift #3, which is about planning to deliver effective student-centered instruction. I believe that this shift applies the best because the student's behavior resembles that of a cry for help. Students who have a hard time controlling outbursts like this are often the students who are overlooked or ignored, both in class and at home. The outbursts are usually a sign that the student is craving interactions, attention, or representation. In order to help this student, I believe that the teacher should take some time to reflect on their own teaching strategies and whether or not they are reaching as many students as possible. It is very likely that if this student is acting up in my class, I might be doing something wrong and not including their voice as much as I should. Many teachers may waive away the student's concerns or complaints because they are so frequent and they may assume that the student is complaining just to complain. To make this student feel more involved in their community within my class, I would have students form small groups and give presentations on their favorite genres or types of music, in a persuasive format. This would allow that student to engage with others in the classroom in a neutral setting where they can discuss things that truly interest them. This would result in better relationships between students and demolish the terrible stereotypes and names that the student has been labeled as.
The second shift that would best suit this particular situation would be shift #4. This shift focuses on development rather than punishment for misbehavior and would work the best to first address the incident at hand. This shift would be very beneficial for a student who has trouble with outbursts, which is not a criminal offense whatsoever. Instead of overreacting and labeling the student as a troublemaker or loudmouth, I would use that opportunity to ask the student to go take a small water break and collect themselves. Instead of putting the student on the spot, giving them time and space to process their emotions and thoughts can help them think deeply about their actions and what it can imply to others. Sending the student to the office for this would only draw a barrier between the student-teacher relationship. After the student has collected themselves and rejoined the class, I would ask the student to stay after class to further discuss what is going on. But instead of focusing on all of the bad, I would throw in bits of praise for their strengths in class which can really boost their confidence and give them motivation to keep trying and moving forward. Students just want someone to believe in them, encourage them, and challenge them, so why not start there? To keep this behavior from repeating, I would have my classes practice mindfulness exercises together to create a good foundation of trust and community between them, so no other students feel isolated or mistreated.

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Scenario:
You are a new teacher at a public K-8 school in Portland. You are concerned about a student in your 6th grade class that has been absent several times during the semester. Most days of the week the student shows up 5 -10 minutes late, and sometimes doesn’t come to school at all. This student is not able to complete the work that is assigned, and even with extensions will not turn anything in. The principal wants you to call home and talk with parents, but the teachers that have had this student tell you that “the parents are no help”

Stall technique
Don’t talk to the student right away when they arrive late to class. Wait to talk to them in an isolated environment, maybe after class, to discuss the issue where their peers won’t overhear.

Make it personal:
Shift 1: Adopt a social lens
Remember that the student’s behavior likely has nothing to do with me or my ability to teach. It’s more likely the behavior stems from outside circumstances causing them stress or anxiety.
Talk to the student. Explain to the students that we like to have them in class and that they make learning more enjoyable with their presence. “I’m disappointed when you show up late or not at all. We like having you in class and miss you when you’re not here.”

Call it what it is:
Explain to the student that when they are tardy, it disrupts and distracts class and the other students who arrived on time.

Assume the best
Intervention: Thoughtful Classroom Setup and Structure - Student Jobs and Ownership of Classroom Space
This student doesn’t necessarily dislike the class or school in general. In fact, if there is something happening at home to create the absences and tardiness, school could be a place they feel safe. So a good tactic would be to incentivize the students to attend rather than punishing them if they don’t. To do this we can use the intervention method of providing the student with a job.
Offer the students a job they can do everyday. Preferably something within the first ten minutes of class to incentivize showing up on time. One, admittingly weak, example might be passing out the daily vocab sheet at the beginning of class. Anything the student could find engaging. “Hey, student, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking over the responsibility of passing out the daily vocabulary at the beginning of class. It would be a huge help to me and I would really appreciate it. What do you think?”

Ask a question
Ask the student why they are late or tardy so often. Frame it in a way that is offering relief or help. “I’ve noticed you show up late a lot. I realize life can be pretty hectic sometimes and school doesn’t always feel like the number one priority. Is there something specific that’s keeping you from making it on time? Is there anything I can do to help you manage your schedule?”

Use education
Intervention: Shared Inquiry and Dialogue - Naming Shared Inquiry as a Goal
Tell the student, “I can understand not being enthusiastic about school. Did you know school in the United States was originally envisioned as a way to create a docile and obedient workforce that could be exploited by the elite? But things have changed. I would like this classroom to be a community where we all learn from each other. I want you to be here because you are a valuable asset in our learning experience. Your perspective helps other students in their learning and you help me learn new things as well! You are as important as anyone else in this classroom and we miss you when you’re not around.”

Reference norms or policy
Shift 5: Resist the criminalization of behavior
Explain to the student the school policy for too many late arrivals  or absences and tell the student you would like to work with them to avoid those consequences.

“Hey, you should understand that too many late arrivals or absences can lead to some pretty strict consequences. I would rather not go down that path and I bet you feel the same. So let's do everything we can to avoid that outcome. How about we work together to find some strategies that will help you make it to class and on time?”

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You teach at a low-income urban school that has a hard time retaining teachers. You were hired mid-year to replace the third teacher that had left the post this year. You have been using your trauma-informed practices, developing community, and honoring student voice by designing lessons that are culturally responsive. You feel like you are developing trust and rapport with your students.

As you are gathering your set of 50 art markers for an activity, you notice that each one of the marker tips has been cut off/destroyed. Upon further investigation, you happen to notice all of the marker tips in a student’s desk.

My initial reaction to a situation such as this would be to want to question the student and learn more about why this was done to the markers.  However, I think that the only way I could speak with this student and have a productive conversation would be to adopt the shift 5 of resisting the criminalization of the student's behavior.  My idea is that I would try to have a simple conversation with the student and asking them questions instead of immediately reprimanding them for an action that I do not have full knowledge of.  I also have to ask myself what sort of recourse does this action by the student deserve, in other words, does the punishment fit the crime?  I also have to look at that I have no clue as to the timeline of when the student may have cut these markers up.  This could have been something that happened the first week of school and has already been dealt with by one of the prior teachers.  The most important fact to me as the teacher is there is no real proof that the student had anything to do with this and that they deserve the chance to explain their side of this experience without already being condemned. If at any point I feel that I cannot respond or address the student without criminalizing their actions, stalling my conversation with them may help not make the situation worse. At the same time, I must be able to call this action what it is, disrespect for classroom materials.

My second shift for this scenario would be shift 4 of moving the paradigm from punishment to development.  I see this as a huge opportunity to break away from a traditional action=punishment style of teaching, and move into a non-zero tolerance policy by opening up a dialogue with the student and their family to see how we can turn this into a teachable and personal growth moment. As the teacher I must convey how personal the destruction of classroom materials feels to me because of what they offer to the class. Singling the student out seems to me to be a bad idea because of how it can foster negative self image and anxiety for the student, so I would rather speak with the student about this incident after class or after school in private.  There is no knowing what may have pushed this student to be involved with the markers being destroyed so no assumptions can be made.  We do not know if there is malintent, trauma that caused this action, or if they understand what they did was wrong and are working through it in their own head.  Through this practice, I would hope that the student and I, as the teacher, would be able to grow and develop an understanding of how we can build a better classroom environment. I think that this strategy also needs an assumption from the teacher that the student wants to and can grow from this experience.

I feel as though preventing this problem from occurring in the first place is tough, because locking away and hiding supplies from students is no way to teach responsible actions by students, however a positive way to go about it would to set clear expectation with students before projects with tools such as these markers begin.  Giving students autonomy in terms of deciding how destruction of classroom supplies should be dealt with can give students a sense of responsibility to take care of these supplies.  This also allows for the entire classroom of students to address what sort of behavior and treatment of materials used by the students is not acceptable.  The social climate that is built through this democratic process is much stronger that one built by an authoritarian approach by the teacher.  Follow up procedures to prevent any recurrence of this situation such as have students restate what the expectations are in regards to treatment of classroom materials each time they are being used for a project is a way to give healthy reminders to students that they decided that classroom materials are to be treated with a respectful manner.  This also allows for students to practice self-monitoring and personal responsibility skills that translate to so many aspect of life inside and outside of the classroom.

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For my two critical shifts I chose to use adopting a social emotional lens and moving the paradigm from punishment to development.

Starting with adopting a social emotional lens. I would start every class with some social emotional check ins, asking the class how they are and what is going on. This would hopefully create a safe and welcoming environment for my students. As far as for this situation, when this happened I would remain calm, because if I start freaking out that would only make things worse and make the students feel even more isolated from the class. I would talk to the student to try and see what the underlying problem was, issues at home, struggles with material, social anxiety etc. I would tell them that I am on their side and there to support them if they ever needed it and that I am not mad and they will not be punished in any way. As for the group they were working with, I would ask them how they would feel if they were constantly being isolated from the rest of the class and how that would make them feel. This would, in theory, help them realize that isolating a fellow classmate is not nice and can be really harmful to that person.

My second shift would be to move the paradigm from punishment to development. For starters, like I mentioned earlier, I would not punish this student for destroying the group work. I would praise them for the work they did prior to the destruction. I would also maybe call home, not to get the student in trouble, but to see if there are any issues I need to be aware of or why they think that the student may be acting out. I don't see any need to get the school officer or admin involved because this was not anything that endangered lives or warrants such a response. I would also not punish the class for isolating the student, but again ask them how they would feel if they were the isolated student. This would hopefully help the students develop empathy for the student who is being isolated and help them realize that is not the right thing to do.

As for the two strategies for intervention, I would use the strategy of asking a question and referencing norms and policies.

Starting with asking a question, when the student destroys the group work, I would talk to them privately and ask them why they did that, not in any sort of angry manner but simply in a way to try and understand what the student is going through so I can better help them. I would also ask the group they were working with what happened prior to the destruction of the group work. This way I can see if the students were bullying the isolated student or whatever else may have caused the isolated student to destroy the group work. Asking questions in a non accusatory manner helps build trust with students so I would ask questions for the sole purpose of gathering information to help everyone involved, not to get anyone in trouble.

As for my second strategy of referencing norms and policy I would first at the start of the term create a norms and policy that the students have input and agree upon. This way when the incident does occur, I can reference the norms and policy that we as a class created and agreed upon. These references would include being respectful, being inclusive, and more. So when this situation did occur I would remind the group that was working with the student of the class norms and policies and that would hopefully remind them to not put the isolated student in a situation where they feel the need to do this again.

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Scenario #4: You have a student in your class who often uses offensive language. He has a reputation that follows him and labels him as a "loudmouth", "annoying as hell", and "just a jerk!".
You are aware that several of his peers are intimidated by him because he might make them the target of his attention. You notice that lately you are increasingly anxious as you have to deal with this student every day. Today he walks right in,, slams his stuff on the desk, and loudly exclaims "I f'n hate this school!".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the case of this scenario and this student, I immediately wonder if there is anything going on in home or in the past that has effected this child to behave this way. With this thought in mind I would start by using shift 2, "Know your students and develop cultural competency". This shift focuses on diffusing a situation using trauma informed strategies. It also had the teacher reassess whether any personal biases are in the way. For me, it would be reaching out to either a councilor or administrator to find out whether or not the child has experienced or is experiencing difficulty at the home. Once that is figured out, I would do my best to relate to the child and assure them that they are welcome to have any feelings they want to have in my classroom. I would then strategize with the student some alternative ways of showing our feelings, as well as strategies for calming ourselves down or knowing when we need a mental break.
These methods could also be applied to the second shift I would use, which is shift 4. Shift 4 is "Move the paradigm from punishment to development". The reason for using this shift is due to the names that seem to label this student. It is clear that many teachers in this student's past have outcasted him and labeled him before getting to the bottom of his feelings. I think that it is important that the labeling an outcasting stops in my classroom. I want to give this student the deserving chance he deserves before deeming him a loudmouth or a jerk.

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Ian Elliott-Engles Scenario #6 Damaged Goods

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Ian Elliott-Engles Scenario #6 Damaged Goods

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You teach at a low-income urban school that has a hard time retaining teachers. You were hired mid-year to replace the third teacher that had left the post this year. You have been using your trauma-informed practices, developing community, and honoring student voice by designing lessons that are culturally responsive. You feel like you are developing trust and rapport with your students.

As you are gathering your set of 50 art markers for an activity, you notice that each one of the marker tips has been cut off/destroyed. Upon further investigation, you happen to notice all of the marker tips in a student’s desk.

In this scenario I am going to be using two shifts one of them being Shift 5: Resist the Criminalization of School Behavior & shift 4: Move the Paradigm From Punishment to Development. I think these two are going to be the ones best suited to respond appropriately and fairly to the situation.

Beginning with shift 5 right off the bat because I think this one is going to be the most crucial of the two. We have to accept that people make mistakes in schools and that this one seems like a testing of boundaries or acting out way more than it could every be a committing a crime. Using this shift is going to allow me to view this action as something other than just random malus, but something that has a story and a reason. I know in a situation like this I would be awfully pissed since these markers would most likely have been purchased by myself for the good of the class so it would seem like a challenge to the community I was building in the class. But then again they are only items and not lives so it is easy to put that aside and move forward. I also want to make sure to mention that this is a moment that I see as correct to discipline for, this is something that would have gone against community rules for respecting common materials of the class but it will be important to find a consequence that fits this scenario. There also is going to be no benefit from removing the student from the classroom and instead is going to be better served with a conversation after class and a late permission slip to their next teacher or a sit down at the end of the day with said student if transportation arrangements for after school can be made

Then with shift 4 I want to make sure that there is a reason and a result from the discipline that arises from this. I want to set this up as an opportunity for growth and trust. I would start by asking the student what is going on, and why it is that they did this. Then I would direct the student to brain storm some ideas of how to best rectify the situation or make it right. For the purpose of the shift I want to make a scenario within a scenario where they would be taking some time after school to work with the arts department to think of ways to fundraise to help get more art supplies for the classrooms. Then as a teacher I might find this as an opportunity to have a conversation with their caretakers, not about the fact that they got in trouble but more as a chance to mention that a situation came up and that their kid took a lot of responsibility in how to make it all right and to highlight the amount of work they were doing. I don't think there is a reason to talk about exactly what they did to get in trouble but instead to highlight the great work that they are taking responsibility for. I think a lot of the times it isn't the action but the reaction that needs to be shared most of the time.

For the strategies I think this is going to be a good time to do some classroom contracts and
Zero indifference but not zero tolerance.

I picked classroom contracts because this is going to help even more cement the norms and expectations of the classroom environment and to hopefully increase the student buy-in of the space. This is also going to be a collaborative process and even though coming in late in the school year to the space means that this is going to stall curriculum it is still going to be important after this to make this happen for the betterment of the class.

Then with Zero Indifference this is going to be key since it is going to allow for the addressing of issues instead of letting them slide off into obscurity and keeps everyone in the space accountable for their actions while also making sure to keep me as a teacher accountable for my reaction. Everything to needs to be addressed in the moment does not have to be addressed after the fact and especially not with hefty punishments.

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Scenario 2: Not going to work
Kristina is a student in your class.  You don’t know this student very well, she is very quiet and rarely talks to her classmates, makes comments, or asks questions.  She often times seems to be disengaged in what is going on in the classroom.  She does not turn in assignments, and when she is asked claims that, “I did it, but it’s at home”.  You are not getting much support from admin on this one because there really isn’t anything they can do at this point, and parents haven’t been very helpful with being involved.
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I chose this scenario because I am sure I will run into a student like this, no matter what environment I am teaching in, as many different factors can make a student disengage.
The first thing I would do is apply shifts 2: Know Your Students and Develop Cultural Competency and 3: Plan and Deliver Effective Student Centered Instruction in tandem.  I would reflect that I should know her, her culture (both personal interests/youth culture and family culture), and the communities culture which we are both a part of, better. Doing so would help me know where to start to try to connect and help her feel empowered to participate and supportive if she needs help. Changing the curriculum  to be more student centered would help Kristina, and others, see the classroom as a place that belonged to them, that they were valued and reflected in.

I would change the curriculum two ways to implement the strategy of maintaining student dignity and good personal relations. I would do a survey activity to give students a chance to connect to me and to each other. It could be a fun survey on a non-serious topic, like Harry Potter Houses, or zodiac signs, or favorite animals. I wouldn’t want to single Kristina out by, say, asking her to stay late to try and connect one-on-one, because that might backfire and increase Kristina not wanting to engage. Instead I would reflect that I needed to know not only Kristina better, but that many of my students could benefit from me knowing more about them personally, in order for me to really guide behavior or be seen as a resource. So I would shift my practice to include ways to connect with them, and them with each other, that is low-stakes. Online quizzes or games are a good way to do that.

I would also shift curriculum to include something about their community so that they can be the experts and share about things that are important to them. I would reflect with them on my personal biases and ignorance through a unit like this, and that would help me learn from them and help them to see that I value their insights and input. Changes like these might increase her engagement over time.

After a week or so I would use the strategy of follow up procedures. I would build in some one on one time to connect further with the whole class, but I would start with Kristina in the first wave of students. This could help us build further on the new connections formed from our quiz and curriculum change. I would check in about the community based work (which would not be due until AFTER our check in) and ask her about her thoughts and answers. I would tell her I like to see her in class and appreciate that she comes, and ask what I could do to help her complete some assignments. If she wanted to share what was on her mind, I would listen. If she was still quiet I would not pressure her, but I would give her a note with a short reminder of things she can do instead of the paper copies, and of times I would be in my classroom if she ever just needed a place to be. Essentially the follow up would be an effort to build a relationship where I could make her feel that she has me as a resource.

Obviously none of this is a guarantee that she will start to turn in assignments, however it would be a start to helping her change how she sees the classroom, and a way to help her feel valued and once valued, that her work also had value.

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Critical Incident Brief

Scenario 2: Not Going to Work

Kristina is a student in your class.  You don’t know this student very well, she is very quiet and rarely talks to her classmates, makes comments, or asks questions.  She often times seems to be disengaged in what is going on in the classroom.  She does not turn in assignments, and when she is asked claims that, “I did it, but it’s at home”.  You are not getting much support from admin on this one because there really isn’t anything they can do at this point, and parents haven’t been very helpful with being involved.

2 Restorative
Shifts that will interrupt my personal bias:

In responding to Kristina’s situation, I would respond with the two following shifts: Shift 1; adopt a social-emotional lense and shift 3; Plan and deliver effective student-center instruction.

Kristina and I do not know each other very well and so we do not have a well-developed rapport that would motivate her to study or to work harder. On top of this, her lack of varied response makes it difficult to tell what she is thinking or feeling when I try to interact with her regarding her grades. Adopting Shift 1 will allow me to model a social-emotional behavior that can set the tone for our next encounter. In preparing for the following encounter, I will ask myself, ‘how am I behaving in this moment?’ and ‘how do my students react to my behavior?’. This way, when I talk with Kristina I will have her interests in mind and will be able to be mindful of how I come off to her. I would like to sit down with Kristina (or enter a private breakout room via Zoom) and get to know her a bit more. By us exchanging interests and background knowledge, we facilitate conversation and model disarming and friendly teacher-student dynamics. Then, I will tell her that I personally am concerned about her grades, because I really want her to do well. I simply want to know why she is not turning work in, because we are on the same team and I need to know how I can help her do better. Since her common response is one of ‘I’ll turn it in later’, and her parents are very involved in her school work, the other option one could pursue is to partner Kristina with a classmate. This person, or group of people, can create a community network that checks in on each other and supports each other academically. By meeting regularly with her and her class partner(s), you can build rapport and show the student your consistent investment in their success. Basically, don’t give up on them.

Using Shift 3, I will ask myself these questions before and during my interaction with the student; ‘What identities are reflected in the curriculum? ‘and ‘Do my lessons reflect all of my students’ identities?’. If I want Kristina to feel motivated in my class, I need to make sure that the curriculum that I teach actually connects with her. I need to make sure that the stories of individuals, nations and historic movements that I teach her are relevant to her own experience. In order to make my curriculum inclusive to all of my students, I need to not always teach what I am personally interested. My interests could be skewed partially by my own experience and my culture. Can this student make a connection from her life to the curriculum? That is the key question. If I were in this situation, I would ask Kristina if she felt sincerely interested in what we were studying, and find out what she was actually interested in. This way, I can include her interests in my own curriculum and maintain a dynamic classroom environment. The most important thing is to be inquiring, and discussing with this student. Earning a student’s trust and building rapport takes time. First, the adult has to show that they are consistent and reliable, this is what kids look for in their mentors and guardians. Even activities as a daily question at the beginning of class is a great way learn about your students and therefore how to model your curriculum for their benefit.

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You teach at a low-income urban school that has a hard time retaining teachers. You were hired mid-year to replace the third teacher that had left the post this year. You have been using your trauma-informed practices, developing community, and honoring student voice by designing lessons that are culturally responsive. You feel like you are developing trust and rapport with your students.

As you are gathering your set of 50 art markers for an activity, you notice that each one of the marker tips has been cut off/destroyed. Upon further investigation, you happen to notice all of the marker tips in a student’s desk.

#1 Social Emotional Lens
So, in this moment I am feeling confused and maybe sad or offended. My mind jumps to "Why would someone cut off the marker tips? Does someone need to exert some energy? What does my face look like right now? How did they even get all the markers??"  This would be a great moment to invite those who want it to take a 5 minute break (includes myself). This would give me and my students time to chill out, fuel up, breathe-whatever. A quick & hasty reaction would not be a positive addition to this scenario & to react in such a way could potentially trigger students.

#2 Cultural Competency
My personal biases/lens tells me to "not destroy school property." This exists within the space I operate. However, this is not a universal norm. Maybe this student has opposing views? Maybe they are struggling with impulsiveness? Maybe the student is acting in this way to get attention? After noticing this, I would initiate check-ins with the whole class. This way, my one on one discussion with this student is masked by the regular operations of check-ins (esp handy in art class) and they don't get singled out in front of the group.

#5 Resist Criminalization & #3 Student centered
During the one on one check-ins I would ask the student about the situation. I would say something to the effect of "so I noticed there were some marker tips in your desk, can you elaborate on this please?" In my mind, this allows the student the space to express their thoughts and doesn't put boundaries up from the get go. Whether or not the student is responsive to this statement, I'm not sure. In any case, I would want to remind the student that the classroom is a shared space. This means we share ideas, opinions and materials. This is what makes our classroom space great. I would then ask the student what they need in order to feel the are included in the shared space (because despite my previous efforts-they still may not feel included). And hopefully, I can try see if their requests can happen. By giving this student (and all students) some ownership or agency of the space, hopefully they can feel some pride and want to honor the space. At the end of the check in, I would ask the student to make sure they clean up the marker tips before they leave for the day. I would not want to draw extra attention to the situation.

#4 Punishment & development
To me, this scenario does not require admin to get involved. Since it's not indicated if this is a first time thing, I will assume it was. We also don't know wat age range this student is in. While it is unfortunate that we no longer have these 50 markers, I think the left over materials could be used in a future project (maybe an assemblage piece or 3D foundation exploration piece). I do think that this might require written documentation on my part-to track and see if this behavior continues. I also might want to send a quick email to the student's family. I don't think I would necessarily say "this happened today and I thought you should know"...But instead I might send a mass email to each student family as a general reminder of the shared spaces, and encourage parents to talk about this with their kids...maybe I could also provide some "what if" scenarios for students to mull over (ex "what if your best friend came into your room and ruined your favorite book?-how would you feel?"). Thinking over how our actions affect the world we live in-and the world that surrounds us is very important for young people to have on their radar.

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You are a new teacher at a public K-8 school in Portland. You are concerned about a student in your 6th grade class that has been absent several times during the semester. Most days of the week the student shows up 5 -10 minutes late, and sometimes doesn’t come to school at all. This student is not able to complete the work that is assigned, and even with extensions will not turn anything in. The principal wants you to call home and talk with parents, but the teachers that have had this student tell you that “the parents are no help”

There are a couple of these shifts that could definitely apply to this scenario, but I think the one that feels most applicable to how I perceive this situation is shift two: know your students and develop cultural competency. This shift focuses on my lens of the student, and knowledge about their culture, environment, and potential trauma. With this student, and hopefully with all my students, I want to maintain a stance of curiosity. I have a tendency to make assumptions, like I’m sure a lot of people do, and then ask leading questions with these assumptions in mind. With this student in particular, I would attempt to set a meeting with the student themselves and then get to know them and their situation. It wouldn’t be trauma-informed to force them to reveal all the details of what’s going on in their lives, if anything is even going on, but I would ask open-ended questions so assess the structure of their lives, what is preventing them from being present in class, and what I could do to help them succeed. I would want to challenge them to collaboratively come up with some measure of accountability that works for them, and potentially one that works with the entire classroom. For example, I always think first of a sticker chart, which may seem like a fairly juvenile tactic, but I've seen it work with teens and even adults. If I made it into a whole class solution, I could have the students work up towards a community reward of some kind. But overall, any solutions for their lack of attendance would have to come from them, at least for the most part, and my only role would be empowering them in their actions and decisions.

While the meet-up is something that could happen as a response, but it's also something that could have happened early on in the school year. I've had a teacher do this with an entire class, hold one-on-one meetings with us during the class period in order to get to know us and structure the class around our wants and needs. This also fits into shift three of planning and delivering student-centered instruction, which provides a framework for preventing student outbursts and/or avoidance by giving them a stake in the classroom and a sense of ownership over it.

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Scenario #4

You have a student in your class who often uses offensive and inappropriate language.  He has a reputation that follows him and labels him as a “loudmouth”, “annoying as hell!”, and “just a jerk!”.

You are aware that several of his peers are intimidated by him because he might make them the target of his attention. You notice that lately you are increasingly anxious as you have to deal with this student every day.  Today he walks right in, slams his stuff on the desk, and loudly exclaims “I f’n hate this school!”.

This case stood out to me as the actions of the student are of course inappropriate, however they do reveal potentially positive aspects about the students character. As a music teacher, I wonder how I can move the student to display his emotion and passion through a musical output. Of course addressing the negative behavior, and gaining the student’s trust comes first.

The first shift that I would utilize would be Shift 3, Plan and Deliver Effective Student-Centered Instruction.

After this incident, I would utilize the stall technique and ask the student to stick around after class. This reduces the student’s spotlight and enables me to continue the lesson without drawing attention to the issue. As the student sticks around after class I would offer the student an alternative assignment to whatever we’re working on at the moment. The student would be given the option to create a recording project that captures their disenchantment with the school. The project guidelines would be loose but it may look something like this.

1. Find three musical inspirations that represent your feelings.

2. Envision a sound that captures your feelings and create a list of descriptors.

3. Record a 3-5 minute soundscape or musical experiment that you feel captures your emotion.

As an often frustrated musician myself, capturing emotion sonically can be cathartic and resolute. Within this project the student might make percussive noise with bricks, anvils, oil drums, or might find joy in creating feedback loops with guitar amps, microphones, and fuzz pedals.

Not only would this project meet NAFME standards for composition, it may also offer a sense of being heard, and true communication from the student. The activity is also a fairly good example of what professional musicianship and composition may look like.

The next shift that I would utilize would be Shift 1, Adopt a Social Emotional Lense. In reality, I can be very quick to roll my eyes or raise my eyebrows. While I am often unconscious of this, I know that it can be detrimental to serious or professional relationships. In a situation like this, it is important to give attention to the student in a way that conveys honesty, and a genuine interest in their development.

This may also be a time to incorporate a community building activity into the classroom. If the teacher has overheard other students talking negatively about the individual, then there is a deeper problem at hand. A good strategy may be as simple as utilizing “pair and share” more frequently, or perhaps creating a group project that addresses diversity and community. The teacher may pre-select groups in an attempt to integrate the distraught student better into the classroom.

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Scenario 1: Can't Get Along, Blake Burns

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Scenario 1: Can't Get Along, Blake Burns

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You are a teacher working in an urban public school with a class size of 37. You like to have students work in groups and in partnerships, but because of social dynamics there seems to always be one student that is hard to place. Many students tell you that they don’t want to work with this student, and when you do put them into a group there is inevitably a blow-out (preempted by a trigger for this individual). In class today when the student had a blow-out, they destroyed the work that the group had done.

Shifts:
It would be easy, and would seem very natural, to approach this situation with an instinct to punish the student, but this would have the potential to further isolate a student clearly feels difficulty fitting in with their classmates. I saw many situations like this in my time as a substitute teacher in schools similar to the one described. For starters, with a class size of 37, everyone in the classroom likely feels overwhelmed. The student in question is often triggered, probably by a perceived slight that seems overblown to the rest of the students. Oftentimes in situations like this a student can be branded as a problem, which can lead to the behaviors increasing. Two shifts come to mind when thinking of how to best deal with this scenario: know your students & develop cultural competency and resist the criminalization of school behavior.
Know your students and develop cultural competency
My first instinct in this situation is that the student in question is likely responding to more than simply the actions of the students in the group in this one situation. The student very well could be experiencing trauma, and may not even realize how they are affected by it. Additionally the student may be dealing with racial or cultural biases, or other biases leading to the student being bullied by their classmates. The first step in this situation would be to have a talk with the student, one on one, and ask the student for their view on what led to the scenario described. It's easy as a teacher to assume that the student knows less than you do, but that is a dangerous and unhelpful assumption to make. The first step to healing this situation is to listen to each of the parties involved.
Resist the criminalization of school behavior.
While this situation doesn't strike me as a candidate for criminalization, many students who exhibit these sorts of behaviors, especially students of color, are branded as "trouble makers," and these monikers have an effect on a student's self image. Students who are treated as trouble makers can internalize these attitudes. The student could think "well, everyone already thinks I'm a criminal, I might as well do some real crime, because what's the difference?"  For this reason it's important to be careful not to label your students. Ask yourself what kind of action would actually have reparative value in this situation. Teenagers in whiter, more affluent schools are far less likely to be branded in this way, and students of color have certainly been treated differently in their life because of inherent bias against them. If approached right, this situation could be an opportunity to help to repair some of that.
Critical Practices:
It's vital as a teacher to shape your practice around the needs of the community you serve. A couple of practices that seem like they would be particularly helpful in this incident are classroom culture and family and community engagement. As only one person, it would be impossible to have all the answers and all the solutions, and even if it were possible to have them, it would be a disservice to your students and community to try to take everything on yourself. Your students and your community at large have the most knowledge and experience with each each other, and it would behoove any teacher to take advantage of this.
Classroom Culture
If our classroom culture has been built together, and agreed upon by all, then we can practice values based behavior management. When norms are student generated, they can also be maintained by the students, and students will feel a sense of responsibility to them. If we have agreed ahead of time on ways to address bullying, exclusion and disrespect, and we have done a good job of defining those thing, then the teacher will not be alone in responding to a given situation. In this situation we will need to have a conversation about what took place, identify any violations of norms on behalf of any students involved, and work towards an agreed upon, student generated solution.
Family and community engagement
This incident will also be much easier for a teacher to address if the teacher has the support of the student's family, and / or the community at large. There are far more resources in the community and among families than a single teacher could dream of conjuring up on their own. By developing relationships with family and community, the teacher prevents having to face these incidents alone. This is going to involve the teacher stepping outside of their comfort zone, and making an effort to recognize any hidden inherent biases. This starts by assuming good intentions. Parents should never be assumed to be the cause of any issues that the student has, and parents likely have cultural and personal knowledge that you need about the student in question to be able to fully understand the complexity of the situation. This could involve respecting cultural differences and differences in family structure. When mutual respect exists between the teacher, families, and the greater community, there is a much larger share of resources to pool from, and much more support among all involved parties.

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You are a new teacher at a public K-8 school in Portland. You are concerned about a student in your 6th grade class that has been absent several times during the semester. Most days of the week the student shows up 5 -10 minutes late, and sometimes doesn’t come to school at all. This student is not able to complete the work that is assigned, and even with extensions will not turn anything in. The principal wants you to call home and talk with parents, but the teachers that have had this student tell you that “the parents are no help”
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Since we are operating in a distance learning environment I believe that this scenario could possibly be very relevant because some students maybe in situations that are not conducive to learning. First I will discount the information given to me by the other teachers because I believe that every student and their family need a clean slate with me so that I don't let myself to prejudge this student or their family. Starting with Shift 2 - Know your Students and Develop Cultural Competency. I would begin by reviewing the students file and look for information in in their file does this student have an IEP or 504  on file. I need to understand any plans that have been established for this student and if so what have we as a school doon to help them to follow that plan. Once I have a grasp on this, I can then attempt to connect with the students parents or caregivers because we can be more successful with more people committed to the students success.I would also need to have a discussion with the student, perhaps I could plan a lunch meeting where we can eat and get to know one another better. During our meeting I would discuss with the student that arriving late for class can disrupt the class for everyone and that I am always happy to see them in class so I want to help remove barriers to being present and on time. I would ask if there's anything they need to help them arrive to class on time. Give them the opportunity to come up with solutions and provide suggestions and guidance when needed. Additionally, meeting with the student gives me an opportunity to learn if the student understands the classroom norms. Perhaps the student doesn't understand or is unaware of the importance of them being in class or that the classroom norm needs them to be on time and in class as much as possible so that the class can learn together and from from one another. It is also important to understand the why in this situation so that it can be address. The other  shift that I would use is Shift 1 - Adopt a Social Emotional Lens.  Whenever we are dealling with a behavior problem in our classrooms it is important to reflect on our own behavior in the classroom. For this particular situation it would be appropiadte to examine if I am conducting a class that is inclusive and makes students want to be present. Am I providing a space for this student to not only be comfortable but also one where they want to be there. When I interact with my students do my actions encourage a student-centered environment? As teachers we must be reflective in order to met the needs of the students and just repeating the status quo, which has failed many students in the past. Shift 5 - Resist the Criminalization of School Behavior. This shift is important because using a punitive discipline approach could easily  lead to the student missing more instruction time and more punishment. Studies have shown that students that have experienced suspension or expulsion have lower rates of graduation. So we have to look at behavior and ask ourselves is this a behavior issue or a criminal issue. Most are behavioral and should be treat as such. This scenario does not appear to have any criminality involved so I need to treat it as such. This student needs redirection not punitive punishment

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First and foremost in this situation I would observe the fist technique in the Seven Strategies for Interrupting Hateful Language. I would use the stall technique because while this is a pretty serious message that is sent through the destruction of markers, it might not be something that escalates immediately. I would definitely need to take some time (not long) to really think about how I would handle this as to ensure that the response is meaningful and helpful to the students.

During my time away from the situation, I would reflect on Shift 1: Adopt a social emotional lense. This would be a good time to think about how my actions might fuel student actions. This is a situation that warrants response, is this something that the student or student’s were counting on? Is my reaction what they wanted? Are the students practicing Shift 1 on me right now? I would reflect on this shift because, again this behavior warrants response, and it is important to consider the potential motivation behind such behaviors. If I don’t handle the situation correctly, then students might be inclined to keep repeating this behavior on purpose just to get a rise out of me.  With that said, how would this reflection inform my decisions moving forward? This reflection wouldn’t only be applicable at the moment, this reflection would also help me to understand a better way of potentially “heading this behavior off at the pass”. Is there a way that I would be able to incorporate this into future lessons, activities and interactions? Would this lend itself to building a better rapport with students? Moving forward I think It would be very important to uphold policies on the three P’s of respect, People, Property and process. Instead of just telling them all the time, I would start to incorporate this theme into different projects and exercises, and begin to show students that these aren’t simply rules, they are the glue that hold us together, and we can’t function as a community if we can’t uphold these standards or hold others accountable for these standards. Myself included.

As far as the immediate response I would look to Shift 5 resisting the criminalization of the student's behavior.  In this case there would have to be a pretty clear lack of trust, for students to think that this behavior was acceptable, and both parties are responsible for restoring that trust and building on it. Therefore, I don’t think the best course of action is punishment right off the bat. I would want to talk with the students and try to get this situation figured out in house. I want my students to trust how I handle things, and I would like them to trust me enough to tell me what’s going on and how this behavior came to fruition. If this hurdle cannot be conquered, how will the community in the classroom be affected? Maintaining student dignity and good personal relations would be one of my top priorities in this situation. There is no telling what could motivate a student to destroy school property to such a degree, and escalating the situation in front of the class could potentially make matters for this student worse. I would privately hold a restorative justice demonstration between that student and myself before I would take any actions in front of the whole class. However, this doesn’t benefit the whole class, as I would be working with one student. Instead of addressing the class in regards to the markers and the student who destroyed them. I would take the opportunity to discuss preventative measures with the whole class. Involving the voice of the class I would lead  a discussion about the class behavioral contract, and if there isn’t one I would have the students help me to make one. A contract that has measurable areas of behavior, so there is room for continuous follow up, as the students can use the contract to measure progress or shortcomings in the areas of behavior outlined in the contract.

As teachers we will never see the whole picture when it comes to actions and what motivates them. We can help to create an environment that doesn’t judge a student for whatever is beneath the surface, and create a culture where everyone feels safe to learn. With reflection on the shifts, and strategies, it becomes apparent that while most behaviors warrant action and justice, not all warrant punishment.